Six of Crows meets pirates in this incredible debut novel by Kimberly Vale.

When the Blood Bell tolls marks the death of the pirate king, the Trials begin. Desperate to prove herself to her older sister and those who look down on her youth, Captain Csilla Abado will give anything to have the Bone Crown on her head. Captain Kane Blackwater, desperate not to be the black spot his father marked him as, knows the whispers of a secret heir his chance at the throne. Lorelei Penny, willing to do anything to avenge her mother’s death. Will the fate of the kingdom in jeopardy, how much will they gamble to save all of Cerulia?

Can one go wrong with pirates and found family? Crossbones proves you cannot. Kimberly Vale wove a masterpiece with this book. For a standalone, the world building was top notch. Unique mythology, a whole language. Even the aspects not fully explored were covered enough to grasp. Even the plot felt unique. Pirates hunting for treasure isn’t original, but pirates hunting for a crown to rule a kingdom. Amazing. Simple plot executed really well. And love that there is room left for a sequel without there needing to be one.

The characters were well developed. Csilla was an amazing lead heroine and you really see her grow as the book goes on. Lorelei & Kane felt slightly flatter at their introduction but including backstories for them helped to really flesh them out. Even side characters (Flynn, Nara, Rove, etc.) were all unique and well written.

This book was the ideal balance of character and plot driven. Quick, enjoyable, cannot wait to read again. (But also THAT COVER.)

Thanks to Wattpad Books & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

This book has an amazing set up and so much potential, but it falls a bit flat. I loved the world building, including the goddesses, the pirate lore, and the politics of piracy. I was excited about the ensemble cast, but they all felt shallow as characters and didn’t meet my hopes. The love felt very insta-love like and the characters felt full of stereotypes. I wish the plot had more subtle foreshadowing as the twists were very predictable.

I hope that it is a series because there are a lot of unanswered questions. I would continue to read for plot resolution and hope of more development.

Dark and riveting. I finished this book in one day because I couldn't put it down. It may not be the most in-depth but the plot was fast paced, the action exciting, the mystery intriguing and I needed to know what happened.

The Bone King has died. Now five pirate captains vie for the crown. The Trials are about to begin but only one can reign over all the pirates.

Csilla is a great heroine and I loved that we got a classic pirate adventure with a female lead. She is tough and strong but also has great love for her sister Rhoda and we get the best relationship in the story with the two of them. Rhoda walks a fine line between jealous older sister and supportive older sister which many readers can relate to. But Csilla hears the rumors. The daughter of the true pirate king may still be alive, hidden away for many years. If she is alive, she is the true heir to the Bone Crown and threatens the legitimacy of everyone competing in the Trials. Kane Blackwater is also competing against Csilla for the Bone Crown, until he finds a stowaway girl on his ship and finds his priorities are shifting. Does he really want the crown or is love more important?

Lorelei is a girl on the run. Her mother murdered by a pirate, she has now fallen right into the hands of another when she crept aboard his ship. Her hatred for pirates is great, but Kane Blackwater seems different. Now she is swept along for the ride as Kane competes in the Trials for the Bone Crown.

I wish Flynn and Csilla's relationship had been explored more, especially because Flynn had his own interesting motives I would have liked to have seen exposed. The characters were well done, the writing was good, and the plot moved along and kept me reading the whole time. I love a good pirate story.

Betrayals stings like seawater in a wound. Who will end up with the Bone Crown?

I wanted a pirate adventure and this delivered.

I think the idea of the trials is cool and enjoyed how all of the MCs (as well as some entertaining side characters) worked together to face them. I found the connection between the young pirates to be endearing, even when they are supposed to be rough and ruthless.

Overall, I do think this to be a bit too simplistic. There really isn't any world-building considering this is a standalone and the plot is pretty basic. There are some pretty good foundational elements and feel like this story would be better served as a series to be able to build upon those things.

But all in all, this gets the job done and provides a few hours of decent entertainment.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Crossbones is about five pirate captains who are competing to become the next king or queen of Cerulia after the current king dies and there is no heir. It is told from three different points of view, Csilla, the captain of the Scarlet Maidens; Kane, the captain of the Iron Jewel; and Lorelei, a stowaway on Kane's ship after she witnesses her mother murdered by one of the other captains. All of their fates become entwined when Lorelei volunteers to be Kane's first mate and they discover who she really is.

This wasn't the most complex book and the characters/relationships didn't have a lot of depth. Similar to many other reviews, I think the most interesting relationship was the one between Csilla and her sister.

I felt like there could've been a lot more to the story and that the plot was a little simple.

It wasn't my favorite book, but it's an easy and enjoyable read.

I received an eARC of from Wattpad Books and Kimberly Vale via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

This book follows three main characters: Kane Blackwater, Pirate Captain. Csilla Abado, Pirate Captain and sister, and Lorelei Penny, farm girl and caretaker of her mother. All Three characters have some kind of connection that brings them all together for one adventurous pirate tale.

Throughout the book you hear all of the backstories of each main character. What I loved was that the author intertwined numerous friends, relatives and villains which gave so much depth to the story. I fell in love with each of them and did not want the story to end. The action and adventure was thrilling and fun to read. I did not want the story to end and I completed it in one sitting. There is a small bit of romance but it does not overshadow the main story but enhances it. The story does not end up in a cliffhanger which I appreciate but leaves an opening for possible future books. I really hope Vale will continue with this series because I cannot get enough!

Kimberly Vale has done a wonderful job with this book. I love the cover and if I was in a store i would pick it up based on that alone. Overall this book gets 5 stars.

'𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.' '𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?' 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳. '𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘗𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦.' 🏴‍☠️
4.5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Daughter of the Pirate King meets Six of Crows!! 😍
I LOVED this book so so much! I am an absolute sucker for pirate themed books, so when I saw this on Netgalley, it was an instant request and I was lucky enough to receive an eARC thanks to Wattpadbooks! It follows three separate POVs Csilla, Kane and Lorelei. All of the characters are great in their own way, and I was invested with them from the first pages of their own chapters. I was also really interested in how they then interlinked as the book progressed. There ended up being more magic in the book than I thought, as there are elemental gods and goddesses, so it gave it a more of a fantasy feel. All the secondary characters were really great as well, especially Flynn and Arius, they were the more humorous characters, in comparison to the broody MCs. I wished we actually had Flynn's POV at one point, just to get inside his mind more. There was also a couple of times I thought that there could have been more interaction from Kane, especially with Csilla and Flynn as they were childhood friends, but that's just me wanting to see those interactions. They did reminded me a bit of Celaena, Chaol and Dorian from Throne of Glass, but I'm hoping we may see more of them interacting in book two 👀
I was in a bit of a reading slump before reading this and it definitely pulled me out of it. It was gripping from the first chapter, it had a great story and loveable characters! I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book! 👏

Great Pirate adventure!!!! This was well plotted and had good characterizations. The story is of a land where groups of pirates are governed by the Bone King. When the Bone King dies without an heir, they must use the "Trials" to decide who the next Bone King will be. The trials is a "treasure "hunt of sorts. Puzzle pieces hidden around the Crossbone Island must be gathered and put together to find the location of the chest holding the Bone Crown. The pirate that manages to get all the pieces and opens the Bone chest becomes the King or Queen of Bones. One small wrinkle, unbeknownst to the pirates and even to herself there is a living heir. How this all plays out is quite the adventure. This is a wonderful adventure sure to be enjoyed by pirate and adventure fans (with a bit of fantasy)!

The Blood Bell tolls...who will reign over the pirates now that the Trials have begun? Betrayal runs through some pirates’ veins, but will that betrayal cost someone the crown? This novel was excellent and I loved the pirate nature of it. The characters were intriguing and the concept was sound. There were some twists and some characters that you just need to hate but still understand.

Crossbones
By: Kimberly Vale
✨ Release Date: October 5, 2021

“Dark tides are rising. If you aren’t careful, you’ll drown.”

This pirate adventure novel follows 3 main characters though the Trials for the Bone Crown.
Csilla Abado, Kane Blackwater & Lorelei Penny.
When the Blood Bell tolls at the death of the pirate king, paths unite and loyalties are tested, bringing together the most unlikely of characters as the battle for the Bone Crown takes place. With the rightful heir to the throne, seemingly lost and unknown, the pirate captains must fight for their place upon the throne. But with the death of the pirate king, a dark power is given way to creep amongst the living once again, potentially leading to a terrible fate that could end their world. Powers that toy with their minds, feeding thoughts of betrayal, trying to end the bloodline that possess the only threat to this dark power being released.
Who will claim the Bone Crown? Who will save them from this terrible fate?

The dynamics between the characters and the worldbuilding was amazing and created great imagery, but I would’ve liked to have seen more character development, so the characters didn’t seem so predictable and flat.
The writing was simple, the dialogue a bit cheesy, but overall, it was an intriguing read.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

"You may hate me," he continued. "You may curse the air I breathe, but I don't hate you"

Crossbones was an interesting and entertaining book, I didn't love or felt in love with characters but had fun while reading it. Overall this story feels slow-paced while all the relationships grow very quickly, not really feeling real.
I think this was a perfect concept and world but in the book feels like it's constantly about to happen something that just never really happens.

Crossbones by Kimberly Vale is an intriguing pirate-adventure novel and easily digestible. The content is fairly light and the world is simple. On the not-so-great side, the story’s execution lacks any strong impact due to its simplicity.

I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this book. While it wasn’t central to the plot, it feels authentic and, aside from the central pirate plot, tense politics also played a role throughout, which I believe contributed to its authenticity. The plot was enjoyable but fairly predictable, except for a few minor scenes. While I thought the story was cute, nothing stuck out or left me with strong feelings. Where the plot had strong potential, I feel as though a lot of it was skimmed over and vague (as well as an abundance of plot conveniences). For a debut novel, it was well done, I would have just loved a bit more from the plot.

Focusing on the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed them. The dynamics between each of them were well-written (specifically Rhoda and Csilla’s complicated sisterhood), but I would have loved to see more of their personalities shine through. They were likeable, but at times they fell flat. I also wish the chemistry between the love interests was more intense; often, it felt like it wasn’t really there. Despite these criticisms, I still found each of them enjoyable. For having so many characters, their personalities never blended together and motivations were consistently clear.

So, would I recommend this book to someone? Yes. While I think there are areas of improvement, I found Crossbones to be an easy read with wonderful pirates on an intriguing and exciting adventure.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad for sending me this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm going to just go ahead and say that I absolutely loved this book. I liked that there were different points of view instead of from just one character since there were a few main characters all who played important roles. They're different plot points that in the end all tie together.

The romances were sweet and also painful like how most real love stories are. I understood Csilla but I also wished she had just calmed and tried to be rational to get to the bottom of the truth much sooner.

Lorelei is a kind, gentle, and strong young woman. I think if the ending went a different way it probably wouldn't have made much sense considering Lorelei's thoughts and feelings of everything. So I appreciated that Vale wrote that part the way she did.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

Crossbones is an interesting book about pirates. I enjoyed the aspect of the book, having the plot follow pirates competing for the Bone crown after the Bong King dies. The writing in crossbones was pretty nice and understandable. Crossbones starts out as a strong book filled with action and ended with just as much. For me, this was a fast-paced read that had helped to get me out of a reading slump. Crossbones also includes multiple perspectives; Csilla, Kane, and Lorelei. I enjoyed reading about the main characters in the book and I found them likable. Their lives are all equally intriguing so I doubt readers would get bored. This book has Action, Adventure, magic, pirates, and more!

The reasoning for 4.25 stars. While I did enjoy this book there were just some parts I didn't enjoy or find a bit too bland. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book.

Do I think you should read this book? Yes! Pick this book up with you're interested in reading about swashbuckling pirates.

e-ARC provided By Netgalley and Publisher. (Thank you!)
I received a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are mine.
EXPECTED RELEASE DATE: October 5th, 2021
REVIEWED: 5/2/2021

No pun intended but this has the bones of a good story but final product leaves much to be desired.

“Crossbones” sees the Pirate King dead and all Captains looking to take his place on the throne while managing their own troubles on the sidelines. With a roguish man haunted by his fathers legacy, a young woman trying to handle her curse and a threat close to home and finally the daughter of a mad woman finding their way to the same island the race to the crown is a lot harder than it appears.

This book throws a lot at you rather quickly and with a strong start I was eager to see how the story would unfold only to find the structuring was rather flimsy. We get multiple POVs as we move through this adventure and I found that the change offered very little than this repeating of the same information we already know from the beginning. The pacing itself is rather quick where we jump from one obstacle to the next with little breathing room so the alliances/friendships/romances and betrayals feel rather hollow.

The characters were fine I suppose you have your girl thrown into the world who despite all odds survives when she shouldn’t, a man who is supposed to be this love interest with a haunted past being very bland and the strongest character caring more about another boy than actually showing how strong of a leader she is which was a let down.

I don’t know my first thought is this is very much a Wattpad story but like from 2008 if that makes sense in terms of the style and writing? I hope I’m in the minority and other people enjoy it but for me the trials and mythology added up to a whole lot of nothing.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Crossbones was great! I really enjoyed the feel and dynamic of the characters. The story that Vale built is one that I absolutely loved. I think the characters each had something to contribute to the story and this story is one that I will think about long after I've read it! I hope to read more work by this author soon!

Crossbones by Kimberly Vale takes its readers on quite the adventure. You won’t want to miss this tale of thievery and back-stabbing betrayal!

The world building in Crossbones is breathtakingly rich and descriptive. A unique magic system, complex religion, and well-developed geographical setting all help to bring the story to life. Vale also has a very vivid and lyrical writing style that goes a long way in immersing the reader in the setting. I’d recommend Cossbones based on the beautiful and descriptive writing alone!

Crossbones’s cast of characters was definitely diverse and interesting. Despite being backstabbing pirates that literally kill and steal for a living, they all had morals and unshakable core values. Kane’s personality definitely flipped after meeting Lorelei, and while I didn’t find that particularly believable, I did sympathize and connect with Csilla. She’d been through a lot in life, and to see her come into her own was exciting.

I will say that there was some mild swearing in this book, as well as a few violent scenes where people got killed. Nothing to graphic or disturbing, but definitely something that light-hearted readers should be aware of.

I’d definitely recommend Crossbones to other readers on account of it’s vivid setting, unique cast of characters, and breathtakingly fast plot. A lot happens in this book, and with the way it ended, it looks like there might be an opportunity for a sequel. Give Crossbones a try; you won’t regret it!

I received an ARC of Crossbones from Wattpad Books and Netgalley, opinions are my own.

This was a great book! It starts out super exciting from the first page. Csilla is about to be hanged for being a pirate. We learn that the pirate king has just died and a Trail (competition) will be held to determine the next pirate king .Csilla is the captain of the Scarlet Maiden and Kane is the captain of the Iron Jewel. Lorelei comes aboard the Iron Jewel as a stowaway after her mother is killed.