Firstly, I want to thank the publisher for letting me read this on NetGalley. Unfortunately, I must give it a 1 star as I had to DNF it. I ended up getting about 40% of the way through before giving in, even though I was considering it about 20% in. This makes me very sad as the premise of the novel is incredibly intriguing, I just... had issues. (I'll do my best not to spoil anything)

One of the first issues I had happened early on. The story is told retrospectively by an adult, I'm assuming at least 30 years old, but at least 18. It's about when he was 13. The love interest is incredibly obvious, which isn't an issue. The issue comes when this adult man starts describing his love interest. Granted, he was 13, she was 13-ish, and it was fine. Sort of. Because it's told in a retrospective, it's a grown man creepily describing a tween girl. It was incredibly uncomfortable. Not to mention that there were some weird misogynistic undertones at the start.

Next was the dialogue. I am, admittedly, obsessed with good dialogue. Now, the content of the dialogue itself was fine. It wasn't the most natural sounding (especially when the boy gets heckled for "dating" the love interest, or some other parts where the MC gets cold feet) but it was solid. The problem is that literally Every. Single. Piece. of Dialogue. Had a tag. In 40%, I couldn't find a single section of dialogue that didn't get bogged down by "said" "screamed" or some atmospheric description. At a couple points, the author interrupted the conversations with full paragraphs of the MC's thoughts or world-building (in a "get me out of a white void" sort of way rather than "history of _" sort of way)

That brings me to my next point. There was so much exposition that it was a drag. I think it was chapter 5 that was just exposition. There's one character we learn about for like 3 chapters through the description that the Captain gives us. I was 40% in and hadn't met her.

Related, I was 40% in and the action was just starting. It took 2 whole chapters to get moving prior to the action. And I still hadn't met the magic outside of some very simple items and a LOT of description. I was waiting and wondering and wanting for the magic that the MC talks about early on but I just didn't find it. I shouldn't be 40% of the way through a book before I just start touching on one of the main concepts of the world.

I suppose it boils down to: I found this story incredibly slow-moving, it had pacing I didn't enjoy, and there were undertones that made me (as a woman) incredibly uncomfortable.

I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards.

A fun adventure! Very well written and kept my interest the entire time, even as a YA novel. I would recommend this for my students.

I DNF'd this at 25%, after forcing myself to continue repeatedly past multiple points I wanted to give it up. There's no justification for the kids to go with Captain Kid, he doesn't make it sound fun, adventurous, or exciting and his Marshall is condescending and mocking toward them. There's no justification for Captain Kid or the Marshall to *want* the kids along. The structure of the worlds is not written in a way that made any sense to me, which it all hangs on. Sexist like the 100 Cupboards books by ND Wilson. Christian but it's not mentioned in the blurb. Writing style doesn't feel ready for publication. Just not recommended.