Publisher: Phoebus Books
Publication Date: 11th June 2023
Genre: Biographical Fiction
Summary:
She’s a tomboy.Her brother’s missing.Now she has to pretend to be him.
Six-year-old Tyke is the spit of her half-brother, Mark, but there’s one crucial difference: Tyke is the result of rape. When her father sails into their Devon fishing village in 1695, Mark, to protect their Ma, decides to kill him. But the plan goes wrong and Mark goes missing.
Tyke’s mother dresses her daughter as her son to get money from Mark’s grandmother. Tyke moves into Mrs Read’s London home and gets the education of a ‘young gentleman’. When a one-armed pirate arrives, her world up-ends. She is forced to become a servant, but at least she can take comfort in her new friend Jim.
Then puberty hits, and even her body seems to turn against her, threatening to reveal her secret. If she stops being ‘Mark’, she could lose everything. But how far will she go to stay free?
Review:
Firstly thank you to Insta Book Tours, Phoebus Books and Ros Barber for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I was drawn to this book once I read it was the Origin story of Mary Read, I have a fascination with female pirates her and Anne Bonny being the most famous do I really wanted to read this!
I really got on with the writing style, I enjoyed getting snippets of what clearly points her towards becoming a pirate and the clever ways she just tries to survive. I did actually chuckle at the bits where she was trying to decide if it was time to become a woman again, and if she might find work easier that way. And her deciding to try to disguise herself as a boy dressing up as a girl did amuse me somewhat, her getting Jim to help her with acquiring female clothing etc was brilliant
The ways she tried to keep her disguise as a boy, using socks down her trousers, to begin with, and then upgrading it in time to make it more believable was cleverly done and the snippet of the next book hints at her taking it a step further to protect her disguise.
I was disappointed in the ending when I first read it because we don't even get to her becoming a pirate, she's barely left London. But then I read that this was the beginning of a trilogy so the ending makes much more sense now and I'm eagerly awaiting Nothing But Trouble coming out so I can read the next chapter in her journey to becoming part of Calico Jacks crew.
Now I need to get some more books on female pirates to fill the time til book two, if you have any recommendations comment and let me know!
Firstly thank you to Insta Book Tours, Phoebus Books and Ros Barber for having me on this tour and sending me a copy of the book.
I was drawn to this book once I read it was the Origin story of Mary Read, I have a fascination with female pirates her and Anne Bonny being the most famous do I really wanted to read this!
I really got on with the writing style, I enjoyed getting snippets of what clearly points her towards becoming a pirate and the clever ways she just tries to survive. I did actually chuckle at the bits where she was trying to decide if it was time to become a woman again, and if she might find work easier that way. And her deciding to try to disguise herself as a boy dressing up as a girl did amuse me somewhat, her getting Jim to help her with acquiring female clothing etc was brilliant
The ways she tried to keep her disguise as a boy, using socks down her trousers, to begin with, and then upgrading it in time to make it more believable was cleverly done and the snippet of the next book hints at her taking it a step further to protect her disguise.
I was disappointed in the ending when I first read it because we don't even get to her becoming a pirate, she's barely left London. But then I read that this was the beginning of a trilogy so the ending makes much more sense now and I'm eagerly awaiting Nothing But Trouble coming out so I can read the next chapter in her journey to becoming part of Calico Jacks crew.
Now I need to get some more books on female pirates to fill the time til book two, if you have any recommendations comment and let me know!
Krystina xx
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