Determined to seek his fortune, Percival Taylor leaves behind his sleepy hometown and sets out to become a legendary pirate-- if only anyone would allow him anywhere near a ship! He means to win the heart of the beautiful Tuppence Magrathia Paddock, who has mistaken him for a pirate rogue out of one of her romantic books. Percival eventually finds himself captain of a broken-down ship, complete with a crew of reluctant pirates, a jilted fiancée, a reclusive master shipwright, and an old professor with a magical secret that could kill them all.
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Honestly I was a little surprised by the 3.35 average rating–that seems a bit harsh. To me, this felt like a fun and funny twisted fairy tale, exactly the sort of thing I would have devoured growing up.
The main complaint in other reviews seems to be the lack of character development/that it took time to get into the book. I can definitely see that, but I think the narration and situational humor is more what drives this book. Like a lot of classic fairy tale type adventures, you kind of hang on for the ride and let the characters show who they are as they act.
And on that note, I did find some of the “side” characters more relatable and root-for-able than the main duo of Percival and Tuppence. I loved the way everyone's storyline intertwined and led to a satisfactory end. Overall, I thought this was a fun summer read!
