The Bright and Breaking Sea

I love alt-history fantasy, with its the manipulations of familiar to create something new. The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill is a great example of that.

The book is set in the alternative early 19th century, right after the first Napoleonic wars. Only, Britain is called the Isles, France is Gallia, Queen Charlotte sits on the throne of the Isles in New London and the invading emperor is called Gerard. There’s equality of sorts. Women and people of colour hold important positions in the army and navy, but there are still haves and have-nots, and the white aristocratic male still gets what he wants. There’s no Christianity but two deities who are credited with bringing magic into the world.

Not everyone is able to manipulate magic though. Kit Brightling is a foundling who is Aligned to sea magic. She’s risen to a captain of her own ship despite her young age, and works directly for the Queen, undertaking daring missions for her—not that anyone knows about it. But this time, she’s forced to take an army fellow—and a Viscount to boot—on her ship, which doesn’t sit well with her. Together they handle mission after mission for the Queen and country, unravelling a plot to bring Gerard back to power. Along the way, they become friends, and there’s even love kindling. But sea is a harsh mistress, and Kit has chosen her.

This was a great book with a lot of swashbuckling action, pirates, sea battles, spies, and even romance, though nothing like in Neill’s urban fantasy books. The alternative details were clever, nautical details rich, the plot was good and well-paced, if slightly simplistic, and there was a lot of action. I liked Kit and how she was allowed to be a formidable captain without constantly reminding the reader that she’s a woman. Grant was a wonderful romantic hero, but he remained sightly distant, as we didn’t get his point of view despite the prologue hinting at it. A great disappointment, really.

With alt-history, it’s pointless to be upset about details that don’t seem historical, but there were a couple of moments that didn’t really work. First, if a person is thrown overboard in a storm, the ship moves so fast that it’s useless to try a rescue, let alone one where the ship instantly stops and remains still while the person is fished up. Second, gold likely is valuable even in this world, so paying a fair to an amusement park with gold coins strikes as really odd, as do paper notes.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book and intend to read the next one when it comes out this November.

The overthrown King of Gallia is seeking to return to power and manipulating magic to do so, so it’s up to Captain Kit Brightling of the Queen’s Own and Colonel Rian Grant to stop him.

I never thought a fantasy focused on the seas could be as interesting as riding a horse across a continent until I read RJ Barker’s The Bone Ships last year. Since then, I haven’t seen too many, so I was quick to request it when I saw it on Netgalley. As someone who easily gets seasick, this is really the only way I can enjoy a sea adventure, so I was so excited to be approved. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but I thought it was a pleasant surprise.

The Plot: A Fun Fantasy Full of Adventure
The Bright and Breaking Sea is a fantastical retelling of Napoleon’s escape from Elba. It pits England against France, with a Guild thrown in for good measure.

Captain Kit Brightling, a young woman in the Queen’s Own who is also Aligned to the sea, is more than a mere courier, but her role is closely guarded by the Crown. Because of her unique abilities and the true nature of her job for the Queen, she’s perfectly suited for extracting a captured spy, but she must do so alongside a member of the Beau Monde. Colonel Rian Grant was present when the King of Gallia was defeated, and it wasn’t a pretty battle. But he’ll do anything for the man who literally saved his life, even if it means sailing with a woman he doesn’t think much of right into pirate territory. It’s just the start of their partnership, and the Queen’s never ending missions to protect the world from the King of Gallia’s return.

A fluffy fantasy. A delightful fluffy fantasy. I expected The Bright and Breaking Sea to be more along the lines of the complex and complicated fantasies I’ve been reading lately with overladen story lines and almost too much going on, while also full of crusty old sailors. Instead, this novel presented a fairly straightforward and more simplistic story with some slight complexities thrown in for good measure. It turned out to be a lovely break, but by no means didn’t deliver on the story. It was fun and chock full of adventure. There was a good dose of intrigue and a streak of romance. It was a wonderful story of two very different people learning to work together and truly become partners.

The most fascinating thing was that this book reminded me of the sea adventure I enjoyed in RJ Barker’s The Bone Ships and also made me think of Jane Austen’s novels. Since I adore both, I found that this story completely worked for me. There was so much adventure, one thing after another, that I did sometimes wonder where it was going and how it was tied together, but the partnership between Kit and Grant was fascinating and I loved how it oscillated between the adventure and the elements more likely to be found in a Regency novel.

The Characters: Perfectly Tailored to the Story
The Bright and Breaking Sea follows the adventures of Kit Brightling and Rian Grant. Initially unwelcoming to each other, they each brought something to every one of their adventures, and made the novel that much more fun.

I really liked Kit. She’s a tomboy with an appreciation for the finer things in life, who enjoys a good trashy novel while not hesitating to throw a knife at an enemy. I wanted her to be a fierce sea captain, someone with a sharp temper who strode around the deck barking orders, but she surprised me by being remarkably practical and feminine with a fierce loyalty to the sea, the crown, and her crew. I adored her and just how smart she was and how well it worked for the story being told.

Rian Grant felt like a storm cloud held at bay next to her. He’s appropriately dark and brooding, bristling under the idea of sharing command with a mere female courier. But he’s a good man with an unshakable loyalty to those he owes it to, which drives him in everything he does. While I wish he and Kit had been at each other’s throats a little more and a little longer, watching them try so hard to deal coldly with each other and asserting control over the situation, I did like that both of them are a bit softer around the edges, that they proved to be an insanely perfect pair.

The Setting: On Sea and On Land
As an historical fantasy, The Bright and Breaking Sea is set during the time of Napoleon, a fictional one, mostly on the seas between Britain and France. Though, of course, they’re fictional versions of Britain and France. As a big fan of novels like War and Peace, Les Miserables, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Jane Austen’s novels, it felt both comforting and different. I loved how it was so familiar, but also had touches unique to fantasy and to the novel.

Like the pirates. I’ve read mentions of pirates during that time period, but the pirates in The Bright and Breaking Sea were so much more interesting, and I loved getting a look into their stronghold. Then there was the home for foundling girls that sounded like a lovely and fun place to grow up in. Run by a forward thinking woman with strong ties to the Crown, she let the girls she raised find their own feet and their own interests, making for a lively home.

And then there’s the sea and Kit’s ship. As some who easily gets seasick, this is the best way for me to enjoy a seafaring adventure. I have no real, clear idea of what ships actually look like, but I enjoyed imagining being on the deck and seeing only sea for miles and miles. I wish there had been more sea in this book, but it ended up being a lovely split between land and sea.

The whole world felt like it sprung from reality and then was given a twist of magic. It was familiar, so the author didn’t have to go into large digressions to world build. But it was also different with it’s own flavor in such a way that I can’t wait to return and get to know it better.

Overall: Surprisingly Fun
Initially, I was disappointed The Bright and Breaking Sea wasn’t more along the lines of the fantasy I’ve read all year. As I kept reading, though, I couldn’t help feeling delighted. It was very different from what I expected, but in a good way. It managed to blend two things I love to present an extraordinarily fun fantasy that somehow absolutely worked. It turned out to be an easy read, though I did wonder at first where the story was going. But the groundwork has been laid and now I find myself eager to find out what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Foundling Kit Brightling has worked hard to earn her spot as Captain on a ship in the Queen’s Crown Command fleet. It helps that she loves the sea and is also Aligned to it—someone who has a magical bond with one of the elements.

When the queen sends Kit on a mission to rescue a spy whose cover has been compromised, she jumps at the opportunity to help queen and country. Even when those orders include tagalong Viscount, and veteran of the Continental War, Rian Grant.

Kit doesn’t know Rian or his motivations, but she does know others of the Beau Monde—New London high society—and she’s not about to let him take control of the mission. But, as they both learn, titles can be deceiving, and what they discover will have them both setting aside their preconceived notions and working together as the fate of mankind hangs in the balance.

I like the different direction Chloe Neill is taking with a high-seas adventure that is firmly seated in the historical fantasy category, which is a departure from her various urban fantasy series.

The Bright and Breaking Sea works so well as a setup to the new series and it was one that almost went by too quickly. I wanted to savor the time in this first book, but Chloe Neill pretty much sets things off running right out of the gate as Kit and Rian search for a traitor and try to thwart potential war on the horizon.

Honestly, I would have loved more time fleshing out characters and setting. In particular, the magic system was one such area where I could have used a bit more background on how it works, its limitations and advantages. I think it would have been especially helpful seeing as how one of the main conflict—and one I assume will be overarching—stems from magic use. But there’s enough so far that I at least have a rudimentary understanding of what’s good and what’s bad. I have no doubt Chloe Neill will continue to build upon this beginning and familiarity will come with more reading. I guess I can’t fault her for not putting all her eggs in one basket.

Probably my favorite aspect of the story was the fact that Chloe Neill puts Kit and Rian on pretty equal ground when it comes to working together on this mission. Despite Kit being Aligned, their skills and capabilities are on pretty level, but it’s their varying experiences—Rian being part—although an almost outside part—of the Beau Monde, Kit being a foundling, etc. that really brings that something extra to their interactions.

Which of course leads into the lovely opposites-attract slow-burn (hopefully) romance we have going on. It’s been awhile since I’ve read a series that develops a relationship over a number of books, and as we should all know by now, Chloe Neill is a pro at this. One of the things I look forward to most is how things continue to develop between Rian and Kit.

If you’re a fan already of Chloe Neill, you’ll be delighted to have a new world from her. It’s a great departure from what we’re used to but still full of all the things we know we can count on from Chloe Neill.

I had a good time with this book! I really liked the sound of this book and I have had luck with some of Chloe Neill’s other works so I was pretty excited to give this book a try. This book sounded pretty unique and I couldn’t wait to see this female captain take command of her ship. I was quickly hooked by this story and found it hard to set aside at times. I really found this book to be an enjoyable story.

Kit Brightling is the captain of a ship in the Isle Queen’s Command. The Queen decides to send Kit’s ship on a mission to rescue a man being held captive. The Queen doesn’t send her alone, instead, she sends Grant, a titled man who has served in the war, along on the mission. These two don’t see eye to eye at the start but I did enjoy watching them learn to work together and eventually trust each other.

I really liked all of the characters in this book. It was great getting to really know both Kit and Grant through the connections in their life, their actions, and their history. It was really powerful to see Kit do things that made it clear that she cared about those on her ship. The crew on the ship were great characters as well and I liked how they all seemed dedicated to working together. Grant had to balance the demands of home with his orders from the Queen and I liked the way he took his responsibilities very seriously.

This book was exciting. There are some pretty intense scenes that had me quite worried about the characters. I also really liked the politics that were a part of the story, especially the challenges that Kit faced because of her gender. I was pretty excited to find that there was a bit of magic worked into the story and I thought it was a nice touch. I thought that the quieter parts of the book that focused on relationships were well done and helped to balance the story.

Danielle Cohen did a great job with the narration of this book. I thought that the accent that she used was perfect for the story. I thought that all of the character voices that she used were very well done and I thought that she was able to add a lot of excitement to the story through her reading. I found myself wanting to listen to this book for hours at a time and I believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a fun story filled with great characters and a lot of surprises. I definitely plan to read more of Chloe Neill’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this audiobook from Tantor Audio via NetGalley.