Daughter of the Pirate King

Title: Daughter of the Pirate King
Author: Tricia Levenseller
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Source: Library Hardback
Rating2.5 out of 5 stars.

Alosa's father sent her out on a secret mission, to find and steal a piece to a treasure map, one that will lead the pirate to a secret treasure trove.  In order to do so, Alosa must allow herself to be kidnapped by the pirates who hold this piece.  But the only thing standing in her way of success is the first mate: Riden.  Not only is he her captor/guard, but also devilishly handsome.  She must somehow keep him occupied while she searches the ship for what her father desires.  She has many tricks up her sleeves to accomplish her goals, no one can stop the pirate princess.

 

I was intrigued with this novel, a little unsure of what to expect from it, but it wasn't as impressed as I had hoped I would be. I felt "meh" about this book and didn't fully care if I finished the book or not. I almost didn't, but kept with it because I had started it.  It wasn't overly entertaining or thrilling.  Just....meh.  There wasn't anything that really made me excited about this book.  Alosa spent most of her time trying to seduce one of the brothers so she can search their chambers, or trying to figure out her feelings for Riden, or talking about how great she is, but she kept getting caught hmm.  There didn't seem to be much action nor did it seem like there was any urgency for Alosa to find the treasure map.

I couldn't stand the characters I wanted to like them so much but there was so much wrong with them.  Such as Riden just standing by while Alosa is assaulted and virtually abused because in his mind she was able to handle herself and situation...say what?  But then gets upset and jealous when she mentions his brother's assault, not because of the brother harming her, but because he thought she had sex with him whether it was consensual or not..there's something wrong with that there. 

There was one element that could have been interesting if it wasn't thrown into the story almost out of nowhere, like the author liked the idea but didn't know how to incorporate it into the story properly and just boom magical elements.  The tale wasn't all that streamlined and bits were just thrown about haphazardly.

I don't think I would recommend this to too many people.  It had so much potential only to fall way way short of the mark.

The Night Alive by Heather Graham

Abigail has just finished her training at the FBI academy, and is awaiting her new assignment when she gets an odd message from her grandfather stating he needs her.  Upon her arrival she makes her way into the tunnels under her grandfather's tavern where she finds the body of her grandfather.  With a string of murders in the area, Abby believes someone killed him and asked for help from the FBI.  They sent her a consultant to help investigate the crimes, and then the Krewe Unit.  There is something that makes this unit special, they all have paranormal attributes, Abby herself can see the dead.  She believes it is just her ancestor the pirate Blue Anderson, but there are more.  The investigation begins to hit close to home when they discover all the victims have one thing in common....the tavern.  With tunnels traveling throughout Savannah the killer can slip in and out without being noticed.  Someone is pretending to be a pirate and murdering innocent women, but not any pirate, Blue.  Will the team be able to find the killer before it is too late?

To say I couldn't put this novel down would be an understatement, I honestly had it with me everywhere I went trying to read it any chance I got.  There is something for everyone, mystery, suspense, romance, humor, even a little history.  I think one of my favorite characters is the ghost pirate himself, Blue.  He doesn't say much and he doesn't even appear much in the story, but even as a reader you just know he is there watching.  He is a presence that lingers throughout the novel.  I love it!  Abby is a smart strong woman that learns to trust her instinct and fight for what she believes it.  I found it hard to believe that she didn't piece together one of the most telling clues to the killer (nope won't tell you).  It was almost obvious to me as the reader, it should have been so to her.

Even though there were elements of predictability, it was a great story.  Graham weaves her tale beautifully and paced perfectly.  She tells it in a way that lures readers into the story the way the killer lured his victims into dark places.  I loved the use of tunnels under the city and pirate lore.  There were things I didn't like, people they used as suspects but others they didn't and I had to wonder why.  There is one big telling clue to the killer and no one figures it out until it is too late, as stated I couldn't understand why they couldn't figure it out.

Night Alive is the first book by Heather Graham that I have read, and I must say she gained a fan in me.  Something I did not realize was that it is a part of a series, but you don't need to read the other books to understand what is happening.  The Krewe Hunters are explained in this book, and made me want to read the other books in the series as well as other books by Graham.  I may end up needing a shelf dedicated to her the way I do for Ted Dekker and Sherrilyn Kenyon.  I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 because there was too much predictability within the story.  I look forward to reading more of Graham's novels.