Synopsis:
Men fear a woman on the sea. They say women bring about bad luck and anger from the gods who rule the waters. Estella Bohem fears being aboard Captain Eric Price’s ship, amongst the pirates who kidnapped her for her abilities. It was the Bohem family who used magic to tame the beast of the sea decades ago. They trapped it in an ancient spell to make the waters safe to travel, but it was the vagabonds of the sea who wanted to free it, tame it, and use it for their own ambitions. All her life Estella never had control of her future, but as the notoriously brutal Captain Edward Laggatt hunts her down for the key to the beast’s cage, she has no choice but to trust the same men who stole her away from her socialite life in Charleston South Carolina.
She Tames The Sea is an adult dark fantasy novel that delves into the complications of familial relations, magic and mythology.
Favorite Lines:
“Remember this, my love, a woman alone in this world is an easy target for foolish men. Society hates a woman who is strong enough to live outside of them and will burn them to the ground. Pirates and Politicians are all the same in that aspect. Humans crave power and will either kill witches like us or enslave us for it.”
“I don’t know of any spells that can give me the power of a man in the patriarchal shitstorm of a society I lived in.”
My Opinion:
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
This story follows Estella Bohem, a secret witch stolen away from her life in South Carolina by pirates who need her help to release and tame a beast of the seas that her own ancestors had locked away many years ago. What follows is a tale full of magic that had me addicted until the very end.
My first impression of this book was it is Pirates of the Caribbean with witches – a combination that I didn’t know I needed until I was reading this book and found myself unable to put it down. Etheridge has a beautiful and unique storytelling voice that brings to life a creative story full of pirates, witches, magic, action, adventure, and femininity in a world that is run by men. I really want to emphasize that Etheridge’s unique storytelling voice that is used in this book really sets it apart from a lot of other modern books I have been seeing and reading from places like BookTok, and I mean that in the best way possible – it was a breath of fresh air that added to the appeal and mysticism of this story.
What I found most compelling about this story was the vivid imagery, elaborately crafted mythology, and strong character development. As a woman myself, I appreciated the theme of strong femininity that was present throughout the story. I also really enjoyed the plot twist at the end. No spoilers here, you’ll just have to read for yourself.
Summary:
Overall, I LOVED this book. A creative dark fantasy featuring witches, pirates, romance, action, adventure, and magic, I cannot recommend this book enough and am crossing my fingers that we will see more in this series in the future! Happy reading!
Check out She Tames the Sea here!