Isle of Fire

Isle of Swords #2

by Wayne Thomas Batson

Brace yourself for a thrilling high-seas adventure and dare to set sail for the Isle of Fire . "A great explosion rocked the crowded harbor. Flaming debris screamed into the sky and then rained down into the burning water below. The ferocious blaze engulfed ship after ship expanding the circle of destruction in mere heartbeats. The fire rain had been unleashed."

As Cat's memory returns, he realizes that he has lived two very different lives: One as the son of the ruthless Bartholomew Thorne; the other as the recipient of friendship and kindness from Declan Ross and the crew of the Robert Bruce. Now Cat must choose whether to return to the ways of his notorious father and join the evil Merchant, or defy the Merchant and risk his life to save his friends.

The best-selling Isle of Swords adventure continues in Isle of Fire as ancient mariners rise from legend and cut an all-too-real swath of destruction across the Atlantic. The newly formed Wolf Fleet scours the Caribbean, hunting the pirates they once called comrades. And in the pitiless winds of a monstrous hurricane, whole fleets will be blasted apart and devoured.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Adventure, Fiction

338 pages, Hardcover

First published September 9, 2008

About the author

Wayne Thomas Batson was born in Seabrook, MD in 1968. He had an adventurous childhood and adolescence that included: building forts in the woods, crabbing and crayfishing in bays, ponds, and bayous, playing lead guitar in a heavy metal band, and teaching tennis lessons at the local recreation center. He attended Gabriel DuVal Senior High School where he wrote for the school’s newspaper and literary magazine. He was voted “Most Talented” in his senior year, and wrote this for his Yearbook Senior Goal: “To become a published author.” Little did he know that God had even greater plans.

Wayne Thomas Batson has spent the last thirty years teaching Reading and English to Maryland middle school students. Wayne Thomas Batson lives in Eldersburg with his extraordinary wife of 26 years. His four adult children intermittently live at home whenever their unexpected adventures lead them.

Batson’s writing career began in 2005 with the publication of fantasy epic, The Door Within. Since then, The Door Within, The Final Storm, Isle of Swords, and Isle of Fire have all appeared on the CBA Young Adult Bestseller List, including #2 for The Final Storm Fall 2007. To date, Batson has penned or coauthored seventeen novels and has sold well over half a million copies.

Wayne Thomas Batson gives thanks to God for the abundant life he’s been given. He continues to write for the people he cares so deeply about because he believes that, on a deep level, we all long for another world and yearn to do something important.

Reviews

[Jaiden Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
And so the trauma continues…I mean adventure😅💖

Language: A few uses of he-double-hockey-stick as in referring to down-under. One D word as in condemned.
Violence: Lots of fighting and injuries, deaths. Mentions of blood, nothing too graphic or gory just mentions that characters were losing a lot of blood or that blood was pooled on the ground, nothing beyond that tho. Mentions of cruel torture that happened off page, not described. Character gets tortured by being stabbed in the shoulder and thigh.
Magic: N/A.

(Other: Mentions of false gods, but it is made clear by the end that God is the only One and True God.)

The beginning started out with a bang then it slowed a bit but picked back up by the halfway point so I can't complain too much, though I do wish there were more Cat chapters. Yes, he's my favorite, why do you ask?😜
Not that I didn't enjoy Declan and Blake, they just weren't chasing extremely dangerous and mysterious villains like Cat that’s all😜 The crew of the Bruce were still funny and enjoyable they just didn't have quite as much of the sarcasm I loved so much without Anne's fire to irk them on, ya know? But Red-Eye, Jacques, and Jules were still very good characters! Love them!💖
And Declan was great! His and Stede's friendship is so great!💖
And Blake was still likeable, he was just caught up in politics, nuff said…lol! I did like Hopper tho, he was cute and a fun addition to the cast! He made Blake and Dolphin's chapters more bearable💖
To say the least I didn't care for the other pov character (if you know you know) I was actually rooting against him, sorry T, but not…haha…
But anyway about halfway through is where it got crazy and I enjoyed every second! (Especially Cat and Anne's part). Fire, and fighting, and treachery, and narrow escapes, yes please!!!! So AWESOME!💖⚔️
Though one more thing, I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see D and C interact more at the end. I mean considering the recent discovery I thought we'd get to see them interact with each other and bond a little bit, so I was a bit disappointed that they had zero interaction with each other considering the circumstances, but oh well. The ending was still good regardless💖

15+

[Kaytlin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great sequel...the beginning felt like it dragged just a bit, but that was probably because I was impatient to get back to Cat because he's my favorite character...lol...

Characters:
I still love Cat, but I was sad we didn't get to see as much of him. I wanted more of his arc... more time with him to see why he made the crucial decisions he made.
Declan Ross is such a cool character! I love him and how he refuses to leave a man behind.
Hopper was adorable! I was skeptical at first, but I liked him.
Ann's POVs worked well! Enjoyed the gaps they filled.
Two villians had POVs, and I got bored a few times with them...*shrugs* They were both mostly building armies, and it felt like there was a lot of extra there that I didn't need personally...lol...would have preferred more of Cat or even Hopper.

Themes:
You are not who your family is... you are not your past mistakes... When you accept Christ, you are a new creation. Honestly, I wish this theme was pulled on more because it's such a good one, but it gets lost under all the canons and fire.

Language:
N/A...which is so refreshing in a pirate book.

Romance:
A blooming one that is slow burn and sweet! And a married couple.

Violence/Gore:
There is a lot of battles, fire, death, murder, etc...near drowning and someone threatens to peel the skin off of someone....it's got violence, but none of the blood is super descriptive...just some colorful insults here and there but no cussing.

Overall:
This was a pretty good read...the ending felt kind of rushed and all over the place because it kept hoping from one POV to the next ever few paragraphs there for a while...
I also just wanted more of the characters' reactions...what were they thinking, feeling, etc...
Anyway, it's still a solid semi face-paced action-packed book that most any boy would enjoy.

Recommend age 15+

[Moon Light Amethyst · Rating 2 out of 5]

Video:
https://youtube.com/shorts/H2n4gyh39M...

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTMtnr1KE/

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ping! Every time one of the 'wr' words came up, I was pinged wright out of the story. Wrung for rung and wretch for retch. Once or twice wouldn't have matter but, after that, it forced me to be conscious of the story-telling rather than the story for significant lengths of time.

Ok, the good parts - an epic cast of characters, each following their own thread of events, before the final tying up of all the lines. Locations shimmy from one chapter to the next - the Caribbean, England, Sweden - island names come and go. It's a rich, spicy mix - perhaps overspiced for someone coming late to the series like me. No time to get used to the vast array of exotic characters. I hadn't read the first book. Still I enjoyed the story immensely but felt there were way too many entangled plotlines in play.

(1a) Commodore Blake and his wife Dolphin return to England where, to Blake's surprise, he is accused of treachery and has to defend his actions to King George I.
(1b) Orphaned Nathaniel Hopper stows away on the Commodore's ship.

(2a) Cat has amnesia and his patchy memory is slowly returning. He is desperately fearful he has the monstrous character of his pirate father, Bartholomew Thorne.
(2b) Cat is offered command of a ship by certain warrior monks who want him to help them track down 'the Merchant', a purveyor of evil, who passes on a dark, corrupt trade from one generation to the next via a chosen apprentice.
(2c) Cat's choice of quarter-master is Anne Ross, daughter of Declan Ross, a pirate turned pirate-hunter.

(3) Declan Ross has gone off to get rid of a notorious killer, Edward Bellamy, a terrorist-pirate who always leaves one sole survivor to tell the tale of his atrocities.

(4) Bartholomew Thorne is believed to have died in a tsunami by many residents of the Caribbean - it's not in his vile nature, after all, to spare the islands from his acts of terror for over a year. However, the truth is - he's gone to Sweden, to the island of Gotland, where a hidden army of Raukar - old-style Vikings with new-style weapons - are just waiting for the right leader to be 'awakened'. Bartholomew Gunnarson Thorne claims direct pure-blood descent from Eirik the Red - but he's going to have to fight in the Bearpit and kill a massive opponent to win control of this ancient line of warriors so he can turn England into the 'Isle of Fire'.

Father Brun, Hrothgar, Lady Fleur, Brother Dmitir, Edward Teach, Slash Montant, Captain Lachance, Cutlass Jack and Scully - to name but a few of the secondary characters - are each vividly portrayed. There are no walk-on cardboard roles here. Some characters last only a paragraph but each lives with undeniable intensity.

Despite the necessarily slow pace of the story - which drops one thread only to pick up another - it is an absorbing read.

A map of the Caribbean, with detail of relevant islands; English landmarks and Swedish locations would have enhanced the book greatly.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Spring Petunia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s like the saying “don’t meet your heroes” but it’s “don’t reread books you loved when you were younger.” It’s not bad, just nowhere near as good as I remember

[Melody Keast · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite book during 7th grade

[Liza Lehman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not the intended audience for this book (middleschoolers), so it is understandable that it didn't resonate with me. I felt like the storyline was more interesting than the first book of the series, but just when I started to get absorbed into a scene, the book would shift to a totally different character. It was hard for me to stay engaged.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuing adventures of Cat, Anne, the crew of the Robert Bruce and the friends they've picked up along the way as they attempt to thwart the machinations of Thorne, who is not only not dead (Man! Really? Don't you know nobody likes a villain that won't die? Or a zombie?) but has a vicious plan to revenge himself on those who he feels have wronged him the worst. Surprisingly, this is only kind of our main crew, and goes deeper into Thorne's backstory with England herself being his main target. However, in his current state at the beginning of the story, there is no way this will happen, but it just so happens there is a deeper evil, known as "The Merchant" who enjoys making wars and chaos happen and who has plans for the devious pirate captain that involves destroying some of his own enemies, the Brethren.

Going into this book I felt rather lost; it has been awhile since I finished Isle of Swords, which I remembered liking, but not a lot of the plot or characters, so trying to remember who everyone was (even with the cast list at the beginning) and how they related to each other took a couple chapters. That is not usually a good sign, but Mr. Batson quickly drew me into the plot... just in time for me to have a two month gap when I had no time to read! So re-picking up the book, halfway through, I was again hesitant, but like the first time, the story and characters quickly drew me back in.

Now typical to adventure stories, there are a lot of captures, chases, overpowered bad guys with unstoppable tech / abilities, which I usually find very frustrating, but Mr. Batson manages to balance these well with humor, skills from the good guys and narrow escapes so I never had to think "Not again! Can you possibly manage to not stumble into one of the bad guys traps once?!?!" Not that they don't get in tricky spots (a lot!), but it's handled better than most stories. Probably my biggest "problem" is how fast people get places; which, Mr. Batson does have them mention "Wow, that voyage sure took time!", but it is obvious he didn't want to slow down the pace of the story for multiple Atlantic crossings.

Content notes: Characters are mentioned cursing or swearing, but it isn't written out. A kiss, and some contemplations of marriage, but it stays clean. There is a LOT of violence in this story; Mr. Batson isn't afraid to kill characters to show the situation is serious and he has two bad guys who are psychopaths and enjoy mauling and murdering people. Though locations of injuries and blood pools happen frequently, the injuries are generally not more graphic in detail than that. The Merchant has gotten a hold of napalm, so massive destruction happens with innocents obviously dying, and though damage to buildings is mentioned, the peoples sufferings and death are not detailed.

Added note: If you have rabid fans of "Pirates of the Caribbean" or Tanith Lee's Piratica, they will probably eat up both this book and Isle of Swords.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi, all!

Wayne Thomas Batson here. I wanted to thank all of you who put Isle of Fire on your ToBeRead list. I'm honored to be worth your time.

Isle of Fire will release the first week of September. It is available for preorder on Amazon as well. In fact, if you preorder it on Amazon and email me to tell me you have ordered it, I'll send you a signed and personalized bookplate sticker for your new book.

email me at: batguy21784@yahoo.com

Here's the official Isle of Fire blurb:

"A great explosion rocked the crowded harbor. Flaming debris screamed into the sky and then rained down into the burning water below. The ferocious blaze engulfed ship after ship expanding the circle of destruction in mere heartbeats. The fire rain had been unleashed."

As Cat's memory returns, he realizes that he has lived two very different lives: One as the son of the ruthless Bartholomew Thorne; the other as the recipient of friendship and kindness from Declan Ross and the crew of the Robert Bruce. Now Cat must choose whether to return to the ways of his notorious father and join the evil Merchant, or defy the Merchant and risk his life to save his friends.

The best-selling Isle of Swords adventure continues in Isle of Fire as ancient mariners rise from legend and cut an all-too-real swath of destruction across the Atlantic. The newly formed Wolf Fleet scours the Caribbean, hunting the pirates they once called comrades. And in the pitiless winds of a monstrous hurricane, whole fleets will be blasted apart and devoured.


Also, come visit me at www.enterthedoorwithin.blogspot.com to find out about a very cool contest and many incredible announcements!

-Wayne Thomas Batson

[Kelsey Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This another one for the just okay pile. It was nice to see the familiar characters and it was also good to see that they gave Dolphin more or an active role though I was disappointed that they never really addressed her parentage as much as I thought they would. It's a pretty major development that didn't get enough focus. I also liked the addition of Hopper who was different but likable and full of spunk. Overall, this sequel was a little bit bland compared to the original and forced me to suspend my belief more than normal. But it was still worth a read and fun-filled largely because this genre is pretty small.

[Preston Roofener · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book because it is an excellent story about how a small group of people joined together to defeat a common enemy. It goes into detail about the different scenes and all the action that went on in this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good pirate story. My favorite character was Commodore Brandon Blake.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Isle of Swords and follows the adventures of pirate hunters Cat, Anne, Declan Ross, and their respective crews. It takes place in the late 1600s - early 1700s [both King George I and William Teach are referenced in the novel]. I had read this novel first, not knowing it was a sequel; it stands well-enough on its own merits, but reading the first novel does help fill in the backstory of comments made in this novel. It moves at a good clip, overall. It has plenty of twists and turns in the narrative; I felt there was enough for the series to have gone on for one or two more books [or, this book could have been 'divided in two' to make two stories]. It had decent character development in both primary and secondary characters.

It is funny, but parts of it reminded me of some of Clive Cussler's earlier works involving past historical events and blending some kind of technological revolution or discovery. This book focuses exclusively on the period in which it was written; it just reminded me of some aspects of Cussler's stories.

I think its biggest 'weakness' was that there seemed to be two separate stories going on in the book. The narrative keeps bouncing back and forth between the two narratives, and the author is able to tie it all together in the end. I just felt like he could easily have told two completely separate stories and expanded on each of them instead of blending them together into one book. The mystery of the Merchant and trying to stop his 'reign of terror' could easily have taken up an entire novel by itself. The 'secret sect' of Vikings that worshiped Tyr and their "improved" version of Greek fire was a great idea. I could easily see that as also being a separate story unto itself. They were both great ideas, and I felt they were kind-of short-changed by combining them into one novel. That is just my opinion, though; I still enjoyed the story.

I did like that Dolphin was actually Cat's younger sister; I thought that was pretty awesome, how they were siblings and never knew. In fact, I do not think that was ever revealed to the two that they were siblings; that is a shame. It would have made for an interesting family reunion, to say the least! I thought the author did a good job drawing out this 'mystery' behind the identity of Dolphin, especially when it is discovered that the woman she thought was her mother was actually barren and unable to have children. I also found myself wondering how much older Commodore Blake was to his wife. I had the impression they were at least ten to fifteen years apart in age, but I could be wrong.

I am not sure why, but the relationship between Dolphin and Commodore Blake reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean, where the British officer was smitten with the governor's daughter and the age difference between the two of them. I guess that was pretty normal back then, for older men to marry women who were so much younger.

I thought the Viking version of Greek fire was a pretty crazy weapon; it was both a potent weapon for the Vikings and a deadly liability for them as well. That was especially revealed when the pirate-hunters sailed into the winds of a hurricane; any of the Viking fire was blown back onto the ships that fired the firebombs, destroying them and other Viking ships in the process. Still, though, it was crazy how this Viking fleet was able to destroy a large chunk of London before splitting up to destroy the order of the monks who had been searching for the Merchant. It was nuts to read of ships that resembled giant Viking longships that were large enough to have several rows of cannons onboard belowdecks.

I did like how honor, integrity, and a man's word were so important in this time period, and how men would act on behalf of another merely because somebody's word was given. It shows how powerful an influence a good name could potentially have; this can be seen in 'the real world' as well [usually the converse, as people with a bad name/reputation have a harder time getting people to either trust them or believe them].

There is a lot going on in this book; I know I have already said this, but it could easily have been broken into two novels and each novel could have been just as good. That said, it was still a fun novel to read. I enjoyed the interactions between various crewmembers, and I also enjoyed the growing relationship between Anne and Cat; it would be 'fun' to read a subsequent book where they are married or are considering starting a family. Hopefully the author does write a third [or even fourth] book for the series.

I am glad that I [re]read this book; it was a fun read for me.

[Raquel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a very long time since I’ve read modern middle-grade fiction––probably since I was a middle-schooler myself. Which is why it’s very difficult to rate this book.

Because now, all I can see are the flaws. The obvious errors (commas and homophones in particular), the stilted dialogue and clunky description, the one-dimensional characters (literally, Cat’s only defining personality trait is Angst with a capital A) and stereotyped dialects/accents, the unsubtle awkwardness of slightly-Christian pirates and sort-of-pacifist-sort-of-militant monks, an Evil Pirate Villain, and an Even Eviler Villain (who, even back when I first read it, was clearly an 18th century copy of the Emperor from Star Wars). And for a book that clearly prioritizes tight plotting over character development, there were also a number of actions that made no sense and some aggravatingly loose plot threads. (Whatever happened to Lady Fleur? And what was up with Thorne and the Merchant’s last treaty clause––not to mention the latter’s anticlimactic demise? It also would have been interesting to see more of the Merchant trying to turn Cat to the dark side, as it were, because there were some interesting mind games hinted at there, but since Cat is never actually tempted, it falls a bit flat. Also, does the Merchant have demonic powers? There’s a few hints of the supernatural, like the ship sailing without wind, and perhaps oblique references to demonic rituals, like the book Anne finds, but it never quite goes anywhere. Does Commodore Blake’s outlaw status just go away now that Batson’s packed King George off to Germany? And why, again, is Blake’s wife named Dolphin? And this is a small quibble, but for goodness’ sake, why did Batson set up this great little analogy of a chess game, going to the trouble for Captain Ross to comment on the player hiding their best move behind an apparently foolish risk, and then NOT go on to reincorporate that metaphor into any military strategy?) And of course, while Batson grounds his book in a very specific historical moment and variety of geographical locations, let’s just say historical accuracy wasn’t much of a concern.

But. See. Here’s the catch. At twelve years old, none of this mattered. Because back then, I loved this book. It wasn’t my all-time favorite at that age (if I remember rightly, that title went to Little Women), but it does have one unique distinction. I read constantly back then, and used to reread books pretty often. I would frequently reread my favorite scenes after finishing a novel, but this is the only book I can ever remember reaching the end of, then turning immediately back to page one and reading the whole thing again. (Side note: I should have realized then that I had an obsession with nautical literature, but for some aggravating reason that took almost ten years to figure out). Also, points for aesthetic––this was the first chapter book I’d ever read with colored pages, and the grey-blue parchment effect, endpapers, chapter headings, and stylized fire dividers between sections are stellar. And to give it its due, there were undeniably some great moments, the writing does noticeably improve towards the end, and there were elements of the story that stuck with me, even after all these years. The style was also pretty cinematic, which I think could help engage more reluctant readers.

So have I simply become too much of a book snob? (I mean, I am, but that’s also slightly beside the point). The question is, am I wrong to judge this book for poor writing because I’m no longer the audience for which it was intended? Am I just out of touch with middle-grade fiction? Or is there better nautical fiction for young readers out there? Who knows.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isle of Swords and its sequel, Isle of Fire, are separate books, but I'll be reviewing them together because reasons.  It works because I have pretty much the same feelings about both of them.  Just so you know, this review contains minorish spoilers (though I hesitate to call them spoilers because the reveals are completely predictable and I had it all figured out right away).

A few years back, I read this author's The Door Within and the rest of the trilogy.  I remember enjoying it, so I wanted to give this a try.  And anyway, Christian pirates?  I wanted to see how that would work. 

Ultimately, the not-really-but-kind-of Christian pirates annoyed me much less than the fully Christian characters of Other Books I Will Not Name.  I like how the author showed that being Christian isn't about being perfect all the time.  Christians make mistakes, too, and Batson doesn't shy away from that. 

I still have some problems with the series, though.  One major one is its lack of originality. 

Similarities between Isle of Swords and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies:
1. Young man is the son of a notorious pirate and is rescued by a girl
2. Spirited girl hangs out with pirates all the time
3. Young man and girl get married
4. "Good" pirates vs. "bad" pirates
5. British officers are generally idiots unless they come in handy
6. Drawn-out sea battles in which many things blow up
7. Said sea battles often involve "good pirates" fighting both the British Navy and the "bad pirates" at the same time
8. Crew members with deformities, included a messed-up eye (and the messed-up eye guy is basically comic relief)
9. Crew with no regard whatsoever for their personal safety
10. MILL WHEELS.  (somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure there was at least a minor escapade in Isle of Swords/Fire involving a mill wheel)
11. There's some sort of awesome treasure on a sketchy magical island
12. The Big Bad Pirate is out to get...everybody
13. Borderline magical things happen
14. Monkeys play a role
15. The girl's dad is overprotective
16. Pirates set ships and towns and everything else on fire
17. Storms at sea during the most dramatic moments
18. Sea monsters

Now, granted, it is hard to write a pirate book without inadvertently borrowing some stuff from Pirates.  And some of this stuff almost has to be in a pirate book, anyway.  What good is a high-seas adventure without a massive storm during the final battle, and a sea monster?  Still, some of these overlaps can't be merely coincidence. 

Even without the shameless copying similarities to Pirates, the plot was highly predictable.  I figured out who Cat's father was as soon as Cat showed up.  Dolphin's parentage was no surprise, either (and why is there a random lady named Dolphin?).  The plot's twists and turns weren't unexpected, and some of them felt a bit cheap.  For example, they had the map all along, except Cat had never opened his bag?  Why would he have not said, "Hey, I've got this weird bag around my neck.  I have amnesia, so it might be a good idea to examine not only the bag's contents, but the bag itself"?

It was tough to connect to the characters.  Cat was likable enough, but I wish the author would have gone farther with his father-son conflict (especially since I love stories where a "good guy" has a villain father).  Anne could have been likable, but she actually bothered me because she had exactly the same traits as Antoinette (the names are even similar) from the author's other series.  Thorne and the Merchant were evil just for the sake of being evil, and that also annoyed me.  (This, actually, is the difference between having villains that amass herd of adoring fangirls and are stylish and actually cool and disturbingly lovable *coughLokicough*  are well-written, and villains that are just bland.)

Overall, this book is essentially a Christian, PG-rated Pirates of the Caribbean without some of the cool and interesting stuff that happens in PotC, but with monks that blow things up.  It was predictable and I struggled to connect to the characters.  Still, it was a rather fun, swashbuckling adventure.  Three stars. 

 

Similar Books: It has pirates, like Steel.  We've already talked about the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  Also, this series has a similar structure (and basically the same characters with different names) as Batson's other series, The Door Within.

[Trenton Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Isle of Fire is an amazing story created by Wayne Thomas Batson. It depicts the fight between good and evil within the main character Cat. Cat has forgotten his past and must choose to be like his ruthless father or overcome evil and become good. Along the way he finds love and true fellowship with the crew under the leadership of Declan Ross. Throughout this story we see true evil and yet we can also see moments where good prevails.
This story as a whole was very exciting and was very hard to stop reading at times. There is a clear path that all the characters take right up to the end. Christian ideals are instilled in every chapter. The story is very well thought out and flows beautifully.
Considering all of these things I must give the book a 5/5 star rating. This is truly a masterpiece of a book. I would recommend this to anyone who has interest in piracy, love, and greed. There are some parts in the book that may not be appropriate for a younger audience. This is the second book in the series I have read and I can’t wait to read the others.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toward the middle, the action really picks up. Sometimes, the overuse of the character’s name in a paragraph is distracting, but overall an enjoyable novel. They never really make it clear why Dolphin’s father hid those journals but it was exciting to find she was Thorne’s daughter. I was hoping for some interaction between her and Cat, but it never happened. Blackbeard as a young man was an interesting addition to the story. Some of this seems like it wasn’t really well thought out, like the whole Hrothgar and Raukar thing. And the Merchant wanting Cat to be his apprentice? I dunno. Or the Merchant’s foreboding “you’ll pay something dear” idea at the beginning, but it wasn’t really.

[Yami · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice adventure, it has all the good elements for a story, yet it didn't give an impact , it will make a good average pirate movie or mini-series, I am not sure what is it that it is lacking, but there is something missing, and I think would have liked more chapters to be dedicated to Cat..rather than focus all that pages on Thorn's ...was an ok novel. didnt hate it, enjoyed it, but didn't fall in love with it .

[Jessica Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every chapter brought enchanting surprises. Particularly the addition and revelation of the one Edward Teach as well as including Cutlass Jack

The thrill from beginning to end! The particular delight were the well-known pirates that I first learned of years ago on a favorite island called Ocracoke

[Jesse Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Batson's use of historical imagery, connecting pirates, vikings, and London's burning. Perhaps not as well written as the first in the series, it still holds its own in creating a fun, fast paced plot with the characters who were previously developed.

[Jessica Lindenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish there could be more Cat and Anne parts, but overall, a well written, intriguing book!!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another decent swashbuckling adventure.

[Stephani Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good ending. I enjoyed this book! Nicely written and wraps things up nicely

[Jonathan Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright, good if you like a clean read but wayyy to predictable and I didn't feel attached to any of the characters

[MysteryReaderLee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot! I didn't like it as much as the first, but it was still great!

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

great!!

[Ari Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this whole series with my kiddos

[Dave Rench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Really enjoyed it. Felt it was even better than the first.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good sequel to Isle of Swords!! Batson is an amazing writer!

[Holly Badour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a hard time with finishing the book. The first half was very slow. Once I read 2/3 of the book is was able to get back into the story with all the action.