Have I mentioned that I love strong, sassy female characters? Because I really love stories with them in. This series basically has a main character as sassy and murderous as the likes of Aelin yet also as caring and as much of a leader as her! There were times when I listened to the series and burst out laughing and times when I felt honestly scared for the characters because I loved them so much.
Title: Daughter of the Pirate King
Series: Daughter of the Pirate King #1
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Narrated by: Marisa Calin
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 18th July 2017
Source: Audiobook from Scribd
Rating:
Goodreads Synopsis:
‘There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.
Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map – the key to a legendary treasure trove – 17-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.
More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.
In Daughter of the Pirate King, debut author Tricia Levenseller blends action, adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic into a thrilling YA pirate tale.’
Title: Daughter of the Siren Queen
Series: Daughter of the Pirate King #2
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Narrated by: Marisa Calin
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 1st March 2018
Source: Audiobook from Scribd
Rating:
Goodreads Synopsis:
‘The capable, confident, and occasionally ruthless heroine of Daughter of the Pirate King is back in this action-packed sequel that promises rousing high seas adventures and the perfect dash of magic.
Alosa’s mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he’s under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father’s justice.
When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.
In Daughter of the Siren Queen, Tricia Levenseller brings together the perfect mix of thrilling action, tense battle scenes, and a heart-pounding romance. ‘
Review
Daughter of the Pirate King
Pirates are, without a doubt, one of my absolute favourite historical groups of people. I grew up with Pirates of the Caribbean, so I guess that fuelled my love for them too. Imagine… a young, sober, female version of Captain Jack Sparrow and you have the main character of Alosa.
I do feel like Alosa’s siren heritage was aimed at being this huge surprise though, and I guess it would have been for me if I hadn’t already known the sequel was called Daughter of the Siren Queen. Even without that shock factor though the story more than accounted for it. It’s a wild ride which sees our main character basically doing whatever she can to find a map for her father — the Pirate King.
The majority of the first book happens on board Captain Draxen’s ship – the NightFarer. Alosa gets captured by them on purpose so she can search for the precious third part of the map. Along the way she meets first mate of the NightFarer, and Draxen’s brother, Riden. I’m a massive sucker of hate-love, enemies-lovers, which made me pretty happy to see this start to bloom! Tricia really takes her time with the relationship building up though which made me love it all the more. It’s far more human and generally sweet to see it happening.
Daughter of the Siren Queen
Having listened to both, I feel as though Daughter of the Pirate King was really a way of building up the second book. In no way is that a bad thing though, the first book really creates a connection between readers and Alosa and Riden whilst the second has far more action in it. Right from the very start we see Alosa and her crew getting themselves into trouble for the other piece of the map, and Tricia even introduces us later on to an island with cannibals on it (queue Pirates of the Caribbean vibes).
What shines the most though is the character development. Not just of the main character Alosa (who has to go through a lot in this book) but we also see a former crew member of Draxen’s ship – Kearan – make a lot of progress which had me grinning my head off to see. He goes from being a rum-loving drunken fool to going cold-turkey and starting to work out. It’s mostly to become a better person for Alosa’s hired assassin pirate, Sorinda (another sassy, strong female character), but it really was a lovely side story to see!
The majority is set on Alosa’s ship – the Ava-Lee (named after her mother, the Siren Queen) – so we have a mostly female crew, with only four male pirates. The whole ship has such a great relationship, they stand by Alosa throughout and there’s one particular character, a daughter of one of the male pirates, who you’ll just fall in love with. The youngest crew member and yet one of the bravest, I can’t say more because it just won’t do her character justice.
The Pirate King, and Alosa’s father, Kalligan’s character also gets more depth to it… In the sense we see that he’s a very cruel person who needs to be walked off a plank into shark-infested waters. I won’t say more than that, because the twists leading up to discovering that are shocking yet captivating.
Overall
“Your enchantments last long after your song fades.”
Since reading To Kill a Kingdom, I really wanted another story with sirens in and this series really helped me with my general withdrawal! I need more, okay? More and more sirens and pirates and just… more. I already have a hardcover copy of Daughter of the Pirate King, and I’ll 100% be adding Daughter of the Siren Queen to my collection too! It’s easily one of my favourites from this year.
Oh and heads up, Tricia’s next book has VIKINGS in. So yeah, I’m 100% grabbing that as soon as possible.
I know you’re probably wondering why all of my latest reviews have been highly rated… I’ve been struggling to read on with books I don’t love lately. There are a few I’ll be going back to for reviewing but, for those unaware, I have a dissertation due in at the end of this month so I can’t fathom struggling through a book when there are so many (like this series) that I just fall in love with!
About the Author
Tricia Levenseller is the author of the Daughter of the Pirate King duology and forthcoming standalone, Warrior of the Wild. She likes to describe her books as young adult alternate–world historical fantasies with heavy romantic subplots.
Initially from a small town in Oregon, Tricia now lives next to the Rocky Mountains with her bossy dog, Rosy. She received her degree in English Language and editing, and she is thrilled that she never has to read a textbook again. When she’s not writing or reading, Tricia enjoys putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing volleyball, playing Overwatch with her siblings, and watching shows while eating extra-buttered popcorn.
Scribd
I would genuinely feel bad for not telling people about this service, since I found it I’ve used it practically every day! So, for cheaper than an Audible account, you get UNLIMITED audiobooks. If you’re not a fan of audiobooks, they have so many e-books too!
I have over 40 books waiting to be read/listened to on my account, including the likes of Onyx & Ivory!
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Lauren says
I love this duology! They’re fast and funny books. I didn’t realize Scribd had the audio version. In a year or so, when I’m ready for a reread, I’ll have to checkout the audio version for my work commute.
Luchia Houghton-Lloyd says
Yeah it’s pretty great Scribd has so many audiobooks on! Glad you love it too, I hope we get to see more of the world at some point!
lauren says
ohhh nooo i might have to buy these 😀
Luchia Houghton-Lloyd says
Oh no why haven’t you already?! 😛 It’s such a good series!