tw: gore, violence

The Sin In The Steel is a debut novel set against a world of gods, pirates, and shapeshifters. Buc, street rat and Eld, soldier and Buc’s partner in crime. Buc and Eld, our detectives, must solve a mystery involving trading company ships. A war of gods and mages ensue.


This debut had a lot of promise but it is one of those novels that I find myself loving the ideas but ultimately it ends up like a deflated balloon. Now, if only I could find some oxygen since this book has none.

Found family has a soft spot in my heart. I love that feeling of finding a family separate from your own. When your own family doesn’t treat you right or you lost your family a found family is aspirational and the ultimate goal. I always had a hard time with families in speculative fiction. It was always the found family that sparked an interest in me. Buc and Eld are found family. They’re the best kind though. The ones that don’t always get along but love each other anyway.

One thing I will say is that some men are able to write women very well. I do not count this book as one that screams as good representation. Buc, like a lot of girls written by men, has searing internal misogyny throughout the book. The other women are depicted to make sure that Buc stands out as different. It’s important that there is a diversity of depictions. A lot of writers that aren’t sure how to write women often lean on the stereotypes and this is absolutely an old trick. Make sure the female protagonist isn’t like the other girls. That’s the part that tells me this needed a real check through when it comes to misogyny.

Pirates and dead gods, magic and zombies, adventure and mystery await you in this first book in The Fall of the Gods series. Following the Sherlockian imp Buc and her ex-soldier partner Eld, we watch as they careen from crazy situation to crazy situation.

An engineered encounter takes them from being prosecuted for thievery to being hired to discover why ships are disappearing off the Shattered Coast. Buc's brain and Eld's brawn have earned them the enviable reputation of solving the most difficult mysteries and Buc trades on this for a prize unlike they've every claimed before...power. A seat at the table to help right the wrongs against the common folk.

But before they can claim that power their journey to solve the missing ships mystery will take them to the brink of all they have known and could alter their partnership forever. This was highly enjoyable and entertaining read and I'm certainly ready for the next book when it arrives next summer.

You know those books where you can see there is a lot to like, and you do, to an extent, like it, but at the same time it’s not quite for you? That was The Sin in the Steel for me.

The story follows Buc and Eld, a Sherlock and Watson-type pairing, who are somewhat coerced into solving the mystery of why a trading company’s ships are not returning to port. In doing so, they uncover a war between gods and mages, and zombie pirates (!!!).

So first up, what’s good about this book?

The worldbuilding. The world that Van Loan has created is so interesting, from the locations to the mythos and everything in between, and particularly how it all interacts. I feel like I say this about a lot of fantasy novels at the moment (possibly because it does feel like we’re going through a real glut of creative worldbuilding), but it was probably one of the most interesting I’ve read.

The mystery. Give me a mystery and I’ll love it. Give me a mystery combined with another genre (e.g. sci fi, fantasy, historical) and I will enjoy it even more. And the mystery-slash-adventure here was definitely a good one. It’s fast-paced and exciting, and there are zombie pirates so… A definite win.

The found family. I love a good found family, and Buc and Eld definitely provide that. And the combination of Buc who is prickly and argumentative with Eld who is, generally, kind-hearted and slow to anger (except when it involves someone threatening Buc). Beautiful.

The voice. Buc’s narrative voice was so distinctive, I loved that about it. There were a few other POVs in the book, but Buc’s voice stood out above all (not only because it was first person I mean). And it reminded me a whole lot of that scene in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, where Arthur is describing (lying about) his day to the captain of the guard.

But a quick note also on why it didn’t work for me. Firstly, as much as I liked the relationship between Buc and Eld, they were 16 and 22 respectively and I couldn’t get past that (didn’t help I kept getting reminded of it either). Yeah, so it’s fantasy, it’s a different world and all, but that age gap was just a no from me. Secondly, while Buc’s voice was distinctive, it also came to grate on me just the slightest. I think it’s a book I needed to spend time on rather than trying to race through.

But overall, it was a solid debut, and an author I will be looking out for more from.

I must admit that the synopsis of this novel attracted me immediately. When I saw the mention of pirates, mages and detective, it didn’t take much to make me read it!

Buc and Eld are two acolytes who didn’t think they had to deal with blackmail. Indeed, captured in an unfortunate situation, they have no choice but to work for a powerful young woman who wants to understand why ships no longer return to port. Between that and death, our heroes quickly choose to leave in search of answers. Yet they may well discover a lot of trouble at the same time.

I had a great time with the story and our heroes. Buc is a smartass and Eld is more settled. They’re about to be thrust into a story that’s bigger than they are and attract the attention of the Gods. I was curious to see how they were going to cope and I must say the whole thing was very nice.

A new novel to discover!

I originally read the excerpt on this book on Bookish First and I was definitely intrigued. It sounded like the setup for an awesome book. Mages, Gods, a sarcastic female protagonist. But it just wasn't the book for me.
The detail on the ship & Elds excursion were pretty detailed and I want to say geared more towards men but that sounds sexist and that's not how it came across. It just isn't your typical ladylike fantasy read.

Very well-defined characters make The Sin in the Steel an enjoyable read. Though, I did not care for the heroine, Buc (short for Sambuciña). She is said to be 16 years old, but acts more like 36. I thought she was a sociopath. Exhibiting few emotions, Buc believes she was always right and loves manipulating people. She also believes in success at any cost, despite her humble beginnings and her wish to change to world into something better. I did love that she practically drooled over books. On the flip side, I did not care for the corporate who didn’t care how many books Buc carted out her library. I mean, who treats books which such an offhand manner?

Buc’s companion, Eld, is pretty cool. He has honor, courage, and steadfastness. He needs a bigger role. I hope in future installments, Eld will become a stronger character and temper Buc’s less desirable traits. Eld was the only character I had any kind of sympathy for. However, Eld’s role as second banana means my sympathy is not enough to make me really love this book.

Chan Sha, also known as the Widowmaker, is an engaging pirate captain. She may be more than just a pirate. She has been targeting the Ghost Captain, also known as the Dead Walker. Chan Sha forms a tenuous alliance with Buc and Eld. Emphasis on the word ‘tenuous’.

And through it all, there is magic. Magic comes from the gods. Dead and living gods. By the way, there seems to be a war between the gods. Power struggles between the gods is kind of like today’s power struggles. Success at any cost. Pay no mind to the people who get trampled.

The Sin in the Steel is a swashbuckler. There are ships, pirates and blades.

The Sin in the Steel is a horror story. There are zombies, aka, Shambles.

The Sin in the Steel is a fantasy with dead gods and live gods going up against each other.

As I read this book, I kept thinking – All this would make a pretty exciting action adventure film.

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book had everything I look for in a synopsis: pirates, mages, Sherlock-esque characters and magic. Unfortunately for me it didn’t hit the level that I was hoping for.

Buc is supposed to be a sarcastic and Sherlock smart MC but she came across more crass, non-calculating and underhanded than I expected. Morally gray characters are my forte but Buc is taken to a level that didn’t do it for me. The foul language was over the top and the hateful remarks toward female characters from the MC was pretty abundant. I don't expect morally gray characters to be lovable but too much of her personality was not easy to like.

Eld (male sidekick) and Chan Sha (pirate queen) were the characters that held my interest the most. Chan Sha has a cunning and goddess suave about her that would have made her an epic heroine. Her story kept me flipping to the end. And Eld has a mastery at balancing the good and bad in people and situations. An overall perfect side character.

The world building is swift and the magic system follows the same swift build but tends to leave a lot to be desired. There is a lot of inner monologue and explanation occurring that tends to circle itself. The scenes that are bringing in the background don’t truly explain origin or the reason behind the Gods/Goddesses and you’re left feeling a little baffled (especially at the end). I think with high fantasy most readers expect the depth and explanation surrounding these facets of a story but in this one they just seem to exist. Unfolding as a new artifact or character emerges.

The epilogue is what gives me a lot of hope for the next book. With this debut novel I could see Van Loan turning the second novel into something amazing. Though the first book may not have been for me this was still a unique idea that shows promise for a fantasy lover like myself.

Thank you to Tor Books and Ryan Van Loan for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Rating: 9/10

The Sin in the Steel is a very pirate-y adventure story about two friends/amateur detectives (Buc and Eld) who are hired by one of the big trading companies to find out why their ships carrying sugar have been disappearing. This is a game changer for the duo, and if they succeed the results could be life-changing. Of course, nothing goes as planned as our protagonists are in for the ride of their life.

Author Ryan Van Loan has hit a home run with The Sin in the Steel, the first in the The Fall of the Gods series. I enjoyed just about everything about this book: the characters are easy to connect with, the world building is interesting, the plot is a whole lot of fun, and there are plenty of surprises to keep things fresh.

Character-wise, the main character, Buc, is absolutely amazing. Not afraid to say what is on her mind, she is snarky and brash and has so many great one-liners. Buc’s dialogue was so much fun I just kept a constant drumroll going on in my head. I also love that her weapon of choice is a slingshot, which might sound weak to you, but Buc has no qualm telling you why it is the best weapon to have on hand. She is clever and witty and has an intriguing backstory, too, which not only adds depth to her character and guides her decisions, but also has a larger effect on the overall narrative, as well. Buc also has a love for libraries, and I think we would probably be BFFs IRL (though she is so anti that she would probably reject that I just said that).

Eld is the other protagonist, and Buc’s partner in crime. We do not get much of Eld’s backstory, just that he is a few years older than Buc and was there for her when she needed it. Eld has a much more calm demeanor, more pensive, less sharp of tongue. More of a Yin to Buc’s Yang, Eld creates much-needed balance in a story that Buc threatens to spin out of control at times (though, he does not always succeed). The relationship between and Buc and Eld is one of the best aspects of the book.

The rest of the cast of characters are really intriguing, as well. Chan Sha is another main-ish character that gains importance as the story goes on. She is the captain of a pirate ship Buc and Eld encounter. There are also gods and demi-gods (i think? more about that later), mages, scores of undead, plus others that I do not wish to mention out of fear of spoiling some things. For me, this is a very character-driven story, and the author has done a great job of creating a unique, diverse, balanced, and interesting character set that carried this book all the way through.

Though I read the synopsis before picking up the book, I was still surprised at the direction of the plot. It turns out, this book is a sea adventure! And a fun one at that, with big ships, crazy crew members, pirates, people being made to walk the plank, lost islands, sword fights, and sea battles complete with cannons and mortars. The narrative was basically non-stop, cover-to-cover action. I was grateful for that, because Buc and Eld are so energetic that they deserve a plot with intensity to match. That is exactly what they got – a dynamic sea adventure worthy of their enthusiasm.

I mentioned the world-building before, and I do find the world in this book intriguing. There are big trading companies that control commerce, and this is the backdrop for a haves-to-have-nots dynamic. You kind of get what you expect from that atmosphere: gangs fighting for power, pirates making a living on the sea, and people who pay for protection. There is also a situation with Gods and Demi-Gods, I think, that are in business with mages who use magic to assert a certain amount of control over the world. This was one of the drawbacks for me, as I did not quite understand this dynamic. They actually play a large role in the story, but their relationship to this world was unclear to me. I will say, it looks like the series sets it up for book 2 to explore that connection more.

The Sin in the Steel is a fun book with great characters and a whole lot of adventure. It gets my recommendation for fans of fantasy, and for those looking for their next great maritime read, this is it.

The Sin in the Steel has a brilliant pitch: a gutter rat whose tongue is as keen as her mind; a pirate queen keeping secrets from even her trusted crew; a war between the gods themselves - and grace notes designed to tick all my boxes (dresses with pockets! a library! an archaeologist!)

Unfortunately, it fell flat. I tend to be won over by world building and character, and both are thinly glossed here at best (don't get me started on how protagonists Must Have Tragic Pasts). Instead it is all plot and action, and early chapters in particular are heavy-handed with exposition to conjure up some context. The intermittent switch to antagonists' POVs felt very clunky; having someone of uncertain intentions explain themselves to camera is one way to artificially inflate tension, but it is very hard to carry off.

It also quickly wore on me that there's no woman who isn't called misogynistic slurs. Whilst Buc isn't intended to be likeable - her temper and her caustic wit are part of who she is - I need something to hang my hat on if I'm going to care about a character's goals. I preferred Chan Sha the pirate, but not enough to stop me DNFing halfway through.

Those seeking fast-paced adventure on the high seas with pirates, zombies and dastardly trading concerns may find more to enjoy than I did. Sadly it lacked the charm to carry me with it.

The Sin in the Steel is the first novel in The Fall of the Gods series by Ryan Van Loan. It's a series that mixes many elements together in order to create something fun an exciting. Pirates, magic, dead gods can all be found. Oh and a Sherlockian twist as well.

Buc is a prodigy, plain and simple. She grew up as a street rat, but once handed an ounce of knowledge she suddenly couldn't get enough of it. With the ex-soldier Eld taking care of her, keeping her safe while she developed her mind, it felt like she was unstoppable.

Now Buc and Eld have been tasked to solve a crime, under penalty of death if they fail. All they have to do is take on pirates, the infamous Widowmaker, and maybe a dead god or two. No big deal, right?

“But while the world may be driven by knowledge, it runs on gold. The hard kind. And if my plans were to succeed, that was the kind of leverage I needed. I saw my chance, placed my wager, and took my seat at the table.”

The Sin in the Steel is a brilliant and fast-paced read, one that you're not going to want to put down. At least, I know I didn't! I loved all of the themes that went into this book, but especially the combination of pirate vibes and Sherlockian logic. It made for something fun and different.

Buc is the highlight of the novel, without a doubt. She's a brilliant mind, one that sometimes has too much processing all at once. I felt like this aspect was portrayed very nicely. That she grew up on the streets isn't forgotten, though it does make her love of reading all the more impressive.

The world and magic within were absolutely fascinating. I would honestly read a dozen more books set in this world, and still feel like there was more to learn. For that reason, I am very much looking forward to any and all sequels.

The Sherlockian elements were fun, and on the whole, pretty well done. I wouldn't have minded seeing just a touch more of that, as clearly Buc has a brilliant mind. Albeit it frequently felt like that mind was doing a better job of getting her into more trouble than anything (sound familiar?). I actually adore that other elements were pulled from Sherlock, instead of just his wits and need to solve mysteries. It's refreshing. Even if it sometimes results with people wanting to strangle Buc.

I should probably mention one thing: the ages in the ARC I read are different from the ages in the finished book. Knowing that going into this read made a major difference (especially if looking at other reviews is any indication). The relationship between Buc and Eld is not nearly so creepy. Though it does take the edge off some of their age-related jokes, for good or for ill.

I'm curious to see where this story is going to lead in the long run. It feels like whatever Buc has started will eventually change her world, on a smaller and more personal scale as well as on a much grander one.

I want you to think of the Sherlock Holmes of the modern media, brilliant beyond mere mortals but not really quite all there when it comes to human interactions. Now cross that with the over the top action of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Now you have a feeling for this book. It isn’t brilliant life changing writing but it’ll entertain you while you’re reading it. If you’re looking for some pure escapism this will do you nicely. I’ll definitely read book two after a long week and enjoy it the more for that.

“Before I learned how to read, I thought knowledge was finite, dead and decaying inside old men’s skulls. Now I know the truth, that knowledge is living gold threaded through layers of dead parchment, just waiting to be mined. But while the world may be driven by knowledge, it runs on gold. The hard kind. And if my plans were to succeed, that was the kind of leverage I needed. I saw my chance, placed my wager, and took my seat at the table.”

Synopsis: Buc and Eld are troubleshooters: she’s a young, street-smart girl with a genius intellect, and he’s a charming ex-soldier with a mysterious past. Together, they use their myriad skills to investigate mysteries and solve crimes. When a trading company blackmails the pair into solving the disruption of the Empire’s sugar trade, Buc and Eld are thrust into a dangerous conflict. Can the duo escape the clutches of vicious pirates and clashing gods to emerge victorious? Or is this a puzzle too complex even for Buc?

Thank-you to Netgalley and Tor/Forge for the advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes. I’ve read the breadth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work, and have even been lucky enough to acquire certain 1st edition copies (such as “His Last Bow”). I just can’t resist a good mystery! Ryan Van Loan’s debut novel promises a modern twist on the traditional Doyle pairing of Holmes and Watson in the form of Buc and Eld, and set in the Fantasy genre as opposed to Victorian England. It’s an interesting combination, and I praise Van Loan for stepping outside the narrow boundaries I see so often in other Fantasy offerings. It’s refreshing.

Our primary protagonist is Buc, and much of the narrative is delivered from her in the 1st person (some chapters are delivered by a 3rd person omniscient narrator). She is young (16), precocious, clever, devious, and almost completely self-serving. Buc’s selfishness certainly makes it complicated to relate to her; it is a trait also exhibited at times by Sherlock Holmes, who put the need to solve mysteries above everything else. Both characters share the trait of chemical dependency (Holmes had a nasty cocaine habit, and Buc smokes “Kan”, a leaf which slows her racing mind just enough for her to think clearly). The difference is that Buc is more… damaged. Holmes, for all his faults, did not have the same sort of tragic backstory as Buc. She grew up on the streets, and it is only within the last 2 years that she has taken to reading (she was illiterate before Eld found her). While both Holmes and Buc share impressive powers of deduction, Buc does not share Holmes’ expertise on a wife array of topics useful to the solving of crimes. Instead, Buc relies on her street smarts and capacity for deceit to get her out of trouble. Buc is not a Mary Sue: she is strong… but very brittle. Her faults are very, very clear, and one grows to empathize with her in spite of her sometimes nasty disposition. The fact Van Loan was able to make me like this person by the end is a definite point in his favor.

Eld clearly functions as a Watson analogue for the purpose of the story: he is a well-spoken individual, with a great capacity for smoothing out Buc’s rough edges. He retains the empathy which Buc lacks, and often helps her through (saves her from…) complex social interactions. Eld is a former soldier, and his background is revealed in part throughout the story; his fighting skills are impressive, and are given the spotlight at various times when Buc’s acid tongue lands them in hot water. Overall, the characters form a classic duo, complementing many of each others’ weaknesses and shortcomings. If you are a fan of this sort of interaction, I assure you that you will find it in abundance in this novel. I’d like to see a bit more of Eld, perhaps by giving him his own POV sections in the next novel; that would round things out nicely and offer a different perspective. He’s got some personality of his own, and I’d like him to be more fleshed out as opposed to being a sidekick along for the ride.

There is another famous duo who should be mentioned when examining the relationship between Buc and Eld: Locke Lamora and Jean Tannen from “The Gentlemen Bastards Sequence” by Scott Lynch.For those who haven’t read this series, it follows the aforementioned characters, who are expert grifters, on their many misadventures. Locke is a genius, with middling combat prowess but a devious mind and a caustic personality; Jean is a polite and well-spoken warrior with a level head and kind disposition. Sound familiar? To be clear: I’m not implying anything here, as this sort of relationship has precedence in literature. I DO feel that there is a certain amount of homage to that other famous fantasy pairing though, and if this was Van Loan’s intent, he did so quite tastefully. In Buc and Eld’s case, their relationship is still very young (as opposed to Locke and Jean who have known each other since their early years), and so the edges have not yet been filed off (which presents occasional conflict); the male/female pairing also creates a different sort of dynamic, and I will simply leave it at that. Overall I’ve noted a number of similarities to Lynch’s work, but this effort is still its own thing. If you liked “The Lies of Locke Lamora”, you may find aspects of this novel to be greatly to your liking as well!

I truly appreciated that this text was built around 1) driving action and 2) well-voiced characters. Van Loan’s characters acted in a consistent manner throughout the text, and their development felt real, not forced. World-building was not completely absent in this text (the world hinted at by the author is fairly rich), but it definitely takes a backseat to clever dialogue and furtherance of the plot. If that’s the sort of narrative you enjoy, then this is probably the right book for you. My main gripe with the story is that while the “Sherlock Holmes” aspect is pushed at the beginning of the story, this rapidly moves to the back burner in favor of a more action/thriller fantasy story. This is a shame to me, as a more dedicated Mystery tale firmly positioned in a Fantasy setting is something we don’t see particularly often at all! That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it: Van Loan’s tight prose and dialogue make it a pleasure to read. I just felt that I started reading Sherlock Holmes in a Fantasy land, and ended up with Locke and Jean trying to solve a mystery. Buc is introduced as a deductive genius, but this skill of hers is very rapidly phased out of the text in favor of her penchant for spinning elaborate lies. It’s a minor issue of consistency, that’s all. Still, I was happy to get swept up in the pull of it, doubly so because of the strong (flawed) female protagonist.

If you’re into mysteries, magic, pirates, clever rogues, strong female protagonists, and huge stakes, you’re going to enjoy this book. It’s a pleasure to read, despite any minor gripes I may have, and I was pulled in VERY quickly (I haven’t read a book this fast in a while, because i couldn’t put it down!). If I hadn’t known before reading, I would have NEVER guessed that this was someone’s debut novel. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up, as it is absolutely worth the time! Tor books made a good choice in picking this one. Please consider pre-ordering this one too as that is the single best thing you can do to help out a new author (or any author for that matter). Adventure beckons!

The Sin in the Steel promised a plethora of things I usually love in other stories: dynamic duos who have each other’s back, swashbuckling and adventure, pirates and specifically pirate queens, ancient magic, and mystery, Unfortunately, not all of those promises were fulfilled in my experience.

First, the good. I absolutely love the world in The Sin in the Steel; it’s easy to feel like you’ve embarked upon your own adventure on the high seas, and the writing is well paced and immersing to keep you in that world. There were plenty of pirates, battles on land and at sea, and lots of try-fail cycles to keep you rooting for the ‘heroes’ while they were in dire circumstances. Although it wasn’t explored as much as I would have liked (probably because this will be the focus in forthcoming installments), there are multiple types of magic and hints at an intriguing conflict involving the dead gods pitched on the cover copy.

However, Buc as a protagonist fell flat for me. She succeeds in being a mayhem-prone, violence-inclined Holmesian figure, but her skills and flaws feel comically exaggerated. I understand the concept of flawed protagonists, and in some ways I appreciated how Buc’s flaws got her in trouble, but I didn’t enjoy the lack of nuance in her character overall.

The romance subplot was what ultimately lowered my rating from three stars to two. There were two scenes in particular that contained language with predatory undertones re: the age gap between the two individuals. Things like one character wondering if he’s a lecher for falling in love with a girl he met when she was 14 and he was 19 (now 16 and 21), justifications such as ‘she was wise beyond her years’, and the female character immediately reassuring him that ‘age is just a number’ in the scene immediately following raised red flags for me. If those two scenes in particular were omitted, I think it would have read less 'creepy' and more 'complicated', as I believe the novel intended.

Many will enjoy this story for what it is, by and large: a fast paced, Holmesian, swashbuckling adventure set in a world of pirates, magic, and mystery with a polarizing protagonist and hints of cool things to come. There were just too many elements that took me personally out of my enjoyment for me to want to recommend this or continue with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a really solid debut that I thoroughly enjoyed. I love the Sherlock Holmes feel as Buc worked out the mysteries around her, with her Watson-like companion, Eld. Throw in Dead Gods, a living god, necromancy, and pirates with swashbuckling action, and you have the beginnings of a great series.

Buc's arrogance, sarcasm, and insistence that she's different and doesn't feel emotion might put some readers off because, at times, she is very unlikeable. However, Eld's politeness and unwavering loyalty mostly make up for this.

I'm looking forward to the next one already!

Ryan Van Loan's The Sin in the Steel is a thoroughly enjoyable adventure about a wicked-smahht, pissed-off, teenage revolutionary and her damaged soldier friend who are hired by a massive trading corporation to find out why their ships are disappearing along an important trade route. Could it be mad mages? Pirates? Asshole, vengeful gods and their mad cult followers? Perhaps a combination of all three?

Buc is gifted with genius intelligence but was given a shitty lot in life. An orphan, growing up on the hard city streets, Buc learned how to wield knives and use her wits to stay alive. Her destitution and rebellious attitude evolved into arrogance and disgust for the way the world is: vengeful gods, nonsensical religions, corporate sleaze, and imperial politics around every corner. So she decided to make it her life’s mission to upend the status quo and change the world.

Buc calls to mind a sixteen-year-old Alexander Hamilton, if Hamilton were into stabbing and mayhem.

Her companion Eld is a talented but despondent soldier with a tragic past and a deep hatred for magic after being dishonorably discharged from the military. He and Buc find each other at the right moment in time, pulling each other up by their bootstraps to form a strong bond of care and support with the same mission to accomplish: overturn the hierarchy responsible for the oppression that seeps through every pore of society.

The book utlizes quite a bit of humor, but since this is mostly set in a world of pirates, it's not going to be Sesame Street jokes. I quite enjoyed the constant levity as well as the different magical engineering contraptions that were peppered through the story, but there are a couple of elements that prevented me from giving this book a higher score.

First, Buc’s intelligence was often overshadowed by her total arrogance and kneejerk, poor decision-making. For someone who’s supposed to be so smart, it was tough to buy into her character completely. Even though she's only sixteen and is not expected to act as rational as she had planned, it still seemed a bit off that she was unable to hold back her temper or tongue and made everything much worse. This made her downright unlikeable at times. Also, many of her successful plans were circumstancial. She's more lucky -- incredibly, unbelievably lucky -- than a brilliant planner. She has a sharp memory, but I'm not sold on her being the Sherlock Holmes of this story.

There was also a noticeable slowdown of pacing towards the back half of the book, and it took me about twice as long to get through it as the first half. The end, however, pulled the various strings together nicely.

The story ends on a high note, and promises some very different, interesting perspectives for the next entry. There's some weird new dynamics -- in a good way -- and some new fish to fry. (Sailor's joke! Yarrrr.) So sharpen your poignards and buckle your swashes for some foul-mouthed, high seas, sacrilegious anarchy with your favorite teenage smartass and her soul-searching, shell-shocked best pal. Ryan Van Loan has created a world thick with intrigue in his debut novel and I get a sense that the best is yet to come.

A male-female odd couple, maybe a better description is a female Holmes and male Watson. Or if you prefer, the nobleman and the street rat.

Anyway, the world building is good, the plot intrigues, character development could use a little work but serviceable.

I recommend it!