“A fast-paced sword-and-sorcery pirate adventure filled with magic and double-dealing” from the author of the Janet Watson Chronicles (Martha Wells, New York Times–bestselling author of the Murderbot Diaries). A talent for tracking magic gets Anna Zhdanov sent to catch a thief. A scholar’s daughter sold as a bond servant, she has no desire to recover the Emperor’s jewel for herself. But a chance … for herself. But a chance to earn her freedom has driven her to the untamed Eddalyon province, awash with warm breezes, lapping waves, and more danger than she could possibly guess.
Within days her cover as an indolent noblewoman is in question, and it’s clear there’s more to Anna’s task than she knows. Soon she’s the captive of the unpredictable pirate captain Andreas Koszenmarc, hunted by the Emperor’s guard, besieged by a brigand queen, and at odds with her only friend. She must trust someone if she is to survive. But when all that’s certain is that everyone is hiding something, it’s no simple thing to choose . . .
“If you want rousing adventure with capable heroines and mysterious heroes, along with magic, swashbuckling, romance, and pirates, Claire O’Dell delivers the goods. I highly recommend A Jewel Bright Sea and can’t wait to read more!” —Darlene Marshall, award-winning author of Castaway Dreams
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I won an advanced copy of this one, and it did take me a while to really figure out what was going on. This has a bit of a Lara Croft vibe with a healthy dose of Pirates of the Caribbean. Lots of swashbuckling pirates and island adventure! Anna is a really interesting heroine with plenty of grit who has taken up a rather impossible quest for the chance at a quiet life for herself and her books (and more telling, a lock on her door). Figuring out who she can trust, trying to stay out of a dangerous political mess, and chasing a dangerous magical trail keep this story’s pace fast and wild. Got to say, I really loved the ending too! I was prepared for my ship to sink, so it was a high note to end on. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if trouble follows Anna into her next trip!
This is a fast-paced sword-and-sorcery pirate adventure filled with magic and double-dealing and high stakes for the characters, and I enjoyed it a lot.
If you want rousing adventure with capable heroines and mysterious heroes, along with magic, swashbuckling, romance, and pirates, Claire O’Dell delivers the goods. I highly recommend A Jewel Bright Sea and can’t wait to read more!
A Jewel Bright Sea by Claire O’Dell
Mage & Empire #1
Anna Zhadanov is impersonating a wealthy woman as she hurries to finish a quest that could mean her freedom. Her “owner” has sent her to find a precious jewel stolen from t he emperor and if she finds it and hands it over in the specified time then her debt will be paid and she will be free…in more ways than one. With two capable men at her side she has chased the thief for a LONG time and her time is in short supply when the story begins. She will be captured by a pirate, threatened by another pirate, be accused of murder, use magic, learn more about magic, escape, be saved, save others, heal…and a whole lot more. She also might just find herself liking someone enough to spend more time with him in book two of the series.
What I liked:
* The world this book takes place in
* Anna’s strength of purpose, willingness to help and a lot more
* Andreas’s poker face, tenacity and derring-do
* Anna’s friend in servitude
* The belief system of the people in the story
* The magic and how it was used and explained
* The plot
* The writing
* The secondary characters
* The fact the book ended without a cliffhanger but left me wanting to see what will happen next
What I didn’t like:
* What happened to the gem – am hoping that it will find its way to a safe place eventually
* The evil people and what they did – wasn’t supposed to like them so the author did well to make me dislike them
Would have liked more about:
* Backstories of some of the characters – BUT with more books to look forward to am wondering if some of the characters will tag along and I will learn what I want to know then.
* The empire and its history, the ruling family, etc
* The religious beliefs, customs, class system of people, etc – again, this may come out more in future books of the series…world building is the term I was looking for
Did I enjoy this book? Yes (and I am not a fan of fantasy)
Would I read more in this series? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Rebel Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
I found myself wanting to read this because I loved the idea of mixing pirates with magic. Our heroine is Anna and she’s indentured to a very ambitious man who sees her magical ability as a way to further his own dreams. Anna is sent in disguise as a noble woman to track down the thief of a very important gem but unfortunately ends up kidnapped by pirates ! Can she trust these felons because if she’s going to fulfil her mission then she definitely needs help but will the price be too high ?
As this adventure began Anna is traveling with two men who also work for her Master but it’s not initially apparent who can be trusted. I will say straight away that it felt rushed initially, almost as if the author forgot to give the reader vital information which was eventually coming but if blunt didn’t quite work. Once Anna got taken by the pirates I did find myself much more engaged I’m happy to say and here’s were it got just a tad predictable. The Captain is conniving, secretive and downright sneaky but he is set up as a love interest which honestly to me all felt a little too trite .
What really did work for me was Anna and her progression as a protagonist I wanted to succeed. The uneasy alliance she forms is full of doubt and the reader is frequently wondering if betrayal is just around the corner. I might not have been convinced by the romance angle but I absolutely adored Mate, Anna’s friend as he was so loyal and the author introduces many others who stand out from Nicholas a cheeky boy to Thea , a healer with a remarkable gift.
The pace of this story just kept building with action and surprises and the second half of the book definitely made up for the way the author threw us into the beginning. This fantasy has very interesting magical elements and I feel Anna’s adventures are far from over so I look forward to finding out just what happens next.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair