"But as with all things that promise the moon and the stars and offer hope when hope has gone, the tale comes with a warning. Every wish demands a price."

Such a fun, original YA standalone! Perfect for anyone that's looking for a well-developed, but low-commitment story.

I was hesitant going into this because I have a bad track-record with seafaring fantasy novels. Anything ship/boat/pirate adjacent usually doesn't work for me (odd, with how much I love mermaids) but that concern turned out to be unfounded. This was a delightful story, with fantastic world-building and characters that were well fleshed out.

This does read on the younger side of YA, which I didn't mind at all, but might put off some readers. As it was, though, I loved how much this felt like a young adult book - rather than an adult book trying to reshape itself to fit the confines of a young adult audience. It was both magical and transportive, the way adventure movies can feel when you're younger.

Overall, I really enjoyed this! It also has sea-dragons so... I mean, it's worth the read for that aspect alone.