Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

The Ship of Shadows is a fast paced middle grade where we follow a young girl called Aleja on a magical filled adventure through the high seas, with an all female pirate crew (how cool is that!!)

The story is very well written, and are drawn into the story from the very beginning. I had planned to take my sweet time reading this one but honestly I just couldn’t. I just found it too difficult not to pick it up whenever I got the opportunity. I just wanted to keep reading.

I really loved how the pirates were all women, and it shows women are just a capable of taking on roles that are usually given to male characters. I also absolutely loved discovering how diverse the pirates were. We get pirates from all different backgrounds as well some great representation of disabilities, as well as a f/f relationship. The best part was all the characters were accepted for who they were and were never discriminated.

Now even though I loved all the characters in their own individual ways, I did have my favourite. And yes, you’ve probably already guessed it was Aleja. She is so determined to make her dreams of becoming a famous explorer, travelling around the seas. On a couple of occasions, she was a little annoying, but overall she was a feisty, smart girl who loves to read.

All in all, a great middle grade that I will definitely be recommending to a few of my nieces and nephews who are the perfect age for this book. I also recommend it to anyone no matter how old you are!!

Aleja whiles away her days in her family's dusty tavern in Seville, dreaming of distant lands and believing in the kind of magic that she's only ever read about in books. After all, she's always being told that girls can't be explorers.

But her life is changed forever when adventure comes for her in the form of a fabled vessel called the Ship of Shadows. Crewed by a band of ruthless women, with cabin walls dripping with secrets, the ship has sailed right out of a legend. And it wants Aleja.

Once on board its shadowy deck, she begins to realize that the sea holds more secrets than she ever could have imagined. The crew are desperately seeking something, and their path will take them through treacherous waters and force them to confront nightmare creatures and pitch-dark magic. It will take all of Aleja's strength and courage to gain the trust of her fellow pirates - and discover what they are risking everything to find.- Goodreads

What a wildly creative book.  I love the fact that this book isn't about a girl wanting to leave her currently life or being forced to leave her current life due to trauma. She wants adventure and unexpectedly gets a ticket to be part of an adventure. 

The first half of the book not a whole lot happens. The author takes the time to build up the characters, the allure of the ship and legend that Aleja was reading right before she unknowingly embarked on the journey.  This slow build up is worth it because once things get going you sucked back into the world.

However, there were things that I was logging for within this novel. This is about a band of pirates. Although they considered themselves a bit of Robin Hood, there wasn't a lot of pirate stuff going on. They were a crew looking for something that was rightfully the Captains'. When I say that I wanted more pirate stuff, I don't mean a bunch of backstabbing. What I mean is more looting and fighting.

Also I would have loved more details on the the legend. The author does a good job adding information to fuel the legend but not enough about it. It was a little vague and brushed over. I would also like to point out there is a Mummy reference and at that point I knew what I would rate this book. 

Overall, I really liked this book and looking forward to the next one. 

4 Pickles

The synopsis of this book sounded good and it started off strong for me. I liked the idea of pirates and explorers and I was intrigued to see where this was going.

The characters in this felt a little flat for me, our main character Aleja, felt quite annoying in places. She seemed to drive forward in trying to get what she wanted but with also no real purpose around what she was trying to achieve. I liked the idea that she was going to join a Ship full of ruthless women, and it was all about showing the power of women. We didn't get to know many of the characters that well and they seemed a little two dimensional to me.

The idea of boarding the Ship of Shadows, a boat that no one seemed to know much about seemed pretty cool. I liked the parts where we were following the journey but this seemed to go on for the majority of the book and we only got to the action about 75% of the way in, and then the ended just felt very rushed to wrap it up. It was unclear from the ending if there is going to be another book.

I think this would suit the younger side of Middle Grade readers.

The Ship of Shadows was a very sweet middle-grade novel about pirates and friendship. I was really glad to get on board on this adventure, with all those amazing girls. I'd really recommend it to anyone!

"But here... here there were girls just like her. Girls who fought with one hand, girls who climbed and invented things and sailed across oceans to get what they wanted."

Thank you for NetGalley for an early copy of this book for review.

The Ship of Shadows is a magical tale of swashbuckling pirates, fierce friendships and a kind of magic that infuses itself into everything around you. It's the kind of book I would have loved as a child, so I'm so glad that these stories are being told now.
This book was a quick read, with something happening on every page. If the crew weren't fighting mythical creatures or looking for treasures, Aleja, the girl who has finally had her wish of adventure sated, was making friends with the crew or learning the secrets of the ship. Whisked away from her family, Aleja learnt that family aren't only the people you're born to, but can also be the people you meet along the way - and she finds a wonderful family on this ship.
Speaking of the ship, what an incredible crew they were. Every person on that ship was female, and each crewmember had their own speciality. They were fierce for the legends that surrounded the ship, not mocked for not being men. The ship itself was incredible too, the magic literally seeping into every corner and making itself something new.
I can't wait to learn more about the magic in the sequel. And Aleja. And the crew. And the secretive mission they're going on. I just really want to read the sequel.

I loved this book. It kept me turning the pages not once getting bored. Loved the cover also so a 5-star rating for me. Thank you, Maria Kuzniar, for a really good book and thank you Net Galley for letting me review it.

The Ship of Shadows, beautifully crafted by Maria Kuzniar, is a book to be read slowly. Savour the intricate descriptions that cause the Spanish and Moroccan settings to leap of the page and into your imagination.

Aleja is a girl hungry for adventure. Inspired by stories of explorers and pirates, she longs for a life beyond her simple world in Old Sevilla. She dreams of being a famous explorer and travelling through the largest ports in the world. Books take her to exciting new places and teach her the languages that become her ticket to a journey she never expected. These books are her escape and feed her dreams. Aleja is different from other children – from other girls – but in books she finds there are more like her – women who grab hold of life with both hands and create their own destinies.

One day, a strange ship arrives in the harbour. The smell of gunpowder, mysterious whispers and an unusual book lead Aleja into a new life crafted with the fabric of legends. She is forced to use her courage, intelligence and strength to meet challenges she never knew existed and push herself beyond what she thought possible. Will she be able to solve the mystery of the book and complete the mission set before her? Will she ever see her family again or has her life changed forever? Aleja’s life is full of questions. Does she dare ask them? What will the answers mean for her future?

The Ship of Shadows is a fantastic new middle grade novel for 8 to 12 year-olds. Full of female pirates, exploration, magic and friendship, it is the perfect book for anyone who wants to be whisked away on an adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for this beautiful book which is due to be published in July 2020!

What a tale - what a bunch of characters! A female crew of pirates is a great idea, and this is a great book - I loved the adventures that Aleja is taken on by the ship and its crew, and the relationsips and development of her character through them.
Sits right alongside Polar Bear's Explorers Club, The Explorer, and Girl of Inkand Stars as one of my favourite reads recently.

The World:

The world of this book can only be described in one way... magically fantastical!

The story starts in Spain (a palace that I have visited a few times and absolutely love). But we're only in Spain for a few chapters. Once we leave Spain the story moves onto the Ship of Shadows and then to more countries across the world.

I love how Maria has mixed together the real details of the countries that the book is set in, as well as the magic of the Ship of Shadows. It is such an interesting and masterful mix that it wouldn't be hard to believe the ship could exist in real life!

The Characters:

I loved the cast of characters in this book! I fell in love with the protagonist, Aleja, from the first page. She's a bookish girl longing for adventure somewhere in the wider world. She talks about it and dreams about it and finally it lands on her doorstep (or at least in the docks just a few streets down from her doorstep). What I liked most about Aleja was her inquisitive and curious nature. Almost everything we learn as readers about this world is because Aleja can't help sticking her nose where she's told not to look.

Other than Aleja there is a whole cast (or crew) of characters in this book. I'm not going to give away any spoilers, but just saying that the crew are all women doesn't do the crew of the Ship of Shadows justice. They are all individual, each one fleshed out with their own backgrounds and stories and quirks that really make them come alive. When I was reading it wasn't hard to see them in my head as they went on their adventures aboard their shadowy ship.

The Plot:

The plot of this book is quite a whirlwind. The story begins with Aleja just longing for adventure before she finds the mysterious book of Thomas James (of which the pages are blank). At first it seems like the story is going to be that, trying to find out what the Thomas James book contains.

But (without spoilers) it ends up being more than that. The story twists and turns adding details that enrich the plot rather than confuse it and create a storyline that once you get to the last page you can't help but think: 'I didn't see that coming but I couldn't imagine it happening any other way'.

Why Was It A 4-Star Read For Me?

This book was such an amazing adventure, across so many places with a great cast of characters. I really enjoyed it overall. The only thing I would say is that, due to the world building of the ship, the story can be a little slow to start with, but once it gets going it's a really hard book to put down. I would definitely recommend it, and I can't wait for the next one!

Aleja doesn't let being a girl stop her from having adventures - whether that is through the escapism offered by her love of books or by clambering up the walls and over the rooftops of Seville. She wants to experience the world and see all of its sights. One day her adventurous and inquisitive nature leads her to discover something sinister happening in her home town. When investigating the mysterious ship that arrives under shadow of night, she finds out more than she bargained for which leaves Aleja running got her life. The mysterious Ship of Shadows gives her refuge (albeit against her will!). Although she desperately misses her home, Aleja embarks on a magical pirate adventure which is bound to delight readers.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Ship of Shadows is instantly engaging. Aleja is an incredible main character. Too modern for her time, readers will instantly fall in love with her adventurous spirit. The book is pacey and exciting. The Ship of Shadows itself is a brilliant creation. I loved all of the characters. Aleja and Frances' friendship is brilliant. The writing is fantastic. I will be sharing this book with Year 7 students as part of our 'Treasure Island' topic.

I can't put into words how much I adored adventuring with Aleja. This was everything I want in a middle-grade fantasy--imaginative, full of rich world-building, interesting characters and non-stop adventure. Fast-paced and never predictable, THE SHIP OF SHADOWS is one of my favourite reads of 2020 so far. Utterly, utterly brilliant, and I can't wait to read more of Aleja's story (fingers crossed for a second book ASAP!!)

This book was so great! Such a breath of fresh air!

A pirate filled adventure story that spreads across Spain, the ocean, and Morocco. I was invested straight away and loved Aleja as a character. She was so amazing! The ship of shadows was so fascinating and full of magic and wonders. Also, a pirate ship with a library - what could be better?

This was full of great female characters who were so strong and I loved the bonds of friendship between them! So much happened and I really hope there is a sequel on the way sometime soon as I need more of this world.

I really liked this book for what it was: a decent middle years YA book.

Aleja was an engaging enough character who is perhaps a little bit trapped in her life in Sevilla, limited by her being a girl, until the shadowy stories she heard of a magical pirate ship turned out to be true and she was offered a place on that ship, crewed by a wholly female pirate crew - albeit pirates with a keen moral compass.

The book lacked some development for me and I know it is a YA book, but I teach so am comparing it to other YA books and I stand by that statement:

- the idea of a ship whose magic is wild and chaotic, culminating in shadows and new rooms (cabins? spaces?) materialising on the ship and fueled by story is really lovely but... more would be great. The magic was there, but it didn't seem to add much beyond atmosphere...

- the patriarchy of Sevilla is hinted at, but not enough to make the escape to the eponymous (and feminist as well as female-crewed?) Ship of Shadows feel powerful enough

- the antagonist needed a little more fleshing out, too.

The novel ends in a way which is very much open to sequels and a series

The Ship of Shadows tells the story of a girl called Aleja who finds herself inadvertently joining the crew of a notorious pirate ship. Despite always wanting to go on an adventure, Aleja feels guilty for leaving her family behind, but she has no choice but to help the gang on their mission to Morocco if she wants to get back home. Searching for fragments of a legendary map, Aleja and the crew must use all of their wits and wiles to figure out the clues left behind by the previous captain of the ship while escaping the clutches of a band of pirate hunters.

Aleja is constantly told that girls can’t go on adventures, so I loved the fact that she showed everyone by joining one of the most infamous pirate crews on the seven seas (even if it does happen accidentally!). This is the kind of book I would have absolutely loved reading when I was younger, and when my daughter is a bit older I’m definitely going to be recommending it to her. The lore behind the ship itself is very intriguing – people believe that the shadows are ghosts, but they’re actually the imprints of past members of the crew which are sticking around to help out – while the riddles and mysteries were very intelligently crafted.

I’m seriously hoping that this is going to be the first book in a series (the map is split into a few pieces, after all!) because I adored every member of this crew and would happily go on a few more adventures with them. My favourite member of the gang has to be Frances, who is totally cake-obsessed (I can relate). However, I think the best thing about The Ship of Shadows is that there’s really good representation throughout: multiple members of the crew have lost limbs, there’s a f/f relationship, and there are people from all different backgrounds, which is totally authentic considering a pirate ship would pick up crew members from all around the globe!

Female pirates on a magical ship. That is all you need to know.

In this awesome adventure story we follow the Spanish Aleja, who hungers for adventure and wants to see explore the rest of the world. But what are the chances of that when women aren't allowed on a ship. However, her great talent with languages brings her an offer for a place on the fabled Ship of Shadows, run by female pirates. What ensues is a great adventure, and a story about friendship and family.

Aleja is wonderful main character. She loves books, is very smart and has a knack for languages, as well as an eye for puzzles, but she is also definitely brave and not afraid to fight for what she wants. She is a great addition to this already wonderful crew. The ladies on the Ship of Shadows are so diverse. They come from all over Europe and Northern Africa (yes, I have a massive weak for the Dutch cook and of course Griete), and all have some kind of talent... may it be thieving, fighting, or being a great inventor or mechanic, all have found a place on board of this ship. There are different races, cultures and religions, and still everyone can work together ever so well. There is even queer representation (which I haven't seen all that often in middle grade). And none of it is a big of a deal. 

This is a pirate adventure filled  with cutlasses, deck scrubbing, thievery, Krakens, cannon fights and treasure. But it is also the story of Aleja, who has to choose between her dream of seeing the world, and her family. Everytime she sees some new wonders of the world, she immediately wants to share that experience with her brothers. Her choice is made even harder when she makes a new family on the ship, centered around her great friendship with Frances (who always has some cake on her... the best kind of friend). It is a perfect mix between epic scenes and very human moments, and I loved it.

The settings in this book are great. We get to explore Seville and Marrakesh, sail the ocean on a magical ship and cross the desert by camel. All of it was portrayed very vividly and you could just taste the food and feel the sweat. There is also a good dose of mystery and puzzles to keep you intrigued to the end. 

My only issue with this is that it could be a bit 'tidier'. Some scenes felt a bit disconnected, and we wandered a bit too much around at times. I feel if it could all be pulled together a bit more, this book would have been absolutely perfect. I very much hope this will become a series, and will definitely pick up whatever Maria Kuzniar brings out next.

The Ship of Shadows is the kind of book you would want to place in any child's hands. It's full of adventure and magic, but it's also filled with strong female characters and a reminder that women can fill roles that are traditionally depicted as always male (e.g pirates). Personally I was never interested in the roles signed to women. I didn't want to be a princess or a damsel in distress, I wanted to be a pirate or an astronaut or a knight in shining armour. Books like this are so important to break down those barriers that still exist from a young age.

I loved the idea of the magic ship, and all the wondrous things that occurred because of its magic. It was such a fun idea, coupled with a lot of traditional pirate ideas (rum, missing limbs, lots of cutlasses etc). There were also plenty of monsters along the way.

I found the book a little slow at times, and perhaps a little too wordy, which is why I've gone with a 3 star rating. But I know this is one that others will love, and it'll capture the imagination of the audience that it's written for.

I loved this fantasy (and fantastic!) novel. The main character, a multilingual, book loving girl with a thirst for adventure, ends up leaving her family after accusations of thieving, and is rescued by a mysterious ship of female pirates. The characters were brilliant and the ship of Shadows, where rooms appear and reappear, powered by the spirits of all the pirates who have ever been members of the crew, is an amazing setting. It is about friendship and adventure, with excitement and thrills. I will be recommending this to confident readers aged eight to twelve.

Aleja is growing up in Sevilla and loves to read. She loves nothing more than to read adventure stories and imagine she is an explorer out at sea. In her society girls never go to sea, so when she comes across a female pirate then her life takes a turn for the better and her dreams might be realised.
This is a very well written adventure story, which will appeal to both boys and girls. Not quite your traditional pirate story as it steps outside traditional gender roles, but Kuzniar makes this seem less important as the Captain of the ship chooses her crew for their talents and potential. Hopefully this book will help many a reader discover their own potential and seek their own future (though not pillaging the seas).
This is ultimately a story about friendship, magic and wonder.
Many thanks to Penguin Random House Children's UK and Netgalley for letting me read and review this book.

After recently reading Demons of the Ocean (Vampirates 1), I was very much looking forward to this story expecting a rollicking good tale of swash-buckling pirates. A couple of the books I’ve read recently have left me a little disappointed and I so wanted to love this one after being tempted by its glorious cover and hearing good things about it on Twitter.

Having now read it, I can confirm that this has met all of my expectations and then some, being a fabulous story of magic, secret maps, sea monsters, sword-fighting and pretty much everything that a pirate story should be in my opinion.

Aleja, who lives at home with two older brothers, her father and grandmother, dreams of adventure – adventure which is denied her in the main because she is a girl. However, she is determined not to meekly stay at home but in our opening has sneaked out after bedtime to travel across the rooftops of her native Seville to gaze out at the ships visiting the port, inspired by the travel writings of British explorer, Thomas James. Not only do these writings fuel her thirst for adventure but she has also used them to teach herself English – a skill which comes into good use very quickly.

After ducking out of boring chores around the house, Aleja firstly overhears two men sneering at the thought of an all-female ship and then encounters two giggling girls before bumping into twin friends of one of her brothers who cruelly tease her over her precious books and yearning to be an explorer. Returning home upset, her grandmother suggests that she needs to abandon her dreams and be more like other girls in order to win friends – a compromise Aleja is not prepared to make.

Shortly after this, Aleja’s attention is grabbed by the arrival of a damaged ship, initially by its owl decoration and then by two women disembarking from it who speak in English. Piecing together the evidence with which she is presented, she concludes that the ship previously belonged to Thomas James and after discovering a hidden book of his, meets a woman from the ship. This woman takes a keen interest in the book and after Aleja accidentally becomes involved with some shady individuals counterfeiting coins, hides her on board the ship.

What Aleja believes will be a temporary arrangement starts to look like a more permanent one when on waking having fallen asleep, she finds herself at sea and unable to return home. This is just the start of a wonderful adventure on board a ship soaked in magic and filled with an all-female crew with whom Aleja feels an increasing affinity. Thomas James’s book points the captain of the ship towards something she is seeking and together with Aleja and the other pirates she pursues it across the sea and later the Sahara Desert leading them all into great peril and leaving the reader with many unanswered questions and the way open for several more adventures to come.

I loved Aleja – the way she was not prepared to compromise to fit in at home and her sense of curiosity that led her initially on board and then through further challenges as the story progressed. The supporting characters complement her well – I particularly loved Frances with her love of cake and petty larceny, and Malika who, like Aleja, is not prepared to settle for a life of stereotypical domestic bliss.

Piratical life, the locations in which this story is set and details such as descriptions of the pirates’ clothing are so skilfully written that I could very easily picture the action as I continued through the book, almost to the point of being able to feel the rocking of the ship. Together, these elements create a read which I found almost impossible to put down, staying in bed much later than I usually would in order to finish it before I got up, which is very unusual for me.

As I write this, I have been unable to find any details about a sequel or indeed this being the first in a series, which I suspect (and very much hope) it is. There are too many questions left unanswered, including a fairly large plot twist very close to the end for this to be a stand-alone read. Although the vast majority of the characters throughout are female, I would not class this as a ‘girly’ book – I am sure that it will be equally as popular with all readers and will be recommending it to anyone from my year 5 class upwards who loves adventure stories with a touch of magic.

This is a gorgeous, lyrical, fantastical story. It is exciting and enthralling, a real swashbuckling joy of a read. Exactly the kind of book I would have loved as a kid.