Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King #1)

YA Fantasy, DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING mixes the supernatural with good ol' piracy. Fans of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (especially the third movie) would absolutely enjoy the first installment of this exciting series. If you are like me, you would remember the little Syrena and Philip plot. Alosa and Riden constantly remind me of their romance, and I absolutely adore the two couples' romantic relationships.

Looking for action? The plot is a constant adventure, as moving as the waves of the ocean are and as swift as a fired cannon ball. Alosa, the female captain in a male-dominated field, is sent by her father for a mission to find a treasure map. From intrigue to mystery to sword fights to the supernatural to backstabbing to evil plotting, this novel is most certainly out to thrill. There is not a single moment where the story stops moving.

Alosa is a strong-willed female protagonist. Carrying an aura of mystery, she does do a lot of explanation in her narrative that do not distract from the story itself. Though she knows much about the art of piracy, her somewhat naive nature makes her endearing. With every paragraph and chapter, she grows and evolves to be a bit wiser, more compassionate, and perhaps also a tiny bit funnier. (It would be wonderful if the author expands a bit more on the relationship between Alosa and her crew. There's hints of this to come in the next installment, though.)

Riden and Alosa's chemistry is off the charts. Their banter gives the book life, and though Riden may be one of Alosa's "captors" (in which, Alosa willingly goes along with Riden and his brother for her mission), Riden is open to Alosa and lets her into his heart. He learns from her just as Alosha learns from him. Snarky and humorous, he's such a lovable (and brave and admiring) character.

The ending leaves a huge and thrilling opening for the next installment in this series. Leaving a certain piece of the puzzle missing with a dangerous enemy lurking in the shadows, the book leaves quite a lot for Alosa to do and tackle. I can't wait to see where Levenseller takes the story next.

Overall, DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING is an amazing adventure with romance, magic, humor, and a cast of endearing characters. You won't want to miss this.

Rating: Four out of Five

Lift up your anchors and get ready to sail into a swashbuckling tale of pirates, swoons, magic, and the quest to reach the greatest treasure of all!

What I Loved:

First off, I must say that Daughter of the Pirate King is better than what I expected it to be, and my expectations were pretty sky high. This book had me hooked from the very first page and did not let me go. I basically flipped pages non-stop, something I had not done in ages. Honestly, it was amazing.

This book introduces Alosa, a female pirate captain who purposefully gets herself kidnapped in order to find a piece of the map that will lead her to a legendary treasure. This character is fierce, smart, and simply bad-ass. A brilliant pirate who doesn't need anyone's protection for she is the one everyone needs protection OF. It has been a while since I've enjoyed a character as amazing and empowering as hers and I'm sure many will also find her incredible. Definitely adding Alosa to my favorite strong and independent YA heroines list.

Since Alosa finds herself aboard an enemy ship, we get to meet several characters among the crew. Some were nice and others quite terrible (they are pirates after all), but the one who stands out the most is the Captain's first mate, Riden. His wits and personality rivals Alosa's, making it extremely entertaining to read every scene in which they are thrown together. If you enjoy banter, then you will LOVE reading about Riden and Alosa in close quarters (not to mention the possible swoons!).

And, while reading Daughter of the Pirate King, I noticed how much I've missed reading books set aboard ships and how fascinating it is traveling across the sea. The adventure, the thrill of dangerous waters and discovering its dark secrets always takes my breath away, and I'm happy to say that Tricia Levenseller captures everything perfectly. Every page entranced me like magic, filling me with a strong need to jump inside and join Alosa's crew to follow her in her seafaring (piracy) adventures! Oh, but minus the deadly situations, of course.

What Left Me Wanting More:

The only thing that left me wanting more from this book was right at the ending. After everything we go through, I expected a more dangerous confrontation. It was over before it had begun, thus leaving me a bit bummed. But other than that, this book was so great!

Final Verdict:

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller is THE book to read if you love adventure, banter, a bit of magic, and lots of action! Trust me, you won't be able to put this book down for it will pull you under before you can say 'SEA'.