A sentient ship, pirates, and magic? What more could you want. While Ship of Spells had the bare bones of what I should love, I didn’t fall in love like I wanted to. Keep reading this book review of Ship of Spells for my full thoughts.
Summary
When Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn is rescued from the wreckage of her first naval post, she expects death or disgrace. Instead, she wakes aboard the Touchstone, a mythic vessel whispered of in dockside ballads and royal war rooms alike. With a crew of misfits. A mysterious, elven captain. And a mission tied to the Dreadwall, the crumbling barrier that has kept the Overland and Nethersea from open war for a hundred years.
But the tragedy that sank her last ship didn’t just take lives―it left something behind.
Now Renn carries a secret everyone wants. A magik that’s chimeric, arcane…and slowly killing her. But the captain’s mission may be her only chance to survive, even if he still doesn’t trust her.
Caught between privateers, princes, and spies, Renn knows each choice could sink her future―or set the sea on fire.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Ship of Spells should have been a slam dunk. Instead, it was something I would forget when I put it down. I loved the premise of pirates, spies, and magic. But it was incredibly murky and difficult to pick up the world at the beginning. It meant I didn’t understand the terminology and – what’s even more important – the stakes. That combined with a drop off in pacing after the initial hook, meant I was left a bit adrift and without winds in my sail. It made reading and keeping up difficult. Additionally, I wish there had been more side character development as it would have made the world feel expanded and a bit more grounded.
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All of this combined made Ship of Spells difficult to hold onto. I wanted more of that feeling of being unable to put a book down. The premise promised all this action and because I couldn’t figure out where we were in the vast ocean, I was marooned. (Sorry for all these ship and sailing puns). Find Ship of Spells on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.