Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A topical book, not fabulously well-written and there are some formatting problems in the book, which I assume will be fixed prior to publishing.

This book will appeal to researchers or people with an interest and knowledge of the history of slavery or England's naval history, An insightful read.

I read this over several days. It is intriguing and interesting and I was fascinated by this part of history. It is however heavy going in places and not a book that could be read in one sitting.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This isn't the most accessible title to just jump into, but for researchers or people with an interest and knowledge of the history of slavery or England's naval history, it should be an insightful read. Reading the ARC on my phone, I found some formatting to be awkward, such as the list of terminology prefacing the book being spread across pages and out of order. Viewing it on the computer and not on mobile fixes this issue, I'm not sure if the final copy will have this issue.
The information included in this book is interesting, but I feel my lack of familiarity with naval terms and traditions held me back from fully enjoying it. I found it hard to keep track of ships and their crew, or who was fighting who. I appreciated the talk of parliaments, monarchs and US policies, as I have some background with how slavery fit into those realms. I'm not sure how to make it more approachable for the common reader, maybe a dedicated section to each ship at the end, or focusing a bit more on the prose than the onslaught of dates, numbers of crew and ship names. For someone researching the topic, the data will be extremely helpful, for someone seeking a casual read about an interesting subject, this may not be your cup of tea.