The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Daughter of the Pirate King

Series: Daughter of the Pirate King #1

Author: Tricia Levenseller

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review:

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map―the key to a legendary treasure trove―seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King. – summary from Goodreads

Daughter of the Pirate King is a thrilling pirate adventure with action, mythological elements, and hints of romance!

This book was really good and I really enjoyed it! This book is a little outside of my normal books, so it was a little darker than I typically read, which I didn’t mind. I will also share that this is a reread. I first read this book when I was 15 or 16, and I noticed a lot more on the reread.

Firstly, this is definitely an older teen book. I would say around 16. There is a lot of violence and mentions of assault. The author really doesn’t shy away from how awful pirates are. There isn’t anything too graphically described, but it is there. There isn’t spice, but the romance isn’t necessarily appropriate for younger readers.

Alosa was an amazing main character. She was hinting at something for most of the book, and I liked how it was done. She was very secretive with the characters in the book, but the author also did a good job of having it so Alosa was being secretive to the reader. She was a tough person, which was a nice exploration as she was a female pirate. I really loved seeing her opinions and perspectives on the situations she was in. It was rather unforgiving. One of the things I really liked about her was that she wasn’t afraid to admit the stuff she had messed up on. She wasn’t hypocritical, which I appreciated.

Riden was another big character, though I know he is going to be a more central character in the next book. I loved Riden! He is snarky and secretive but also caring. He is a pirate, though, so he does some shady things.

There was a start to a romance between Alosa and Riden, which I enjoyed. This was based on lies and manipulation, but it is slowly growing into something more. You can especially see that in the last chapters of the book. They have wonderful banter and a lovely connection- I can’t wait to see their relationship in the next book!

I think this is one of the few books I read that is more plot driven than character driven. The plot of this story is really fun and intriguing, with lots of adventure and subterfuge. Most of this book is Alosa being held captive on an enemy ship, but you quickly realize that she has her own reasons for being on the ship. This kept me on the edge of my seat, and I loved how sneaky and conniving Alosa was.

I will say the other pirates were truly awful, with the exception of Enwen, Kearan, and Riden. I quite enjoyed these characters. Alosa’s crew also seems good, though they were not in this book as much. I am excited to see more of her crew in the next book. The pirate king also remained a background character. He was a large influence in the story, but he really wasn’t in the book.

The siren elements in the book were also really good, and I liked how it was woven into the story. It added another layer and made the story more interesting.

Daughter of the Pirate King is a high-seas pirate adventure, with a conniving FMC!