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The Buccaneer's Apprentice (2010)

by V. Briceland(Favorite Author)

3.9 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Flux

series

The Cassaforte Chronicles

review 1: I have to preface this review by saying that I'm not a huge fan of Young Adult literature, and I don't read a lot of it. I'm a fan of Harry Potter and some others, but recently I just have not been impressed by what the genre is publishing (pointed look to the teen vampire/werewolf/angel/demon/whatever romances).But I was really impressed with Briceland's "The Buccaneer's Apprentice." The story is written and plotted well, and does not fall into the common trap of talking down to the reader. Infact, this book has a complex conspiracy plot, many nautical terms, and characters that speak in different languages from each other. Instead of being a jumbled mess, all these attributes fit together smoothly to tell a great story.I have not yet read the first novel of the Cassafort... moree Chronicals, so I was worried that I would be missing some important plot details. Not so. In fact, from some of the details given in the novel I was able to piece together an understanding of the previous book. The world is richly described and with the help of the map at the front of the book I was never lost. Reader knowledge is always assumed, but there is enough explination (and some minor exposition) to give someone like me a good understanding of events.The novel follows the adventures of Nic, a recently shipwrecked boy who has been the unfortunate property of many terrible masters. Nic also appears to be cursed, the fate of all his masters being death. Even his current masters, the acting troup led by Armand Arturo, have been captured by pirates to be sold into slavery. Nic is able to kill his pirate attacker and destroy the ship, stranding himself on an island. Thinking he is finally alone and free, Nic enjoys his time as his own master, quickly adapting to life on the island.But he is not alone on the island, a fact that leads Nic further and further into a dangerous plot involving pirates, nobelmen, and a dying king back in Cassaforte.What I love the most about "The Buccaneer's Apprentice" is the well-developed characters. Even minor characters, like Michaelo and Renaldo Dattore (two fellow indentures working for a theif known as The Drake who care for Nic enough that Nic takes their last name as his own), who only appear in one chapter and are mentioned in another, are so carefully and lovingly crafted by the author, that the reader can't help but love them. Evil characters, while clearly evil, still have their own unique voices and actions. Every character seems alive in this novel.I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Young Adult, Fantasy, pirate stories, or all of the above. I would also recommend it to adults as well as teens. This book is a bit violent and younger readers may struggle with the wording a bit, but I think the plotline is easily enjoyable for a wide range of readers. And, to give this book a huge compliment: After reading "The Buccaneer's Apprentice," I am very eager to read the rest of the Cassaforte novels. It is clear the Nic's story is simply part of a larger plot that is yet to be revealed.There is very little I can say that is not stellar about this book, and there is not a single quality I could point to and call "bad." While there were small sections that would clearly have been repeated information to a reader familiar to the series, they were few and far between, and would likely not be easy to notice if you do not have the eye for such things. The actions scenes are well performed by the characters and the dialogue never gets too tied up in itself. I never felt like a chapter or scene had been written simply to fill pages. The pacing stayed progressive and the quotes at the start of each chapter never felt contrived. In fact, I enjoyed reading them as they give hints and clues to what is going on in the world outside of Nic's story.Overall, I had to give this book five stars because I just enjoyed it so much. I rarely get this excited about any novel, much less a Young Adult novel, but this one was great. The last YA novel I was this happy to read was "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman. The fact that I was able to connect to the characters and care for them is high praise, as I rarely feel emotion for characters. The author is clearly familiar to the sea-story genre as well as the art of acting, and this knowledge shines through in the story. This is a great read by a talented author and I can't wait to read more.
review 2: Awesome book! The plot was interesting. And it was easy to get caught up in the story.Darcy was annoying at first but she soon became somewhat of a comical character for me, especially the "bonking heads" part of her. I liked Maxl a lot, especially his dialogue. The troupe, I found, was just the right touch to add since it brought freshness to the story.Nic was a true hero. Courageous, just, kind, smart.The romance in here, I wish was a lot more. You get an inkling in the middle but it isn't till close to end that any romance is evident. less

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