The Pirate’s Wish by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Length: 320 pages
Genera: Fantasy
Subjects: Romance, Adventure, Magic
How I obtained the book: Netgalley e copy
Rating: ✭✭
After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.
Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.
I should have expected this book to be bad. It’s not like I ever love sequels or the final book in a series as much as I love the first book. They’re often not worth the wait in any shape or fashion. But for some crazy and illogical reason, I did expect THE PIRATE’S WISH to be as enjoyable as THE ASSASSIN’S CURSE, if not even better. Instead, it failed me in many aspects.
The story takes place only a few days after the events of THE PIRATE’S CURSE leaving our favorite heroes on the island, trying to find a way off so they can break the curse. If you remember, the curse can only be broken if Naji and Ananna complete three impossible tasks.
These first few pages were very enjoyable, though there were a few hints of what’s to come. The book became even more entertaining for me when the manticore, Ongraygeeomryn (don’t worry, she’s never referred to with this name) arrived. Ananna and the manticore’s relationship was quite similar to the arashitora and Yukiko’s relationship yet the arashitora definitely surpassed the manticore is adorableness because it is simply not possible to not think that a griffin snuggling up to a girl is the most adorable thing ever.
The book deteriorates rapidly when Ananna decides to kiss Naji, everything takes a downward spiral as Ananna adopts a “oh my gosh, I hate myself and my life and my hair and my body and my face and my lips” attitude. Because Naji doesn’t want to be kissed in his sleep, Ananna suddenly thinks that her lips and her kissing technique is flawed.
Bitch, I wouldn’t want to be kissed in my sleep and neither would you. That’s sexual harassment whichever way you look at it. That’s why he pulled a sword on you. Not because your lips are bad and your kissing style is poor. It’s because he thought he was being attacked.
This is definitely the point where it all went wrong. After this failed attempt at kissing him, Ananna started to sulk. Sulking is ok, we all do it. When your sulking lasts for most of the book, you know there’s problem.
Ananna was utterly insufferable because all she seemed to ever care about was getting Naji to like her. In the first book, Ananna didn’t give a shit if Naji loved her or not. No, she was kind of busy surviving. In this one, whether or not Naji loves her is her biggest problem and her main concern. I mean, who cares if you’re going to die as long as a cute boy loves you?
She was definitely my biggest problem with the book, though not my only. My second biggest point of aggravation – no infuriation – was how the romance made it seem like Ananna’s happiness depended on whether Naji was with her. Girl, you do not need a man to be happy. I would think that you of all people would know that.
Naji was pretty much the same but more subdued. By that I mean that all his badass witty comments are completely absent in this book and he spends his time fretting because he thinks these guys
will care about how ugly he is. I don’t think that they’re thinking, “Ew, he’s like totes ugly.” Dude, I’m pretty sure the only thing they’re thinking is, “Oh look, yummy male-human! NUM NUM.”
There were a few really awesome parts. It’s impossible for a book that not only has diva manticores but lesbian queens and armored sharks. Oh and pirate battles and manticore royalty. And an octopus. UM YES. That’s so fucking awesome that I had to raise the rating by a star.
In the first book, the world and story was full of adventure and this something that I can’t describe. It was like a drug. The moment you read the book, everything feels so happy and it’s like you’re floating on air.
But this book didn’t have that. It just wasn’t there. There wasn’t a single moment that I felt like it even began to touch the feeling that I felt in THE ASSASSIN’S CURSE. It was still imaginative and creative but that feeling that I felt in the first book just wasn’t there.
I really wish I could have loved this book like I thought I would’ve. It failed me in so many ways. I can’t properly describe how devastated I am without either turning this review into a rant or making it sound very weepy. I’m so unhappy to say this but I can’t recommend this book to anyone and I am unsure if I will want to read the spin off books.
Domus Libri 