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Amare Bellamy is a seventeen year old girl, who has spent her entire life aboard the greatly feared pirate ship, The Moonshadow. Her parents (the pirate, ‘Jaguar’ James Bellamy, captain of the Moonshadow and Mira, his wife), drowned in a storm when she was a babe in arms, and Amare was rescued by her father’s first mate – Omar Rodriguez.
Omar raises Amare as though she’s his own daughter. He offers her as much protection as he can, considering they’re pirates. Whenever there’s a raid, he’ll lock her away in his cabin and very rarely allows her to leave the ship. While Amare appreciates his efforts, she also feels stifled, wishing she could show that she’s much more than just a little, weak girl. So, when she’s absolutely certain there’s a chest hidden on the sea bed, she dives down to claim it. In a bid of recklessness, Amare opens the chest, desperate to know what’s inside, and feeling that as she found it, she has the right to see it before anyone else. Inside it, she finds a beautiful, porcelain-like shell, which she is impelled to blow. And that’s when her life changes, forever.
What Noyes has done with this novel is mix the heady life of an 18th century pirate (sprinkling in the names of real life pirates of the time. Amare dives for Leigh Ashworth’s chest), with the almost modern day atmosphere of life below the waves. She brings in Amare’s ignorance for modern terms (like chlorophyl) without making her sound ignorant. You completely understand why Amare would be completely oblivious to the technological advances and the jargon used by the folk below the sea, feeling a strange sense of camaraderie with her – almost wanting to shake those talking down to her to make them realise she’s completely new to this.
It’s a fantastic story, sprinkled with historical accuracy, amidst a whimsical and dangerous hidden world. The Sunken City manages to discuss the themes of anger, abandonment and grief without overloading the reader. There’s a darkness in Amare, a darkness that isn’t necessarily evil – something which many people should remember.
Definitely worth a read. I can’t wait to read more of Amare’s adventures.
S. A
This book was reviewed via the Reedsy Discovery ARC program. You can read the original review here.
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