Pirates of Darksea
By Catherine Doyle
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Catherine Doyle brings us yet another fantastic magical adventure full of strong characters, difficult decisions and unexpected quests.
This fast moving adventure tells of pirate kings, sea monsters and a family crisis, as Max receives an unexpected invitation to join a very unusual crew.

From the award-winning author of The Storm Keeper's Island, Catherine Doyle's latest perilous adventure to the magical islands of Darksea is not to be missed. Doyle and her immersive writing takes you into the realms of underwater magical myths and legends.

Deep in the heart of the Atlantic Ocean, lies a secret kingdom called Darksea.
Recently ruled by the Pirate King, Captain O’Malley, Darksea’s tranquil waters are not what they were. Now haunted by an invisible and deadly monster – a monster that is eating the once-beautiful islands in gigantic bites, Max has a mission to complete.

But in Darksea, not everyone or everything is as it seem. When Captain O’Malley’s secret threatens to upend their mission and destroy Max’s chance to help his brother, Max realises he's going to have to be bolder, braver and navigate much more than he bargained for…

I adore ALL Doyle’s children’s literature and this has NOT disappointed.
A must for any class read to take children into the world of adventure and mayhem, whilst proving that determination and resilience is a necessity quality.

Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.
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Max's brother, Christopher, has always longed to join the fabled pirate king, Thorne O'Malley, on the Stolen Sunrise to explore Darksea, but the night he escapes to the beach (with Max in tow), nothing appears. So Christopher resorts to plan B and writes a letter to Captain O'Malley, puts it in a bottle & throws it into the sea.
Two years later, and life has changed as Christopher is in hospital, and is getting sicker. Max is desperate to do anything he can to help, so when a parrot arrives at Max's window one night brandishing Christopher's letter, Max follows it. It turns out that Captain O'Malley needs a new crew member and Max is going to fill the position in the hope that he can acquire some magic to help cure Christopher in return. However, when Max arrives on the Stolen Sunrise, everything is not as he expected, and the once abundant magic of Darksea is disappearing fast due to the monster that lurks under the sea. But instead of coming to the rescue, Captain O'Malley is on a very different mission and Max realises that if he is going to stand any chance of helping his brother, he is going to have to be braver than he ever has been before.

Pirates of Darksea is the perfect sort of book for me: full of adventure and bravery; peril and a sprinkling of magic; a host of wonderful characters (some you'll love and some you'll need time to make decisions on) and a rather brilliantly arrogant talking parrot who often steals the show!

The world-building is wonderful as Max heads from UK shores into the world of Darksea and you'll find yourself immersed in the book in more ways than one. The other thing I loved about the book was the relationship between Max and his brother Christopher; from the very beginning it's clear that they are close and this becomes even more apparent when Christopher is in hospital: everything Max does is motivated by his desire to help his brother get better, and this is heart-warming to read.

Pirates of Darksea is an unputdownable, swashbuckling adventure full of magic, twists, hope and love. Publishing, 14th March, this is a book that will sweep you away.

Catherine Doyle is superb at world building and I was delighted to find that the Pirates of Darksea is no exception. It’s a swashbuckling adventure set in a magical world, but it’s also full of heart and hope. The characters are likeable and relatable, there is plenty of action and the story moves along nicely. It’s a great addition to any bookshelf, from Year 4 and above.

Tricky. I fell head over heels for Catherine Doyle’s Storm Keeper’s Island trilogy and had massively high hopes for Darksea but somehow felt it didn’t quite hit my expectations but I don’t quite know why.
I feel the story wasn’t quite as fast paced and gripping and lacked the ingenuity of her previous books.
Despite this I believe it will be popular and make a good solid read for older primary.

A truly magical adventure from Catherine Doyle. From the first sentence I was swept up in the beautiful description and knew already I was going to love this book.
Just over the horizon lies the magical kingdom of darksea. Pirate captain O'Malley is in trouble as a dark, mysterious creature is terrorising the kingdom.
Max, on behalf of his brother Christopher, joins the pirates as they fight to save the kingdom.
A great adventure.

A rip roaring, magical adventure that had me gripped from the first page.

Pirate King, Captain O Malley, needs help. His secret kingdom of Darksea is being terrorised by a fearsome monster intent on destroying his secret world.

On the opposite side of the horizon, Max is fighting monsters too. His big brother Christopher is seriously ill and needs a miracle to save him.

Enter Squawk, an outrageously funny parrot with attitude, who recruits Max to save Darksea in return for the promise of the miracle that Max needs for Christoper.

One again, Catherine Doyle more than delivers with this fast paced, swash buckling adventure filled with loveable characters, a twisty plot stuffed full of heart and the scariest of monsters. I loved it.

What an incredible adventure!

Christopher writes a letter to a legendary pirate ship begging for an adventure but hears nothing for two years. When the invitation to join the Stolen Sunset arrives, it is Max who goes on the adventure. He does this because Christopher is in hospital fighting for his life.
Max knows that the magic of Darksea is the miracle that Christopher needs to be healed. What follows is a surprise as the captain has changed and the magic has dwindled to nothing.

A mutiny, fleeing mermaids and a shark man will be the very least of Max’s worries if he can’t find enough magic to bring home to Christopher. With an amazing cast of characters and some intense moments of adventure, this is one story that will be cherished and loved!

Ruby is a brilliant friend and Max is brave! I love his determination to have this adventure for the sole purpose of saving his brother!

A truly rollicking adventure that wonderfully mixes magic and pirates - think Peter Pan meets Pirates of the Caribbean! You cant go wrong really, the story holds attention throughout and the main characters really engage. The parrot is epic! Great stuff, has great shelf appeal, bound to be popular

Sensationally swashbuckling indeed! This book had me GRIPPED and sweeps you along for an adventure bursting with pirates, monsters and quests for magic.

I rapidly fell in love with Christopher and Max: two brothers with a head for adventure. We meet them at the very beginning of their journeys, with the whispers of a mythical ship and a courageous and awe inspiring captain. And they believe! So one day, Christopher decides to try his luck and gain permission to board and set sail for adventures unknown.

But life as ever, sometimes finds a way of getting in the way..! Max takes up the mantle and he has a lot at stake.

Getting to know the characters was great, from talking parrots, to the crew and friends. It’s impossible not to be hooked, moved and truly invested in the story! It’s fast paced and a quick mover so you blink, and it’s over before you know it! A true epic from start to finish.

A few years ago, I read the author’s debut title, The Storm Keeper’s Island, a book full of magic that was beautifully written and one I really loved and yet – somehow – although I have meant to catch up with the rest of the trilogy and, indeed, her other titles, there have always been too many books and too little time in which to read them. Seeing this new title on Net Galley, I immediately requested it, determined not to miss out, and was delighted when I was approved a few days later, bumping it straight to the top of the pile.

Having been brought up in the 1970s when the only literary pirates with which I was familiar were Captain Pugwash and Hook’s crew in Peter Pan, how I yearned for books like this – exciting, full of adventure and with a generous amount of gentle humour – and how envious I am of today’s children who will find here a read to captivate them as they journey to the magical world of Darksea with hero Max as he searches for a miracle to save the life of his sick brother.

Like many children, Max has a piggy bank in which to stash his savings but unlike many others, he is counting its contents in the hopes that he has enough money to buy a new game for his older brother Christopher, who is in hospital. Reflecting on how lonely his sibling must be, and the poor results from his latest medical tests, Max’s attention is caught by a parrot that arrives on the window ledge outside his room and which taps on the window. Noticing a scroll attached to the bird’s leg, Max detaches it and opens it to discover a note from a Captain O’Malley, to whom Christopher had previously written, inviting his brother to join his ship as a cabin boy.

When the parrot, Squawk, snatches his savings, Max is forced to chase after him and follows him down to the sea where a pirate ship is waiting. Invited to board, Max asks Squawk if there will be a reward for joining the ship and on being told there is only one way to find out, climbs into the rowing boat provided and rows to the ship, the Stolen Sunrise.

Meeting the crew and their captain, Max tells them that he is hoping for magic as a reward for his time – magic that might provide a cure for Christopher – but as he travels with the pirates to Darksea he soon learns that the magic that was once abundant has been rapidly disappearing due to the actions of a beast that lives within the depths of Darksea’s waters. As Max joins the crew on their voyage, he discovers that the captain is not the brave hero he was expecting. Can he help the crew to find and defeat the monster to restore Darksea’s magic and if he can, will he be given the magical reward he hopes will save the brother he loves?

In common with Charlie in Sophie Kirtley’s Wild Way Home, Max is – understandably – not handling his brother’s illness well. While Charlie is suddenly plunged into turmoil with the arrival of a seriously unwell younger brother, Max has been aware of the brother to whom he looks up’s declining health for some time. Deeply conflicted by wanting do all that he can for him, Max is unable to visit him in the hospital and when the possibility of doing something practical to help presents itself, which will also provide him with a distraction from his constant worries, he jumps at the chance. After living in Christopher’s shadow and aspiring to be like him for most of his young life, he is given the opportunity to show just how brave and capable he really is in an environment where no one knows him or compares him to his brother and it is not long before he starts to flourish.

As the story progresses, Max encounters incredible challenges and finds a firm friend in Ruby, one of the crew, and together they combine to make a wonderful pairing who face each danger that presents itself head on. A story which is thrilling but not too scary for young readers, parrot Squawk provides many humorous moments throughout the book and also some that are more serious when he forces Max to face his greatest fears. This really is a cracking adventure that will appeal to confident readers in Year 4 and would make an exciting shared read, with some wonderful opportunities for those reading aloud to do the voices. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and although a standalone title would very much like to visit Darksea again.

As always, my enormous thanks go to publisher Bloomsbury and to Net Galley for my advance, virtual read. Pirates of Darksea publishes March 14th.