Published: September 10, 2013
Pages: 368
Source: For Review from HarperCollins/Edelweiss
Rating: 4 Stars
Hilary Westfield has always dreamed of being a pirate. She can tread water for thirty-seven minutes. She can tie a knot faster than a fleet of sailors, and she already owns a rather pointy sword.
There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.
But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.
There's only one problem: The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates refuses to let any girl join their ranks of scourges and scallywags.
But Hilary is not the kind of girl to take no for answer. To escape a life of petticoats and politeness at her stuffy finishing school, Hilary sets out in search of her own seaworthy adventure, where she gets swept up in a madcap quest involving a map without an X, a magical treasure that likely doesn't exist, a talking gargoyle, a crew of misfit scallywags, and the most treacherous—and unexpected—villain on the High Seas.
In short: Magic Marks the Spot by Caroline Carlson is a whimsical and light-hearted story that never takes itself too seriously.
The humour and the characters are what makes a book like Magic Marks the Spot shine. The pirates were basically parodies of what pirates are thought to be - scourges and scallywags - and debut author Caroline Carlson adds a lot of comedy poking fun at the stereotypical pirate image. The characters are all a bit two-dimensional, but I guess I don't expect much complexity from such a light, easy book. Even though the characters weren't complex, they were plenty vibrant. Magic Marks the Spot is one of those books that makes you wish you were listening to it via audiobook instead because you know a narrator could have had a lot of fun with these quirky characters.
I think my only complaint stems from one of the book's strengths: it's light-heartedness, while totally fun, kind of took away from any suspense in the book. I know pirates to live dangerous lives, and there are certainly pirate ship fights in Magic Marks the Spot, but at no point is any character in any real danger at all; there are only mild troubles here and there. And you can't tell me it's because it's an MG book and they needed to tone that down. You can still have a clean book for MG readers and have a little more tension there!
Ultimately though, I really enjoyed myself while reading Magic Marks the Spot. It garnered a number of chuckles out of me and I had a lot of fun with the cast of characters - especially the talking gargoyle. It reads as a standalone, but is really apart of a greater series entitled The Very Nearly Honourable League of Pirates. I would definitely recommend this book to MG fans who are looking for something that never takes itself too seriously.
Other Reviews:
Sweet Tidbits
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