Horror Book of the Week: A Ship of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle

 

A SHIP OF BONES & TEETH is this week’s HORROR BOOK OF THE WEEK. Written by Karina Halle, this book was published in May 2023 and has already reached the bestseller’s list for Dark Fantasy Horror. 

The release of this book coincides with the release of THE LITTLE MERMAID that hits theatres on that day. 

While The Little Mermaid was a fairytale story of brave princesses and evil sea witches, A SHIP OF BONES & TEETH, takes a dark turn from the beloved story. 

The protagonist, Maren gives up her voice to be with Prince Aerik, only to find out she was wrong about him. The Little Mermaid may have been about an innocent but curious mermaid who wants to know more about the world outside the sea, but Maren is a Syren and that means she has tasted men before. As per her place in the family, she is given a kidney to eat although she yearns to eat a man’s heart instead. 

The prince she marries isn’t a wonderful man but an abusive husband who criticizes her for being part of the sea world. 

The customers who bought this book were thrilled with the aspects of mermaids and pirates in one book. They also loved the nostalgia that this book brought upon while reading it. 

Many have compared it to be a blend of THE LITTLE MERMAID and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. 

Quick Review (based on the sample available)

The book has a note from the author that is honest and makes you connect with her immediately. Now that the trigger warnings are discussed, it is time to get on with the story. 

The writing is a bit awkward at first before it smoothes out in the following chapters. The story is laid out and we meet Maren, a woman who went through extreme torture to be with the man she thought she loved. 

Despite her being A Syren, she has been suppressed by her abusive husband who shows no concern for her, not even her emotions or her yearning for home. 

Within a few sentences, you will have already begun to hate Aerik. 

The sample clearly makes you want to find out how this tale will unravel. And will Maren finally have her happy ending?

The Plot (Taken from Amazon.com)

Princess Maren is a woman with a secret.

When she was just 16-years old, she sold her soul to the sea witch Edonia, giving up a life underwater in exchange for the love of Prince Aerik on land. But after a decade of abuse and misery inflicted by the cruel prince, Maren wants nothing more than to leave him and her royal role behind and find Edonia to reverse the spell.

An opportunity for escape presents itself when the prince and princess are traveling overseas and are taken hostage by a band of notorious pirates, led by the fearsome Captain Ramsay "Bones" Battista. Maren has heard the sordid stories about the infamous pirate--not only is his ship supposedly haunted and crewed by the damned, but that no prisoners ever survive. Fortunately for Maren, she learns that the captain also has a score to settle with the sea witch. With any luck, Maren may be able to get her old life back, even if it's being held in the captain's wicked hands.

But Ramsay gets more than he bargained for when he learns who--and what--Maren is, and that her appetite for revenge, freedom, and bloodlust rivals his.

Meanwhile Maren finds herself falling for the pirate's dark nature, even as she discovers that Ramsay has a secret more deadly than her own.

When it comes to the high seas, not all monsters lurk beneath the surface.

The book is available on Kindle and in Paperback. 

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