This is not an easy read, it's uncomfortable in places, it's horrific but it's full of heart. Kemosha is a slave she moves from plantation to a ship dreaming of freedom and being reunited with her family. She's such a brave character, ready to learn and to save everyone.

I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator is brilliant, she did all the voices in different accents. Fantastic.

Escaping from slavery in Jamaica in the 1660s, a young girl heads off to try and earn her fortune and pay her way to free her family. She falls in with a mysterious stranger who teaches her to fight, falls in love with beautiful Isabella and finds herself working as a cook on a pirate ship headed up by the notorious Captain Morgan.

The writing style is somehow both accessible & challenging using colloquial, Patois language. Not sure how much licence is taken here with accuracy but the narrative doesn’t shy away from an unrelentingly grim portrayal of this very dark era of history. Our resourceful and plucky heroine is utterly compelling and remains resolute, charming and I compromised in her pursuit of any better life than the desperate and desolate one she has been inflicted with so far,

Despite Kemosha of the Caribbean by Alex Wheatle being a work of fiction, aspects of Jamaican history felt well researched which lead to this book being brought to life. I particularly liked the references to Akan spirituality, which sits well with what we know about the Maroons and the Koromanti who survived the Middle Passage.

It was also really nice to see that Pirates of the Caribbean did not always look like Captain Jack Sparrow or Long John Silver, The book will give the younger generation a role model to look to.

***Thank you Netgalley and Andersen Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

Kemosha of the Caribbean follows the titular character as she is bought by a new master and thrust into the lively town of Port Royal. Purchased as a tavern girl , men are able to bid for her body until an act of pure spirit upturns Kemosha's story. As a fugitive, a swordsman, a cook and a member of a 'pirate' ship, Kemosha's journey is anything but expected.
Wheatle has created a world rich with historical flavour, vibrant characters and plenty of adventure. An enjoyable read.

This is a quick read and I liked the concept and some of the characters, however, there were parts that I didn't enjoy. One of my least favourite tropes/ plot devices is the 'montage'- ie when a character becomes an expert at something with no apparent time passing. (I have the Montage song from Team America in my head now..."Even Rocky has a montage")
Anyway, this happened a couple times in this book. Fairly sure that Kemosha became an expert swordswoman in 4 days... I just can't suspend my disbelief that far. I also found Kemosha a very stubborn character who made many questionable decisions. Some of the decisions I can see were as plot devices, but this could have been done better with someone else relaying the story rather than Kemosha having to witness everything first hand.

CAWPILE: 5.28 3*
Characters-5: Some I liked, some I disliked
Atmosphere- 6: The setting, the struggles etc were great, but there were some parts that just weren't for me
Writing Style- 5: It felt quite basic, and I feel that some more inventive writing would have made this a lot better
Plot-6: I liked the story, the plot was interesting and I think it is a story that needed to be told
Intrigue-6: I wanted to know what would happen next
Logic-4: As I said above, I can suspend my disbelief for some things, but some are just not reasonable
Enjoyment- 5: I liked it, it was decent.

Loved this. A female slave wins her freedom and sets out on a pirate ship to earn enough money to free her brother and friends from their owner. It doesn’t shy from the reality of a slaves life, their owners expectations and treatment. The characters are believable and you root for Kenosha to achieve the safety she seeks for her and those she cares about.

This is such a powerful story that tells about such a hard time in history. It was well written and had great character development with charcaters that were so vivid that they jumped off of the page. A good read.