School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Levenseller's debut novel is a high-seas tale of a powerful female pirate on a mission set forth by her ruthless father. Alosa, a pirate princess, is the captain of her own ship with a mostly female crew. She is tough and clever and has a hidden secret that allows her to subdue the strongest of men. Her crew's mission is to track down an age-old piece of a legendary treasure map. Alosa's father, the Pirate King, is in possession of one-third of the map, and he sends Alosa to retrieve another part from a rival, Captain Draxen. In order to be taken aboard Draxen's ship, Alosa stages her own capture. Draxen, of course, believes that he has the upper hand and sends a ransom message to the king. Alosa is put under the watchful eye of Draxen's brother, Riden, who interrogates the princess. She is determined to discover the hiding place of the map, and she must conceal her true purpose and use clever tricks to escape her cell in order to search the ship. Finally, frustrated by her failure to locate the map, she turns to her secret power to enchant with song. With many plot turns and emotional bonds forming between Alosa and Riden, the search leads to an interesting twist. Levenseller has created a formidable female character who can take care of herself as she makes some hard decisions. VERDICT Hand to skilled readers seeking true adventure with swashbuckling, sword fighting, and a great problem-solving heroine.-Erin Olsen, The Brearley School, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Levenseller makes an impressive debut with this funny, fast-paced, and romance-dashed nautical fantasy, set in an alternate world of pirates, sirens, and myriad islands. Alosa, the 17-year-old daughter of an infamous pirate king, embarks on a dangerous undercover mission, allowing herself to be captured by a rival crew in order to retrieve part of a legendary treasure map. Alosa believes she has the situation under control thanks to years of training and experience, as well as certain special abilities, but she finds her match in the Night Farer's first mate, Riden, who seems wise to her tricks. The resulting game of wits results in a burgeoning attraction, as Alosa tries to carry out her mission without giving away her secrets ("If I'm to keep up appearances, I'll have to escape the ship. Then get caught on purpose. Oh, the ridiculous things one has to do when one is a pirate," she laments). Resourceful and confident, Alosa swaggers through the pages with style and panache, and her supporting cast is just as delightful. This one's not to be missed. Ages 13-up. Agent: Rachel Brooks, L. Perkins Agency. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Seventeen-year-old princess Alosa is an accomplished captain of an all-female pirate crew strong in combat. On a mission from her pirate king father, Alosa allows herself to be captured by a rival crew--though she hadn't bargained on the distraction of their hunky first mate, Riden. An intriguing gender-role-subverting adventure set in a fantasy world awash with swashbucklers and sirens. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Alosa, fierce daughter of the pirate king Kalligan, is sent to be captured by a rival pirate clan so she can search their ship for a missing map fragment, which should point the way toward an island ripe with treasure. The kidnapping goes well, as does the sneaking about to find the map; what is unplanned is falling in love with the first mate, being kidnapped by a different pirate crew, and having the secret of her special abilities revealed. First-time author Levenseller has a tendency to tell rather than show the action, which at times prevents the reader from delving deeply into the story. An occasional lapse into present-day idiom for example, you're messing with my mind also detracts from the reading experience. She does, however, create a memorable character in half-human, half-siren pirate princess Alosa, whose cheeky attitude and confidence let readers know that she will never be in real danger, and the romantic tension between her and rival Riden is well paced.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2016 Booklist
