Meg Caddy

If you love Keira Knightly’s character in Pirates of the Caribbean then you would most definitely enjoy this book. What’s even better – Anne Bonny was a real person and she is fierce, sometimes recklessly so. Anne’s situation still echoes in varying degrees in the women of today. More so for Read, I wasn’t expecting this book to touch on LGBTQ issues but it’s more realistically approached.

In Devil’s Ballast, you can tell how much research the author had done – especially into show more ships, sailing, and general locations. Between her descriptions and movies, I have seen imagining the environments Anne found herself in was easy.

I loved this portrayal of Anne, she knew what she wanted, she went for it and consequences be damned. Her spirit is what kept her alive through everything she endured during this book. Even the strongest people have doubts and fears and Anne isn’t a character that shies from the full spectrum of her feelings. Even though Calico Jack is more infamous he took a back seat in Devil’s Ballast. I wasn’t fully expecting Read’s character to play out as it did but he made a lot more sense after his twist. All of the characters in this book were easy to connect with as they are very human. The only one I struggled with was Captain Barnet – his back story didn’t quite feel like enough to make him such a pirate hunting zealot but that too is human. Who is to say what could push a person towards that extreme? I’ve seen it happen with less trauma.

I would highly recommend reading this book to readers who enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean, pirates, historical fiction, strong female protagonists, and nautical novels. A big thank you to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the opportunity to read Devil’s Ballast as a digital ARC – all opinions are my own. show less

Devil's Ballast is about Anne (Andrew) Bonny who is dressed as a 14 year old boy on Captain Calico's pirate ship in order to get away from her abusive husband. On the Ranger, Bonny has made some enemies, but they weren't quite as dangerous as Captain Jonathan Barnet who is on a mission to capture Calico and his crew due to his hatred of pirates.

I enjoyed this book and how Bonny was a strong female lead. While I did think some of her actions were annoying and questionable in the beginning, show more she was an overall likeable character. I thought the trans representation was well done considering that the book is set in the 1700's. The way that everything happened felt very natural and normal rather than forced. My favorite character was Read because I feel like I can relate to him. In a world where he was surrounded by chaotic and sometimes shitty people, he really did his best to live his life the way that he felt was best and I think that's very admirable. show less

Even though I enjoyed "Devil's Ballast", I didn't love it. I liked Bonny's character; she was feisty and tough, and the fact she was a female pirate made her even more interesting. However, I didn't find the romance between her and Calico believable but the friendship between her and Read was a highlight. In fact, it was my favourite part of the whole story. Overall, a fun read.

"Slipping the Noose" was as good as "Devil's Ballast", if not slightly better, although I was disappointed with the ending. The reason I haven't given Slipping the Noose a higher rating was that the novel needed better editing as it was spoilt by modernisms which grated on my nerves considering it was a historical setting.

However, I liked that the novel was narrated by both Read and Bonny, and there was certainly lots of action, danger and mayhem. Overall, an entertaining read.