This sea-faring novel is a different take on the role of female pirates.  Instead of being an action-packed adventure laden storyline, this storyline is based far more in relationship analysis.  It is the story of a mother and daughter duet who are navigating their way through a complex relationship set in an unspecific period in history. 

The plot line in this novel is not a straightforward timeline moving from historical to current.  Instead, this novel bounces back and forth in the timeline.  While I normally don’t have an issue with this type of pendulum swinging, I found this version to be a little choppy.  The back and forth was only across a few years, but when the jumps occur backwards it isn’t necessarily from oldest toward current.  Because of that it felt a little less smooth then has been experienced in other novels with this type of plot timeline.

Thea is a well-developed character as the main character in this novel.  Her mother, Clementine, also has a decent amount of character development.  I did feel like Clementine was a little flat in comparison to Thea.  The author has Thea doing a lot of back and forth in terms of values, courage, and introspection.  Clementine, by comparison, is really portrayed in a flat, aggressive manner except for the very ending which seems as though it maybe was an afterthought when a story-ending was needed.

Overall, this was not a bad book.  It seemed a little choppy at times and definitely has some mature content (see analysis below for details), but for those looking for a different take on the sea-faring narrative, this is a likely option.

Review of an Advanced Reading Copy from the Publisher

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  7 mild obscenities; 7 derogatory names; 8 scatological terms; 4 anatomical terms; 7 f-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  3 refences to deaths by stabbing or drowning in mythological retelling of stories; 2 instances of dead whales with harvesting of whales depicted; multiple bloody head wounds depicted from accidents or murder; deaths in earthquake; multiple knife/sword/gun battles with some graphic death; man is shot point blank; minor cuts, bruises, scrapes; bloody clothing; verbal threats or threats with weapons; woman is bound and gagged; man is tied to a chair; 2 falls from cliff.

Sex/Nudity:  4 instances of kissing on lips or face; 2 instances of handholding; reference to same sex relationship; 3 instances of hugging or embracing; reference to rape; depiction of rape with no graphic imagery;

Mature Themes: 

Gender roles, society expectations, death, abandonment, stealing.

Drug and Alcohol Use: 

Various types of alcohol utilized.