Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this young adult fantasy novella eARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, isle of blood and stone, and was very excited to get a copy of this companion novel.  And I loved it!  I read this in one sitting and was completely immersed in the story.  The highlights of this one included:  

The world-building - Seriously I loved getting more information about del Mar and the other surrounding countries.  I still absolutely love del Mar's culture of exploration and the sea.  I still love the function of maps in the society.

The main character - I loved that this was the story of Reyna who we met in book one when she was nine.  She has grown up and has spunk and tenacity.  Hooray for woman power and challenging the status quo.  Arrrr!

Visiting old friends - I loved getting insights into how character's lives from the first book unfolded.  They were certainly not the focus but I those tidbits I did get made me smile.

The tone - Like the first, this book is marketed as a young adult but can certainly be read by all ages.

The plot - this starts out with a lot of action and doesn't stop.  It was great that lots of women were the focus of the story.  I did like the romance in this one too and was glad that, like in the first book, the romance was not the focus.  Instead the focus was were it should have been - on saving their friends.  I also liked how the characters worked together and needed each other's talents to save the day.

The bad guys - The main bad guy in this book was a lot less cookie-cutter than in the previous book.  He at least had motivations.

The ending - Some unexpected things happened at the end of this book and it made me happy.  I loved it!

There were a few downsides to this book.  I could have used more insight into the secondary characters.  I especially wanted more about Blaise cause she was awesome.  I would have loved more answers about the fantasy creatures introduced in this book.  And I also would have liked more insight into the culture and politics of the countries outside of del Mar.  That said, I did love what I got.

This companion book is the last in the series according to the author's Goodreads page.  But I have to admit that I hope she writes another story set in this lovely world.  Besides the ending of the novel hints at another potential mystery.  Aye, more please!  If ye haven't read this series, then I highly recommend it. Arrrr!

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