Book Review: The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman

Disclaimer:  I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review; however, these statements and opinions are entirely my own.  This statement is required for compliance with the Federal Trade Commission.

First, I have to say that reading books post-baby is a totally different experience for me and I am struggling with it!  I am used to reading a book in a few days or maybe a week, NOT THREE MONTHS!  Yep, you read that correctly, it has taken me almost three months to complete the reading of this book that was so graciously provided to me by WaterBrook Multhoman Publishing Group.  I'm so embarrassed.  They will actually suspend your account if you do not post your review within 90 days so I am skating on thin ice right now!

Okay, so onto the review....

I actually enjoyed The Pirate Queen and would recommend it.  It grabbed my attention right from the beginning when I saw that the story is set in North Carolina, my own home state.  And if that was not enough in the first chapter the main character, Saphora, is about to leave her cheating husband, Bender, when she finds out he is dying.  This definitely set the stage for good "chick lit".

I see so many reviewers telling the book's story so I'm just going to jump to my thoughts.  Overall I was pleasantly surprised that the storyline took the direction it did because from the outset I was sure it would be just about the relationship between Saphora and Bender with a large focus on his illness.  While the book was about that, it was about so much more.  The characters in the book are well-developed and interesting.  There are alot of different stories going on throughout the book that kept me curious as to how things would turn out.  Honestly though I was fairly shocked at the point where the storyline shifts to another character - I did not see it coming at all.  That is when I picked up speed and pushed ahead to get to the end.  So, I would say the book intrigued me at beginning and end but maybe was a little slow and less interesting in the middle.

And lastly, I loved how the final chapter of the book was a look forward years ahead to what had happened with the main characters.  I like to know "what happens next" when I read.  I'm geeky in that way!

The one disappointment I had with this book is that the spiritual component was not as developed as I would personally like but that makes the book more attractive to a larger audience so I am okay with that.