I wasn't sure what to rate this one. It was a good book, had lots of good elements, but....
There was Peter. At first I didn't quite see why I was struggling with this book so much, it took me almost 4 days to get through the book. And then I saw why. Peter. Always Peter. I have decided to stick to a 4 star rating, -1 for Peter. 4 stars because it was still a good story, but it could have been so much better if the story focused solely on Brine. Or maybe even Tom (Girl). I loved both those characters, I loved Cassie, I loved the crew. But Peter? Never.
Why did I hate Peter so? Because of how he acted, his attitude, how he never cared to listen, how he always judged people, but then expected them to accept him. How rude he was to various people. And really, he never cared to listen. If only he had listened a whole of stuff wouldn't have happened. But why listen when you think you are so good at stuff, right? Just go with it, and oh well, it was a great lesson for him.
Sometimes with characters I find them nicer, I like them more, as the story continues. With Peter however I didn't have that at all. Even with what happens near the end I just disliked him too much.
Sadly, one can't just skip the Peter POV chapters because he also told a story, he also showed what happened on board, on various parts. Then again, I am also not one to just skip all the chapters of one character.
Enough about Peter, now about all the other stuff that was GOOD! That was GREAT! That was AWESOME!
Brine. Brine was a great character, sure, she had some moments I wanted to toss her overboard, but those moments were short and not often. She was a brave, sweet, wonderful girl, who fought hard, who showed everyone what she could do, who didn't stop, who learned, who made friends, who opened herself up to people. Who instead of not doing anything, did her best to earn her keep on the boat. She was quickly one of the crew and I was so happy for her. She, who was found a long time ago in a boat, alone. She, who spend up to now as a servant for a magician. She finally found a home. She finally found something she liked.
Yes, Brine was amazing. Add to that the fact she was a bookworm, sneaking in reading during her servant years, and even on board was delighted when she found out they had to go to an island full of libraries, full of history.
Cassie. Our Pirate Captain, at times I didn't like her decisions, at times I wondered why she didn't stop and just think for a bit before diving into something. But mostly she was a great captain and she did her best to understand the kids on her ship and to make them feel at home. She did her best and she was really kick-ass as well.
Tom. They quickly became my favourite. I felt sorry for them though, having to go through that for all those years. It must have been difficult, so I was really proud each time they opened up more and more, and became braver with each page. If you see Tom at first and then at the last pages you will see an amazing chance. I loved it!
The world-building was just perfection, I could so imagine myself in that world. Discovering the Minutes island, Morning, Magical North. The vivid descriptions put me on the boat, put me in that world, I just wished I could truly go there. I would also have loved to see a map at the beginning of the book so we could see how it actually looked and also what more there was in the world next to the stuff that was mentioned.
The Magical North was a beautiful, but dangerous, and also creepy, place. Though I would definitely go there if I had a chance. Even if I had to brave the monsters, the animals, the dangers, I would so risk it. I would bring a crew and go on a trip.
The story was magnificent, and I wasn't that bothered that it took ages to find out a bit more about Brine. What we do find out later was interesting, and it really peaked my interest for the next book (though again, it will have Peter so I will have to think if it is all worth it).
The villain was a proper and awesome villain. It was a delight to see everything unfold, and see what his plans were.
What more? Ah yes, I definitely need to mention the little parts with each new chapter, before the characters talk. They are little titbits about the world, recipes, song verses, and much more. I looked forward to those each time I came close to a new chapter. What would we get now, a recipe? Or a verse about Cassie? Or something else entirely. These little parts definitely deserve their own book. :D
All in all, I would still highly recommend this book, even though Peter sucked, but everything else was just pure magic, pure perfection. <3
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
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