These Sanguine Tides

by E.S. Barrison

On the sea, nothing changes.
Unless there is blood.

When Leena Davies was a child, pirates took her eye and killed her father. She did not remember their faces, but she could not forget the day. Filled with childlike revenge, she and her brother Tristan ventured every night to the seashore to plot against the pirates who had taken everything from them.

Until her brother committed arson on the night of the blood moon.

To pay her brother’s bail, Mr. Hackney of the Sanguine Tortuga acquires Leena and puts her to work. With a new life onboard a ship filled with magic and talent, Leena sees a potential future of adventure, only to be greeted by redundancy. Locked in a routine, with nothing remarkable about her, Leena’s future lies in the hands of a captain with a vendetta.

After Mr. Hackney acquires an alluring pirate with a secret, and as discontent grows amongst his acquisitions, murmurs of rebellion echo within the belly of the Sanguine Tortuga. Leena must decide where to place her loyalties. Will an act of treason reunite her with her brother? Or will it turn her into the thing she despises?

After all, what is a pirate but a name?

Genres: Fantasy, Pirates, Lesbian, LGBT, Young Adult, Queer, Magic

315 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 26, 2023

About the author

E.S. Barrison has been writing and creating stories for as long as she can remember. After graduating from the University of Florida, she has spent the past few years wrangling her experiences to compose unique worlds with diverse characters. Currently, E.S. lives in Orlando, Florida with her family. The Mist Keeper’s Apprentice is her first novel.

Reviews

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to ES Barrison for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

For starters, I really love the world Barrison has created, and I adored learning more about it in this story. It's so unique and unlike anything I've read before, and having more adventures from a different perspective is so fun. I have loved every aspect of this world and the way that so much of it keeps unfolding is so fun to discover!

I love these characters and the found family nature of this book so much, and I can't wait to watch them all grow! I love the growth and healing that is found in this book in particular and the way that Leena really becomes who she is meant to be and who she realizes she wants to be. She's such a fun character to watch interact with the world and learn to navigate (pun intended) everything that is thrown at her.

I can't wait to see where this story goes from here, and I'd definitely encourage any fantasy lover to check this world out!

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much potential - queer pirates, magic, high seas adventure? Practically catnip to me! Between that description and that gorgeous, badass cover, I absolutely had to read this.
Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
For one, that lady on the gorgeous cover? She looks at least a decade older than the protagonist, Leena, supposedly is. I really wish BookSirens had listed this book as YA - not that I wouldn't have read it in that case, but as is I expected and was in the mood for an adult fantasy novel, which this very much is not, the occasional bit of gruesome killing and casual chopping off of body parts and other mutilation notwithstanding. (The mechanics of some of which, on that note, were so very off as to seem farcical.)
I didn't greatly care for any of the characters, they just weren't fleshed out enough to register as anything more than "vaguely likable", "vaguely annoying" and "vaguely unlikable". In consequence, I also didn't greatly care about the romance.
The story was entertaining enough to keep me interested, though the plot at times moved too slowly and some elements did not feel fully developed. On the whole, this reads more like an early draft in need of revision (and an editor!) than a finished work ripe for publication - which is a shame, because there's a good foundation here, it's just that what's built on it needed more refinement.

*** I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

slight spoilers through the whole review but nothing major.

this book was enjoyable but for a plot with so much potential this book was very underwhelming. the characters themselves were weak; i could not bring myself to care about any of the two main cast. the one character that did peak my interest was hari and even then she got like a solid 10% of an interesting character arc right at the beginning and then she just totally disappeared and fell into the background and became underdeveloped and weak.

don’t even get me started on the mc’s brother. we don’t see him at all and she seemingly forgets about him for quite a lot of this book. i did not care for him and there needed to be some development of their relationship in order for me to become invested in their relationship and want them to be reunited but honestly he could’ve stayed in prison he adds nothing to the story for me.

the writing in this book felt really middle grade too, especially at the beginning (which i will allow since the character was 14) but it seems like once the author started, they got sort of stuck writing in this style and it really didn’t suit the mood for this book. the other thing was that this book was all over the place time wise. leena starts out as a 14 year old, we jump ahead 3 months and she’s nearly 15 (fair enough), then as far as i’m aware there was a one year time jump (the year she’s banned from leaving the boat) and all of a sudden she’s 17/18?? where did all that time go? you’re telling me in those whole three years she’s on that boat nothing of note happens, nothing that could’ve strengthened the story at all?? and then it gets even more confusing because we get told theo is 17 to then be told 10 pages later that he’s 16. so this book is incredibly inconsistent with its time line.

then there were no stakes in this book at all. there wasn’t really any sort of “big bad guy”. the whole plot revolves around finding this buried treasure but there’s not really anything that is going to stop them from finding it, there’s no one coming after them and there’s not much actually protecting the “treasure”. then the treasure itself is anti-climatic and we never get a solid explanation of what it actually is or does?? i mean i know there’s a second book but the first one seems to wrap everything up pretty well and because the stakes in this book are so low it’s impossible for me to imagine what on earth the second book could possibly be about.

idk i really enjoy a good pirate book but this one fell short and was underwhelming in every possible aspect. for 99p it was an enjoyable enough read but if i had paid anymore for it i’d have been disappointed

[Fussl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun! I really liked reading it, especially the character development. You can always make me happy with queer pirates tbh. I was very excited when I saw there will be another book about these characters cause I really do like them a lot. My only kinda critique would be that the plot twist at the end with the other pyromancer it was pretty obvious who it was going to be haha. But other than that it was a great read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

[Christine Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow fantastic storyline I loved the storyline it's gripping the main characters intense pressure formed doubts over whether they can navigate through it all was captivating definitely worth reading congratulations

[Jessica Ogram · Rating 3 out of 5]

The characters were likeable and there were some cute friendships and relationships. There was good character development. I love the pirate vibe and all the unique magic.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

These Sanguine Tides was an absolutely delightful experience. Once I properly sat down to read this book, I couldn’t put it down.

We follow Leena as she grows from a scared child to a confident young woman and finds a family in the crew of the Sanguine Tortuga. I was giddy when we were introduced to June and we could see how Leena was conflicted with her feelings not because June was a girl but because she was a pirate. I would love to see more growth and exploration of these characters individually and together as the story continues.

I loved that the world this was set in was so refreshingly queer normative. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out next year so I can join these characters again for another adventure.

*I received an arc for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy getting to go on a pirate novel, especially good ones. E. S. Barrison does a great job in creating realistic pirates that have what I expect from them. Leena Davies is a great main character that works in this universe, I could understand why she became a pirate and was rooting for her. I'm excited to read more from E. S. Barrison.

"Admit you’re at least a little fascinated by her. Even I’m a little interested, and she’s not really my type.” Pickford brushed his locks back behind his ear dramatically. “June Lok, the mysterious and murderous pirate, with her beautiful hair and unusual waltz.” He hopped on another crate and stood with his hands on his hips. “June Lok, queen of the seas, who freed us with her guile and pride."

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

wow I’m the first reviewer!!

anyway, I read this book in one sitting and I’m just going to say it was mid.
𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩 & 𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: the writing was meh and I feel like the plot could’ve been a little quicker. in the first few chapters, like up until 8% I genuinely thought this had a lot of potential.

𝙇𝙚𝙚𝙣𝙖 (𝙛𝙢𝙘): I liked Leena but to an extent, she wasn’t really anything special to me. she was basically a basic fmc.
(I was so tempted to write basic ‘white’ fmc but I’m actually not sure if she was white)

all in all, I’m not saying this was 𝙗𝙖𝙙, I’m just saying it was very basic-YA-fantasy-pirate-y
does that make sense?

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙮.

[Jonathan Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The TL;DW for this book is: it’s a nice little adventure story. I’m somewhat fuzzy on the details of what’s going on, but the central narrative thread, and the emerging side plots, are handled with plenty of care and attention, allowing for a reading experience that is both easy and immersive. With the introduction out of the way, it’s time to delve a little deeper.

The plot of this book follows Leena Davies, an orphaned young lady whose father was killed by a pirate, leaving her with a disdain for the practitioners of piracy. After her twin brother and surrogate father figure gets arrested for arson, she is acquired by a travelling merchant, and goes on a journey that will teach her how to stand up for herself, and for the people she cares about. Aiding her on her journey is a mysterious new acquisition onboard the merchant’s ship, The Sanguine Tortuga, who stirs many new thoughts and emotions within her.

The plot developments beyond that are a little too intricate for me to get into without seriously spoiling this book, each new reveal by the plot brings out a whole new thread, connecting a slew of characters together. Their relationships, their abilities, their common histories, their strengths, their distinctive features and characteristics, all of these are woven together in a seamless, naturalistic manner, which very much invites the reader into experiencing the events of the narrative alongside the characters. An aspect of the narrative, or the pacing, that I particularly wish to highlight, is how the story is built up. It starts with Leena and her surroundings, her living situation, and then the narrative eye, or perspective, gradually pans out, revealing her native country and some of its administrative processes, then Leena’s new home, followed by a greater view of the places she visits, while hinting at the connections between them.

The timeline of the book is, I have to admit, a little murky, distances and intervals tend to blend together, leaving the entire narrative in a strange, timeless limbo. There is a sense of romance that emerges from that presentation, but I find my investment in the story waning when the events within it do not have the impact they are told to have, or when I, as a reader, cannot gauge, cannot assess the impact of the characters on the rest of the world. The worldbuilding is done quite competently, if I am to be very fair, and it is the point where I think Barrison shows the most improvement as a writer, but it is too vague to fully allow for immersion. Even though there is a map of the world in the beginning of this book, the presentation of travel times is fairly inconsistent, and only some of the locations of the book are actually presented on the map. I hesitate to say she shouldn’t’ve included it at all, even though I think that would’ve benefitted this book, because it’s still likely she could do something interesting with the map in the series’ following books. Confounding the problem are all the loose ends Barrison brings into the narrative. I don’t, as of right now, know if those loose ends will stay loose, or will form new threads in future instalments.

That being said, her characterisation does more than enough to salvage the story. All characters are distinctive, engaging, easy to tell apart, and all of them are given moments to shine. They all contribute to the narrative in their own, interesting ways, adding a lot of depth and relatability to an otherwise simple narrative. For obvious reasons, however, it is Leena and her love interest that receive the lion’s share of narrative attention and development, which made for a very enticing read.

Overall, while I am willing to admit the flaws of this book, its strengths do more than enough to outshine them.

Btw, the review is based on an ARC, and I'm leaving it voluntarily

[CristoC · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most exciting thing of this book ended up to be the blurb unfortunately.


The word that best describes this book is probably chaos. The writing, the characters, the plot…everything is a mess.

The writing looking like that of an early draft is what struck me first; it’s so inconsistent throughout the book that it reads middle grade for the most part and ya at best towards the end. Not only it is inconsistent, it’s also so choppy and clumsy that it made reading either insufferable or unintentionally ridiculous, and made me feel bad for laughing in ‘serious’ situations. The characters’ dialogues only make it worse: they all sound like 11 years old, and I was genuinely surprised to discover that the main character was supposed to be 14 at the beginning of the story; you could say that writing style and character behaviour is actually matching at that point, were it not for the actual age of the character. Speaking of numbers…was there no alpha, beta reader or editor that noticed the extreme mess up of time passing in the book? We’re told a year passed, and then suddenly three years have gone by without notice, and then a character is told to be 17 only to then be 16 in the next chapter.

Characterisation is almost non-existent, limited to physical attributes and one specific quirk, so that no character really stands out and makes me wonder why some of them even have a name at all. The main character is so contradicting in her character arc that I began to find her really unlikeable towards the end; she goes from being shallow and boring to a complete hypocrite, and we’re given a few crumbs of backstory as a poor excuse for character depth. And the romance, well…poor characters make for poor romance, needless to say. The worldbuilding is very simple and unexplored in the book, and somehow manages to be poorly handled by introducing the reader to it with no explanation at the beginning and having a long and boring info dump towards the middle, made only for the sake of shoving the worldbuilding down the readers’ throats, instead of weaving it into the story. The plot is not really a plot, but more like a succession of events that doesn’t really refer back to a main story; if feels like a succession of side quests whose only purpose is to build the characters, and had that been the case I wouldn’t have minded, but as I said, the characters are not faceted at all.

Some mechanics are just examples of bad research; no, you can’t cut your own hand with a knife in a single hit, and no, it won’t heal that soon, and NO, you can’t do all those things easily; if fire hits you and everything around you burns but you’re somehow immune to it…your clothes are still going to burn; no, you can’t do all those stunts with broken ribs and then proceed to forget about it; if the seller doesn’t know the value of what he’s selling and the buyer does but doesn’t exploit that…then he’s the dumbest person, closely followed by the vendor; no, that’s not how you row a boat; if you burn someone’s eyes, you’re not going to have bloody hands.

I wish the book had gone through more revisions and more edits, because I really think the base idea for it was promising but the end product feels like a hastily put together notebook of ideas.


I was given an eARC of the book by the author and BookSirens and this represents my honest opinion.

[Tu Way · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

These Sanguine Tides is a book about sapphic pirates. The story is about a teenager Leena and how she was sold to a slave ship and lived there for some years until change occurred.

The world building was easy enough to understand and the touch of fantasy through some characters having magical talents was interesting. Although a relatively short novel, I did not find it as a quick read because of the content. There was quite a lot of violence (as one would expect from a book about pirates) and some parts did move slowly but that was also expected as it cannot be constant action for years on a ship and I appreciated that.

The story felt like an adventure tale with a romance subplot. Considering the characters' ages and experiences, the romance between Leena and June was believable as first love like and I liked that the love scenes were fade to black. The found family theme through other crew mates was heartwarming and I was happy there was no hazing or initiation period. None of the characters really stood out to me though and that could be an area for improvement.

Although the story was interesting enough, I did not feel invested in the main storyline of going back home to find Leena's brother as well as reading the next story in the series. There were also a few plot holes that could have been avoided, especially when fire is involved. I also think this content warning: "This book contains depictions of violence, death, slavery, and some adult language, as well as discussions of sexual situations, assault, and colonialism." should have also been added somewhere in the book and not just in the blurb. I would however recommend this book to anyone who does not mind books about pirates, fade to black scenes, magic and teenager to new adult growth.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Allison Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I'd get into this one at the start. The writing felt very simple, and there were errors scattered through the first several chapters (missing punctuation, missing or incorrect words, and inconsistencies in things like how ellipses were used). At the beginning, it felt like an early draft that needed a bit more revision.

However, as it went on, the author's voice got stronger, and it turned into an intriguing story. I loved June, and I enjoyed watching Leena's character develop,. Her struggle over her feelings for June and the conflict over piracy felt very real. I was so glad to see her reunited with her brother, and I love that they were able to come together as family again. Leena's mother, on the other hand... she got what she deserved, and I have no sympathy for her.

One area that felt a bit weak was Theo's arc. Collapsing at the silver lake - ooh, mysterious, what's gonna come of it? And then he suddenly wakes up and stumbles out of bed long enough to give Leena a cryptic warning, but no one thinks anything of it or acts on it. And then at the end, his excuse about the silver and the nonexistent war just fell flat. It would've had more impact if it had been built up a bit more. That said, Leena's choice to burn out his eyes was brutal but not altogether uncalled for. It was probably the best choice she could've made.

All in all, I quite enjoyed this story, and I'll be keeping an eye out for the news about book two next year.

[Thanks to Booksirens and E.S. Barrison for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.]

[Reece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leena Davies didn't start out a pirate. She was sold by her mother to work for Mr Hackney, a dark and sometimes violent captain who 'collects' people with magic abilities, and she did what she was told and toed the line. But when her ship is freed by fellow slave June Lock, her world completely changes.

I really enjoyed this book! The world E.S Barrison has created is so detailed, with creatures and continents and lore, and it's clear These Sanguine Tides is just the beginning. I also appreciate the complex characters; Leena isn't an innocent victim, June definitely isn't 'good', and yet I am still rooting for them!

I did find the novel was uneven to start; it took me a while to work out where it was going and what the core plot was. I also didn't realise Leena was a child in the opening scene (I hadn't bothered with the blurb, I was too excited about the cover and jumped right in!) There were also a few errors which occasionally pulled me out of the story (e.g. "Name's Hari", and then a few lines later, "Call me Hari".) I do think the novel could benefit from a bit more editing to fix up the small typos and create a clearer start.

However - it's worth pushing through. The author has created a rich universe and as soon as the novel ended, I had the sense that it was just the beginning. I look forward to sequels!

(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for providing the advance copy of These Sanguine Tides. I loved the title and the opening line immediately piques one's interest in the story.

The story overall was engaging and fun. The characters and writing felt a little flat. Everything could have used more development. The magical talents and the geographical history of the magics was so interesting but they were barely touched on after their initial introduction. The MC seems to be very interested in learning why her father was targeted by Venom Mouth and how she and her brother came to have their magic but then it is immediately forgotten.

The search for the treasure was very simple and they encountered little difficulties along the way. When the author touched on the MC's idea that the treasure could be water, it is such a profound idea that riches are not necessarily gold and gems but natural treasures but then it is immediately laughed at and passed over. Then the actual treasure is barely described.

Any tension in the story is quickly resolved. The young ages of the characters and time jumps in an attempt to quickly age them make the novel seem way more middle grade than it is being marketed.

Overall this has the makings of a great story but the development needs more work.

[Jessica Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥🏴‍☠️🦴🏳️‍🌈

Rep: Lesbian MC, Lesbian LI, Transgender Male
Trigger warnings: slavery, suggested S/A (not on the page), fighting, wounds, burning, murder - basically normal things you would think you would find in a pirate's book.

This was a quick and easy read. It had a great storyline and it was easy to follow. I loved how the main character grew within herself and I loved the love/hate relationship going on between the two characters, Leena and June.

The one thing I was a little disappointed about, but totally has to do with me and not the author is that it was fade-to-black love scenes. I thought the vibe of the book warranted a bit of spice, but alas there was nothing.

I loved the found family aspect of the crew and how close everyone was to each other. I especially loved Pinkford. I hope to see more of his romance in the next book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book complimentary from BookSirens in e-book form in return for my honest review. Everything stated in this review is of my own opinion and I was not compensated monetarily for providing this review.
This is my first book in the "Pirate" subgenre of romance books, it seems so popular I though I would see what it was all about plus E .S. Barrison is a new author to me. I am pleased I picked up this book, the author sure knows how to write a romance novel, the relationship develops over the course of the book - not rushed and certainly no insta-love which I am thankful for.
Leena Davis is a great main character and develops as the story progresses
Not a great deal of world building but the story is great and the romance sweet even though the rest of their lives are anything but,
I recommend this book and look forward to reading more by the author in the future.

[Sarah Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and the queer representation in it. Sapphic novels are my jam so lesbian pirate? Heck yeah freaking loved it!

These Sanguine Tides was a pretty quick and easy read. The flow of the story was nice, it was easy to keep up, at no point did I feel lost. Loved the character development of the MC too!! I would seriously recommend it to anyone who likes sapphic reads and don’t need on page spice, everything was fade to black, which is fine but I do wish that it hadn’t been that way in this book. Seriously my only complaint but I can also understand if the author wasn’t comfortable doing it or just simply didn’t want to. It’s not changing my 5 star rating that I 100% believe it deserves.

I can’t wait to read more by E.S. Barrison!

I received a review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Sara Jesus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really love pirate storys, storys with sea monsters and tresures. Was a fun adventure full of magic and with a couple of nice side characters. Each one have have a different magic ability, just like the main character that have fire magic. The main character in the begin was a little annoying but after the big action happen she will learn to control her magic and to trust people.

Leena was sold by her mother to a trade human slavery capitan, she most of the time do not undrestant the sea life or the capitan business. But she will form a storng bond with his crew who will do anything to protect her. Later they will get their freedom because of June, a pirate who aspires to find a mythical treasure. It will be difficult to Leena to trust her, because was a pirate that kill her father but she will learn the pirate life and understant that the cold girl is more human that she thought.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

* I received an ARC of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily *

To be completely honest, this book was not my favorite specially the first chapters. I often found Leena to be a little too reckles and some of her decisions didn't make sense to me, same thing with her mother, who I speacially couldn't undertand her "disdain and little interest" for her kids.

More into the book I could feel myself getting immersed in the book, and I could only atribute that to the author's great skill of describing the what Leena was feeling and seeing. I found it extremely intriguing, this premise of a girl pirate!!! I'm absolutely a fan, mostly because I think the book explains to us her reasoning behind her decision of becoming a pirate, and I just love that (I'm also an unconditional fan of women being pirates).

[L.J. Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for giving me an ARC in exchange for a review

I don't usually read books about pirates, but decided to give this a try. There were plenty of shocking moments with twists, lots of adventure, revenge plots and a great sapphic romance. Some parts were gruesome but fun to read.

Leena was a great MC, though at times I found that she acted quite immature. That being said her character development throughout the book was great and something she definitely needed. All the crew on the Sanguine Tortuga definitely helped bring Leena out of her shell and were great people I felt I could be friends with. June was verocious, and I really liked her character.

Personally found the middle slowed the plot right down when before this it was very fast paced. However, I think this is just a personal preference and not being familiar with the genre.

Overall, this was a great read and I'm excited for people to step aboard the ship and go on a wild adventure. The revenge portions are very satisfying.

[Irene Sejas · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily).
I really loved this book, specially the whole setting and world building, it felt really refreshing and innovative to me!
I don't usually read pirate-themed books so I was really intrigued with this one, but it did not disappoint!! The plot is really good too!!
I feel like there is a lot of character growth in the book which is always really exciting. I really enjoyed Leena's story and interactions with other characters.
The author's writing style was really enjoyable too and I can't wait to see what else they write!!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you BookSirens, for the ARC.

This book was good. I liked the characters. I think Theo was my favorite. He was lovely. June was a little tricky to like. She was very intense. I always love books about pirates. Some very intense scenes that made me feel uncomfortable. I would check trigger warnings before reading this book. Leena is very likable. I would have given the book five stars, but it was too dark for me.

I would recommend reading this book but make sure to check the trigger warnings beforehand.

[Josh C · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few typos (we're told a character is 17yrs old in one chapter, then the very next chapter we're told he's 16yrs old) and some of the characters did some unrealistic things at times (Leena challenging June to race down a hill after literally just having broken her ribs) but those things aside, this was an enjoyable read. The adventures are exciting and the battles keep you intrigued the whole way through. Once June Lok is introduced the story really picks up and keeps you engaged/invested until the end.

I received an ARC ebook copy for an honest review.

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read about a diverse group of young pirates on the high seas of the Effluvium, about 250 years before we are introduced to the world of the Mistkeepers Apprentice. In this coming-of-age tale, young Leena Davies is sold into a life where she learns who she truly is and has love and adventures beyond her wildest dreams. And we readers get a glimpse of things-to-be when the characters encounter magical camelias and silver liquid. Looking forward to the sequel.

[Esvetooo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Expected more

Good story, kinda hard to read sometimes bc of how it was written. The action scenes seemed kinda rushed and the sister / brother reunion was built up for so long for them to just leave each other again. Problematic main characters and I felt like the mystery of the silver liquid was overhyped since no one knows what it is.

[Em ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! Such inventive and diverse worldbuilding, with characters that feel real! Parts of it remind me of Our Flag Means Death which is something that means so much to me, which made me love this even more! I also loved the callback of the wooden sword at the very end 🥺

“Perhaps, despite everything, on our little pirate ship… we were never meant to be anywhere else.”

[Kimberly Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in a day! I even stayed up past my bedtime just so I could finish it.

[Blanche Maze · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice read!

Pirates killed Leena's father and took her eye. Since then, she and her brother has been obsessed with revenge. But when her brother is arrested for arson, everything changes. To pay for his bail, Leena is sold by her mother to the dangerous captain of the Sanguine Tortuga. Forced on a life at sea with the very people she hates, Leena longs to find her brother and get her revenge.

I heard pirates and sapphic and I jumped. I was not disappointed. Even if the story was a bit too slow and long for my taste, this book was quite nice. I really liked the world and how the magic played a part in it. Leena's story was really interesting and I liked her resilience even when life kept throwing bad stuff in her face. The romance was really sweet and interesting, sort of enemies to lovers, and I liked how the characters evolved and learned to trust one another. The plot in itself was interesting even if I somtimes had trouble understanding where we were going, what the characters wanted. The twists and turns were quite enjoyable and the writing was smooth and immersive, making it easy to relate to the characters and understand the world they live in. I'm excited to see what's next in this series because the ending left me quite intrigued!

I recommend if you like sapphic pirates and revenge!

"Because fire always dies especially at sea."

TW: violence, slavery, blood, death, fire, assault, kidnapping, murder, abuse