Pirate’s Daughter

by | Nov 25, 2022

Aella is disappointed that her mother is leaving on another adventure, leaving Aella behind again. So she decides to take out a small boat to do some fishing on her own, accompanied by a small crab monster named Nix. After falling asleep and having a disturbing dream about demons, Aella awakens to find herself much farther away from the island than she expected to be. When she finally rows back into town, she discovers that the Church of the First Light has come looking for the worst demon of all time, Xir.  

When Aella sneaks into the inn to speak with one of the knights, Bashir, about leaving the island on their ship, she finds herself facing some dangerous family secrets and a crazed captain who tries to kill her. A battle ensues and Aella discovers that she can summon demons with her blood, which she uses to break up the fight and start the killing. After the fighting ends, Aella learns that her mother is a notorious pirate from legend and her crew is made of powerful mages, assassins, and other legends that are meant to protect Aella. Together, they sail away with the captive Bashir to find the prophet who foretold the return of Xir. 

The visuals in this story are stunning. There is so much detail in the backdrops and characters that a reader could spend a large chunk of their time just looking at the illustrations. The color enhances the art and does a great job connecting the panels and expressing the large-scale plot that will be continued over two follow up volumes. The author provides enough back story and world building to provide context without it becoming an info dump of exposition. Although there is an ensemble of characters, each one is given enough space to start developing with room to grow over future volumes. This would be an excellent addition to any teen collection. Adults will also enjoy this story for both the illustrations and the story. 

Pirate’s Daughter Vol. 01
By Mairghread Scott
Art by  Pablo Tunica
Skybound Comet, 2022
ISBN: 9781534321298

Publisher Age Rating: 12+

NFNT Age Recommendation: Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)