In My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, Mary Read finds herself at a crossroads. She’s in love with a man who doesn’t feel the same, but she can’t go home either. In coming to land, she’s given up her fish tail. Oh, did I mention she was born a mermaid? So instead of giving in to heartbreak, she disguises herself as a boy and becomes a pirate. After a year of sailing, the news breaks that Blackbeard has died and has left behind a challenge in Nassau for who will become the next king of pirates. Mary is determined to win and prove that not only men can be successful pirates. So she ropes in her fellow pirate best friend Tobias Teach, her cousin from the sea who’s also acquired human legs, and the feisty aspiring-buccaneer Anne Bonny, to locate Blackbeard’s lost treasure and claim the pirate throne.

This reads like a wacky combination of The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Our Flag Means Death for teens. I’ve never read any other books in this series—each one is a standalone, a twist on a different famous Jane or Mary from history—but this newest one caught my attention. You might have noticed I’m in a pirate phase that doesn’t appear to be letting up any time soon.

And this was a fun time! It’s a lighthearted romp, but the action is pretty decent. I wasn’t expecting all the anachronisms and modern-sounding dialogue, though, so that took some getting used to. It’s a bit much sometimes, but it’s also not the worst thing. Something that might annoy some people, though, is the loose interpretation of historical events and people. Mary Read, Anne Bonny, Blackbeard, and Calico Jack were all real people, after all, but this plot is so ridiculous and impossible that these characters only vaguely resemble their real counterparts. It’s almost as if the authors took history as a guideline, rather than a rule.

And beyond the absurd trappings of the setting and plot, the characters are quite endearing. I loved Mary’s bond with Tobias, who was probably my favorite. Jack’s subplot with Anne was fine, but not why I was reading. I was in this for the adventures and piracy, and luckily, this mostly delivered. I also thought the Little Mermaid aspects were fairly clever, and worked well with Mary’s journey. 

In the end, though, while I had a decent time reading My Salty Mary, it wasn’t my favorite pirate novel. It’s certainly entertaining, and the authors seem to be having a great time playing with alternate histories and folklore, but sometimes the silliness is a bit much. However, if that’s what you’re looking for, it’s a good time. Also, the audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Nneka Okoye. The real Blackbeard would have hated this book, but based on what I know about him, good riddance to that guy anyway. Hoist the colors, Hand, Aston, and Brodi!

My Salty Mary is available now!