The Wicked Ship (Oceanforged #1) (Amelia Mellor, Affirm)

Amelia Mellor follows The Grandest Bookshop series, her bestselling, award-winning historical fantasy trilogy, with the new swashbuckling Oceanforged series for readers aged 8–10. The Wicked Ship is the first of five planned books and is a rollicking mix of Treasure Island and The Sword in the Stone with a touch of Emily Rodda. Thirteen-year-old Cori has seen the harsh side of Aquintan life. Orphaned due to Council negligence, she trained as a Page before fleeing the obsequious career only to be press-ganged aboard the pirate ship Harridan. When a powerful, ancient gauntlet fuses itself to her arm, Cori believes it’s her ticket to freedom. Instead, it draws the attention of the fearsome pirate Captain Scrimshaw. The gauntlet is part of the fabled Oceanforged armour, once worn by champions of old, and it has just chosen its new hero. Cori is plucky, determined and quick-thinking, and her slightly self-centred nature is tempered by new friends, Tarn and Jem, who have valuable skills of their own. Mellor’s world-building shines as she quickly constructs a vivid ocean-faring world populated with clear goodies and baddies and a fascinating magic system that combines innate powers with bewitched gadgetry. Themes of justice, bravery and resilience beneath the fast-paced action will draw in reluctant readers to this exciting new fantasy adventure series, while short, crisp sentences will keep them hooked.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Annie Waters sells books, writes about books and podcasts about books. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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