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A review by dinipandareads
The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley and Puffin Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks also to Dave @TheWriteReads for asking me to join the blog tour and putting this book on my radar--I'm so glad I didn't miss out on this gem!
This is the book that I wish was written when I was a young middle schooler. A crew of all-female pirates and swash-buckling adventures full of Kraken, pirate hunters and hidden treasure?! Yes, please! I'm so glad that this book was brought to my attention because it was such a joy to read! Although I admit that I did have to suspend my disbelief a few times, I know that I'm not the intended audience for this book, and I have no doubt that this story will bring so much joy to many readers.
First of all, major cover appreciation because it is absolutely stunning! I love the little details and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy because I could probably start this cover all day. I also love the chapter illustrations, which are honestly, always such a bonus and one of my favourite things about some MG fantasies!
Aleja was a wonderful character. She's smart with a mind that was always curious and eager to consume more knowledge and stories, and she's also full of mischief. I loved that she had such a deep love for her family, although I wish we got to see more of her interactions with them--but she also finds a "new" family with the shipmates aboard the Ship of Shadows. While I loved the magic of the ship (so very cool!), the adventure, and treasure hunting, my favourite aspect of this story was the friendships. Kuzniar wrote strong, female friendships full of love, mutual respect and unconditional support and I was here for it! These types of honest and strong friendships are what I love best about MG fiction! There were very strong found family vibes too and it was just so very heartwarming. All of the ship's crew members were also very likeable and I really appreciated the diversity and inclusiveness of the characters. I think my favourite character might've been Frances with her love for food and magical stories! There's a lot of mystery that follows everyone on board and I hope that we get the chance to learn more about them in the future, which will also mean more Ship of Shadows adventures (YAY)!
Overall, such a wonderfully written, fast-paced adventure story that I happily sped through in one night. I do wish that the ending wasn't so abrupt but it does have me looking forward to future stories even more now! Such a great debut by Kuzniar :)
This is the book that I wish was written when I was a young middle schooler. A crew of all-female pirates and swash-buckling adventures full of Kraken, pirate hunters and hidden treasure?! Yes, please! I'm so glad that this book was brought to my attention because it was such a joy to read! Although I admit that I did have to suspend my disbelief a few times, I know that I'm not the intended audience for this book, and I have no doubt that this story will bring so much joy to many readers.
First of all, major cover appreciation because it is absolutely stunning! I love the little details and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy because I could probably start this cover all day. I also love the chapter illustrations, which are honestly, always such a bonus and one of my favourite things about some MG fantasies!
Aleja was a wonderful character. She's smart with a mind that was always curious and eager to consume more knowledge and stories, and she's also full of mischief. I loved that she had such a deep love for her family, although I wish we got to see more of her interactions with them--but she also finds a "new" family with the shipmates aboard the Ship of Shadows. While I loved the magic of the ship (so very cool!), the adventure, and treasure hunting, my favourite aspect of this story was the friendships. Kuzniar wrote strong, female friendships full of love, mutual respect and unconditional support and I was here for it! These types of honest and strong friendships are what I love best about MG fiction! There were very strong found family vibes too and it was just so very heartwarming. All of the ship's crew members were also very likeable and I really appreciated the diversity and inclusiveness of the characters. I think my favourite character might've been Frances with her love for food and magical stories! There's a lot of mystery that follows everyone on board and I hope that we get the chance to learn more about them in the future, which will also mean more Ship of Shadows adventures (YAY)!
Overall, such a wonderfully written, fast-paced adventure story that I happily sped through in one night. I do wish that the ending wasn't so abrupt but it does have me looking forward to future stories even more now! Such a great debut by Kuzniar :)