An unpredictable woman is a fearsome prospect for many a man.

I had never heard of Anne Bonny before I watched Black Sails for the first time a couple of years ago, and in this novella Kate Castle has finally given Anne her own voice and story! It’s hard to believe that the real-life tale of Anne Bonny, Mary Read and Jack Rackham gets so little attention in the endless pirate stories that are created, so when I saw there was a novella about them I had to get it!

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Born of the Sea is about the romantic relationship between Anne Bonny and Mary Read. We learn about how both of them ended up sailing under the Jolly Roger, and the evolution of their relationship was very organic and tender. I just wanted it to be longer! It definitely felt like there was a novel’s worth of material in their relationship and as much as I appreciated the quick read I really wanted more.

I thought it was great how Castle built on a lot of the real-life relationship dynamics that existed among pirates. Anne’s presence on the ship, living openly as a woman, left her in a complex position that the author did a really good job of portraying that, as well as the homosexual relationships common between male pirates. It was an unsanitised portrayal of the period, without centring the violence and danger.

I’m really glad I picked this up; it was just what I needed, and I look forward to seeing what Kate Castle writes in the future!