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The Ship of Shadows - Maria Kuzniar


Aleja is a dreamer who longs for a life of magic and adventure. So when a mysterious ship arrives in her Spanish harbour city, crewed by a band of ruthless women, Aleja knows it's sailed right out of a legend.

And it wants her. But life aboard the Ship of Shadows is more than even she bargained for. It will take all of Aleja's strength and skill to gain the trust of her fellow pirates - and discover what they are risking everything to find ...




A Ship of Shadows  is Maria Kuzniar's debut novel and it is an action-packed adventure set on the sea, filled with pirates, fighting, close escapes and a multitude of enemies of all shapes and sizes. If you're looking for a book filled with strong females then this well and truly ticks all the boxes. Imagine Pirates of the Caribbean but with just Keira Knightley and you're about there. The females in this book do not stop for anything or anyone and it was truly delightful to read another example of children's adventure fiction where females take the lead. 

Aleja is our swash-buckling heroine, who has always known she would love a life at sea but has never been able to escape beyond the daily life of Seville, much to the delight of her younger brother. That is until one day she is spotted by the mysterious Captain Quint and taken aboard the Ship of Shadows. From then on the book doesn't stop with adventure after adventure, from fighting off Kraken, to stealing telescopes and deciphering ancient maps. 

Despite being filled with pirates, The Ship of Shadows isn't your stereotypical pirate adventure: for a start there's no rum in sight! Instead, you are taken on an epic journey of trust, as Aleja navigates the choppy waters of friendship discovering just what her shipmates skills are and how best to become a valuable member of the crew. I loved the different roles the crew members had, utilising their strengths to become a team (especially Frances' strength of finding cake - would love that one myself), and it was always interesting when discovering snippets of their lives before the Ship of Shadows. 

The Ship of Shadows is filled with magic, adventure and a sense of peril throughout and the action never really relents. I would love another adventure from Aleja and the crew as it felt like I'd only just got a full grip on all of the characters before the book ended, so fingers crossed another Ship of Shadows adventure will set sail soon. 

This would be a brilliant read for Year 4 upwards, particularly if you are looking for a book featuring Spain, pirates or a strong-female lead. I know that I'm planning on using this to look at friendships in PSHE lessons as I think it perfectly demonstrates how everyone has their own strengths and together these can be combined to become even stronger. 

An action-packed adventure with peril around each corner. 


A Ship of Shadows publishes in July 2020. I read a review copy with thanks to NetGalley.

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