A Ship of Bones and Teeth

With a heavy hangover from Blood Orange I had this book preordered as soon as the prologue hit my mailbox and I wasn't disappointed. With a world building always so compelling and immersive Karina is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors in the genre. And while I was a little sceptical to begin with (I'm not a big fan of Pirates of the Caribbean and I never seen Little Mermaid either, just read the story as a child long time ago), to say that in the end I was happy I gave it a go would be a gross underestimation.This book picks up with little mermaid story pretty much where Disney left off, the life with prince Aerik being on the side of a harsh reality rather than a fairytale bliss. He's not Prince Charming by any means - unfortunately so for our mermaid (syren, I'm sorry Maren, syren of course!) who is forced to reconcile her naivete stemming from her young age and a sheltered life so far with the cruel fate at the hands of a wife abuser. But let's just say the insecure prick gets what he deserves (though still a too much of a merciful ending for him, as far as I'm concerned).Maren is a fierceful little thing and her character development is brilliant - from naive, shy and abused young girl to a strong woman confident in herself and her abilities. She has to come to terms with what she truly is as well as her life, and take back the control she got swindled out of.She blossoms into what she was always meant to be, all thanks to Bones who through his affection and admiration allows her to accept, even like, the monster within her.As for Captain Ramsey Bones Battista, well.. I actually had to reconcile myself with the name because you say Ramsey and I see Bolton - for those who know who I'm referring to: you know what I mean when I say that is not necessarily a bad thing but at the same time it very much is (and I'm fully aware that says more about me than it does about the author's choice of character names).But pass that, this Captain with magic in the sails of his dreaded pirate ship the Nightwind is the real Prince Charming here. He's dangerous, absolutely lethal, as handsome as they come, and a man strong enough to not be hiding his emotions. He's unscrupulous in the pursuit of his desires and confident enough to not be intimidated by a strong woman - he actually wants her by his side. He's everything we love and more.And I was chuffed to find out he has a lot in common with my beloved Valtu as well - who, by the way, I'm still reeling about (I read several books since Blood Orange and still can't shake off this masterpiece of Karina's imagination).The interactions between Ramsey and Maren are great - the banter is fun, the chemistry is off the charts and the spice is as hot as it comes. They are both scary monsters in their own right, wild and dangerous, feral and passionate, free out there in their kingdom of the high seas. They are a perfect match to each other.This isn't a super complicated story but it's a good fun, it flows well with plenty of action and in its own way it portrays a world just as romantic as Disney's fairytales, albeit quite a bit grittier and definitely not meant for children. It's closer to the original tale from Brothers Grimm in the atmospheric feel than the animated Disney world - the trade itself with the sea witch in the prologue sets the tone for what's to come. Though I'm actually not sure I would call it dark as the take on things is more grey rather than anything else, but alas that made a refreshing change to what I usually read.(Definitely check the triggers though in case any of that applies to you - it's not too heavy on them but there are still some.)A standalone story, no cliffhanger and all loose ends are nicely tied. While there is a bit of a distant connection to some of Karina's other books this is more about using tropes of a world already meticulously built rather than being an overlap or even a reference. It takes place in the past and while I can imagine Bones still being around to this day given all we know about him, there's no implication whatsoever that that's the case. Though I'd love to see how he would fit in with the likes of Solon or Valtu (pretty please, Karina, hint hint?).Overall a great read that I cannot but recommend and I would give it quite a bit more than just five stars if that was possible.Certainly worth the spend and I will be quite happy to read it all again in time.SPOILER (as vague as possible):The only thing I really didn't like (and I mean REALLY didn't like) was at the end where Maren pushed for hostages to be kept alive and released. I think that was unnecessary and it went against the nature of everyone on the Nightwind including Maren herself. It felt like it was there because HEA was only allowed for good characters, not the ones morally ambiguous. It felt forced for the sake of it and for me it took the edge off of the Nightwind. Like trying to apply current criminal code to a fantasy world to make it more palatable. Perhaps that's just me but I think it was out of place, out of character and it shouldn't have been there. It's not enough to warrant knocking a star off though, I just pretend it never happened:-)

Girlies this book was so much fun. It’s hard to find good pirate books that are actually spicy and boy did this deliver. I also have a soft spot for heroines that are actually just feral (not just ones who say they are and then never do anything actually crazy). My girl was out here trying to take a piece out of everything that tried to hurt her. Ramsay is everything you want from a dirty talking pirate dilf with a soft spot for unhinged behaviour from pretty ladies. A good read with a nice balance of smut, fluff, plot, action, gore and the found family vibes were strong too

This is the first book I have read by Karina Halle and it did not disappoint! I enjoyed Karina writing and the world she has created, with strong main characters who were equal in their darkness. The story was filled with tension, love, loss and revenge, I enjoyed the twist and turns throughout the book. The spice and dirty talk 👌🏻 I loved what the side characters bought to the book and the family feel of the ship.

I literally cannot express how much I loved this book! Read it in less that 24 hrs!Been in such a reading slump and this just had me hooked from the start.This is my first book from Karina, her writing and storytelling is just beautiful, will definitely be reading more by her 🩷

This book was everything I didn’t realise I wanted! A pirates of the Caribbean mashup with the little mermaid. Two of my favourite things.This book does have dark themes.This author always hits the spot with the character relationships, the growth and the plot. They also always produce well thought out and researched stories.

Absolutely loved this book as I do with all of Karina’s books.. she is a an amazing writer and makes all the characters come alive when reading! Being a massive Disney fan and a fan of brothers Grimm I was so excited to read this book and it did not disappoint! I can’t wait for the next book of Karina’s to come out!!!

Really loved this book. Probably the first “spicy” book I’ve read where the actual plot is excellent! You can really believe in and root for the two main characters to fall in love.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about the little mermaid aspect of the story, but I'm glad I decided to give it a try anyway, it's a great book! The story is awesome, the characters are great and I love the ending.