Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King is a fun adventure

DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING by Tricia Levenseller, Feiwel & Friends, Feb. 28, 2017, Hardcover, $17.99 (young adult)

I usually have so much to read, that I struggle to read anything too far in advance of its release. That’s not the case of Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King. In fact, even though I’m reviewing it two weeks prior to its release, I actually finished it a few weeks ago. And it’s stuck with me for all the right reasons.

Seventeen-year-old Alosa is the daughter of the pirate king, and as such, she’s a deadly foe. The problem is, you usually don’t find that out until it’s too late.

So when Alosa is captured by her enemies, they’re right to be cautious. But some are more careful than others. Riden, the first mate, can’t quite put his finger on it, but knows Alosa is up to something.

It turns out Riden is right. Alosa deliberately allowed her enemies to capture her. Now she has the chance to search their ship for an ancient hidden map that leads to a legendary treasure. But to get to the map, Alos must get past Riden, and he’s not about to go down without a fight.

I picked up Daughter of the Pirate King shortly after reading three excellent, but hard books. I needed a light adventure and that’s exactly what I got.

Daughter of the Pirate King is what I imagine the writers of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Princess Bride would come up with if they sat down together. The book features gallant heroes, evil masters, quirky sidekicks and more than one surprise.

What I loved most of all, though, was Alosa. In her debut author Tricia Levenseller’s voice shines. Alosa exterior is confident, bold and sarcastic — all things you’d expect from a pirate captain — but it’s the little pieces on the interior that Tricia lets slip that rally make Alosa a character you want to root for. Tricia’s pacing is also commendable. She builds tension and excitement with ease, but never goes so far as to make her book or her characters into caricatures.

Daughter of the Pirate King is a fast-paced adventure full of action and romance with a little mystery thrown in for good measure. I’m excited to see where the author takes this story in the future.