Captain Black Shadow

Chronicles of the Bat #1

by Janina Franck

The life of a shipwright's son is a quiet one, always staying in one place while sailors of all sorts pass through, telling tales of their daring escapades to any who will listen. For the young Griffin, stories of adventure aren't enough; he longs to see the world for himself, to have adventures out on the ocean, and to captain his own ship. Even if that means abandoning his old life and running away. But the seas of Jianlah are a dangerous place, filled with strange creatures, treacherous waters, and most dangerous of all: pirates. So when Griffin finds himself aboard the Bat, the most notorious pirate ship of all, his adventures are only beginning.

326 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2016

About the author

Janina is a nature-loving story-addict who may have tea and chocolate running through her veins. Guided by her daydreams, she started writing stories at a young age and never really stopped. Now living in Ireland, she loves to try new things and experience adventures, both real and imagined.

Reviews

[Rosie Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Captain Black Shadow is a young adult epic fantasy with a pirate theme.

Eighteen-year-old Griffin has no wish to follow in his father’s footsteps and be a shipwright;  instead, he wants adventure on the high seas. He stows away on a ship which is soon captured by pirates who invite him to join their crew. The colourful band of buccaneers change his narrow views about them as they seek justice against corrupt leaders of their world.

They go on a daring adventure in search of artefacts that will give them safe passage through a mysterious veil at the edge of their oceans. Their journey takes them through dangerous seas, where they meet fierce islanders. See here for full review https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-f5X

[Tiarnán Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fasinating story following well developed characters in a well built world.

[Cillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, low fantasy, coming of age/ adventure story.
More than anything I love the lively and relatable characters. I always find myself wanting to know more about the characters, getting to know them better all the time.
The story has a slightly slow but steady pace but I feel this highlights the ultimate climax at the end of the book.
I'll be waiting impatiently for the rest of the books in the series as I did for this one to be published.
I would say that this book is an enjoyable read in itself but it feels like a beginning rather than the full story, it introduces you to some really interesting characters, it teases past adventures, stories and histories, it taunts us with the possible adventures that lie ahead and makes me more excited than ever to read more and more books set in the world that Janina is creating!

[Peter H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading Captain Black Shadow expecting a pirate-filled, fantasy-adventure novel about a boy finding his place in the world. And it certainly delivered on that front! But it also delivered an enormously diverse group of characters, whose backgrounds, story-arcs and individual characterisations are not only interesting, but very real too - and often evoked equally real emotions from me.

These wonderful characters, set against the backdrop of a world which also felt incredibly real and fleshed-out, peppered with hints of a rich and complex mythos (which I can only assume will be explored further in later installments), and an excellent mixing of dramatic moments with more light-hearted ones, took this pirate-filled fantasy-adventure from "good" to "great". It was a compelling read, and a fantastic first novel from Franck. I look forward to reading more!

[Pablo López Córdoba · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was great.
I was intrigued until the end and now I can't wait to read the next one!
I'm pretty sure that Janina Franck will go far.
Cheers