Review: Daughter of the Pirate King

Daughter of the Pirate King

By Tricia Levenseller

Published: February 28, 2017

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 map: 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.

My review:

I am a fan of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie (though I've also watched the later films) and I've enjoyed some of the other YA pirate fiction I've read so I was eager to give this a try and it didn't disappoint.

Alosa is the daughter of the self proclaimed "pirate king" but she is a pirate in her own right with her own ship and a nearly all-female crew of trusted friends. When her dad gives her the task of infiltrating a rival pirate's ship to get a piece of a treasure map, she lets herself get caught so she can find the map. She figures it will be an easy task though she has to hide her real skills from her captors. What she wasn't planning on is Riden, the first mate and loyal younger brother of the captain, who suspects she is up to something. 

Alosa is intelligent and brave and a good leader. She is also perhaps a little too loyal to her father who doesn't sound like the greatest dad. Alosa is a confident and skilled pirate but she struggles with her heritage and she wants to prove herself to her dad. Riden is also a capable but unusually kind pirate (he doesn't enjoy killing) and more than a match for Alosa's antics. I liked the development of their relationship as the story progressed. The secondary characters are also interesting though I wanted to know more about Alosa's crew than the glimpses that we got. I think that will change in the second book.

Daughter of the Pirate King is a fun historical fantasy/adventure novel on the high seas. I think fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean films and pirate fiction would enjoy this. It is a page turner with humor, romance, a little bit of fantasy and some unexpected twists. I am eagerly looking forward to the sequel.

Note: I received an ARC for review purposes courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss