Thank you to Karina Halle and the teams at Reckless Readers and Literary Yours PR for the advance reader copy of A Ship of Bones and Teeth.
I have been excited about this book since its announcement and I am pleased to say it lived up to the hype. This is the perfect way to do a Little Mermaid retelling, to flip the happily ever after on its head. I loved the characters, the vibe, and all the sexy times.
I am a Karina Halle review team member but remain honest and genuine in my reviews.
A STANDALONE gothic dark fantasy pirate romance re-telling of The Little Mermaid from the New York Times Bestselling Author of River of Shadows and Blood Orange.
Princess Maren is a woman with a secret.
When she was just 16-years old, she sold her soul to the sea witch Edonia, giving up a life underwater in exchange for the love of Prince Aerik on land. But after a decade of abuse and misery inflicted by the cruel prince, Maren wants nothing more than to leave him and her royal role behind and find Edonia to reverse the spell.
An opportunity for escape presents itself when the prince and princess are traveling overseas and are taken hostage by a band of notorious pirates, led by the fearsome Captain Ramsay “Bones” Battista. Maren has heard the sordid stories about the infamous pirate–not only is his ship supposedly haunted and crewed by the damned, but that no prisoners ever survive. Fortunately for Maren, she learns that the captain also has a score to settle with the sea witch. With any luck, Maren may be able to get her old life back, even if it’s being held in the captain’s wicked hands.
But Ramsay gets more than he bargained for when he learns who–and what –Maren is, and that her appetite for revenge, freedom, and bloodlust rivals his.
Meanwhile Maren finds herself falling for the pirate’s dark nature, even as she discovers that Ramsay has a secret more deadly than her own.
When it comes to the high seas, not all monsters lurk beneath the surface.
Content Though this is a fantasy, it is also a dark(ish) romance with potential triggers. It is NOT a children’s book and it is NOT a YA book. It is an adult book with morally grey characters and sexual situations that some readers may find upsetting. A full list can be found inside the book or on the author’s website.
Check out my more detailed thoughts below…
- Characters: Maren, gosh I loved her so much! I loved that we met her as this more naive Ariel-like teenage character and then we flash forward to the much more fed-up-with-the-BS grown woman. Maren is a syren and just like the little mermaid, she gives up her voice for Prince Aerik, not just her voice but her tongue gets ripped out (I love that Karina brought back some of the gore of the original fairytale). Syrens seem like the monsters of this story but it was really the human prince all along and it was so rewarding to see Maren chart a path of independence, growth, and confidence over the course of this story. Maren was not the only one who couldn’t help falling for this story’s leading man, Ramsay “Bones” Battista, captain of the Nightwind. This man was dripping in sex appeal, he had darkness and mystery. Balanced with an emotional tether of his deep loyalty to his family, to the crew both blood and non-blood relations. Fans of found family will grow attached quite quickly to a wonderful cast of side characters from Ramsay’s brother and sister-in-law Thane and Sam to the kids and many more.
- Setting: This story takes place primarily on the open waves. Captain Battista’s ship is called the Nightwind and it features prominently as the main setting of this story. The ocean we are sailing through ebbs and flows a bit, but rest assured the close quarters on the boat made for some deliciously hot scenes.
- Pacing: Readers who like a bit of length to their books will be thrilled with this one. But it is by no means overwhelming. I was so captivated by the story that I read it in a few days. This story is a complete standalone and Karina did a great job of flushing out a world, developing characters, and completing a love story in one nice succinct package. The bow that tied the package together felt a bit too neat at times, but overall great pacing.
- Romance: When we meet Maren she has been stuck with a dick of a prince husband, and Ramsay has never really had the desire to fall in love again after the death of his first wife. Things change quite rapidly for them though, as they have a chemistry that they cannot refuse. Especially as their monstrous sides came out it only strengthened their desire for each other, simply they made so much sense together. It’s a Karina Halle book so the sex is hot, a little variation but not as scandalously steamy as Blood Orange for example.
A Ship of Teeth and Bones receives five out of five stars.
You can pick up the story here.
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Thank you again to Karina and her team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!
