(Aisling Sea #1)
by Vanessa Rasanen
August 10, 2021
Goodreads Summary:
An awkward stowaway. A troubled pirate captain.
Is she the key to his quest or will she be his ruin?
Aoife wants nothing more than to fulfill her duty and serve on the Council. But a spilled secret reveals a deadly truth she never suspected. Plagued by guilt and wanting no part in the Council’s methods, she panics and runs, stowing away on a pirate ship.
Declan doesn’t have time to deal with an irritating stowaway, and this job is already dangerous enough without having her underfoot. With less than a month to bring the enchanted dagger to the rebels, he needs to find a way past the bloodthirsty creatures guarding it.
In a world of secrets and legends, a lost dagger may be the key to saving a nation. But it will take far more than wit and a cutlass to retrieve it. Can an heir and a pirate work together--or will their secrets drown all hope?
Review
Pirate stories are my absolute favourites so I knew I couldn't miss out on On These Black Sands. And what an adventure it turned out to be! On These Black Sands is a self-discovery journey with flawed but easy-to-root-for characters.
What I Liked:
- really smooth writing that kept me reading
- the world was easy to take in
- seeing through multiple POVs
- a variety of complex characters
- loyalty was an important theme
- Aoife's naivety in the beginning helped highlight her growth by the end of the book
- the dashing Declan fighting his inner demons
- great bromance between the crew of the Siren's Song
- many intriguing side characters (eg. the fae sisters) that I hope we get to know better
- a slow burn romance with the only one bed trope
- the villains were unexpectedly cruel and cutthroat
The Not So Much:
- a lot of travelling but not a lot of "big things" happened
- I predicated the main plot twist very early on
"Is success worth losing sight of everything worth living for?" (p. 295)
Jessica @ a GREAT read here! Was reading this on my phone since I’ve no internet until Tuesday—ugh. For whatever reason on my cell I can’t comment with my Google account so anonymous it is! Lol.
ReplyDeleteI bought this one whimsical like and still need to read it! I was intrigued with the pirate theme as well and can’t wait to read it! Glad it was a winner!!
**really hope this comment posts after I did the one finger type on it all! Lol.