Thank you to MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Vengeance of the Pirate Queen to review!
In this riveting new book from Tricia Levenseller we follow Sorinda, the pirate queen’s assassin. The pirate queen (Alosa) believes that Sorinda is ready for more than just killing and decides to appoint her as captain of her own ship to send her on a rescue mission up north. Amid her crew is Kearan, the best helmsman working for the pirate queen, but also someone who seems to be able to see through all the walls Sorinda builds around herself. Their rescue mission quickly turns exponentially more complicated when they stumble upon the King of the Undersea who has developed a fascination with Sorinda. This fast-paced pirate novel has action, fantasy, and an epic love story.
3.5 stars
I feel like I need to preface this review with the fact that I did read Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen and I remember enjoying both but I remember literally nothing about either of the books. Not a character, not a plot point, nothing. So I was basically going into this book completely in the dark but I didn’t find it very hard at all to orient myself in the story. Obviously I don’t remember Sorinda, Kearan, or any of the other characters from the previous novels but I was still able to thoroughly enjoy reading about them in this one. The beginning of the story felt pretty choppy and just didn’t flow very well. I felt like Sorinda and Kearan had a hard time settling into their characters, and she came off as really rude when she would constantly rub his addiction problems in his face. However, once we got going on the voyage (about ⅓ of the way through) the story really picked up and kept at a steady pace throughout the rest of the book. Once I hit around 60% I did not want to put down the book, I just really wanted to know what happened! I feel like pirate novels are wildly underrated and there need to be more in YA because they’re literally so interesting!! I liked how the love story wasn’t really enemies to lovers, it was more like “woman decides man who was originally unlikable has improved and might have redeeming qualities.” I really liked what we saw of Kearan’s redemption arc with alcohol addiction, it was very interesting and I wish we got to see more of that. Sorinda and Kearan had so many good moments throughout the book which I LOVED. Overall, this was just a really fun book to be able to dive into. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes YA fantasy, definitely pick it up!!

🤍 Thank you so much @turnthepagetours and @mackidsbooks for the copy of this book and letting me be on the tour for Vengeance of the Pirate Queen!🤍

I have been eagerly anticipating another Tricia Levenseller book and it delivered!

I was instantly sucked back into this world. Sorinda, our kick-butt heroine, has such an amazing story and journey. I was rooting for her from page one.

And oh swoony Kieran. I’ve loved his dynamic with Sorinda in the previous books and this one was no different.

I highly recommend picking this series up!

Steam: kissing
★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5
.
TW: murder, mild violence

A smart and stoic heroine. A fun motley crew. All the Pirate adventures! This is a great spin off if you loved the original series.

**4.5 stars**

It took me a minute to get into this one. I wasn’t sure where this story was going to go.

I really wish I would’ve reread the series before this book because I forgot so much!

I felt that the beginning of the story was very slow but it finally picked up about 40% of the way through and I liked it a lot!

I liked the FMC’s character. I know it was YA but felt it could’ve benefited from being adult with a few more adult themes!

“𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧” 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 + 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Mummy in Vengeance of the Pirate Queen.

𝘈𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘢’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘒𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘚𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯.

𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘢, 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵, 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯.

I was SO excited to read more from the world of The Daughter of the Pirate King books! I absolutely loved that duology and I’m so glad to get more of these epic sea adventures. With a new leading lady, Sorinda (an Aelin-esque assassin), this story has no shortage of action and adventure and I absolutely loved the slow burn romance. Overall, I definitely recommend this swashbuckling story to any lover of sea tales!

This was almost a 4.5, but I liked the original duo a tiny bit better.
I actually reread the first 2 before reading this one. I didn't end up having to, this would have been fine with reading them a long time ago, but I'm so glad I did. This book felt more like a spin off, it followed a different main character (Sorinda) but there were a lot of references to the relationships between the characters and plot lines in the prior books.
This book (obviously) takes place mostly on the sea. There is a lot of action, adventure and sea creatures. It was easy to follow and fun, there was a lot of nautical talk but it was "dumbed down" enough for people not familiar with the terms to understand them. Sorinda is hired by Alosa to rescue some crew that went missing and it takes them on a journey none of them were expecting. While a lot of this book did take place on the sea, some of the more important parts took place once Sorinda and crew started to figure out what happened to the missing crew members. It was exiting and action packed, but I don't want to give anything away. I was really on the edge of my seat near the end when everything seemed to be going wrong.
I really did like Sorinda. We didn't get her full story in the original duology so I loved getting to hear her backstory. She started closed off, but we really got to see her open up throughout the book. Kearan was wonderful as well, we know from the first books that he kind of has a crush on Sorinda but she is not interested. He is so patient and understanding. I think one of my favorite characters was Roslyn. Her father worked on Alosa's ship in the first books and she is his child. She stows away on Sorinda's ship and ends up being such a joy for the book.
I'm not sure if there will be more books in this series, but I would love to continue reading books set in this world!

This book was absolutely everything! I loved the initial duology, and it's been so nice to revisit this world with characters old and new. The plot was very solid in my opinion, and I am still obsessing over it, hours after I finished the book. The romance wasn't too heavy, but I still got enough to keep me satisfied. I read it in one sitting, and I can only highly recommend this!

Tricia Levenseller just doesn’t miss when it comes to pirate adventure novels!

Following the events of the “Daughter of the Pirate King” duology, “Vengeance of the Pirate Queen” centers around Sorinda Veshtas, the pirate queen’s assassin. As a newly appointed captain, Sorinda is dispatched on a rescue mission. Unfortunately, her sailing master just so happens to be Kearan Erroth, the one person attuned to her every movement in the shadows. Sadly, it’s near impossible to avoid him on a ship with few hiding places. But when the crew faces the King of the Undersea, a being who can control the dead, Sorinda’s helmsman might be the only one that can save her from becoming an undead queen.

I. Love. Sorinda. Veshtas. I always have ever since reading “Daughter of the Pirate Queen.” Now I love her even more. Levenseller never fails to create strong female characters and Sorinda might just be the fiercest one of all. Her past is revealed in bits and pieces. Once I saw the whole picture I was devastated. Her vengeance for what happened to her family is a driving force in her life and motivated her to become a weapon. At the same time, she is consumed by guilt.

Kearan is the one who helps her realize that she is worthy of life, love, and saving and that it is okay to lean on others. Their romance truly left me a sopping mess. I enjoyed watching Sorinda try to avoid him as much as possible until she could no longer ignore her budding feelings. Watching their squabbles turn into playful banter. Their reluctant love story is a beautiful one as they learn to confide in each other and accept their own flaws.

As a huge fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, I enjoyed how this book pays homage to The Curse of the Black Pearl. I was on the edge of my seat, soaring through each chapter wondering how Sorinda and her crew would defeat an army of the undead. The explosive ending does not disappoint. This swashbuckling adventure fulfilled all of my pirate loving dreams!

Sorinda is accustomed to being a pirate assassin, hiding in the shadows and killing all who threaten her queen, Alosa. But now Alosa needs Sorinda to come out of the shadows and captain a ship in order to find some of her missing spies. Even worse, Kearan - a man that Sorinda helped conquer rum and is now a pain in her butt - is chosen as helmsman. Things take a bad turn when they crash on a frozen land and accidentally wake the King of the Undersea - an immortal with the power to make the dead walk. Can Sorinda and Kearan destroy the threat before it's too late?

Okay yeah, this was pretty great! Vengeance of the Pirate Queen quickly throws you back into a familiar world with familiar characters. This book follows Sorinda's POV as they go on another adventure, with her as Captain! She showed character growth by the end. I loved how fast paced and action packed this story was. There was always something interesting happening. I loved how morally grey so many of the characters were. I mean, pirates. Duh. I definitely recommend this one to fans of The Daughter of the Pirate King duology.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“You can’t be afraid of the dark when you’re the light keeping the shadows at bay.”

I swear every Tricia Levenseller book I have read has been so good (4 ⭐ and above)! Her YA fantasies include strong young women and supportive love interests and I am here for it!

Sorinda is a pirate assassin with a traumatic past. She prefers to hide in the shadows and keep to herself, but when her Queen appoints her as Captain and sends her out on a rescue mission, Sorinda has to come out of her comfort zone and become a leader. She also has to deal with the helmsman Kearan, a big brute that always seems to see her to her core.


As they head out on this adventure, they encounter magical sea creatures, siren artifacts, and an enemy they did not expect and are not sure how to defeat. While the book starts out a bit slow at first, it picks up in terms of the action and keeps you guessing how it will all end.

“Your smiles are rarer than diamonds and infinitely more precious.”
“Don’t quit piracy to become a poet.”

I have been waiting for Sorinda and Kearan’s story since I read the Daughter of the Pirate King duology and fell in love with them as side characters. This book did not disappoint! I loved everything about their slow burn romance and both their character developments were just *chef’s kiss*.

If you’re a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Mummy, you will love this standalone book!

“You are worthy of saving. You are worthy of life, […] You are good. You are capable. You are worthy of love, Sorinda.”

Things I loved:

⚓ Sirens & magical artifacts
⚓ Adventure & found family
⚓ Slow burn romance
⚓ Alosa & Riden cameos

Well. This was a twisty, turn adventure! I binged the first two books in this world and was SO excited to get this audio for Pirate Queen just before a long road trip. I was all in with sea monsters, the white walkers and Sorinda. We all loved Sorinda and Kearan in the first two books and getting to see their story come together was so much fun. It was like coming into a comfortable world, but with all new games and rules. This is billed as The Mummy meets Pirates of the Caribbean and I am going to level that up with a layer of Game of Thrones. This is fast, fun and perfect for readers of all ages.

{4.25/5}

CW: violence, references to rape, references to suicidal thoughts, trauma

Read as an ARC via NetGalley. Book publishes November 7, 2023.

Apparently, it’s entirely possible to enjoy a spin-off even more than the original content.

It’s been a year since Pirate Queen Alosa established her rule, and assassin Sorinda has spent a good deal of it doling out death on the Queen’s behalf. But when a group of the Queen’s pirates go missing, she sends Sorinda to bring them home. Uncomfortable with being the captain, and even more unhappy about Kearan’s presence as her helmsman, Sorinda sets off to uncharted frozen waters to bring the girls home.

Listen, I know authors are always striving to outdo their last work, to grow and improve as they tell their stories, but this is just ridiculous. How can a spin-off standalone end up so much better than book 1? And can I have more?? Let’s break it down.

The characters: We already know Sorinda and Kearan from books 1 and 2, and honestly I couldn’t be more pleased that Sorinda got her own book. It’s hard to argue with ‘lethal pirate assassin’ being the MC. The fact that we get to see why she is the way she is, and that we get to see her motivations and her driving forces really helps build out her character. Plus, the character growth throughout the book? Delightful. The rest of the crew and the other characters we see along the way add to the rich, colorful life that you would expect a pirate to have, and it’s just a lot of fun.

The setting: One of the biggest complaints I had about book 1 was how limited and kind of flat the environment felt at times. It was extremely limited, and it felt like we didn’t get to see as much as one might have hoped. Book 2 made great strides in remedying this issue, giving us multiple locations and a better grounding point in the main ship. Book 3? Book 3 said ‘hold my sword’ and absolutely *demolished* those issues. The improvement is glorious, and it made the story all the better for it.

Finally, the plot: Is it a pirate adventure? A romance? A paranormal mystery? Yes to all of the above. While you still won’t see me arguing for the series to win ‘most involved/higher level plot of the year’ any time soon, the story itself felt well rounded and thoroughly developed. Where book 1 felt a bit surface level, and book 2’s ending felt rushed, this one finally felt like it hit every marker every time. It’s fast paced, but it didn’t feel like anything got left out. I was engaged the whole time, and the resolution was satisfactory. It’s roughly the same length as the other two books, but it feels like the space was utilized much more effectively.

I still can’t definitively place the series reading level, but I feel comfortable saying this one should stay the NA/Adult realms. There’s a lot of violent death (literally a pirate assassin as the MC; it’s a reasonable thing to expect), but Sorinda’s backstory is also fairly graphic and brutal. The girl’s got some major issues (again, not a surprise), and while I think YA audiences would have no trouble with the reading level, the maturity level is just a bit higher than I would say most should be exposed to. Overall, it’s an excellent book, just not one to go into expecting kittens and rainbows.

All things considered, I’m incredibly pleased to have gotten a chance to read this story early. You could probably read it without having read the other two books, but I would recommend reading them all in order to get the most out of this one. “Vengeance of the Pirate Queen” is out November 7!

Sorinda finally gets her turn!

After a ship carrying Alosa's spies goes missing, Sorinda is sent to captain a rescue mission. She has a wonderful crew, even if she has to take the deplorable Kearan with her. Kearan is the only one who has been in the area where the missing ship was last known to be, and he is the only one of Alosa's crew to have survived the monster targeting sailors who dare sail those waters. For the good of the mission, Sorinda is determined to withstand his presence and rescue the missing pirates.

As they travel farther and farther north, the environment turns against them. And when the crew start to disappear just like on other ships who have been through, Sorinda is determined to save her sailors. Bad events become worse, and the ship is attacked. Can Sorinda and Kearan save their crew and return to the Pirate Queen?

Kearan and Sorinda's slow burn romance is perfect for this story. As Sorinda deals with her inner demons, Kearan is the perfect foil of patience and strength for her. The character development and action of the story is well written, and the descriptions of the world keep the reader well involved in the tale.

A great new addition for those who love Levenseller's previous works, along with fans of Mary Pearson and Robin LaFevers.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book.

Vengeance of the Pirate Queen by Tricia Levenseller is the third installment in the Daughter of the Pirate King series. Sorinda, an assassin and friend of the pirate queen, is tasked with handpicking a crew for a rescue mission. Not only is Sorinda uncomfortable with being captain, but the addition of helmsman Kearan complicates matters because he is drawn to her, which makes her feel awkward and ill at ease. The crew faces dangerous sea creatures and a powerful king who can raise and control the dead.

In the previous novels, Sorinda plays a supporting role, and little is known about her character. In this novel, Levenseller dives into Sorinda's mysterious past. Readers will see her character change throughout the novel from someone who is damaged and feels unworthy of love to a strong woman starting to heal and understand that her past does not define her.

I enjoyed reading this novel. It drew me in from the beginning, and I found the story of Sorinda compelling and suspenseful. I also appreciate that while she is a great assassin, she still makes mistakes and can't always fight her way out of everything—an easy five stars for me.

“Killing is easy. The tricky part is being quiet. Being patient. Waiting for the right moment. That’s what makes me good at my job. Being an assassin is not always about the easy kill. It’s about the best kill.”

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Why do I love a female assassin? And pirates? This was a definite read for me. I mean, look at that cover!

“The only thing deadlier than the Pirate Queen is her assassin.”

I read Daughter of a Pirate King a while back and loved it, so when the new editions came out for the whole series, I knew I needed them. I’m such a sucker! But I have loved or very much enjoyed everything Levenseller has written. She has become and auto-buy author for me. As a side note, this book can be stand-alone. It does not need to be read with the others but it is set in the same world with a few of the same characters.

I love a book that focuses on a ship at sea. There is something magical about it. Sorinda is oddly not tasked with killing someone for her Queen, but to captain a ship for a rescue mission. Sorinda has her doubts and misgivings about why she should do it but her loyalty comes through and she agrees. Unfortunately, Kearan is on the ship too, a man she cannot stand. Being on a ship that long with him is something she dreads.

During their adventure, they spend time on land, they find an ancient cave being guarded and are attacked by a sea creature. The adventure was never short with this story. The sea creature was my favorite as you could see just what type of people they are. And who doesn’t love a life-threatening scene where everyone is fighting for their lives? But the biggest twist came for me with the cave and the ancient king and all that it brought to Sorinda. It felt slightly out of place for the pirate story but it was still entertaining. And what would you know, I actually liked the romance in this one. It was small but well done.

AUDIO REVIEW: Fabulous! Krissi Bohn did a great job of instilling excitement when necessary, disgust at Kearan and terror in many life-threatening or life-changing situations. I love an audio that makes me find things to do so I can keep listening!

Thank you to Feiwel and Friends, NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the copies!

The book releases November 17, 2023.

This was such a charming spin off stand alone to daughter of the pirate king! It was so charming and had a fun plot. f!grumpy/m!grumpy sunshine is such an unexplored trope 🫶🏼

Set in the world of the Daughter of the Pirate King, this one focuses more on Sorinda, an 18-year-old assassin who works for Alosa (the pirate queen).

Although this one has a different protagonist, I’d recommend that you’ve read the other two first! It will just give you the context that will help you out here.

I remember back in 2017 when I first read Daughter of the Pirate King and I was immediately entranced by how unique it was reading a pirate adventure novel at the time. As I revisited this series this year, all the joy and excitement from this series came back to me like it was yesterday. In this new installment, Vengeance of the Pirate Queen follows one of Alosa’s most trusted members and best friend, Sorinda, as she goes on a rescue quest and captains her own ship and crew. Filled with the same romantic tension from Daughter of the Pirate King and a vividly imagined world setting that was expanded from Daughter of the Siren Queen, fans will enjoy the level of internal dialogue and high-octane action as much as I did. I am so thankful to not only Tricia for bringing some of my favorite characters back to life but also to the fans who find delight in how riveting and action-packed this series is. Vengeance of the Pirate Queen is a fantastic addition to the series.

I adore the first two books in this series so I was so excited to be back in this world! Sorinda and Kearan are fantastic layered, often dark characters (I suppose you would be, being a pirate), and I loved their story. It has all the swashbuckling adventure you’d want from a good pirate book, romance, and a run in with a new bad guy who is a little hard to get rid of.