When I saw lesbian pirates, I immediately requested this book. I loved the premise of this book, but I found the way the plot was written left me wanting a bit more. I wanted more focus on the intensity of the action scenes. Even though I enjoyed the book, I wasn't rooting for the characters very much, and I think the author could have given the side characters more personality and written outside of their personality archetypes. Overall it was a 3 stars. It has not been super memorable, but I enjoyed it when I read it.

This was such a fun and engaging read! There were two plotlines happening in parallel which converge at the end, each plot following one sister, and it was so much fun to see their contrasting storylines and their near misses and their eventual character resolutions!

Also, also! This book has both an ace/aro MC as well as a plus sized MC, so the representation really is win-win 🥲 it was done really well imo!

TWs - violence, murder

-- ty to the author, the publisher and @coloredpagesbt for an advanced copy!

Squash buckling adventure, YA fantasy, seafaring sisters Ophelia and Betsy Young, Pirates of the Caribbean meets Little women vibes.

This is one of the best books I’ve read all year. It was so un-put-downable and filled with one conflict after another, never giving us a lull in the action. It’s a good commentary on how assuming the worst about someone makes it true, and how a guy who seems like a good person can really change their tune when a woman says no.

Fed up with a lifetime of mistreatment from superstitious locals due to her infamous pirate queen mother, Ophelia Young, the pirate queen’s illegitimate child, decides it’s time to break free from the shackles of her mother’s legacy. Rescued from a hostile crowd by a naval officer, Ophelia sees an opportunity to join the navy, hoping to step out of the shadow her mother has cast on her. Little does she know, life at sea is far from the honourable escape she envisioned.

Enter Betsy Young, Ophelia’s timid half-sister with dreams of a peaceful life and love. Devastated by a rejected marriage proposal and Ophelia’s enlistment, Betsy’s world crumbles further when their father falls seriously ill. Forced to bring Ophelia back to save the family business, Betsy unravels a shocking secret: Ophelia enlisted under Betsy’s name. Now, to protect her sister from the authorities and a deadly crew, Betsy must navigate treacherous waters during hurricane season, risking it all to ensure their safe return home.

Set your sails and let’s ride into adventure!

Ophelia intrigued me from the very first page and I immediately connected with. We learn that Ophelia is aroace (which was weaved well into the times that this book plays in) and just wants to get out of the shadow of her mother. But nothing is as easy as it seems and Ophelia learns a whole lot more about the navy and what they consider to be honourable—which isn’t a lot more than a smoke screen for the wide public. Betsy, similarly, was someone I took a liking to straight away. She is a fat young woman who also lives with anxiety (we love to see that in any book but in fantasy even more) and is incredibly talented at needlework but is often overlooked. Together, they’re a powerhouse.

I loved the sibling bonds in this. Though we don’t get to see Ophelia and Betsy interact as much as I would have liked, their love for each other rang true throughout the story. Even when they were arguing, you could tell it came from a place of love and worry for each other rather than actual anger. The way they fight for each other will make you want to hug your sibling (or at the very least, be nice to them for a whole five minutes before antagonising them again).

What I also enjoyed was how heavy this book was on the dialogue. Often in fantasy we have quite a lot of worldbuilding happening in retellings or inner monologue, but here we get tidbits of the world and how it works (and how Ophelia is seen by the wide population) through dialogue which gave everything a more dynamic feel that paired well with the plot.

While the secondary characters could have used a bit more fleshing out, I still had a great time with following Ophelia and Betsy on their journey.

A must for fans of pirate adventures, The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray is a fun fantasy tale with sisterly bonds that will make your heart soar.

I love stories about siblings and the love between them. This book is a journey of thrilling adventure, family bonds, and self-discovery amidst the backdrop of the high seas. This is an action-packed story about two sisters discovering who they are and who they want to be.

Ophelia's longing for freedom from the shadows of her mother's infamous legacy propels her into the unforgiving world of the navy, where she grapples with the harsh realities of life at sea and the constant threat of discovery. Meanwhile, Betsy's quiet resilience and determination to protect her family propel her into unexpected peril as she embarks on a journey to save her sister.

There are numerous diverse perspectives with representation spanning across various identities and experiences. There is plenty of diversity with an asexual main character, an agoraphobic plus-sized main character, a sapphic side romance, and a bipoc love interest.

While the antagonists lean towards the archetypal and the moral dilemmas may be presented in a more black/white manner, the heartwarming portrayal of sibling love and the adventures on the high seas make this book a captivating read for younger audiences (14+) and lovers of pirate tales alike.

This was a fun read and I really enjoyed being on the tour. Thanks to TBR and Beyond Tours, the publisher, and the author for the copy. This review is based on a complimentary pre-released copy and it is voluntary.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars.

PIRATES. Look, I'm a sucker for a pirate book like this. Like, the cover??? Anyways, I overall enjoyed this and how it dealt with half-sisters Betsy and Ophelia both making a place for themselves in society (very much during the piracy/colonial era). Betsy finds her voice while Ophelia breaks free of the "curse" her notorious pirate mother left on her. There's a lot of treachery and treason Ophelia and Betsy witness.

It did feel really slow at first and then really rushed at the end. The romance aspect was also not really uhhhhhh good? Like, instalove because you're in a cell next to him is just like what???

I did enjoy it though...it is a good swashbuckling read.

Storms and pirates are nothing compared to the evil within men’s hearts.

🌊 Set sail on a swashbuckling adventure with “The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray” by Christine Calella! Join Ophelia Young, a fearless daughter of a notorious pirate queen, as she defies the odds and charts her own destiny.

📖: The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray
🖊️: @christinecalella
🗓️: 4/9/24
⭐️: 5 of 5

⚓️ Against all odds, Ophelia sets sail into the unknown, determined to carve her own path and prove her worth beyond the legacy of her notorious mother.

But when her plans take an unexpected turn, it’s up to her unlikely sister Betsy to navigate the stormy seas of family loyalty and redemption.

Filled with twists, turns, and daring escapades, this book is a thrilling reminder that courage and determination can conquer anything.

Don’t miss this inspiring tale of sisterhood, bravery, and the power of second chances!

——————————————————————

I was captivated by Ophelia’s unwavering resilience and her unwavering commitment to staying true to herself amidst the challenges she faced.

The bond between Ophelia and her sister Betsy adds a touching layer of depth to the narrative, reminding us of the power of love and loyalty.

With shocking twists that kept me on the edge of my seat, this action-packed pirate adventure is a must-read for anyone craving an adrenaline-fueled escape into the high seas! 🌊

Thank you for the gifted copy @pagestreetya

Unfortunately, the formatting of the galley that was sent to me is unreadable, and the font is too small for me to process. I have visual processing issues reading from screens sometimes, and this font was just not gonna happen. I'm still very excited about this book, and I'll likely pick up a physical copy at some point. It's too bad this didn't work out.

Thank you Colored Pages Book Tours and Page Street YA for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray is a dark YA novel about pirates, adventures at sea, sisterhood and curses. It's the dual POV story of Ophelia Cray, daughter of the infamous Pirate Queen who wants to find her place in the Royal Navy, and her half-sister Betsy, an introverted girl who is scared to leave the house most of the time, but won't hesitate to when it comes to saving her sister. The two girls face their own adventures and misadventures at sea, and readers get to explore the naval world through their very distinct perspectives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! While some parts made me squeamish, due to graphic torture and fight scenes, I otherwise found myself really immersed in the story. The main characters were really well fleshed out and had their own, very distinctive voices. Ophelia is a fiery and determined young woman, who has felt hated most of her life and wants to find her safe place. It was quite admirable how she stayed true to herself and her beliefs, even when circumstances around her tested her and pushed her in different directions. I also loved the way her aro/ace identity was repeatedly implied and addressed. Betsy has a great character development arc and really endeared herself to me! She loves sewing dresses and is a wonder at it (thank goodness for that - you will see!), and she won't let anything stop her when it comes to saving her sister - not even her fear of strangers and the outside world.

My favourite parts have to be the times when the sisters are together and the scenes on a mysterious island you will encounter later in the book. I wish more time was spent there and with those new characters, as I was so intrigued by them!

What to expect?
⚓️ adventures at sea
🏴‍☠️ pirates
✨️ curses?
🏳️‍🌈 aro/ace MC
💗 cute romance
⚔️ betrayal

(This review will be posted on my Instagram tomorrow. Instagram.com/bookish_martina )

The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray is a fun debut about two sisters who love each other but are very different, Ophelia wants to be a pirate, and Betsy enjoys the comfort of home. It's a short fast-paced adventure where there is everything, action, mystery, pirates! sibling love, and likable and realistic characters.

Ophelia is the daughter of a famous and feared pirate, she feels cursed, in her town everyone fears and despises her, except for her father, stepmother, and stepsister, but she wants to get out of the shadow of her mother (whom she does not know). ) wants adventures and to make her path. While Betsy is happy with her life, she is calmer and more creative, she is a fashion designer, who makes her wardrobe and Ophelia's too.

It's a short fast-paced adventure, with 2POV, the cover is cute and was the first thing that caught my attention, but the story has a couple of bloody and slightly strong violent scenes that I didn't see coming (nothing shocking, but I wasn't expecting it).

From the beginning there is a lot of action, Ophelia and Betsy will be very different but if they have something in common it’s that they are both brave, strong, and loyal, both seeking their path and facing situations they did not expect, both make mistakes, learn and grow as people. They leave their comfort zone and meet new people, my favorite part was the bond between them, but I also liked meeting the crew

Overall, it's a fun story, with realistic characters who are stubborn but likable, and also diverse, Ophelia is aro and Betsy has anxiety.

Thanks for the free book! @coloredpagesbt"

Read it if you want:
• Pirates!
• Sisterhood
• Adventure

What I enjoyed the most about The Final Curse of Ophelia Cray was a combination of adventure, sisterhood, and responsibility. If you're looking to be swept away by pirates, battles, and questionable ethics this is for you. There's a bit of sabotage, trickery, and running from the law. As someone who could never be on a ship, seriously don't even try to get me on that boat, I always admire and have a blast reading nautical adventures. But what I also enjoyed were the perspectives of Betsy and Ophelia.

An adventurous pirate-y read with a character I felt easy getting behind and rooting for from the beginning. The adventure was faster paced and full of interesting characters - I would recommend this read :)

Overall Impressions: I’m generally shocked this is a YA novel. I guess the main characters are teenagers but there was so much graphic murder, torture, gore, etc. The storyline is generally coming-of-age, though. Overall I found this to be very readable, action-packed, and with an interesting examination of what it means to be family. However, the pacing and overall structure felt a little off, which made portions less enjoyable.

Worldbuilding: We don’t know a ton about the world this is set in. There are a series of island nations, ruled by some sort of colonizing force, with the island our MCs come from a penal colony. There are a lot of awful naval characters doing bad things but I wouldn’t say this really delves into any political or structural implications. Some dialogue on class consciousness but it felt a little out of place given that Ophelia is aligned with the working class but comes from a very wealthy family.

Characters: Ophelia (presumably on the ace spectrum) and Betsy (who has anxiety) are half-sisters who fight and resent each other but still deeply care for one another and ultimately find their way to a greater understanding. Side characters include a sapphic couple with minor page time and a host of other pirates and naval crew. Most characters outside of the main ones felt two dimensional (especially the villains, who were very exaggerated) but a few were fleshed out.

Plot: So, I generally enjoyed the plotlines of this. if you just look at the beginning point and the end point, I’d say it had a very satisfying resolution and a lot of work to get there. however, things got fairly convoluted in the middle. Also, incredibly bloody and gory. there was SO MUCH MURDER in this book which I truly wasn’t expecting from the cover/blurb.

Pacing/prose: Prose was fine, very readable. Pacing was great at the start and quick in the end bht dragged in the middle part of the book. A few too many scenes of battles, mutiny, torture, and murder all started to blur together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

A tale of sisterhood and piracy. Ophelia is cursed to bear the name and looks of her mother, the pirate queen Ophelia Cray. The inhabitants of the island where she lives and grew up hate her because of this. I understood Ophelia’s resentment. I don’t see why Betsy was confused on why her sister didn’t want to live there anymore. If everyone hated you, why would you want to live there? Also why would her father name her after someone that everyone hated. Did he not know that she would be bullied her entire life? He said he did it because that’s what she wanted, but does it really matter what someone who dumped a baby on your doorstep wanted? Eliza was super chill with that by the way. She’s the real MVP of this story.

There was a lot more action and murder her than I thought there would be. A lot of gore and dying. The cover made it seem like there was way more piracy going on than there really is, which was a bit disappointing. I don’t know if in the end I liked the crew. They were all so wishy washy. I liked that Ophelia is asexual, even though that’s not really said. She just doesn’t like to kiss and isn’t interested in boys.

There were parts where I was so confused on what was happening. Like something would happen and I didn’t think there was any logic to it at all. I also did not like the romance between Ravi and Betsy. Yes they were cute but it just happened. And she said she loved him after like a day. I can never really get behind insta love. At least he was sweet and kind and didn’t have any faults to him.

The villains were so vile I was rooting for their downfall. The evil within men’s hearts is real. I did enjoy this story in the long run. The second half was so engaging I was speed reading it. I just hated how some things seemed rushed so the logic wasn’t all there for me. Also love the rich kid privilege at the end which Ophelia rightfully called out. I would have somehow snuck into his house and punched him in the head if I was her.

On paper this book sounded like something I would enjoy. But there was something with the writing style that never made the story catch my interest. Not to mention a slow start and some at times very bland feeling characters. The structure also wasn’t solid, as in the first chapter there were constant changes in pov without any warnings. There was potential to the book, and I loved the ace/aro rep. But for me, The Finale Curse of Ophelia Cray wanted to be many, but just ended up being a muddled mix of it all.

I loved this book. The two sisters are fantastic. They appear to be very different, but they are brave, courageous, and rebels in their own way. One is sweet. The other is a storm. One is a natural diplomat, and the other is a ruthless leader. I love how they journey and grow as characters, and the narrator (Jessy Vilinsky) is perfect for this novel.
Love a pirate adventure book, but this is much more. Don't miss that author's dedication at the beginning, and always keep a lighter with you, ahah. Awesome.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

THIS STORY WAS INCREDIBLE. I can already hear people saying that there were too many plot twists/too much going on to follow the story properly but... seriously? It's about pirates and politics and I LOVED IT. This was all the fun of Pirates of the Caribbean but with a lot more women as the main characters! I loved Ophelia and was so excited when she was able to meet the other Ophelia's! (I knew there had to be other Ophelia's and I was glad to be proven right). Ophelia's sisters were just as wild and fun and loyal as she was and I was really glad Ophelia got to meet them. I also loved Betsy to death. Her story arc was one of the best I've read this year. She was selfless and brave in the face of danger and I was excited to watch her grow and speak up for herself. This was such a fun story and I really wish there was more to it than this! I'm definitely going to buy a physical copy of this when it comes out.

I did not finish this book because I found it really hard to get into. There was also a specific scene right after the proposal dinner that I found super upsetting. The way Betsy is degraded by everyone around her because she has anxiety is triggering so I will not be continuing the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pirates of the Caribbean walked so The Final Curse of Ophelia Gray could run!

This book was everything! Pirates, strong women, and the bond of sisterhood. It's a must read for the year!

Ophelia and Betsy are contrasting yet equally lovable characters. Both flawed and passionate, they are easy to root for and care about. Ophelia is an asexual icon who just wants to sail the seas (I mean, deep down, aren't we all?). Betsy loves to a fault and fights ferociously for those she cares about.

The story is fast paced with plenty of turns and surprises that drives the story and makes you eagerly turn each page. The twists had me. Should I have seen them coming? Probably. But I was so caught up in the story, that an audible "noooo" left my mouth at some of the plot twists. The book is written in dual POV and switches between the sisters at each chapter.

Trigger warnings for lots of violence, but the author has included a gentle disclaimer in the beginning of the book. While there is gore, it's direct and to the point, not drawn out for the sake of sensationalism that so many authors fall into the trap of. It serves its point and furthers the plot of the book, and then it's moved on from.