Calling everyone who wants to journey on the high seas. If you love the idea of determining our fate on a nautical adventure, this is for you. Keep reading this book review of The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray for my full thoughts.
Summary
After a lifetime of abuse at the hands of superstitious townsfolk, Ophelia Young, a bastard child of the notorious pirate queen, is tired of paying for the sins of her mother. Despite playing by the rules her whole life, she’s earned nothing but spite and suspicion. So when a naval officer saves her from the jeering crowd at her mother’s hanging, Ophelia hatches a new hope of enlisting in the navy to escape her mother’s legacy and redeem her own reputation for good. But Ophelia soon discovers that a life at sea isn’t as honorable as she hoped.
Betsy Young is as different as she could be from her half-sister Ophelia. She’s a nervous homebody who wants to keep her family safe and longs to be in love. So naturally, she’s devastated when the son of their family’s business partner rejects her hand in marriage and her sister joins the navy. But when her father contracts a life-threatening illness as well, Betsy has to bring Ophelia home to save the family business.
Unfortunately for the Young sisters, Betsy trying to get Ophelia recalled reveals that Ophelia enlisted fraudulently under Betsy’s name, a secret which Ophelia struggles to keep from crewmates who would kill her if they knew she was the pirate queen’s daughter. To save Ophelia from the naval authorities, Betsy will have to board a ship during hurricane season and brave all the dangers of the sea to get them both home safe.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
What I enjoyed the most about The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray was a combination of adventure, sisterhood, and responsibility. If you’re looking to be swept away by pirates, battles, and questionable ethics this is for you. There’s a bit of sabotage, trickery, and running from the law. As someone who could never be on a ship, seriously don’t even try to get me on that boat, I always admire and have a blast reading nautical adventures. But what I also enjoyed were the perspectives of Betsy and Ophelia.
They seem so different on paper, but as the book progresses we see the similarities. How they develop, evolve, and change as time progresses. As they are forced time and time into more difficult situations. How will they handle the added responsibility? The dangers to themselves and others? I loved seeing how these characters end up growing into the spaces created. Similar to that, how will they handle the responsibility of their family – especially Ophelia and her legendary name.
Book links:
About the Author
Christine Calella lives in a place she refers to as “New York City–adjacent.” She spends her spare time singing show tunes in the shower, drinking more chai lattes than is strictly necessary, and either over- or under-watering an unfortunate string of houseplants named after sitcom characters. The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray is her debut novel.
Author Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23673382.Christine_Calella
Website: https://www.christinecalella.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinecalella/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ct_calella
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christinecalella
Tour Schedule
Book Tour Schedule
| Tour Date | Tour Hosts | Type of Post |
| April 7th | goblins_and_tea | Instagram + Tiktok |
| @alexandriavwilliams_ | Bookstagram feed post + Reel | |
| April 8th | @royahellbender | Bookstagram feed post + Reel |
| booktok.bookreview | Bookstagram feed post + Reel | |
| April 9th | @booksandbreath | Bookstagram feed post + Reel |
| @poatic.library | Bookstagram feed post + Reel | |
| April 10th | Utopia State of Mind | Bookstagram feed post + Reel + Blog |
| @librietastra | Bookstagram feed post + Reel | |
| April 11th | The Moon Phoenix | Bookstagram feed post + Reel + Blog |
| Books_and_draws_eclectic | Instagram only | |
| April 12th | Shariva.writes | Instagram only |
| @bookish_martina | Bookstagram feed post + Reel | |
| April 13th | Phantom.Books | Instagram only |
| @book_rambler | Instagram feed post | |
| @jlreadstoperpetuity | Bookstagram feed post + TikTok |