Sea of Kings is a fun midde-grade adventure by Melissa Hope. Released 27th April 2021 by North Star Editions on their Jolly Fish imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a well written epic quest adventure for more advanced middle grade readers. The length of the book and the methodically developed plot are better suited to readers who already have a reading habit. It's almost certainly too long for a classroom read, but would make a good choice for a long-project bedtime read. There are tons of secondary characters with potential for fun narration possibilities.
Protagonist Noa is a bookish 13 year old. His relationship with his burly brother, Dagan, is full of (mostly) affectionate sibling rivalry. Their dialogue is impressively written, full of teasing and competition between them, but solidly supportive when it's them against antagonistic forces from outside.
The book is full of pirates, an ensemble group of young adventurers, villains, and a little magic. There are themes of family, friendship, loyalty, and making difficult choices. The epilogue strongly hints at a sequel. I'm looking forward to seeing how the story develops.
I enjoyed it a lot, with the codicil that it's a long read for younger kids.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
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