The Ship of Shadows

Many thanks to The Write Reads and Penguin for a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Pirates = Good. Female pirates = Great. A whole magic ship full of female pirates = Must read. Ship of Shadows is a charming, cozy adventure filled with both heart and danger. Itll transport the reader to far-away countries, across dangerous seas, and all with the comfort of some charming female bonding and found family. I didn\’t love this book, but I enjoyed it, and the most important part: even though my adult brain struggled with it, I think children would love this. Younger me would have, for sure. It fits neatly into that wish fulfillment niche that is especially unique to middle grade readers. My Thoughts: – The world-building in this is immersive, and will take readers to various different countries and introduce them to diverse cultures. In a sneaky way that is sure to catch young readers attention, without having them rolling their eyes at having to actually ugh learn something. I loved how smoothly different cultures were introduced in the narrative. I was so excited to see this, because Ive been looking for books that can introduce kids to other cultures sneakily, by tricking them into having an adventure, and this really delivers on that. – The magic in this is absolutely charming. As if being pirates isnt enough of a draw, the ship itself is magical. How neat is that?! I think this was probably my favorite part of the book, and I can imagine kids would love it just as much. Whats better than being a pirate? Being a pirate on a magical ship, of course. Exploring the ship with Aleja and Frances was one of my favorite parts of the story, because there was so much to love about the ship. Im more than a little jealous that I cant set sail in her myself. – This book is just chock full of adventures and puzzles. I mean, it wouldnt be much of a pirate book without swashbuckling, now would it? This book skirts the line between cozy piracy and the actual brutalities of piracy really nicely, sparing the reader the real nitty-gritty, but also reminding them that everything comes at a price. I liked that even while it was glamorizing piracy to an extent, there were some harsh realities about the dangers. There is a little bit of a quest going on here, though, which means there are sometimes puzzles or riddles to solve, and I think thatll definitely appeal to young readers. I thought they were kind of easy/obvious, but Im also old and jaded, and it feels like a good level for the target audience. – I cant end this review without mentioning the all-female crew, which drew me to this book in the first place. Not only were they diverse, but there was something different to love about all of them. I absolutely adore stories with both found family and crews, so combining both into this one book seems pretty efficient to me. I really enjoyed reading the crews interactions, not to mention the difference in personalities. Sticking Points: – Aleja is too good at well, basically everything. Magically. Because the plot requires her to be. This goes back to the wish fulfillment thing I mention. Of course kids are going to enjoy this part more than I did, and this book is really for them, but my old, lame adult brain kept shorting out at everything this kid could do. It was … a lot. I know wish fulfillment books are huge in MG, and Im not even against kids doing fantastical feats. I just want a reason in the story to believe that theyre capable of doing these things, which I didnt feel from this story. Every time Aleja pulled off yet another thing, I kept thinking, but how?! I dont have to think it has to be realistic or real. I just have to buy it in the context of the story. Again, this is very much a me thing, but it makes me twitchy.

I know Im not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but when I saw the cover for this novel, I knew I absolutely needed to read it. The cover was simply so expressive and colorful, it reminded me of fairy tales. Then I began to read this book. This entire story is a modern fairytale, and I loved it from beginning to end. Aleja wants to be an adventurer, as many girls do. But everyone in her village says she cant be one because shes a girl. When a mysterious ship of legend docks in her town, Aleja knows that this is her chance to go on an adventure? She doesnt really have a choice in the matter, as a situation makes it necessary for her to go onto the all-female Ship of Shadows and begin an adventure with them. I think one of my all-time favorite book friendships was Aleja and Frances. Their habit of eating cake and chatting about the goings-on of the ship made for some of my favorite scenes in the entire book. All of the women on the ship had so much character and backstory to them. I wont tell you much else about those on the ship, as I dont want to spoil too much of this amazing story for you. The action scenes reminded me of what I enjoyed about the Percy Jackson series. They werent overly gory as to actually disturb middle-grade readers, but they were action-packed with enough minor grossness to engage me as an older reader. In fact, everything about this book reminded me of what I had originally loved about the Percy Jackson series. Aleja did not act younger or older than she was stated to be in this novel (around 12 I believe). I could have seen myself falling in love with this book at twelve years old had it been out. This is a must-have for a middle school / high school library collection. That is not even beginning to mention all of the representation of different groups in this novel. Even though the book is written in English, Alejas primary language is Spanish and she is from Seville, Spain. All the characters on the Ship of Shadows are from different countries and must speak different languages for a variety of reasons throughout the novel. There is also at least one (if not more that I missed) instance of LGBT+ representation. This book is just a great middle grade read, or read for anyone at any age. My only complaint was that I dont believe it is a series, I absolutely need more from these characters! I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.

Book source ~ Tour Aleja loves to read about pirates and adventures, but is stuck helping in her familys tavern in Seville. One day she wants to be an explorer, no matter what anyone says about it not being proper for a woman, and she gets her wish much sooner than she expects. When she is driven out of town by counterfeiters and hides on The Ship of Shadows they take her away while continuing on their mission. Theyll drop her back in a few months, but will she want to leave? What a wonderful adventure! Aleja fits right in with the magical ship and her all female crew. But they are wary and dont really trust her until she proves herself over and over again. This is everything Aleja has ever wanted, but she misses her family and worries about what they are thinking since she just up and disappeared. But right now she has to help her new friends find what they are searching for. And shes having fun while doing that. Action-packed and full of new experiences this pirate tale is different and exciting. The characters shine and the plot moves swiftly along under full sail. My favorite character is the ship. How cool is it? Totally cool! The author is unbelievably creative when it comes to the ship and its magic. I didnt get to see much of the villain who is chasing them, but he seems to be an azzhat that needs a good beating. The story has a conclusion, but the adventure has not yet ended. I look forward to seeing where The Ship of Shadows sails next and whether Aleja will be joining the crew for all time or will she scurry home to her family. I bet I know the answer to that.

I was so excited to read this all female pirate fantasy book and I was not disappointed at all. This book was magical, it had strong characters, was so descriptive I could actually sense the terror of when the Kraken arrived AND I loved the race across the ocean to find the treasure and solve the mystery behind the ship. This is Maria Kuzinars debut book and oh boy it came with a bang of cannon fire and a lot of pirate swagger. It is a middle grade book but I tell you being an adult I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It had me on the edge of my seat and at times crying out to the characters to watch out! Aleja is by far the wittiest, cleverest and most adventurous characters I have probably met. Her heart longs for adventure but her being female is restricting her. Aleja not one to sit idly by comes unstuck when she sees some of the nastiest people in her town with counterfeit coins. Her life is literally forfeit and she can only hope to escape. With the help of an unknown female in her streets her life takes a turn for the better. Hiding out of the Ship of Shadows to let the danger pass she somehow becomes part of the crew. The whole crew aha get it? is one of my favourites. They all had their own stand out personalities that worked so well to make this book flow swimmingly (I know I cant help the puns). From fighting nefarious forces at sea to being taken captive on land this book definitely saw some action. It added to the magic of the book and made me enjoy it that much more. Can I also mention that Frances is up there as well. Her character was another delight in the book. She is the thief and at times gets up to mischief but you know that her heart is in the right place. Also let me just say one other word for Frances CAKE. She loves a bit of cake and when reading about it it made me hungry for cake as well! Her love and friendship with Aleja also made her very special in my eyes. All the characters had their own uniqueness and strengths. This book and hopefully series is going to go from strength to strength. I can wait to see what other adventures they are going to go on. I loved this book from start to finish. It had my heart pounding I had so many questions about the Ship of Shadows and its magical elements. I am hoping we are going to find out more in the next book as they are definitely travelling on the high seas.

I was swept away by this gorgeous, heart-warming, inventive story of a bookish girl who ends up on a magical (and haunted) pirate ship crewed entirely by women. Adventure awaits – a quest for a lost city and a mysterious map – while threats abound. Kraken bells. Weapons training. Storms in jars. And cake. Lots of cake. It\’s all here. This book will be adored by children longing for adventure after long lockdowns, and it\’s so subtly smart that adults and YA readers will love it too. Buy it for your kids, but read it yourself first!

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member