Review Detail

COMPASS AND BLADE by Rachel Greenlaw is a fast-paced adventure about a young woman's discovery of who she is and what she will become. Mira lives on a small island that sees little trade which means there is little food and money to go around. Her villagers watch for boats to wreck upon a hidden reef not far from their shore. Mira with six others "wreck" the ship searching for valuables and anything that will keep their village afloat through the harsh winters. However, one shipwreck threatens to put the entire island at risk of the gallows, and Mira's father and the leader of their small band are taken, tried, and convicted unless the others turn themselves in.

Mira is an interesting character. Her mother died when she was young, and since Mira inherited her exceptional swimming skills, she took her place on the wreck crew. Her mother's death has left a whole in her family. Mira feels like she is missing a part of herself, but can't explain that to her father. He grew up on the island, Mira's mother came to the island as an adult. Mira wants to know her past, why she never feels the cold of the water, and can hold her breath unnaturally long, but those are questions her father refuses to answer. However, with his arrest and a hanging date set, Mira sets out with one of the shipwreck survivors to find something her mother left for her. She doesn't know what, but she believes it will be the key to everything: saving her father, saving their village, and learning who Mira really is.

While I really enjoyed Mira and her adventure, I found the story itself to be a bit repetitive. There were several chapters where Mira was introspective about what she would find and who she was, but nothing new was learned in these introspections. The love interest (Seth, the shipwreck's survivor) was too convenient. Mira was extremely naive, and Seth took advantage of this. That all being said, I do believe this was a tool the author used to set up the next book, and I may feel differently about it once I read that.

Overall, COMPASS AND BLADE is an exciting adventure with pirates, sirens, and a little romance thrown in.