Sea Witch: Being the First Voyage of Cpt. Jesamiah Acorne & his ship, Sea Witch (Sea Witch Series)
In the sexiest pirate contest Jesamiah Acorne gives Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow a run for his money. --Sharon PenmanSea Witch gives us everything we want in a grand pirate adventure - swashbuckling action, great villains, lovely women in distress, sea fights and adventures on land, all grounded in solid research that gives the book a real feel of authenticity. This is a terrific read for lovers of pirate tales, lovers of historical fiction, and lovers of great adventure stories. --James L. NelsonSea Witch is an ebullient, colourful story packed with action. Hurricanes, shipwreck, earthquake, ingenious thefts, narrow escapes, sea battles, arrest, imprisonment, assassination attempts, kidnap, magic and torture - the plot never flags. Two love triangles, one human... and one supernatural... complicate matters further. The exotic settings are described with vivid clarity, from the sleazy pirate settlements of Madagascar to the alleys and taverns of Cape Town. Both central characters are well-rounded and engaging. Jesamiah is boyish and charming, impulsive enough to get himself into trouble on a regular basis and quick-thinking enough (usually) to get himself out of it again. Tiola is intelligent, independent and courageous, with her supernatural powers adding an extra layer to her character. The secondary characters are also well drawn, such as Tiola's well-meaning guardian Jenna Pendeen, Jesamiah's capable second-in-command Rue, and the privateer-pirate Henry Jennings. Even the principal villain, Jesamiah's cruel half-brother Phillipe, is given a story of his own and a reason for his malevolence. Occasional use of dialect words and accent helps to distinguish the characters and give them each an individual voice - so the Frenchman Rue drops his H's, Tiola occasionally uses Cornish words, and Stefan van Overstratten speaks in formal stuffed-shirt tones. The Author's Note details historical events that were borrowed or adapted for the story, and confesses to taking liberties with some of the dates. For me, a book that features the sea goddess as an important character and involves magic that works has no need to apologise for having moved an event by five years, but it is always very welcome when the author sets out the limits of fact and fiction. There is also a helpful glossary of nautical terms and a diagram of a ship, invaluable for those like me who vaguely know that boats have a pointy end, a blunt end and a pole in the middle. I'm impressed with the author's apparent knowledge of sailing ships, which I'm utterly unqualified to assess but which certainly feels authentic. --Carla Nayland