What Caz Read

𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 is book one in 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙖 series and follows Mary Firth’s journey to free her mother from pirates while learning about her abilities.

Mary is a Stormsinger, a weather witch who can manipulate weather by singing and is used to guide ships through storms.

Samuel Rosser is a disgraced naval officer who is trying to restore his good name by bringing pirates to justice. He is also a Sooth who can venture into the Other, a dangerous alternative realm where you will be permanently stuck if you don’t have a talisman to keep you grounded.

Told in dual perspectives from Mary and Samuel their backstories are gradually revealed as the story unfolds. They’re both connected to infamous pirate Sylvanus Lirr and while they’re on seperate journeys they do occasionally intersect with each other as the story progresses.

There are quite a few memorable secondary characters in 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 and they add an extra level of depth to the storyline without detracting from it. It was also refreshing to see so many women in high ranking roles.

One of the things I really loved were the epigraphs between chapters as they added context to the narrative and helped me understand what was happening.

𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 was really well paced, although it lagged a little bit for me in the middle, however the last quarter definitely made up for that as it was action packed and full of surprises.

I really enjoyed this swashbuckling nautical fantasy with its magic, pirates, alternative realms, mythical creatures, a mysterious wintery setting and unique world building. I will definitely be reading the second instalment in this series.

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Publisher: Titan Books
Format: eBook
ISBN: 9781803362618

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Here’s the synopsis

A fearsome young woman stormsinger and pirate hunter join forces against a deathless pirate lord in this swashbuckling Jacobean adventure on the high-seas.

Launching the Winter Sea series, full of magic, betrayal and redemption, for readers of Adrienne Young, R. J. Barker and Naomi Novik

Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Faced with servitude to pirate lord Silvanus Lirr, Mary offers her skills to his arch-rival in exchange for protection – and, more importantly, his help sending Lirr to a watery grave. But her new ally has a vendetta of his own, and Mary’s dreams are dark and full of ghistings, spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of her homeland and the figureheads of ships.

Samuel Rosser is a disgraced naval officer serving aboard The Hart, an infamous privateer commissioned to bring Lirr to justice. He will stop at nothing to capture Lirr, restore his good name and reclaim the only thing that stands between himself and madness: a talisman stolen by Mary.

Finally, driven into the eternal ice at the limits of their world, Mary and Samuel must choose their loyalties and battle forces older and more powerful than the pirates who would make them slaves.

Come sail the Winter Sea, for action-packed, high-stakes adventures, rich characterisation and epic plots full of intrigue and betrayal.