Reviews

Prisoners of a Pirate Queen by Marshall J. Moore

mountain_reads's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

_karinaiello_'s review

4.0

I love these cozy tales from Marshall J. Moore so stinking much. Thank you, Marshall, for allowing me to be one of your ARC readers again. It was such a pleasure. The first one in this series was a wonderful introduction to Captain Redbeard and his wily crew. This story breaks off a few crew along with the trusty ol' Captain for a new adventure on the high sea. Along the way, there will be storms, and hijinks, and maybe a pesky Pirate Queen, but who is the *real* villain? How will Ol' Redbeard get his friends out of trouble, and who will come to the rescue? There will be some surprises, but you will not be surprised at how much you smile as you go along (spoiler alert: your cheeks might hurt from grinning!)

(Also, if you love Our Flag Means Death, you will LOVE this book.)

mcelmoore's review

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book was so funny and charming. Prisoners certainly has more adventure than the first book, but does not lose the cozy heart and beautiful prose that made Son of a Sailor so wonderful. I loved being able to see each character grow and see how their relationships changed from book 1, particularly Quint’s relationships with Lurk, Ophelia, and Vanessa. Reading these books, I’m starting to believe that the best kind of found family is a pirate found family.

If the first book is about coming home, family, and relying on community to navigate through grief, then this sequel is about legacy, second chances, and reconciling your beliefs with your actions. When you stick a carefree pirate captain, a mercurial pirate queen who wants to tear down an empire, and an ambitious naval officer on a deserted island together, you can expect it’ll take some effort to reconcile differences and change hearts.

Note that if you enjoyed the Quint/Vanessa storyline in book 1, you absolutely must read this sequel and then join me in demanding that the author write a prequel book about them. I need more of their story!

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys reading books that make you laugh out loud while also feeling like you’ve been wrapped in a big cozy blanket by a beach bonfire.

kellywriting's review

5.0

Prisoners of a Pirate Queen absolutely lives up to its predecessor - and then some. Opening up the world beyond Ember Bay, this book joins Quint and his crew as they pull of their next heist, landing - surprise! - in the brig of the pirate queen Margherita herself. This book strikes a lovely balance of cozy fantasy and high seas adventure, with a sprinkling of slow burn romance and a whole heaping of absolutely delightful found family. The pacing shifts at times, but it works because I was just happy to be along for the ride the whole time.

nadgtz's review

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

 We follow again Captain Redbeard's crew and ... another crew with a badass woman as their Captain. As for the first volume, it was super nice to read, the only thing to know is that here, half of the book (maybe more) takes place on land.
A 3rd book has been announced and I could not be more happy as the title seems to reveal that it will focus on our friends against the Empire (hopefully I am not wrong).

katrina_ingram's review

4.5

Thank you to the author for supplying an arc of this book for me to read and review

I loved this book!!! The story continued in the best way possible with us spending time with the crew, so lots more lurk. It also meant we got to see more of Ophelia which I was really pleased about and Vanessa too which was nice. I loved some of the new characters, Tarja especially she’s hilarious and has been added to my list of fictional characters I’d invite to my tea party :) I was sad that we didn’t get as much time on ember bay but that doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of this adventure and there wasn’t enough space for both. Basically I love all the characters 😂 I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as son of a sailor but I think that was purely down to timing, I love pirate stories in the summer and wintery Christmas stories in December, otherwise this is top notch and I will be rereading in the future!! 

eboycourt1's review

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

4.5

thecottagebookworm's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

morgue_reads's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I thought I loved Son of Sailor, I loved this even more.  This book strikes the perfect balance of cozy fantasy and pirate action.  Prisoners of a Pirate Queen takes a more serious tone throughout the first half of the book, finishing strong on heartwarming (tear jerking for me!) notes.  The strong themes from Son of a Sailor of found family, finding oneself, and overcoming grief are ever present within this second book in fantastic ways. I continue to be so pleasantly surprised by how fun, heartwarming, and enjoyable Marshall J Moore’s writing is.  

Thanks so much to the author for the ARC of this book, I cannot wait to read what comes next! ✨ 

chaoticbrainperson's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

ARC review:
I really enjopyed the storylines and it was an overall cozy read. If you are looking for cozy pirate stories I can only recommend this book :)
Please note, that while you can read this as a standalone, I would highly recommend reading "Son of a Sailor" first, to get most of the inside jokes and the many references that are dropped :)