**3.5 Stars – Spicy Pirates, But Missing the Gothic Horror I Was Hoping For**

*A Ship of Bones and Teeth* has a lot going on—ghost ships, curses, spice, and a broody pirate captain. It should have been an instant win for me, especially since I *love* a good pirate story and have enjoyed Karina Halle’s books in the past. But unfortunately, this one didn’t quite sail into 4 or 5-star territory.

While the premise was strong and the writing atmospheric, I found myself having to *really* push through the pages. I struggled to stay fully engaged and often had to force myself to pick it back up. The pacing dragged for me in parts, and I never felt that deep pull into the story that I usually get from gothic horror or romantic fantasy.

Speaking of gothic horror—while that label is attached to this book, I personally didn’t feel much of it. That could be a matter of expectations versus reality; maybe my idea of “gothic horror” just differs from what the book delivers. I was hoping for a more haunting, eerie vibe, but it leaned more toward spicy romantic fantasy with some supernatural elements rather than true horror.

That said, the spice is definitely there. If you're looking for something darkly romantic with pirate aesthetics and steamy moments, this might hit the spot for you. It's moody, a bit mysterious, and has that classic Karina Halle edge.

Big thanks to Karina Halle and Metal Blonde Books for the e-ARC. I’d still recommend this to readers in the mood for a spicy, paranormal pirate romance—just go in knowing it might not be the gothic horror ride you expect.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

I wanted so much to love this book and I struggled through the whole thing. It had such a promise. I mean it’s a little mermaid retelling how cool is that? It just fell flat and I found myself falling asleep every time I tried to pick up this book to read it. I didn’t like the main character much…the plot seemed non existent at some points and the story just dragged on.

I absolutely love this author, so I don’t know why this one didn’t do it for me. Will I continue to read this author? Absolutely! She’s a fantastic author it’s just this one particular book wasn’t for me.

3/5 stars because I love the idea behind the book and there were some good parts!

This was my first Karina Halle book and it won’t be my last. I couldn’t put the book down! It was so good and I did enjoy the storyline and the rawness of how it was written!

This dark retelling of a Little Mermaid where there is no HEA. 10 years into a loveless marriage she and the prince are captured by the notorious Captain Ramsay “Bones” Battista, Maren sees a chance to reclaim her old life. But as she and Ramsay forge a dangerous bond, secrets unravel, and both must face the monsters within and beyond.

I loved this. And I would high recommend it to any dark romance lover.

Thank you to Netgalley and Karina Halle for this ARC

Just finished reading an advanced copy of a book called, A Ship of Bones and Teeth. This was a dark fantasy Little Mermaid retelling filled with pirates and magic. At the age of 16, Princess Maren made a deal with the sea witch, giving up her tail for legs, leaving her life under the sea in hopes of finding love and happiness on the surface. But the surface was nothing like she had hoped. Now it's 10 years later and she is trapped in an abusive marriage to Prince Aerik, and all she wants is to find the sea witch and beg her for her tail back. But as they are traveling out at sea, Princess Maren and Prince Aerik are taken hostage by pirates. Captain Ramsay aka "Bones" and his crew and ship are the ones people tell hushed stories about, the ones people never come back from. But as Maren is stuck on Captain Ramsay's ship, she learns she isn't the only one who wants her revenge against the sea witch, Captain Ramsay does too. If they can keep from fighting long enough to trust each other and work together, they might just stand a chance against the sea witch. This story was SO GOOD! This was a slow-burn, enemies to lovers story. I got lost in this book and I didn't want to be found, I felt like I was a part of the story and I didn't want it to end! The world building, the storyline, the characters, the descriptions of everything making the story come to life, it was all just done so perfectly! The author took my favorite childhood story of The Little Mermaid, added some Pirates of the Caribbean and vampire vibes and magic, and turned it into an adult story I absolutely devoured and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of! Honestly, I already want to re-read it! ❤️📚

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for this ARC of A Ship of Bones and Teeth, in exchange for an honest review.

“The Ship of Bones and Teeth” by Karina Halle is a monster-filled fever dream in the best way possible, and I am absolutely hooked.
This was my first time diving into Karina Halle’s work, and if this book is anything to go by, it certainly won’t be my last. I finished it late last night, and I still can’t stop thinking about it. From the first page to the last, it’s an action-packed, high-stakes, gloriously unhinged ride through dark waters teeming with danger, desire, and the kind of monsters that make you question your morals, in the best way.
Imagine if The Little Mermaid got tangled up with Pirates of the Caribbean after a blood pact with Van Helsing, and then someone cranked up the spice and dialed the horror up to eleven. That’s the vibe. There are krakens. There are vampires. There are pirate ships full of the undead (yes, plural). Sea witches. Curses. And did I mention the Scottish vampire pirate captain? Because yeah. He exists. And I’m still recovering.
Maren, our main character, starts off soft and meek, she’s spent her life playing it safe, but watching her evolve and reclaim her power was so satisfying. She grows teeth, spine, and fire, and she does it in her own time, in her own way. Bones, our monstrous leading man, is exactly what you’d hope a vampire pirate would be: dangerous, magnetic, morally grey, and completely unhinged in the best way. Their chemistry? Off the charts. The spice in this book isn’t just there for flavor, it’s woven into the emotional tension and character arcs in a way that makes it feel earned. (Also, it’s hot. Really hot.)
The world Halle has created here is rich and chaotic in the most captivating way. It’s gothic, salty, soaked in blood and magic, and filled with lore that makes you want to know more. I had the privilege of reading along while listening to the audiobook, and let me just say: it elevated the experience tenfold. The narration is phenomenal, immersive, intense, and absolutely perfect for the tone of the story.
One thing I will note: there are definitely trigger warnings in this book, so please be sure to check them before diving in. But if dark fantasy, morally grey monsters, fierce heroines, and a boatload of spice sound like your thing? Run, don’t walk.
This was a five-star, “keep-me-up-all-night,” scream-into-a-pillow read, and I can’t wait to dive into more of Karina Halle’s books. If The Ship of Bones and Teeth is any indication, I’m in for one hell of a journey.

A Ship of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle is a powerhouse of dark romantasy. I was transported to a magical and dangerous world of Kraken, pirates, syrens, witches and more. Karina Halle has my little heart wrapped around her fingers. Her mystical and addictive writing delivers scorching hot passion, heart aching emotions and heart stopping action in every page.

🏴‍☠️ little mermaid aka syren retelling meets pirates of the Carribean
🏴‍☠️ anti hero
🏴‍☠️ dark romantasy
🏴‍☠️ all twisted suspense
🏴‍☠️ freaking hot ( ever wonder how mermaids do this)

Maren isn't a little mermaid. She is a syren princess who hunts men by seducing their voices and eat them. Literally. But she was young and naive and made a deal with an evil sea witch to get legs and lose her voice so that she can marry Prince Aerik..who turned out to be his own kind of monster. So when their ship is captured by the widely feared Brethren of Blood and their ship Nightwind, she thinks it's her chance to escape and get her old life back. But Captain Ramsay Bones Battista isn't an ordinary man. He is a legend and he has his own plan of revenge against the sea witch. They clash and collide and slowly tangle with each other. Will Maren stay knowing her blood is something essential for the pirates or escape once she becomes syren again?

This book is so complicated and intricate yet each moment is a precious gem. Maren's battle with her helpless condition and then getting back her ferocious power all while falling for an otherworldly man just consumed my heart and soul. Ramsay is a larger than life hero. So c0cky. So filthy. So edgy. So vulnerable inside. He is getting torn apart by his anger and guilt and pain but his family onboard is always the priority. Maren is a beautiful complication. He is enamored with her while she was supposed to be just a commodity. He fell for her. All parts of her. Good, bad and ugly. Making her trust him was a big task but he finally did it. He is a monster in some sense but he is the one who rekindled Maren's fire.

This story delivers an unbelievably layered plot where I was on the edge of the seat. So many times, I just stopped breathing and went into full panic mode. Karina Halle is no less than a Syren herself, using her sharp and explosive words to drag my heart out of my chest! It was so much action packed that I feared to blink. I am in absolute awe of this story.

I reviewed a complimentary copy voluntarily

Why isn’t everyone talking about The Ship of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle?

Let’s get one thing straight. This is not The Little Mermaid meets Pirates of the Caribbean. I know that's how it’s been pitched, but it honestly does the story a disservice. Sure, there are echoes of those tales—selling your soul for the unknown, a crew of undead pirates—but that’s where the similarities end. What you actually get is a dark, original, addictive story that completely stands on its own.

Captain Bones!!! A pirate shadow daddy who is unapologetically violent to protect his woman? Yes, please. He doesn’t just tolerate Maren's brokenness. He sees it, he loves it, and he matches it with his own. excuse me while I drool.

Seriously, where is the hype? Why isn’t the bookish world screaming about this one? Why don’t I own a “Yes, Captain Bones” t-shirt?

If you love morally gray, soul-deep romance and unapologetic devotion, pick this one up. Immediately. Just remember to read your trigger warning, and that we are here for a good time not the literary masterpiece of the century.

This is a dark fantasy romance. The Little Mermaid retelling you didn't know you needed- where the prince is the bad guy.

There is magic and pirates (SAY LESS) and spice.

Give me a story where the girl falls for the bad boy and I will eat it up EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Ramsay, Captain Bones, sir. Your honor, I love him.

- dark fantasy
- found family
- little mermaid meets Pirates of the Caribbean vibes
- magic
- pirates
- sirens
- spicy

A retelling of the little mermaid if Ariel was a man eating syren crossed with pirates of the Caribbean if Jack was a blood drinking dom.

This book is a spicy tale of adventure, action and revenge.
I loved the twists and turns of this book with the aspects of found family and dark romance.
I definitely recommend this for our dark romance readers

Such a fabulous story. Love Halle’s approach to a classic tale. The story will pull you in and keep you riveted. Highly recommend!

I had to really think when it came to reviewing this because I was just flabbergasted the whole time.
I didn’t know what way this was gonna go at any of the twists and turns. I went in completely blind and as usual, Karina just knocked it out of the park.
Imagine you took Pirates of the Caribbean, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Twilight!
Not gonna lie, I signed up as soon as I saw pirates, because I’ve had a fascination with pirates ever since I was a little girl growing up near the ocean and hearing all the history and lore behind the pirates on the coast.
This definitely pulls inspiration from the little mermaid, but a lot more dark and twisty, it’s far closer to the original danish fairytale than what Disney put out.
Ariel is not so sweet and innocent here, she is a woman who might have been put down for the past 10 years since she made the catastrophic and childlike mistake of making a deal, but her siren is going to come out one way or the other!
And handsome dashing Prince Eric, nothing like what he seems, but thank God for pirates 😂😂😂

i love love love gothic fantasies and also pirate stories. this was no exception, i absolutely devoured it! it was fascinating, the romance was cute and easy to root for, and i fell in love with the characters in general. i really wish there were more books to this story. 😭 i feel sad parting from it! i'll definitely be picking up more books by this author as i was quite pleasantly surprised by how much i liked it! i highly recommend reading this.

🌟 3.5 / 4 🌟

Im quite stuck on how to rate this book, which is quite rare!

Positives:
🧜‍♀️ Very The Ever King / Plated Prisoner vibes
🧜‍♀️ Spice, Spice & more SPICE 3.5/5🌶
🧜‍♀️ Mermaids/Vampires/Witches/Kraken/War
🧜‍♀️ Sassy FMC & sarcastic/dark MMC
🧜‍♀️ Never a dull minute, always something going on!
🧜‍♀️ Emotional damage
🧜‍♀️ Found family / lost family

I think I struggled with the writing style, I was so immersed in this book, but at points towards the end I feel like the story became a bit dragged out, there was a fight, then it settled, then someone else came for a fight etc

I'd definitely recommend this book!

Syrens, Krakens, Sea-Witches, oh my! This book was an insanely wild adventure. It was very spicy but also had a lot of plot and action. The MMC is very morally grey and will have you questioning everything at some point, but he LOVES the FMC. This was a quick read and very well written. My rating would be higher if the book was a little shorter and if pirates were my cup of tea (this is completley my fault). I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves pirates and supernatural beings or action lovers! Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pirates of Caribbean X Little Mermaid with a vampire twist. I liked this book a lot, it was short and sweet. Development of FMC to accept who she is and their relationship was so beautiful. I loved following them on adventures and exploring the sea.

Fantastic read. Page turner, a great plot and ever better characters. Absolutely recommend this book

This is book 1 in Karina Halle’s Nightwind Duet. It gives off a pirates of the Caribbean 3 vibes. It has sirens that are eaters of men, a princess and a MMC who is morally grey. Loved this book all the way to the end.

I LOVED this book! It was so delicious and the audio was absolutely amazing!!!! Karina Halle is such a terrific author and this spin on The Little mermaid was sooo unique.

Need a Pirates of the Caribbean vibe but with a man-eating siren with a Little Mermaid backstory - here you go! A fast paced read with the most morally gray MMC you could ask for - aka a Karina Halle special. And when the spice hits, oh there’s spice. I also like that this is a standalone that you could devour and enjoy.

A Ship of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle, is book one in the Nightwind Duet, published by Metal Blonde Books. A dark little mermaid retelling, that can easily be read as a stand alone.
Maren and Ramsey, the princess and the pirate captain - they couldn't be more different from each other. But somehow they fit perfectly. Yes this is a dark-ish story and not for the faint of heart, but I loved the book right from start til the very last page, 4,5 stars.