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Bloody Jack (Bloody Jack #1)
Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
320 pages
A salty, spirited romp across the high seas anchored by a heroine who survives on sheer audacity and wit.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like catching a strong tailwind on a bright, perilous day. It is a boisterous, salty adventure anchored by an utterly magnetic first-person voice. The narration is cheeky, unrefined, and bursting with a scrappy will to live, pulling you immediately into a world of soot-stained streets and creaking ship decks. The atmosphere balances the genuine, gritty dangers of eighteenth-century seafaring with a triumphant, swashbuckling joy. It is a story about the thrill of defying expectations and the warmth of finding a makeshift family among a crew of sailors. Readers who love fiercely resourceful heroines, historical immersion, and a narrative that never loses its spirited momentum will devour this charming, high-stakes voyage.
- Mood
- boisterous
- salty
- perilous
- adventurous
- Tone
- spirited
- cheeky
- resilient
- earnest
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- defying gender roles · found family · survival and resilience · coming of age · the lure of the sea
- The writing
- Highly voice-driven and colloquial, immersing the reader in the protagonist's spunky, unrefined eighteenth-century dialect.
- The arc
- Moves from the desperate, scrappy fight for survival to a triumphant, hard-won sense of belonging and independence.
- Who it's for
- Anyone who delights in fiercely resourceful heroines, historical nautical adventures, and stories of underdogs outsmarting the establishment.
Content notes
- poverty and starvation
- violence and death
- period-typical sexism
- threat of sexual assault
About the book
Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas.
There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life--if only she doesn't get caught.
Description from Open Library.
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