One of my favorite books during my teenage years was Piratica by Tanith Lee. It was a story about a girl who believed her mother was a pirate and she wanted to relive that dream. Since then, I have not read any books with pirates, which is why The Ship of Shadows caught my eye. This Middle Grade adventure was a good one to go on from the comforts of home. Enjoy the aesthetic mood boards in this post! First, take a look at the synopsis first:
Aleja whiles away her days in her family’s dusty tavern in Seville, dreaming of distant lands and believing in the kind of magic that she’s only ever read about in books. After all, she’s always being told that girls can’t be explorers.
But her life is changed forever when adventure comes for her in the form of a fabled vessel called the Ship of Shadows. Crewed by a band of ruthless women, with cabin walls dripping with secrets, the ship has sailed right out of a legend. And it wants Aleja.
Once on board its shadowy deck, she begins to realize that the sea holds more secrets than she ever could have imagined. The crew are desperately seeking something, and their path will take them through treacherous waters and force them to confront nightmare creatures and pitch-dark magic. It will take all of Aleja’s strength and courage to gain the trust of her fellow pirates – and discover what they are risking everything to find.
Themes for Thought
The Ship of Shadows introduces the reader to Aleja, a young girl who wants to go on adventures, but as it often happens, the society believes that is not something girls and women do. But no one can stop someone who is driven and passionate so Aleja spends all her time reading and learning. Sneaking into the university library, she is self-taught in many languages. When an accident leads her on board the legendary Ship of Shadows with its all female crew, Aleja’s wish to go on adventures and see the world has finally come true!
On the Magic
Ship of Shadows is rooted deep in history and legend. With a captain whose journals about his adventures are lost in time, perceptions that the crew kills men and magic that enchants the ship, Aleja is in the midst of stories from books. The ship is home to shadows of past crew members and every room brings it own unique setting. I could see myself being as wide-eyed as Aleja was, discovering these rooms and corners of the ship.
The reason of the voyage undertaken by the Captain is shrouded in mystery for the longest time, and it left the possibility for a follow-up book. Integrating the use of maps and mythical creatures of the sea into the narrative added a nice touch to the story, adding the pirate elements to the tale.
On the Characters
The crew is all female and I liked that a couple of the crew came from well off families. It was interesting to read how they ended up being pirates on the ship. Each of the girls bring something to the table, whether it is their innovative spirit, the cunning skills or their love for food. I also liked that the girls were not perfect – they each had their flaws and their quirks. The themes of friendship, love for learning and adventures is instilled throughout this book and that was a big highlight for me.
Libraries and books play an integral role in this story and, as an avid reader, I loved that aspect. Books have so much to offer! That being said, learning a language just from books does not equate to being proficient in it. I am unsure how Aleja could understand fluent spoken language from so many regions by just learning the written word. Her love for learning, reading and cracking puzzles is definitely commendable.
This was a neat book with a full woman cast and, like a lot of people have said in their reviews on Goodreads, it is refreshing to read stories like this one! I found the story to be of good pace. The crew of girls on the Ship of Shadows, the legends and the magic were captivating to read about. I enjoyed making mood boards for this book (as you can see above) since so many images crossed my mind as I read it.
** The Ship of Shadows is now out in stores so get a copy and let me know what you think! **
Amazon Kindle
Overall, this was a fun read and I am thrilled to have read it as part of WriteReads on Tour. Many thanks to the publisher and author for proving a review copy through NetGalley. Be sure to check out the other blogs on the tour by following @The_WriteReads for related tweets
Cover image: Photo by Keith Hardy on Unsplash
Another very positive review of this book, I’m going to add it to my TBR! Great review, Kriti 🙂
Thanks, Stephen! I hope you enjoy it when you get to it! 🙂