Steel

Steel
By Carrie Vaughn
2011
283 pages

Summary: Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure. The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain. (Amazon)

Review: Steel is your typical hero’s quest with a twist...pirates! Vaughn does a great job of surprising readers with her originality and her writing makes it easy to get lost in the pirate world. The gritty every day life on a pirate ship is especially compelling. While the strength of the novel is the world building, readers will also enjoy the characters. Jill is a likeable main character, one that you root for as an unlikely hero. Similarly, her pirate companions, while misfits and underdogs, are charming and intriguing – especially Captain Cooper and sweet Henry. Readers will enjoy the adventure and excitement as Jill comes up against pirate legend, mystery and a few who want her dead.

Also by Carrie Vaughn: Voices of Dragons

If you liked Steel, you might also enjoy: Wildwing by Emily Whitman, The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher and the Time Thief by Linda Buckley-Archer

Author website: http://www.carrievaughn.com/

Rating:
Writing: 3/4
Characters: 3/4
Plot: 3/4
Originality: 3.5/4
Popularity: 3/4
Cover: 3.5/4
Grade Level Interest: JS