Pirates of Darksea by Catherine Doyle

Deep in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, where the full moon rests on the horizon, lies a secret kingdom called Darksea. Ruled by the Pirate King, Captain O'Malley, Darksea's tranquil waters have, of late, been haunted by an invisible and deadly monster – a monster that is eating the once-beautiful islands in gigantic bites.

On the other side of the horizon, at his home in Galway, Max Reid and his family are battling a different monster. His big brother Christopher is in hospital and getting sicker – and his parents have begun to talk of miracles.

Then one night a loud, bright red parrot taps on Max's bedroom window, carrying an invitation from the pirate king. Captain O'Malley needs a new crew member for a dangerous quest; and the reward is everything Max has been hoping for.

But in Darksea, not everyone is as they seem. When Captain O'Malley's secret threatens to upend their mission and destroy Max's chance to help his family, Max realises he's going to have to navigate much more than he bargained for…

---

Ok, I admit it. The first time I saw this book, I thought of this...

(It's very Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors but that's a totally different conversation.)

Catherine Doyle excels at creating worlds just under the skin of our own, worlds hidden by the thickness of a tree branch or the turn of a wave. These worlds are populated by people who feel real, creatures and magic that's just a click of the fingers away. This book may be her best yet.

There's real emotion in the story, ebbing and flowing like the tides Max follows on his quest. Sometimes a quest story can feel like it's just following a formula - Plot Coupon A leads to Plot Coupon B leads to Plot Coupon C and so on - but the story here unfolds naturally, normally, with call backs and little references, and also Squawk, who is clearly the best character in the whole thing (I doubt I'm the only person with that opinion!) 

I very much hope there's be more adventures aboard the Stolen Sunrise with her amazing crew, because there's plenty more of Darksea to explore and I'm sure there's lots more hidden secrets to be found!

Pirates of Darksea publishes on the 14th of March, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.