ARC Review: My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

My Salty Mary
by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Publication Date: August 20th 2024
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find This Book: My Salty Mary
Source: NetGalley eARC
Rating: 5/5

Mary is in love with the so-called prince of Charles Town, except he doesn't love her back. Which is inconvenient. Since she's a mermaid, being brokenhearted means she'll—poof!—turn into sea-foam.

But instead, Mary finds herself pulled out of the sea and up onto a pirate ship. To survive, she joins them. But Mary isn't willing to just sing the yo-ho-hos. She wants the pirate life, all of it, and she's ready to make a splash . . . by becoming captain. But when Blackbeard dies suddenly, Mary has a chance to become so much more: Pirate King . . . or Queen. She won't let anyone stop her—not Blackbeard's cute son, not her best friend from back under the sea who's having a bit too much fun with his new legs, and certainly not everyone who says she can't be a pirate just because she's a girl.

She may not be the best man for the job, but she'll definitely prove that she's worth her salt.

It’s no secret that I love a good retelling and Hand, Ashton, and Meadows are masters of marrying alternative history with comedy. Mixing The Little Mermaid with the life and times of the infamous lady pirate Mary Read means the reader is in for quite a tail er… tale. The strength of this series is the witty, sassy narration and dialogue, and My Salty Mary does not disappoint. This book is hilarious!

The POV’s rotate between Mary Read aka “Littlest,” her partner in crime Tobias Teach, and her cousin Calico Jack. With lots of “ahoys” and “yo-hos” Mary and her crew try navigating pirate life in the Caribbean.

Unfortunately for them, they must escape the perils of the high seas (aka notorious pirates and pirate hunters) if they want to succeed in their quest to make Mary the new pirate king, or queen in her case. The captain who returns with the most treasure will claim Blackbeard’s title and define the future of piracy. If Mary where to win, she could stop hiding her gender and declare that women are allowed to be pirates, The narrative is whimsical and adventurous, while still driving at themes of feminism and equality. This book is an instant new favorite!