I knew I was going to love this book as soon as I saw the beautiful cover - the colours and the imagery scream warm sands, blue waters and plenty of adventure.
The Ship of Shadows follows Aleja, a young girl from a Spanish harbour city. Aleja has big dreams of being an explorer, she feeds her explorer dreams by devouring adventure books from the library, filling up on tales of pirates, explorers and adventurers. One day, when her inquisitive nature gets her accused of stealing, she finds herself in the company of Captain Quint on board the famous and fabled Ship of Shadows.
Whilst hiding out on the ship, a temporary stay, she says, until she can go back home, Aleja gets her first proper taste of the adventure life she craves. The all female crew and the mysterious magic and shadows on board the ship give an experience that she could only have ever imagined.
So, what can I say about this apart from - I loved it! If I was a young reader, this would be the book series for me. The positive focus on a strong female lead character and an amazing crew of female pirates is enough to fill any young girl with confidence and just show, you can be whatever you want to be.
The author weaves the plot very well, plot and scenery descriptions take you exactly where you need to be, it's not hard to imagine warm Spanish skies and the chill of the open sea. There is great character development and I particularly love the strong female friendships. There is nothing I dislike more than when women and girls are pitted against each other with bitchy rivalries - it's not necessary and I'm pleased that we don't see it here.
The story moves at a steady pace, looping in intrigue and adventure as we go. Despite the energy and adventure, I found it a beautiful, calming read, one where you can feel the smile on your face as you take in the words. I'm so pleased I got to read this, did I also mention the beautiful cover artwork? I can't recommend this highly enough, a highly enjoyable read for lovers of pirates, adventures and cake!
Another big thank you to Dave at TheWriteReads for letting me be part of this fantastic blog tour.
MHR x
I received a physical copy of the book in return for an honest review as part of The Write Reads Blog Tour.