Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller

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Alosa’s mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he’s under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father’s justice.

When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.

Well that was certainly a splashy way to go out.

After a weird reread of the first book, I was a bit hesitant about going into this one. However, I had forgotten just how easy it was to get into Levenseller’s writing. I mean, dear gosh, her writing is just as easy to read as a sea breeze. I easily sat down and binge read it in 3 sittings, and the flow, the pacing, and everything was spot on. Even though I would get frustrated at parts, the book never faltered in the easy, breezy flow.

I think the biggest issue with the novel was the romance. The romance killed me – and not in the adorable, shippable way. For most of the novel, the angst level was permanently set on high. It was like someone just kept jiggling the novel on the handle of the stove and it was getting so hot that I just wanted out of this book kitchen. They were both making idiotic and frustrating choices, and I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. In the first novel, Riden and Alosa were my OTP, and instead they turned into SMH. Just so many unnecessary bickering and stupid decisions and ridiculous choices. There were a few great moments, but I just got so frustrated.

Alosa and Riden themselves frustrated me as well individually. I felt like I lost a lot of who Riden was in the first novel. I couldn’t pinpoint him anymore, and I just understand his motivations and traits. Alosa herself – well, I loved her moments with her strength and ruthlessness and overall loyalty to those she loved. However, as I said, she made a lot of decisions the moment Riden appeared and at times, she was just a bit too cliche for me.

That being said, I absolutely enjoyed the secondary supporting cast. Levenseller made a dynamic and fun crew, and there were many characters that I enjoyed. I found there were many characters I would enjoy side stories of them, and I even had another ship that I was deeply rooting for??? I think they were super fun, and I just loved the crew so much. And trust me, this crew was just all epic female empowerment, and I was hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee for it.

I also was very interested in the plot. It had me investeddddddddddd. I had to know what was going to happen, and it just moved along from thing to thing. It had a pretty good pacing, and I like the things that Levenseller incorporated into the story. Um, the cannibal island was oddly one of my favorite events in the story??? It just felt like a cool addition to the story and like I was in a Pirates movie.

Belle’s not too sure about pirates…but I think she would be into pirate novels.

As I mentioned earlier, the female empowerment was crazy good. So many A++++ for Levenseller.

Overall, it was just an okay follow-up to the first book. I think it continued with a super intriguing plot along with the fantastic crew and easy writing. However, I did notice it being more cheesy/cliche and Riden/Alosa kind of killed me. It’s still a good campy series that does bring the fun. Plus female pirates are the best. 3 crowns and a Belle rating!

What do you think? Which book did you prefer of the series? Do you love pirate novels? Let’s discuss in the comments below!