Pirates

To Kill A Kingdom ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭒

This was probably the most well done fairytale retelling I've read. It's a darker twist on The Little Mermaid and I LOVED it. The prince is a pirate (already gets points for that) and the mermaid is a siren (again, love it). The prince, Elian, kills sirens and the siren, Lira, kills princes, which of course is the perfect start to any great relationship. Lira is tasked with ripping out Elian's heart (literally) and Elian doesn't know she's a siren so this is obviously going to go REALLY well. How could you not want to read this? This is probably my favorite book with pirates. BOTH characters are awesome and I loved them equally.

Daughter of the Pirate King ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭒

Okay now THIS BOOK was part of the most fun pirate duology I've ever read. The characters are so sarcastic (which works great for me) and their banter is hilarious to watch. All of the details from the way the boat is described to the ship to ship battles just adds so much more depth. I could really picture the fights and the entire scope of the world while I was reading it. I also read the first book and second book extremely fast. I'm talking sitting down with the first book and not getting up for 4 hours straight in the same position to keep reading. Then repeating that process the next day for the second book. There's never a dull moment. It was such a joy to read and I'm kind of sad that it was over so fast but I really felt like I went on a month's journey of sea adventures. This isn't at the top because I reallllly liked Alosa and I liked Riden but a little less than Alosa. They weren't on the same level of awesomeness for me.

Fable ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭒

This is definitely one of the sloooowwwwwer pirate books out there. I'm pretty sure none of the characters also call themselves pirates but let's face it– they're pirates. They kill the people on the rival's crew, steal plunder, and get into fights quite often. They're pirates. This book is so good at making you really feel what it's like being underwater. The way Fable is described holding her breath before diving under, then what she sees and feels while in the water adds another layer of atmosphere. I also would like to say that it makes me want to go in the water even less, but that's fine. I'll leave all the diving up to the book characters.

In Deeper Waters ⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒

What a fun, charming read. No more, no less. This book is a fast-paced read that keeps you entertained throughout. Unfortunately, that's kind of it. I didn't find myself particularly attached to any characters. In fact, I found myself slowly forgetting what was going on as the book continued. That could just be me. Maybe I was just really tired when I read this. The romance was also a little too much of an insta-love situation for me. Already by the mid-point, the characters were discussing their futures together after meeting a week ago... and they're also sixteen. But again, just because I don't have my future planned out at that age doesn't mean they can't. This book also ended with about 90 pages to go. Which meant the ending draggggged a bit. Alas, this is a harmless, sweet story that is an easy, light read.

On These Black Sands ⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒

This was a bit of a big let down. The premise was so good but I felt like it was all setup. The story just went nowhere. This is actually a perfect opportunity for some CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. But there was none of that either. By the last 100 pages, this felt like such a drag because I didn't care that the characters were in danger and they weren't even trying to complete their goal. In fact, their goal wasn't even completed. They just made a big circle around their bay and then went back home to say, "So now let's set out on our adventure." Like, WHAT DID YOU GUYS JUST SPEND 450 PAGES DOING?! There was also no reason for there to be a romance because the characters didn't even have chemistry and it's not like they had a lot in common with each other. There just happened to be a singular girl on the pirate crew so, naturally, there needed to be a love story.

All the Stars and Teeth ⭑⭑⭑⭒⭒

So... this was... not all that exciting. This book was pitched with having epic PIRATES and MERMAIDS and I was so pumped. Well... the book DOES have pirates and mermaids but not very interesting ones. The book focuses on the main character, Amora, who is a princess who has to run away with a pirate when she accidentally kills someone. But the truth is, I don't really care for the classic story of a princess trying to reclaim her throne. I care a LOT more about the pirates and mermaids. And the pirate is super lame! The only reason I even know the guy is a pirate is because he says that he is. A LOT. I saw no sword fights, ship battles, there's barely any stealing. You're not a pirate, hun, you're just a guy with a boat. Then the mermaid comes in and, again, I'm EXCITED. But this mermaid spends more time out of the water than in. She's not even in the water when they first meet her. Again, if she didn't tell me she was a mermaid at every possible conversation, I would have just thought she had a hobby of diving. 

Dark Shores ⭑⭑⭒⭒⭒

Now THIS was disappointing. Again, PIRATES. I'm being told that there are PIRATES. So WHY is there no pirating??? That's not actually my only issue with this book. Putting aside the fact that this book takes place more on land than in the water, the characters had a SEVERE case of MISCOMMUNICATION. This book could have been over SO FAST if there was just one conversation where the characters sit down and go, "So this is what this means." Remember, the key to any good relationship is COMMUNICATION :D. This book could also benefit a LOT from a map. Characters constantly say things like, "the islands on the east side," or, "we need to cross the ocean, past the barrier rocks, go into a whirlpool, and come out on the other side," and I'm like, "HUH???" A map would probably really help this book out.