Thank you Walker books for this book in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

Aboard the pirate ship Dove, Flora the girl takes on the identity of Florian the man to earn the respect and protection of the crew. For Flora, former starving urchin, the brutal life of a pirate is about survival: don’t trust, don’t stick out, and don’t feel. But on this voyage, as the pirates prepare to sell their unsuspecting passengers into slavery, Flora is drawn to the Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, who is en route to a dreaded arranged marriage with her own casket in tow. Flora doesn’t expect to be taken under Evelyn’s wing, and Evelyn doesn’t expect to find such a deep bond with the pirate Florian.

Review:

Ohhhh damn. This bad boy was gooood!!!!

Like really good!!

The title of the book pretty much sums up the base of the book, but it so much more and it was dark and my soul loved every single page!

Let’s start with the characters because they were a standout for me! Flor is on a brutal and evil pirate ship, where the pirate’s rape, pillage and murder all in their path. Flor and her brother Alfie have taken up the position of cabin boys to stay alive. The pirate ship is named the Dove and is a promised safe ride for the wealthy to travel to their destination safely. Bu the pirates on the Dove, pull a switcharoo and lock the wealthy up and sell them as slaves at the next port. Sneaky pirates!

Evelyn is one of those wealthy passengers and Flora is assigned to watch her and ensure that nothing happens to her. Their soft friendship is gorgeous as they ban together and escape! I love their cute romance and their desire to help one another.

If the characters don’t sell it for you, then the world building and all the fantasy elements definitely will.

Along with creative writing, you fall in love with the characters, the world and well all of it. This was definitely a book that you will love every single time you read it.

Rating: 5/5

Publisher: Candlewick Press

ISBN: 9781536204315