I really rather enjoyed this exciting little pirate book & I’m really sad I can’t access book two immediately! I really liked the world-building in this story, which is almost always the most important thing for me, & there was more than one surprise that I absolutely did not see coming, even as an almost-25 year old. Yintang is a great protagonist & I just wanted to wrap her & her best friend up in a warm, fluffy blanket. I also have a little bit of a crush on the pirate queen - she was fierce but had this great personality under the typical pirate captain persona & was really well written. After the big secrets revealed about this world in book one, I am so, so eager for the rest of the series!

⚠️ Violence, including some sword fighting & magical creatures that BITE, a transphobic character (one scene), off-page family deaths & near drowning ⚠️

I received an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Extended Review to follow.

I loved this story! Great world building and character development.
Sea serpents, pirates, sirens, battles, dragons, this books has so much and more!

I highly recommend.

From the moment I glimpsed its beautiful cover, I had high hopes for Lintang and the Pirate Queen. Author Tamara Moss does not disappoint. She opens with an entry on pixies from “The Mythie Guidebook” before treating readers to a scene that reveals plucky twelve-year-old Lintang’s penchant for getting into trouble, and her equally strong inclination to make matters worse by inventing tales rather than telling the truth (because, of course, telling the truth would mean more trouble). And, right from start, we have a little magic, a little mystery, and a little danger.

It’s impossible not to love Lintang. Strong-willed, determined and daring, she wants nothing more than to have adventures and see the world. So when the pirate Captain Shafira visits her island homeland and needs an islander to secure safe passage beyond a sea guardian called Nyamsandra, Lintang is determined to be chosen.

Once onboard among Captain Shafira’s colorful all-female crew, Lintang finds more danger and derring-do than she could have dreamed. Lovably flawed as she is, she also gets into a few scrapes along the way.

Tamara Moss has created a vivid landscape and seascape for her characters and made their world all the more striking by adding a religion/mythology that includes sometimes deadly mythical beings like pixies, mermaids, night terrors, and sirens. Moss’ method of inserting pages from “The Mythie Guidebook” into the main narrative is an inventive way to give readers the information they need, all the while teasing that a fascinating, perhaps scary encounter is around the bend.

Moss’ plot moves quickly and interest remains high throughout the novel, even as her fictional world expands. Readers will delight in temporarily inhabiting this wondrous place and imagining they are sailing alongside Lintang as she finds adventure on the high seas while learning valuable lessons about respect, trust, truth, honor, loyalty, and friendship. I loved the book so much I read it twice!

Verdict: 5 of 5 Hearts. Plucky Island Girl Finds Adventure, Honor on the High Seas!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I would like to thank Clarion Books and Netgalley for allowing me access to Lintang and the Pirate Queen. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Lintang and the Pirate Queen is a swashbuckling, middle grades adventure and the first book in a new series by Tamara Moss. Lintang dreams of getting away from her small island village and traveling the world. She dreads the prospect of becoming a homemaker, so when the Pirate Queen herself arrives in Desa, Lintang jumps at the opportunity to join her. Captain Shafira is impressed by Lintang’s bravery in the face of the dreaded malam rasha mythie and invites Lintang to join her ship as they venture to hunt down a vicious nest of sirens. Shortly after leaving port, Lintang discovers that her best friend, Bayani, has stowed away on the ship in hope of reaching the United Regions’ capital city though he won’t tell Lintang why he needs to go there. Along the journey, Lintang must prove her loyalty and bravery to Captain Shafira. At the same time though, she risks losing everything she’s every wanted as she must decide whether to follow orders and be loyal to Captain Shafira or to disobey her orders and be loyal to Bayani.
There are so many things I love about this book that I don’t know where to start. The plot line is engaging and action-packed. Lintang not only has several external conflicts, but also an ongoing internal conflict that propels the story forward. This book is also fall of strong female characters. I love that both pirate ships have all-women crews (with the exception of one crew member and Bayani on the Winda). The world building is incredible. Moss has created not only her own world, but it’s origin story, cultural belief system. Lintang’s story is punctuated by entries from the Mythies Guidebook which provides the reader with a deeper understanding of the world. The message about appearances not always being what they seem is also incredibly important and shines through. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to share it with my students.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Group for an advance copy of this book. It will be released on October 15th. All opinions are my own.