The Ship of Blood and Curses

The Ship of Blood and Curses is a 2023 fantasy romance novel by Mary Raven. It’s the first book in the series The Ship of Curses. It was released in July 2023 and was independently published by the author.

When her father’s ship is savagely taken down by god-controlled vampire pirates, Hannah and her father are the sole survivors. Kane O’Brien is more than just a captain—he’s a man trapped in an immortal nightmare. Once human, Kane is now cursed to transform into a vampire under the spectral glow of the full moon. As Hannah battles for her freedom and Kane for his salvation, an irresistible bond grows between them, uniting their destinies in ways they could never have imagined.

This book had some characters that I loved, and quite a few that I didn’t. Kane was a very compelling and engaging character. He has a complex personality and a compelling backstory which kept me invested. He contrasts against the main antagonist , Palmer, in an interesting way, while also sharing similarities which makes him both a flawed character and one that’s easy to root for. Hannah’s characterization wasn’t handled quite as well. She’s indecisive, she comes across as somewhat whiny and her character arc feels rushed. It was easy to see what her character development would be over the course of the novel, but she didn’t begin to evolve until too late into the story. The romance that develops between Kane and Hannah fell flat because there isn’t chemistry between them. I found quite a few of the supporting cast of characters to be interesting. They weren’t complex, per se, but they had distinct and intriguing personalities. A secondary antagonist, for example, wasn’t a well-written character on his own, but the author wrote him in a way where he was very easy to hate. The main antagonist Palmer’s entire character is that he’s brutal and thirsty for revenge, which makes him a simple villain and character overall. I wish he’d had a little more depth, but his simple reasoning fits the story pretty well.

The plot of this novel was fun and exciting, for the most part. The story consists mostly of an adventure on the high seas, reminiscent of blockbuster films like the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and the story is clearly inspired by that film. The action scenes feel fast-paced and exciting. The narrative mostly does a good job of building tension and making the stakes apparent. The climax of the story feels very tense and action-packed, with a resolution that sets up a sequel novel very well, while also giving a sense of resolution for part of the story. I was anticipating the vampire aspect of this story to play a more central role in the plot. It’s treated as important, but there were points where I forgot the pirates in this book were vampire pirates. The over-arching plot was handled pretty well, but I cannot say the same for the romantic subplot. The romance slowed the whole story down quite a bit at points. I didn’t find it to be particularly interesting, either and the author used certain tropes that are cliche. Additionally, the romance stalls at a few points. It felt like the two leads were stuck in this cycle of “I want you” and “I don’t want you” for far too long and it happened too many times in a book with so many other things going on.

Since this is the author’s debut novel, I’m a little more lenient when it comes to how I view the writing. The writing is digestible, but somewhat disjointed. The prose don’t really stand out, but I can tell the author hasn’t yet figured out her voice as a writer. She tends to repeat certain words and phrases, which stood out to me. The biggest issue has to be the lack of description, though. The writing doesn’t paint a vivid picture of the setting, or make it easy to visualize how certain moments unfolded. The world-building suffers from the same issue. Very little is said to build out the world, and the author seems to rely on the reader filling in gaps. The little world-building that’s done is told to the reader through exposition-heavy dialogue, which feels clunky to read.

The Ship of Blood and Curses is a fun read and an easy read. The story is exciting, and a great choice for readers just looking for some entertainment, but the plot is nothing too complex. Some of the characters are very engaging. The writing and world-building needed some improvement. It was overall a fun read, and I’d recommend it to Pirates of the Caribbean fans first and foremost.

Rating: 2 Stars

Purchase Links for the book: Amazon

---

Follow Me Elsewhere: Facebook \ Twitter \ Goodreads \ Instagram \ Buy Me A Coffee?

Support Local Bookstores (Please note, this is an affiliate link and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase)