From the Publisher
James delivers her fast-paced and convincing debut narrative in an accomplished third-person voice. Budding romance and soaring stakes keep the tension simmering through the last page. A shimmering, piratical fantasy with real-world teeth.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Enticing. Debut author James employs elucidating prose to craft a rich imaginary world inspired by 18th-century Latin America in this swashbuckling adventure.” — Publishers Weekly
"Fast-paced. Readers will cheer as [Ximena] comes to her own conclusions about the Empire’s influence. A treacherous, seaworthy tale full of adventure.” — School Library Journal
“Fast-paced and brimming with tension, intrigue, and twists, James crafts a vivid setting where murky alliances and questionable motives keep readers guessing. A richly developed, highly driven heroine and a plot full of peril, with themes of courage and resilience lingering long after the last page. A fast-paced adventure set against a backdrop as treacherous as it is mesmerizing.” — Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
2024-11-09
An aspiring pirate hunter sails in pursuit of an infamous pirate; her quest takes her further than she could ever imagine.
Seventeen-year-old Ximena Reale is a promising young candidate at La Academia de los Cazadores, a feat she’s achieved against the odds posed by her stained last name: Five years ago, her parents were hanged on La Academia’s gallows as pirates. The apparent resurrection of Gasparilla—history’s most notorious (and long-dead) pirate—brings the opportunity to prove herself once and for all. Armed with her unwavering commitment to the Law of the Luzan Empire, Ximena chases vengeance, honor, and a Cazodoro cloak of her own. She’s in competition with Dante de León, an arrogant and infuriatingly handsome classmate. The journey tests not only her skill and bravery but her faith in the Law itself. James delivers her fast-paced and convincing debut narrative in an accomplished third-person voice. She layers her prose with Spanish vocabulary, immersing readers in the cadences of the Luzan Empire and trusting those unfamiliar with the language to navigate by context. The story resounds with messages of the harm done by imperialism, bringing readers along as Ximena learns to question authority, consider new perspectives, and seek alternatives to violence. Budding romance and soaring stakes keep the tension simmering through the last page and marvelously tee up the second book in this duology. The characters are cued as Latine.
A shimmering, piratical fantasy with real-world teeth.(Fantasy. 14-18)
