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The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
1692. The Atlantis, captained by veteran seaman Benjamin Archer, flies the colours of an English merchantman on the high seas between the English Channel and the Caribbean.But she also runs up the ‘jolie rouge’ – the Jolly Roger – whenever the prospect of plundering a Spanish treasure ship presents itself.
Nipping at Spain’s empire is common practice for state-sponsored privateers like the Atlantis at a time when lesser European powers dare not directly make war on Spain.
But when those governments abandon the practice of issuing letters of marque to privateers against the Spanish galleons, many of the crews turn pirate.
Such is the fate of Archer’s men.
The crew is forced to sign the ship’s articles consenting to their new piratical ways, thereby placing their heads in a noose. Unless, that is, they can stage a mutiny and turn Archer over to the authorities in the Caribbean city of Port Royal, a popular homeport for privateers – and notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals, the ‘wickedest city on earth’.
But superstition is rife among seamen and the presence on board the Atlantis of two women – one a high-born French stowaway Catherine and the other a Jamaican slave-born ‘cabin boy’ Serafine – will only be a bad omen if they are discovered.
Worse, the runaway is thought by her family to possess the powers of a witch while the ‘boy’ worships voodoo gods who rule life from beneath the waves.
Will the mutiny succeed? What is the secret bond between Archer and Serafine?
And can Catherine escape the captain’s determination to make her his after she has fallen for another young officer?
Is some unstoppable divine force slowly gathering to punish the profane?
Beyond the power and control of man lies what …?
Nipping at Spain’s empire is common practice for state-sponsored privateers like the Atlantis at a time when lesser European powers dare not directly make war on Spain.
But when those governments abandon the practice of issuing letters of marque to privateers against the Spanish galleons, many of the crews turn pirate.
Such is the fate of Archer’s men.
The crew is forced to sign the ship’s articles consenting to their new piratical ways, thereby placing their heads in a noose. Unless, that is, they can stage a mutiny and turn Archer over to the authorities in the Caribbean city of Port Royal, a popular homeport for privateers – and notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals, the ‘wickedest city on earth’.
But superstition is rife among seamen and the presence on board the Atlantis of two women – one a high-born French stowaway Catherine and the other a Jamaican slave-born ‘cabin boy’ Serafine – will only be a bad omen if they are discovered.
Worse, the runaway is thought by her family to possess the powers of a witch while the ‘boy’ worships voodoo gods who rule life from beneath the waves.
Will the mutiny succeed? What is the secret bond between Archer and Serafine?
And can Catherine escape the captain’s determination to make her his after she has fallen for another young officer?
Is some unstoppable divine force slowly gathering to punish the profane?
Beyond the power and control of man lies what …?
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 25, 2016
34 people are currently reading
1076 people want to read
About the author
Johanna Craven
26 books92 followersA lover of old stuff, folk music, and dance, Johanna Craven bases her books around little-known true events from the past, often set in bleak and beautiful places. She divides her time between Australia and the UK, and can very easily be persuaded to tell you about the time she accidentally swam with seals on Holy Island.
Find out more at www.johannacraven.com.
Find out more at www.johannacraven.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
February 5, 2017
I had previously read short stories by this author and was looking forward to reading a full length novel. WOW is all I can say!! I started reading this morning and now its late afternoon and I've hardly put the book down. A thrilling, exciting adventure with a fabulous cast of strong characters on a pirate ship in the late 17th century. The presence of a female stowaway even adds romance to the story. The crew is close to mutiny and the officers have to take sides. The Captain has his own agenda and cares nothing for his crew. This book is gripping and a great page turner. I felt the tension on-board the ship! The research is meticulous and the descriptions of a life at sea are superb. The ending is clever and also leaves the way open for a second book. I hope that is the author's intention. Highly recommended!
March 5, 2017
I am an avid reader of historical fiction, and I think because of this I have set the bar very high. The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea is so far passed the bar that it is in another hemisphere. This is an extraordinary work of historical fiction, and I don't say that lightly. It really did blow me away.
The characters were fresh and beautiful portrayed. This story is driven by several key protagonists, who each have their own desperate backstory and somehow, against the odds, they have all ended up on the same ship — some willingly, others not so. And despite their suspicion of each other, they know that they cannot survive without the others. There is a real sense of desperation in this story and about the want for something better. Craven has portrayed the human spirit with great proficiency and believability. There is also a love story here, which touched my heart and I was really gunning for the characters to have a happy ever after, but with the explosive ending I wasn't sure they were going to get it.
The prose in this book is a work of art — fabulous storytelling. I cannot stress how good this book is. It ticked all my boxes and then some.
I applaud Craven for bringing such a well researched and breathtaking story into the world. This is a must read, if ever there was one.
I Highly Recommend.
The characters were fresh and beautiful portrayed. This story is driven by several key protagonists, who each have their own desperate backstory and somehow, against the odds, they have all ended up on the same ship — some willingly, others not so. And despite their suspicion of each other, they know that they cannot survive without the others. There is a real sense of desperation in this story and about the want for something better. Craven has portrayed the human spirit with great proficiency and believability. There is also a love story here, which touched my heart and I was really gunning for the characters to have a happy ever after, but with the explosive ending I wasn't sure they were going to get it.
The prose in this book is a work of art — fabulous storytelling. I cannot stress how good this book is. It ticked all my boxes and then some.
I applaud Craven for bringing such a well researched and breathtaking story into the world. This is a must read, if ever there was one.
I Highly Recommend.
February 15, 2017
In “The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” Johanna Craven creates a cast (or crew) of memorable, complex characters who bring alive real, and realistic, events of 17th century seafaring, war faring, thieving, slaving, and love seeking. Her characters sail us intimately into a long-ago disaster that 21st century readers can relate to after watching so many modern-day disasters unfold on our video screens large and small. Despite the centuries-old setting, Craven’s suspenseful story draws us in -- reminding us of humankind’s eternal capacity to fear one another, hate one another, and try to dominate one another. And it dives into the mysteries of spirituality, then and now. It seems to me that Craven’s characters raise eternal questions, but refuse to provide The Answers. We, the readers of this compelling novel, must wrestle with the answering. It’s well worth the effort.
February 4, 2017
Transport yourself back to the 18th-century
Transport yourself back to the swashbuckling pirates of the 18th-century in this historical high-seas fiction story. The ship and it's environment are described well enough to pull you into the time and the life on board. Strong, well developed characters, fit perfectly into the setting and drive the story. Mystery unfolds when a young female stowaway is discovered aboard The Atlantis, heading for Port Royal, a woman fleeing with a secret. The crew have their own gripping secrets to unfold during the journey, and the ensuing drama kept me reading. Throw in some action, suspense, twists and the story sails along with a trim pace. Brilliantly written, great storytelling, and you do not need to be a historian or a maritime buff to follow the story. Highly recommended.
Transport yourself back to the swashbuckling pirates of the 18th-century in this historical high-seas fiction story. The ship and it's environment are described well enough to pull you into the time and the life on board. Strong, well developed characters, fit perfectly into the setting and drive the story. Mystery unfolds when a young female stowaway is discovered aboard The Atlantis, heading for Port Royal, a woman fleeing with a secret. The crew have their own gripping secrets to unfold during the journey, and the ensuing drama kept me reading. Throw in some action, suspense, twists and the story sails along with a trim pace. Brilliantly written, great storytelling, and you do not need to be a historian or a maritime buff to follow the story. Highly recommended.
April 16, 2017
Very gripping. Not a five star like, say, the Sargeanne Golon books, but still a very good book, which shows the hard side of seventeenth century life, away from palaces and mostly set on a ship, filled by dangerous characters, and complicated love relationships. An occult element as well. I did not put the book down until I had finished it, as it is a page turner, and the characters are convincing.
May 11, 2017
Pirates. Witches. Voodoo. Mutiny. Romance.
This is a fantastic book. The controlling captain slowly losing control of virtually everything. The mulatto slave, desperately loyal to the father who spurns her. The repentant soldier, dreaming of the fiancée (and life) left behind. The rebel noblewoman, determined to choose her own path. Literally, this book has everything. PIRATES. WITCHES. VOO-DOO. Even SWIVING (which is apparently 17th century slang for a word that Amazon doesn’t actually allow in reviews….)
The writing is elegant, even when it’s not. Case in point, “Harry feels her eyeing him, taking in his calloused hands, scruffy hair, dungaree breeches with the faded arse. He feels like the palace shit-shoveller being watched by the queen."
Having said that, I wouldn't recommend this for reading on a plane or anywhere else where the Wi-Fi’s been disconnected. The author’s gone to great lengths to include terms appropriate to the period. I found the Kindle feature that brings up a definition if you highlight the word immensely useful for archaic nautical terms like davits, capstan, orlop, hawser, and mizzenmast. Not the mention clothing terms like justacorps.
My only real complaint was a handful of instances where the author included phrases in Creole that she didn’t translate in the text. For example: “Bata!” cries Serafine suddenly. Archer jerks in his seat. Her eyes are flashing. “Ou merite yo mouri!” Unfortunately, the translate option doesn’t include Creole.
- Read via Kindle Unlimited
This is a fantastic book. The controlling captain slowly losing control of virtually everything. The mulatto slave, desperately loyal to the father who spurns her. The repentant soldier, dreaming of the fiancée (and life) left behind. The rebel noblewoman, determined to choose her own path. Literally, this book has everything. PIRATES. WITCHES. VOO-DOO. Even SWIVING (which is apparently 17th century slang for a word that Amazon doesn’t actually allow in reviews….)
The writing is elegant, even when it’s not. Case in point, “Harry feels her eyeing him, taking in his calloused hands, scruffy hair, dungaree breeches with the faded arse. He feels like the palace shit-shoveller being watched by the queen."
Having said that, I wouldn't recommend this for reading on a plane or anywhere else where the Wi-Fi’s been disconnected. The author’s gone to great lengths to include terms appropriate to the period. I found the Kindle feature that brings up a definition if you highlight the word immensely useful for archaic nautical terms like davits, capstan, orlop, hawser, and mizzenmast. Not the mention clothing terms like justacorps.
My only real complaint was a handful of instances where the author included phrases in Creole that she didn’t translate in the text. For example: “Bata!” cries Serafine suddenly. Archer jerks in his seat. Her eyes are flashing. “Ou merite yo mouri!” Unfortunately, the translate option doesn’t include Creole.
- Read via Kindle Unlimited
June 7, 2017
I enjoyed this book immensely; it had everything a good seafaring yarn should have. A captain haunted by the past and teetering on the brink of insanity. A plucky heroine in the shape of French stowaway Catherine. Hiding below decks was another female, a crew member, pretending to be a boy. Our anti-hero Harry; who went seeking adventure but got rather more than he bargained for. Add to this a rebellious crew and you have a powder keg of a pirate ship and all the elements of a gripping story. Captain Archer is a great character and we get inside of his whisky fuelled mind. He is temperamental and unpredictable and he took his ship and us the reader in some unexpected directions. The story is set against the back drop of a period where privateers no longer had the backing of king and count and some, like our captain, turned to piracy. Also the events that took place in Port Royal, Jamaica, in 1692. I Love reading historical novels and doing some further reading on Wikipedia to get more factual information. I couldn’t fault the writer on her research and the way she brought this particular time in history to life. But even if history leaves you cold, this is a riveting adventure story first and foremost.
May 25, 2017
I’m a conscientious soul, on the whole, and it takes a special book to even make me think about missing or being late for an appointment. So I did put down The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea to go and get my nails done — and spent the whole of the next half hour talking about it.
It’s a historical, set in the late seventeenth century, and you might think that sounds very Pirates of the Caribbean. Not a bit of it. The story of the struggle for control of the merchant ship gone rogue, the Atlantis, and the secrets of those who sail in her, builds and builds as the ship crosses the Atlantic from France to Jamaica. I can’t say too much about the plot because the twists came one after another. But the brewing suspense and the doom laded description of an obviously-cursed ship make for compelling reading.
Who will survive? Captain Archer, struggling to keep control; stowaways Catherine and Seraphine; guilt-ridden navigator Harry Kirk; all have conflicting interests as the ship buckets over the ocean towards their destiny — and a suitably cataclysmic ending. Wonderful book.
It’s a historical, set in the late seventeenth century, and you might think that sounds very Pirates of the Caribbean. Not a bit of it. The story of the struggle for control of the merchant ship gone rogue, the Atlantis, and the secrets of those who sail in her, builds and builds as the ship crosses the Atlantic from France to Jamaica. I can’t say too much about the plot because the twists came one after another. But the brewing suspense and the doom laded description of an obviously-cursed ship make for compelling reading.
Who will survive? Captain Archer, struggling to keep control; stowaways Catherine and Seraphine; guilt-ridden navigator Harry Kirk; all have conflicting interests as the ship buckets over the ocean towards their destiny — and a suitably cataclysmic ending. Wonderful book.
August 27, 2022
I really enjoyed this book even though it wasn't quite what I was looking for. I was hoping for a lighthearted adventure with livable rogue pirates having swashbuckling adventures with buried treasure and mermaidy superstitions which this, book wasn't. I'm not an expert in the history of that period but to me this felt like a pretty realistic historical drama which happened to be on board a pirate ship. It was well written and the tension carried me from one chapter to the next needing to know how each new problem would play out. I immediately liked all of the characters and for me the sign of a good book is that the incidental characters seem real and have weight and in this book they did, other members of the ships crew were fleshed out and real and so they made an impact on the story. The places such as Port royal were well described and intrigued me enough to have gone off and googled them for more info. I'm definitely going to look for more books to see what fate befalls the various members of the crew, despite the lack of pirate gold and peg legs!
September 30, 2017
This is a very enjoyable read. I'm not sure I'd really class it as nautical fiction as the setting is more background than an integral part of the plot and I felt that was true of the historical setting by and large as well. I got no real sense of what life on a seventeenth century privateer or seventeenth century Jamaica was like (perhaps a bit more of the latter than the former). The prose is generally good, though a bit of modern slang, "hunkering" for example, sneaks in from time to time. The only irritating part of the plot was the occasional bits of whitey self-flagellation. There are hints of the supernatural, but they don't add much to the overall scheme of things and I must say I wondered why they were there at all really. However it's cleverly plotted with lots of developed characters and several interesting story-lines - that makes it a very good read. Clearly an author worth investigating a bit further
February 6, 2018
I was looking for a book that took place on a sailing ship and decided to pick this up based on the reviews from this website. The book started off well and had the foundation to be great - an aging pirate captain, a female stowaway, murder, and a potential mutiny; however, this book underwhelmed after it was set up so well.
The main problem I had with this book was the female stowaway and the ending to the book. The female stowaway was a very strong character - but given the situation, too strong in my opinion (I doubt a female stowaway would be so forceful on a pirate ship!). This "flaw" was simply too much for me to overlook. In addition, the ending to the book was not only rushed but just plain bad - I won't spoil the ending, but as the reader I felt cheated that the author didn't put more time/effort into it.
I would not recommend this book, but I did finish it!
The main problem I had with this book was the female stowaway and the ending to the book. The female stowaway was a very strong character - but given the situation, too strong in my opinion (I doubt a female stowaway would be so forceful on a pirate ship!). This "flaw" was simply too much for me to overlook. In addition, the ending to the book was not only rushed but just plain bad - I won't spoil the ending, but as the reader I felt cheated that the author didn't put more time/effort into it.
I would not recommend this book, but I did finish it!
February 4, 2017
A tense adventure on the high seas, packed with back-stabbing intrigue, a delusional captain, and not one, but two strangely gifted women on board a seventeenth century pirate ship. In "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," the author brings to life what it must’ve been like on board a vessel sailing across the Atlantic in the late 1600s. We get a peek into the psyches of each of the main characters as the fast-paced story unfolds. The brutality you’d expect aboard a pirate ship is there, but there’s also a good deal of soul searching as the characters struggle to justify their actions, and a romantic thread to the story that I enjoyed as well. The novel wraps up with a galloping crescendo of a climax that left me breathless by the time I reached the last page.
September 29, 2017
What a talented writer I have discovered. A thoroughly clever and inventive tale with beautifully imagined settings and significantly, believable characters that you can connect with. I went with 4 rather than 5 stars on this for only one reason and it is a personal preference which is books written in the present tense always slightly rankle with me. That being said in this instance the skill of the writer largely overcame this very personal critique for me and in the grand scheme of things I have to say this is actually one of the more enjoyable books that I have read this year and I read a lot. Slick, superb pacing, entertaining plotlines and expertly drawn characters, bring the past alive in the hands of a writer I shall definitely return to. Bravo, you should read this one.
March 22, 2017
I enjoyed this historical adventure set in the Caribbean Seas. As with anything to do with the Caribbean Seas in the period in which this book is set, 1600s, there’s a lot of fighting, pirating, and what have you. The author spares no detail, the description of the ship is down to the last tiny detail and even the behaviors of the captain and crew, and how they interact with each other are captured true to the period. There are women and their roles in the swashbuckling adventure that will have the reader holding on to his/her whip, in retaliatory anger. I had a bit of a problem with Serafine’s lot and was torn between pulling for her or pulling Catherine. In the end I chose neither, they were both memorable characters. This story had me by the throat. Great story telling!
July 3, 2017
I love historical fiction novels and this one is absolutely recommended. The descriptions are so vivid you can actually see in your mind everything that’s happening and imagine how they look, what they’re wearing and feel what they’re going through. The author’s impeccable writing grabs you right at the beginning and you can’t stop until you reach the end.
Between the secrets that keep showing their ugly head and the changes on the ship, you get a suspense story that keeps building up. Even if you don’t like historical fiction, I recommend you try it.
Between the secrets that keep showing their ugly head and the changes on the ship, you get a suspense story that keeps building up. Even if you don’t like historical fiction, I recommend you try it.
June 12, 2017
Delightfully written tale of swashbuckling days that sweeps you away with engaging characters and plenty of action to keep you turning the pages. If you are looking for something purely escapist and not so ‘Jack Sparrow’ in nature, you will enjoy Craven’s beautifully written saga, filled with romance and danger, intrigue and even a few head-scratching mysteries.
Take a holiday on the high seas without ever leaving home!
Take a holiday on the high seas without ever leaving home!
June 21, 2017
This is my first novel by this author. I greatly enjoyed The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and would be interested in reading Johanna Craven's other books. I found her writing style crisp, her setting detailed, and her characters multi-dimensional. The story revolves around four main characters, each with secrets, and each looking for redemption from their past. Action, romance, and plot twists kept me turning pages well into the night. Great read!
February 5, 2017
This is a well researched devil of a book. Dark and twisted, it takes the reader on a voyage back in time. If you have never heard the sound of the drums in the hot night, read it and get a taste. Pirates, danger and dark things, they are all in here.
October 4, 2017
Just under a year ago, I visited a lot of the Caribbean islands mentioned in this book for a holiday. This book took me back, not only to them but also in time. I could feel the sea and smell the old ship [Atlantis] as it creaked and groaned across the waters. I was really transported by this story. I was on the edge of my seat as to what would happen and who would survive. It brought history to life and told a gripping yarn as well. I don't usually read this genre, but if this is the standard, I will now. I had no idea how it was all going to end, and had trouble putting it down. It even infiltrated my dreams. Fabulous.
January 10, 2017
Great adventure
Quite the story. The characters go through adversity and growth. The writing style flows well. An enjoyable story with lots of plot twists.
Quite the story. The characters go through adversity and growth. The writing style flows well. An enjoyable story with lots of plot twists.
March 10, 2017
The blurb for this book caught my eye and since I am a new lover of historical fiction I thought I would give it a read, and I'm glad I did. The story starts with a stowaway aboard the Atlantis, and goes from there to talk about some key characters. Archer, the captain of the ship and his spotted past, Kirk, just wanting to go home and return to normal. Gerard, desperate to stage a mutiny between the men and Archer, and Catherine, the stowaway who is in for more than she planned. It's an excellent story and twists and turns along the way to give you a better idea of the history of these complex characters. It will keep you guessing as to who gets their happy ever after and who doesn't, and on it goes. I loved it and found it hard to put down. Will be keeping an eye on this author in future as they write excellent books. Highly recommended!
March 8, 2017
I came across this book by chance and seeing something different to my usual reading, I thought I would try it.
It's a high-seas adventure of piracy, stowaways and mystery. The stowaways are not everyday females, but those with an intriguing past...and of course would not be welcome on any ship due to superstition.
I don't give spoilers, so it's not easy to say much, however, it is well-written, with all manner of interesting characters and a plot that keeps the pages turning.
Worth a look if you're looking for a different type of historical read.
It's a high-seas adventure of piracy, stowaways and mystery. The stowaways are not everyday females, but those with an intriguing past...and of course would not be welcome on any ship due to superstition.
I don't give spoilers, so it's not easy to say much, however, it is well-written, with all manner of interesting characters and a plot that keeps the pages turning.
Worth a look if you're looking for a different type of historical read.
March 9, 2017
A merchant/ privateer ship turns pirate, goes on a high adventure, and has a mutiny. Lots of drama but that's all it is.
February 6, 2017
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is historical fiction, one of my favourite genres and I enjoyed the story very much. Set, in the late Seventeenth Century, we are introduced to the beautiful French noblewoman, Catherine, who branded a witch by her mother, for her foresight runs from her home and stows away aboard a British Merchantman, The Atlantis. Unfortunately, Britain and France are currently at war and to make matters worse for Catherine, the Atlantis, is actually a pirate ship in disguise.
The characters in this story are well drawn by the author and an odd bunch they are too. The Captain, Benjamin Archer is a drunk, who still revels in the days when he was a hero privateer for the English King. Those days are long gone now and he is wanted for murder, meaning he and his ship can never return to their home port of Port Royal in Jamaica. Throw in a crew that were press-ganged into service as pirates and are seeking to mutiny and you have all the makings of a swashbuckling tale.
The story rollicks along at a great pace as we are taken from France to England and finally across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. The action and tension between the characters is well described, as are the horrors of early shipboard life for the majority of the crew. The author had clearly done her historical research well and this showed in the narrative.
This is a straightforward, adventure and a great read. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and or early sailing ship life at sea. A good, solid four stars from this reviewer.
The characters in this story are well drawn by the author and an odd bunch they are too. The Captain, Benjamin Archer is a drunk, who still revels in the days when he was a hero privateer for the English King. Those days are long gone now and he is wanted for murder, meaning he and his ship can never return to their home port of Port Royal in Jamaica. Throw in a crew that were press-ganged into service as pirates and are seeking to mutiny and you have all the makings of a swashbuckling tale.
The story rollicks along at a great pace as we are taken from France to England and finally across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. The action and tension between the characters is well described, as are the horrors of early shipboard life for the majority of the crew. The author had clearly done her historical research well and this showed in the narrative.
This is a straightforward, adventure and a great read. I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and or early sailing ship life at sea. A good, solid four stars from this reviewer.
February 4, 2017
In 1692, high-born runaway Catherine stows away on an English merchant ship to escape a family who believe her to be a witch. But the young French woman discovers her choice of transport isn't what she expected. Captained by veteran sailor Ben Archer, the ship's crew are no longer in a position to pursue their livelihood as legitimate privateers and are instead faced with the only alternative - to sign the ship’s articles as pirates, a move that places them all in danger of the hangman's noose.
Catherine finds herself caught in a difficult position - not only is she in danger of bringing bad luck on the ship merely by being a woman, but she also has to contend with a possible mutiny, attacks on her own countrymen, and two officers competing for her affections.
'The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' is a right rollicking swashbuckler of an adventure, with guns, swords, double-crossing pirates and a bit of romance for good measure. The author had me at the first page of this excellent tale - her attention to detail is so perfect, I could almost smell the sea air as I turned each page, feeling myself slide down the sea-soaked deck as we sailed into the unknown, creaking hatches and guns a-blazing all around.
Johanna Craven is one of those rare talents who can lift a story off the page and bring it into stark reality. This is a brilliant book and I'll definitely be reading more of her work in the very near future.
Catherine finds herself caught in a difficult position - not only is she in danger of bringing bad luck on the ship merely by being a woman, but she also has to contend with a possible mutiny, attacks on her own countrymen, and two officers competing for her affections.
'The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' is a right rollicking swashbuckler of an adventure, with guns, swords, double-crossing pirates and a bit of romance for good measure. The author had me at the first page of this excellent tale - her attention to detail is so perfect, I could almost smell the sea air as I turned each page, feeling myself slide down the sea-soaked deck as we sailed into the unknown, creaking hatches and guns a-blazing all around.
Johanna Craven is one of those rare talents who can lift a story off the page and bring it into stark reality. This is a brilliant book and I'll definitely be reading more of her work in the very near future.
February 14, 2017
I so enjoyed the intrigue and battles. Definitely read more of Johanna's books. I love pirates.
December 12, 2016
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this story! It was probably one of the most gripping and engaging books that I’ve read in a long time. Once I started it, I was looking forward to getting back to reading it at every chance I got.
The premise of the book centers around a ship, The Atlantis, which was turned from a glorified privateer to a pirate vessel by its captain, Benjamin Archer, who hides far too many secrets on board of this ship. But Archer’s plight gets even more complicated once a navigator, Harry, finds a French stowaway on board, a young and beautiful girl who has a secret of her own. Add to it a possible mutiny, which is being instigated by the most feared of the crewmen; a Voodoo practicing young woman, who hides her real identity from the rest of the crew, and you get a most compelling read which you won’t be able to put down until the last page is turned.
Highly recommended to all lovers of historical fiction genre and just readers, who are looking for a great new book to read. Five stars!
The premise of the book centers around a ship, The Atlantis, which was turned from a glorified privateer to a pirate vessel by its captain, Benjamin Archer, who hides far too many secrets on board of this ship. But Archer’s plight gets even more complicated once a navigator, Harry, finds a French stowaway on board, a young and beautiful girl who has a secret of her own. Add to it a possible mutiny, which is being instigated by the most feared of the crewmen; a Voodoo practicing young woman, who hides her real identity from the rest of the crew, and you get a most compelling read which you won’t be able to put down until the last page is turned.
Highly recommended to all lovers of historical fiction genre and just readers, who are looking for a great new book to read. Five stars!
December 19, 2016
When Catherine stows away on a sailing ship after fleeing Paris, she is horrified to discover that the ship is (a) English and (b) a pirate vessel.
'The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' is a historical maritime novel with a great cast of characters, whose closets spill out a multitude of skeletons as the voyage proceeds. There's a stowaway with precognition, a girl disguised as a boy who practices voodoo, a captain obsessed with an old love and seeking to blot it out with a new one, who is also perilously out of touch with his mutinous crew. A real powder keg of elements, all of which threaten to blow at any moment, it's just a case of which one goes first.
The shipboard setting is very well realised, the flashbacks include some fairly harrowing events, and the final section in Port Royal is suitably climactic. But it's the characters who really sell this book, making you keep turning the pages avidly.
'The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea' is a historical maritime novel with a great cast of characters, whose closets spill out a multitude of skeletons as the voyage proceeds. There's a stowaway with precognition, a girl disguised as a boy who practices voodoo, a captain obsessed with an old love and seeking to blot it out with a new one, who is also perilously out of touch with his mutinous crew. A real powder keg of elements, all of which threaten to blow at any moment, it's just a case of which one goes first.
The shipboard setting is very well realised, the flashbacks include some fairly harrowing events, and the final section in Port Royal is suitably climactic. But it's the characters who really sell this book, making you keep turning the pages avidly.
January 23, 2017
I have given this book five stars because it deserves them. I suspect a lot of research went into it, the author kept to the period very well, no modern idioms crept in. It was beautifully written – more of a literary style, with many descriptions. It was difficult to identify closely with any one character, as so often they were kind and lovable one minute and killing someone the next. The plot was also complex, a few flashbacks explained the background to decisions the characters made, but Archer’s history appears quite late in the book. The one thing I did not like was the use of the present tense, but this is a personal preference and towards the end I didn’t notice as much but it bothered me in the early part of the book. I would have liked the story to move a lot faster, but again this is personal, but the ending sure was explosive.
December 20, 2016
An intriguing and very well written story that gave a wonderful sense of a life at sea.
At first I found it a little frustrating not to know more about the characters and what led them to be sailing on the Atlantis in turbulent times, either as Captain, crew or stowaways. However, it turned out to be a brilliant device as when the action picked up little snippets of the characters' history were revealed adding to the tension and swaying my sympathies. Indeed, in some cases the full back story is withheld, almost to end. And by that time I was totally hooked by both the story and the plight of the characters.
Lovely read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Highly recommend.
At first I found it a little frustrating not to know more about the characters and what led them to be sailing on the Atlantis in turbulent times, either as Captain, crew or stowaways. However, it turned out to be a brilliant device as when the action picked up little snippets of the characters' history were revealed adding to the tension and swaying my sympathies. Indeed, in some cases the full back story is withheld, almost to end. And by that time I was totally hooked by both the story and the plight of the characters.
Lovely read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Highly recommend.
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