I got this on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed the overall story and the illustrations of this one, but the pace and the way it was told made it feel rushed. It made me not care about or connect to any of the characters at all, and the peaks of the story fell flat to me for that reason.

Sucks because I thought this was gonna be an easy hit for me. Alas, they can’t all be winners!

Now this was a joy to read. I do love a story with pirates - make it a graphic novel and it becomes even better. The fact that the crew is representative of so many identities and it makes for such a good reading experience.

This was a fun read. I am a sucker for anything pirates, especially anything Anne Bonny or Mary Read related. I loved the diversity of the characters and the author's note at the end, illustrating how piracy was an alternative to stringent, white-male dominated society and is therefore the perfect setting for this particular cast. My biggest complaint is that the illustration seemed to be missing something. There were some very pretty scenes, particularly in Anne's dream sequences and when they were outside at night, but the remainder of the scenes fell a little bit flat for me. Not sure if it was just the style or maybe the color palette, but with something set out on the ocean and in tropical locations like Jamaica and the Bahamas, it just didn't grab my attention as much as I feel it could have. Also, the plot was fun, but almost a little too quick? The author was able to establish the found family vibe of the crew pretty quickly, but I felt like I didn't really get the opportunity to get connected to the characters. All in all a good read, and definitely a recommendation for anyone that enjoys pirate stories, just wish there was a little more.

I really enjoyed the artwork and the amount of fun resonating with this book. However, it could have taken its time and been longer to develop the story better.

Tell No Tales is not really aimed at me as an audience, but I'm audience-adjacent enough to have really enjoyed it. I liked the simple and easy-to-read comic style, and thought the idea of valorizing and giving unique perspectives to these female pirates was interesting and worthwhile. I also liked positing these particular pirates as Robin Hood-like, though I think Maggs glamorizes what was a pretty rotten profession at its core. I'd definitely hand this to a middle-grade reader interested in a different perspective on the Golden Age of Piracy. I hope they sell this at the bookshop at The Graveyard of the Atlantic museum in the Outer Banks!

Who doesn’t like a good story about the golden age of pirates? Tell No Tales blends history and fantasy to create a fun story about Anne Bonny and her found family, the crew of her ship. In an effort to thwart Woodes Rogers (another historical figure), she and her crew have to face their fears and their pasts. The story is a bit jumpy, rapidly dashing from scene to scene without much of a bridge. Strong and diverse LGBT representation among the cast of characters, and a great review of the historical elements at the end of the book. I’d recommend this for middle grade historical fiction fans, and for readers looking for middle grade books where LGBT identities are present but not the lynchpin on which the story turns.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was a very fun read that featured strong female characters. I enjoyed the friendship and bond between characters. There’s a strong emphasis on friendship, working together, and female power that shines through very well. Since this book is targeted to a younger audience, I feel the lens the author used to frame this story is a positive message for girls. Usually, pirates and swash buckling adventures are typically aimed at a boy audience, it’s refreshing to see an adventure that features girls, and is engaging enough to appeal to a wider audience.

This book, though historical, does feature more modern ways of storytelling. For example, the use of emojis to censor curse words. Though a more mature reader would find this slightly out of place for the time the book is set in, I think it only adds to the engagement for younger readers.

All in all a fun graphic novel that fills a gap in storytelling and adventure books for girls. I will definitely be adding this to our collection.

DNF, but only because it's just not my kind of thing. I love Kendra Wells's art, and her character designs are certainly engaging. I'm sure for those who love high seas adventure and pirate stories, this is a fun read.

I wanted to like this but it just didn't capture my attention. I think the illustrations are brilliant but the storyline seemed lacking. I particularly enjoyed the history section at the end. I wish there had been more in this graphic novel.

Another middle school-geared book, Tell No Tales is a fictionalized account of pirate Anne Bonny, pirate Mary Read, and their female and non-binary pirate crew. They have a growing reputation, but a privateer is on their heels: Woodes Rogers, a failed pirate turned pirate hunter for the Crown, has sworn to wipe the stain of piracy from the seas. There are strong positive female and non-binary characters, based on characters from history, but the overall story falters, leaving readers to look for the thread in between the individual stories of Bonny's crew, all of which are fascinating. The artwork is colorful, manga-inspired, and will grab viewers. Back matter includes a word on the real-life exploits of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, notes, and a bibliography.

I was looking forward to this one but it just didn't.... I don't know. For one thing, it would be better in color than black and white - but I don't know if the final version is in color and it was just the arc that was black and white? Mostly it was just confusing though. It wasn't always clear which of the crew was speaking. Each crew member got a side story of a few pages so at least they each were distinct personalities, but... The overarching story didn't make much sense. It was also very short, so that very little time is actually spent on the overarching story. I think if it were twice as long I would have liked it better and had a better grasp of what was going on. Also it was really annoying that when one of the characters cursed they replaced the word with the poop emoji. Like... why? It felt gimmicky and condescending or something. Mostly I was just reading to get it over with because I didn't care at all and I normally LOVE pirate stories.

Thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS kids for providing an e-arc for review.

I have just been given permission to read and review this book.. However, I cannot access the file, it is not downloading to my NetGalley shelf and the email address provided bounces back as incorrect.
Unsire how to progress from here.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this graphic novel.

Rating; 2.5 stars

“Tell No Tales” was by far one of my most anticipated graphic novels of 2021, unfortunately, I ended up not liking this as much as I thought I would. I think a lot of my frustration comes from the formatting of the arc. It had no colour and most of the time the text and images were pixelated, meaning it was very hard to get through.

But mostly, nothing made sense to me. The plot was oddly paced, the characters underdeveloped. I found myself frowning throughout the whole thing because it just made no sense.

While this ended up not being my cup of tea, I can definitely see why people would love this one! I may try and get my hands on a finished copy at some point once it releases.

Thank you for granting me a copy of this to read. I really enjoyed the story and the artwork although it was quite difficult to read on my kindle!

This was a quick, fun read! I had a bit of trouble following the story and keeping track of the characters at first, but once the plot got going, it all came together very nicely. The small sections focusing on each character really let the reader get to know the whole crew, and though Anne remains the star of the show throughout, each member of the crew is given their own time to shine. I really appreciated the epilogue about the real history behind the story - it was so interesting to see where the inspiration came from for different parts of the story!

This was a fun retelling of the story of female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. The art style was fun and I enjoyed the sarcastic narrative style.

When pirates start disappearing from the seas, Bonny and her crew take it upon themselves to put a stop to it. They all have to overcome their own personal demons to pull together a plan to face down the danger.

A fun exploration of the infamous female pirates of history. The art is expressive and engaging and the story was adventurous and so fun. Hope this is the start of a series.

A super imaginative graphic novel about queer pirates with characters based on real figures from history! Anne Bonny captains La Sirene with Mary Read at her side. Calico Jack makes an appearance as well in this wildly entertaining story. La Sirene is on the run from the mysterious Woodes Rogers and deciphering Anne's recurring dream might be the only way to stop him.

LGBT+ graphic novel about female pirates? Aw yes. However, while the premise was intriguing, the overall novel was a disappointment. The poop emoji? Come on, now.

Sailing across the southern seas with her fierce and quick-witted crew, captain Anne Bonny is living any pirate's dream. But her days of daring adventures and fighting for equality are jeopardized when a new enemy arises—and he’s bent on putting all piracy to an end. With danger on the horizon, Anne and her fearsome crew must band together to hopefully live to sail another day.

Inspired by real-life women pirates, Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas is a historical graphic novel set in the 1700s featuring a diverse cast of swashbuckling characters. At times, the story feels more like a high-fantasy adventure than historical fiction, as the plot includes clairvoyant dreams and magic alongside a commentary on gender, colonialism, and income inequality. I thoroughly enjoyed the queer romance between Anne and her quartermaster, Read, as well as the overall bond between the crew as a whole. Tell No Tales shone brightest for me in the fluffy, domestic moments, when this rag-tag group of pirates was just a quirky family trying to look out for one another. While I was given an uncorrected proof, so the illustrations were in black-and-white, each character is designed with a unique attention to detail, bestowing them with personality and charm from appearance alone.

In the end, I only wished for a slightly more cohesive and well-paced plot. Each member of Anne’s crew has a distinct and complex backstory which are individually explored in separate ‘side quests’ as the main narrative progresses. While each and every one of them deserves page-time, with only around 150 pages to flesh out characters and fight the bad guy, the story feels rushed at points and stagnant at others, resulting in an imbalance between exposition and forward-moving plot. Moreover, very little time is spent interacting with the main villain—Woodes Rogers— besides the crew’s first and last encounters with him. Despite learning about Rogers’ rise to villainy in flashback, he ends up feeling more like a one-dimensional, distant threat for much of the story.

Overall, Tell No Tales: Pirates of the Southern Seas is a spunky graphic novel showcasing the power of found family, the magnificence of female pirates, and the timeless allure of high-seas adventure.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing us with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)