Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was a bit hesitant to go into Daughter of the Pirate King as I read The Shadows Between Us last year and didn't actually like it, but I didn't want to write off Tricia's books completely and so decided to give the book a shot anyway - and I'm glad I did!!

I love a headstrong, sassy and smart lead character who's not afraid of a challenge and that definitely defines Alosa well.
The story was fast-paced and it was hard to put down (I read it in almost one sitting) and the writing was very pleasant - will definitely look into getting my hands on the sequel!
One thing I often struggle with when it comes to shorter YA books is the insta-love trope and despite the attraction between our leads clearly being there early on (not too early though), the rest of the romance was nicely paced which I appreciate.

So overall a classic but well-written and quickly enjoyable YA fantasy!
4/5⭐

Daughter of the Pirate King follows Alosa, who deliberately gets kidnapped by her enemies in order to find an ancient map. There's only one thing standing between her and the map, her captor, the unfairly attractive Riden.

I absolutely loved this one! It was such a fun and quick read that I flew through in a day! Alosa is determined to succeed and everything a pirate Captain should be, I loved following her on her journey! Her romance with Riden was very cute, they had great banter and you could definitely tell they had a connection.

The plot had so much action, it felt very fast paced which is how I like my books! There were lots of twists as mysteries surrounding the map were revealed and it all led up to a great ending! It's perfect for people who love YA fantasy especially ones set at sea!

Rating: 4.5 stars - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Light hearted and a very fun read!

The first book in a trilogy, 'The Daughter of the Pirate King' is a suspense filled enemies to lovers which captured my attention (and heart) from the get go! Alosa our strong female princess/pirate lead gives just as good as she gets and is very much a wolf in sheep's clothing! This fast paced twisty debut is not to be missed!

We follow our princess on her mission to infuriate an enemy ship in order to find an ancient hidden map, which is the key to finding a very ancient treasure trove. The situation turns tricky not when she is purposely captured; that was the easy bit, but when she finds she's enjoying (a little too much) the company of her enemies first mate Riden.

The book is set predominantly in one place and so the world building is very limited, which in this case works perfectly; letting you get an in-depth picture and feel for the locations you are reading about. It is also a nice change of pace from the huge layouts in recent fantasy novels, which can be rather confusing.

Levenseller's true talent though is writing relatable, human characters and witty 'banter'. You instantly fall in love with Alosa and Riden (as well as her crew) but you wouldn't be able to do this if the characters weren't so beautifully fleshed out and well rounded. I am very much looking forward to learning more about each side character in the next book.

Overall, without giving any spoilers away. 'The Daughter of the Pirate King' is definitely one to watch as everyone is going to be talking about it and I personally can not wait to get my hands on my physical copy!

A huge thank you to Tricia Levenseller, Pushkin Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun and fast-paced pirate tale! I enjoyed it thoroughly, and if you like a little danger, swagger, and romance, I’m sure you will too.

Meet Alosa, a princess among pirates. But don’t let her love of clothing and her hair fool you; she’ll slit your throat faster than it takes you to threaten her. Alosa is on a mission for her father and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals, even if that means playing the damsel in distress—well, sort of. There’s only so much you can ask cutthroat pirate to do. Things get a bit complicated when she starts enjoying sparing with the captain of the ship’s brother, Riden, though.

Alosa and Riden have good chemistry and egg each other on throughout. It’s a pretty clean romance, but there’s still tension galore! And there are some twists and turns you don’t see coming.

Highly enjoyable! Full of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. This book had me gripped and I really enjoyed every second off it. The daughter of the pirate king is kidnapped but she wants to be as she needs to find something, something for her father and herself. On this ship she meets the first mate and he’s not like other pirates, he smells nice, looks nice and there is some tension between them. But, she’s hiding something big. I just loved this book and the characters! I cannot wait for the second one to see what happens!

I really enjoyed this story. The descriptions and character building were great and I couldn't put it down. Really great read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to this book I would definitely recommend. I will definitely be reading the next in the series.

This book follows our main character, Alonsa, on her mission to infiltrate an enemy ship on behalf of her father - the Pirate King. We go through her trials and tribulations on the ship and meet many interesting characters on the way as well as getting a bit of a backstory as to who Alonsa is.

My favourite part of the book was that Tricia Levenseller allows the author to gradually build an image of each of the characters in her mind without providing them with too much of a description and I found this much more enjoyable compared to other books who have bombarded the reader with the "good looks" of a character and nothing else. Levenseller has also managed to develop a unique personality for Alonsa which allows readers to connect with her even more.

Following on from that I enjoyed the development of the other characters throughout the book, especially the supporting roles. I am extremely interested to see how they develop throughout the second book. I think that despite the fact we were only briefly introduced to some of Alonsa's crew, they're very well fleshed-out characters even though they're only doing a supporting role which, again, engages me even further in the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed that the world layout wasn't too vast for me to understand, the book predominantly takes place in the same, or very small, locations allowing the reader to further develop the visual image you have in their head. Usually I am all for world-building but in this case I really enjoyed being limited to certain areas.

The characters relationship development with one another is also a big favourite of mine as it feels genuine and I am interested as to how they will develop, what their backgrounds will be, what their futures will be and it just invites me into the whole series of books even more.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the opportunity to read this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

My second book by Tricia Levenseller, and I absolutely love it!

Daughter of the Pirate King is a story about another strong female character I've come to really enjoy in Tricia's books. Her characters are always strong women who don't need saving and can stand up for themselves in a world ruled by men. They live by their rules, don't bow or plead, have their own voice and opinions, and are funny and witty.

Alosa is a captain of her ship and the daughter of the Pirate King with a mission to accomplish. She gets kidnapped by an enemy pirate ship, as was the plan. She needs to find one-third of a map of a secret island full of treasures and deliver it to her father. She's clever, unapologetic, beautiful, always true to herself, and ready to prove her abilities to her father. But what she thought and hoped would be a relatively easy and quick mission gets complicated by the first mate and a brother of the captain of this enemy pirate ship, Riden.

Riden is not your usual pirate. Aside from being a really smart, tall, handsome and competent right-hand of the captain, he's also a clean freak and as much of a gentleman as he can be in this line of 'career.' (Someone could say he shouldn't be a pirate.) He wants to be loyal to his brother. But he also wants to protect Alosa (to which he's clearly attracted) from his brother and the pirates on his ship. But of course, she doesn't make his life easy.

They have great chemistry and dynamic together. I enjoyed every moment with them and lived for their banter. Raiden's need for cleanliness makes for some funny moments for sure. I can't wait to see how their relationship develops in the next book.

The story is very addictive, fast-paced, and full of action. There is no part where I would feel bored or think it's dragging too much. I highly recommend this book to all fans of pirates, strong female characters, secrets, and fast-paced stories with enemies to lovers trope. You won't regret picking this up.

Thank you Netgalley and Pushkin Press for granting me access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5
Such a fun book! Very lighthearted YA adventure story with a smart and capable heroine and a smart and capable love interest. No one is dumb to make the other look cool. Of course, there are dumb in a fun way side characters too. Definitely want to read the sequels.

First I would like to thank NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an e-arc of this book.

I've had this book on my radar for forever. It's such a fan favourite over on Bookstagram that it kept regularly appearing on my feed. But I mean who wouldn't be interested in reading this? It's pirates, the high sea, and a sassy headstrong protagonist sprinkled with a bit of dashing romance.

Overall, I did enjoy this. My 11-year-old obsession with pirates (no thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean) is obviously still strong! I love the descriptions of the high seas, the ship, and the roles played aboard. The descriptions of the settings were very immersive.

I also enjoyed the unique take on our protagonist. The daughter of the pirate king but with a mysteriously absent mother. Except, it wasn't that much of a mystery. If you know the title of Book 2 you will know who our protagonist's mother is - but it's kept hidden from the other characters even when they pry. But the mystery doesn't last very long and the reveal felt very lacklustre. Something that should have been a shocking revelation fell very short.

The rest of the story also felt very convenient. The protagonist had the right tools and the right skills to get out of any situation. It didn't feel like she came across any opposition throughout the whole story.

But despite all of this, I think it was a fun and entertaining read. It did have good banter and an enemies-to-lovers trope which you couldn't help rooting for. In a world without enough pirate-based stories, this was a great read and exactly what I was looking for in the book.

I enjoyed this story so much! I found myself grinning more often than not.

Immediately, when the story begins we’re thrown into the thick of it. There’s no soft and gradual exposition built up— it’s instantly fast-paced. I think this links into the writing style which I totally vibed with. I can see some people not loving it, but for me the conciseness made it flow really well and was incredibly easy to read. Levenseller doesn’t do purple prose, but instead goes for punchy simplicity which had an impactful affect.

The story had clear direction— Alosa, our wonderfully entertaining heroine, had clear character motivations that I understood and could root for, which moved the story along really well. I think the book thrived on its simplicity. The plot wasn’t over-complicated and there wasn’t too many characters to keep track of, but luckily the simplicity didn’t mean the plot twists were compromised. The plot was anything but predictable, especially the last few plot twists!

In turn, I think the turn the plot took made Alosa even more likeable and endearing to me— it proved she wasn’t perfect or invincible. Instead, she was boisterous, cocky and flawed, but she was still irrevocably human. I instantly loved her, her wit was hilarious and endearing, with a severe bluntness to her. I couldn’t help but root for her! And the romance now has me so excited to dive into the second instalment. I can’t wait to see how it ends!

I highly recommend this to people wanting to read some fantasy without the overwhelming complexity that comes with some stories.

Loved this book. Fast paced and exciting. I am really a fan of strong woman characters and this 100% delivered. Alosa is a single minded intelligent strong woman. I enjoyed the interactions and fun between her and Riden. Looking forward to reading the next book in this duology!

I have always been a huge huge fan of Tricia Levensellers book and I am utterly grateful to be able to reread this book as a brilliant new cover
This is first book I have ever been so invested it, being the obvious page turner it is.Our my, Ms Alosa, brilliantly written red head is found to be stuck on a ship to find a missing map only to be following the troupe of enemies to lovers and hating the captain’s brother Riden.I was quite surprised when for the first time in forever this recommendation from literally everyone on Goodreads turned to be an actual goodread and there were certain scenes where you could have found me heartily chuckling, literally chuckling.This book was indeed a chef’s kiss and you cannot argue with me that it isn’t a five star read.I would literally do anything to reread this book after erasing it from my memory and no matter how much I rage on my review on how good it is I cannot tell you how good it is without spoiling it to everyone.

Ending my review I hope everyone reads it and to make sure you do here is a quick quote I loved

“Lass you got a face of an angel but a tongue of a snake”

This book is a never-ending chain of adventures one after the other for our protagonist, pirate princess Alosa. She is more than meets the eye but that is a secret she keeps when she is kidnapped by pirate brothers Daxen and Riden, sons of a pirate lordling killed long ago. They claim to have abducted her for ransom when in reality what they want from her is to reveal to them the dwellings of the powerful pirate king. But maybe there’s more to the story than that, because Alosa manages to escape her cage every night and only Riden is suspicious as to the truths and lies surrounding her. Still, he is only the second in command of the “Sea Farer” and the captain is less smart but trickier than his younger brother. Only Alosa can outsmart the young pirate but what is the strange force that seems to bind them?

This is the first book of a pirate YA fantasy series, the one where we meet our heroine with her bravery, her intelligence and, why not, her recklessness too. Traditionally, the pirate stories have always been dominated by men, men were the heroes, men were the writers, etc. Here we have a woman, captain of her own ship in a crew of women save for two men, being on a mission undercover for the only man who has power over her, her own father. Also we have a man whose tendency to think before acting and his quick wit has labelled as a coward, but only the strongest don’t fear to show their weaknesses. So you want Alosa to save Riden so they can have even more adventures together, sailing the seas and being fierce.

Pirates, sirens, treasures, brave women and men, ugly men, power hungry human beings… I had a lot of fun reading this book. The only downsize to it is that at least my ARC doesn’t have a chapter division and that makes it hard for the reader to stop reading at some point and go to sleep. Also because the book is action-packed rather than slow and there are things going on all the time, it’s exciting.

A great pirate story with an amazing woman as a main character!! Loved Alosa and the whitty banter she and Riden had throughout! 😂 Overall great storyline that kept me hooked I can't wait to read the sequel! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I am always a sucker for a pirate story - courtesy of Elizabeth Swann and this one was a fun read. Alosa is a strong, determined and stubborn pirate determined to complete the mission that her father gave her. There are some interesting characters - Kearan and Enwen. One issue for me was the romance between Riden and Alosa - felt rushed and forced considering the circumstances. Riden's character felt a bit confused. Alosa is written as this badass captain, which she is constantly reinforcing in her internal monologue, but this is never really shown which was a bit disappointing. I'll definitely read the sequel because the siren island sounds interesting.

Basically a trope-heavy YA novel which is good for a fun, easy read.

Daughter of the Pirate King is the first book in a duology by Tricia Levenseller. A fast paced, easy to read fantasy with magic, romance and pirates! The female main character is strong willed, confident and easy to relate to. The romance is slow burn and the tension and flirting is charming. It's not graphic so would appeal to a wide audience. I look forward to reading book 2.

This was fine. I think I'd have enjoyed it a lot more back at its original release a few years ago but it doesn't really align with my tastes now. I didn't like the main character and it just felt like a spark was missing

If you like reading pirate stories with hidden treasures, sirens, sailing ships and the typical rough handling, you should take a closer look at this book. 🏴‍☠️
The dirty atmosphere, steeped in violence and brutality, is almost palpable here. In fact, the world building and humor often reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean. Especially Enwen, the superstitious pirate, who isn't as simple as he makes the others think he is. By the way, my favorite character in this book.

The main character Alosa is manipulative and torn inside. She has no problem with stealing and killing. But that's not surprising, given the extremely brutal and scarring pirate training given by her own father.
What I found good was, as it gradually turns out, that actually everyone here manipulates and only pursues their own goals.

There is a slow-burn love story that I think fits well into the book. The little squabbles with Riden were really entertaining and Alosa doesn't lose her ability to think straight after the first kiss either. She always keeps her goal in mind.

This story is advertised as a youth book for 13 year olds. I personally find that inappropriate. At the earliest from the age of 16 would have been better. I don't want to spoiler here.

While Alosa treats other pirates and their crew better than others, she has no qualms about killing or having her captives killed. Of course you could say: pirates. 😉

Conclusion:
Exciting pirate story with fantasy elements and young protagonists. I liked the main characters, but once again I liked one of the supporting characters (Enwen) best.

I loved Tricia Levenseller’s The Shadows Between Us, but at the time didn’t really give her other books much of a chance due to my piling TBR.

Since Daughter Of The Pirate King is being rereleased with a new cover, I was intrigued to give this book a go and I’m so glad I did. I was hooked from the first few chapters, and finished the book in just two days!

The entire time I had the pirates of the Caribbean tune in my head during the action scenes 😂 Alosa is a badass female lead and I loved her smart wit from the get go. As for Riden, phew… he quickly became my fave and I loved their bangers.

This is total enemies to lovers too. My favourite parts where when Alosa kept sneaking out of her cell and Riden kept catching her out, as it was in these moments their flirty banter was the best.

I’ve ordered a copy of this book and the second one in the Duology, so can’t wait for that to arrive so I ran read the finale!

This was a 5/5 read for me!