Lintang and the Pirate Queen

While the story started off a little slow it quickly pulled me in and I could not put it down! Twelve year old Lintang is mischievous and constantly scolded by her mother. Her best friend Bayani is well-behaved but often persuaded into adventures by Lintang. She longs to leave her island and explore the world finally getting her chance when Captain Shafira needs her on the Winda to pass by a sea guardian. Lintang’s penchant for not listening results in tremendous problems with the Captain and the rest of the crew. The characters and their personalities are well developed along with the world author Tamara Moss created that includes Mythies. Throughout the book there are entries describing a mythie as found in the Mythie Guidebook. A show more rousing fantasy with a strong willed, imperfect female character who realizes her potential as she matures and finds her place on the Winda. Looking forward to continuing the series and finding more books written by Tamara Moss. show less

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Lintang series. I got an ARC of this book from Amazon Vine to review.

Story (4/5): This was a well done story with a lot of adventure. Lintang desperately wants to leave her home island and join Captain Shafira on her ship. When Lintang gets her wish, she ends up knee deep in the mythology of her world and the mystery behind mythies and why they appeared. This is a fun story that takes place mostly on a pirate ship. There is a lot of adventure and a mystery that is solved.

Characters (4/5): The characters were decent and fairly engaging. Lintang comes off as overly rash at times. Some of the crew on Captain Shafira’s ship are a bit over-characterized and because of the number of crew show more these characters aren’t filled out very well. This is aimed at middle grade readers and I think both Lintang and Bayani will appeal more to kids than adults.

Setting (5/5): This is set in an interesting fantasy world where a massive event resulted in the appearance of dangerous mythological creatures called “mythies”. The world building is very well done and excellent background is provided to really make this world come alive for the reader.

Writing Style (4/5): The writing style was easy to read and engaging. Between every few chapters there is a small section that describes a mythie and that mythie’s characteristics. This is written at an easier reading level and is definitely appropriate for middle grade aged readers.

Summary (4/5): Overall this was a solid middle grade read full of adventure, some mystery, and set in an intriguing and well thought-out world. I read this out loud with my 13 year old son and we both enjoyed it. This is aimed at middle grade readers and I think that age group will enjoy this more than adults, the language and plot and is fairly simple throughout. show less

I highly recommend the audiobook! Lintang is a bold, brave, and loyal kid who gets in trouble nonstop and hates the idea of the stifling life plans her community holds for her. When the real Pirate Queen of her dreams visits her island, Lintang seizes on the chance to join her and begin new adventures. Excellent characters and twists and turns made this even more fun than I expected.