(Readalikes: Um, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)

Grade:

Blackbeard is a pirate legendary for his fearlessness and cunning.  But what is really known about the man behind the myth?  Not much.  Until now ...

In Nicole Castroman's debut novel, Blackhearts, she imagines the famous captain as a young man, eager to take on the world.  After a year at sea, 19-year-old Edward "Teach" Drummond feels he has found his calling.  He has no use for the future that has been set before him—being grounded in Bristol, marrying a society woman he doesn't love, managing the business interests of his wealthy merchant father, and staying far away from something as uncouth as returning to the sea.  All he has to do now is convince his father—a cold, ambitious man—to allow his heir to walk away from it all.  Forever.

Anne Barrett is similarly adrift.  As the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy English merchant and his black slave, she has no real place in society.  When her father dies, leaving her without a protector or an inheritance, the 16-year-old is forced to find a way to support herself.  Although she's never worked a day in her life, she signs on as a domestic in the Drummond household.  It's only temporary, however.  As soon as she's saved enough money to sail to Curaçao, her mother's homeland, Anne will leave her grim life in England far behind.

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, sparks fly fast and furious between them.  It's a forbidden relationship, of course, one Mr. Drummond will never allow to proceed.  As the passion between them ignites, the conflicts of their daily lives intensify.  Everything stands in the couple's way.  Can they find a way to be together despite all the obstacles blocking their path?  Or will their love die before it ever has the chance to truly blossom?

Although Blackhearts doesn't boast a lot of swashbuckling, it's an exciting beginning to what promises to be a satisfying trilogy.  The story does offer a tense, romantic story line which is also fun and well-executed.  Sure, it's predictable, but that really didn't bother me in the least.  I thoroughly enjoyed Castroman's debut; in fact, before I'd even finished it, I found myself at Amazon pre-ordering its sequel, Blacksouls (which I liked even better, by the by).  If you—or your teen—are looking for a clean read that is both engrossing and entertaining, definitely pick this one up.  I loved it.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Blacksouls by Nicole Castroman and a little bit of the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer)

Grade:

"Charming" isn't an adjective oft associated with salty sea sailors, but in the case of "Bloody" Jack Faber, it's pretty much an understatement. No leading lad (er, lass) in recent memory has enchanted me quite like this one. If ye aren't familiar with young Jacky of the high seas, get thee to a library. Quick-like. Ye won't be disappointed, me hearties, 'cause Bloody Jack is a treasure indeed.

Bloody Jack, the first in a series of swashbuckling YA novels by L.A. Meyer, begins in 1797 in the grimy back alleys of London, where the newly-orphaned Mary Faber has just been tossed. Picked up by a street gang, Mary survives the way all guttersnipes do: "We begs mostly, please Mum please Mum please Mum, over and over and we steals a bit and we gets by, just" (7). But when Mary's best mate is murdered one night, she realizes she can't handle life on the streets any longer. She takes the dead boy's clothes, stuffs his shiv down her shirt, and makes for the docks. Since she's small for her age (which she estimates to be around 12), with no obvious womanly traits to distinguish her from all the scruffy young boys hanging around the shipyard, she figures finding a job can't be too hard. She figures right. And wrong.

Posing as "Jacky" Faber, Mary becomes a ship's boy on the HMS Dolphin, a man-of-war headed for North Africa to chase pirates. The finding part's easy enough, it's the keeping of the job that's tough. Mary takes her licks, sure does, but works hard and learns to handle life at sea. The one thing on which she can't get a handle, though, is her changing body - the more she grows, the harder it becomes to keep her secret, well, secret. It doesn't help that she's getting right moony over fellow ship's boy, Jaimy Fletcher.

As Mary comes of age on the high seas, she finds trouble, triumph, adventure and, ultimately, her own salty, sea lovin' self. With a voice so authentic, so thoroughly charming that it pours off the page, she's not just memorable, she's completely unforgettable. I loved every second of my time with her, so much so that before I even got to Bloody Jack's third chapter, I already had the rest of the books in the series on reserve at my library. That's how enamored I am with Ms. "Bloody" Jack Faber. So enchanted am I by this book that I can't even come up with a criticism. I just loved it. Totally. Completely. Every last page, every last sentence, every last word. Ye will, too, scurvy dog, or it'll be the plank for yer sorry self ...

(Readalikes: Reminded me of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi)

Grade: A

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), violence, and sexual content/innuendo

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

I started off the new reading year with a bang, but this week I hit a bit of a snag. Out of the 8 books I'd finished in 2010, 6 were middle grade or young adult fiction, so I thought it was time to delve into a "grownup" book. I picked one up, put it down, chose another one, got bored ... nothing grabbed me. In desperation, I finally plucked Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes off my shelf. Although I've never actually read any Crichton, I've seen enough of the movies (Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Sphere, etc.) to know he writes "guy" books. Not really my thing. Still, the generous folks at HarperCollins sent this one along, so I thought, "Why not?" And guess what? It did the trick. My funk disappeared.

I'm not saying Pirate Latitudes is great literature. It's not. But if you're looking for some mindless entertainment, you could do worse than Crichton's newest. (Quick note: Crichton died in 2008. His assistant found the full manuscript for this novel among Crichton's computer files. It was published posthumously in November of last year.)

The swashbuckling adventure takes place in 17th Century Jamaica. Port Royal to be exact. The city is a bustling port, a popular place for privateers to make and spend their fortunes. With taverns and "bawdy houses" on every corner, it's a rough, raucous city of sin. Although much is tolerated on its mean streets, pirates are not. Enter the privateers: these intrepid plunderers raid ships and strongholds belonging to the Spanish empire, "earning" treasure for the Crown, the royally-appointed governor of Jamaica Colony, and themselves. The most notorious of these is Captain Charles Hunter.

When Hunter learns of a Spanish galleon resting in a nearby harbor, he dreams of one thing: getting his hands on the treasure she carries. The only problem will be breaching Matanceros, an impregnable island heavily guarded by the sadistic Cazalla and hundreds of Spanish soldiers. Amassing a crew to join Hunter on his suicide mission isn't easy. Getting the treasure will be even tougher still. Braving rough seas, scaling sheer rock faces, fighting off jungle predators, and blowing up Spanish garrisons are only the beginning of Hunter's wild adventures.

Pirate Latitudes is not a complicated novel. It's basically about a captain, his ragtag crew, and their daring, greedy quest to steal a galleon full of gold. There's little subtlety, scant originality, and no real depth. Crichton's cast leaves much to be desired - his characters are interesting, but not terribly unique or even particularly likeable. Pirate Latitudes is about one thing: Action. The plot races from one crisis to the next with dizzying speed, always pitting Hunter against exciting, death-defying odds. It's entertaining, no doubt about it, but the story offers nothing really new or different. With Jack Sparrow commanding center stage in the 21st Century pirate world, even Crichton's gotta do better than this.

Even without reading previous Crichton books, I'm pretty sure this isn't his best work. I'll shelve my disappointment in Pirate Latitudes and move on - to Sphere, perhaps? Or maybe I'll find some old episodes of ER to watch, although I admit my fascination with the show has always been more about Clooney than Crichton ...

As far as book trailer's go, I think this one is pretty good. It's actually the UK version, which I like better than the US one:



Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language, violence, and sexual content

To the FTC, with love: I received this book for review from HarperCollins.

(Book image is from Barnes & Noble)