DAWNING OF THE SUN

An adventurous woman joins a crew of pirates and sets sail aboard the Wailing Wind in Kalous’ novel.

Sol Vesper was born for a life on the ocean. Her father was a sea captain and raised her on his ship after her mother died in childbirth. Her father was murdered in a mutiny when she was 12, and now, after a decade of “learning to survive without selling herself or being sold,” Sol arrives in the Aurtanian colonies of Barbaka, determined to get work as a sailor. Despite her experience and expertise, no one will hire her, as it’s considered bad luck to have a woman on a crew. A skirmish with a predatory captain leads to a chance encounter with Danken Vesper, her long-lost pirate uncle and the captain of the Wailing Wind. Sol joins his crew, eager to earn their respect; she forms friendships with Laius,a master swordsman who becomes her sparring partner; Will, the crew’s surgeon; and twin master gunners Derk and Jordan. She also earns the distinction of being the Wailing Wind's official thief after stealing a jeweled rapier from a Royal Navy ship. She faces challenges from misogynistic shipmates and enslavers at one of the ports that the crew visits. She also experiences a growing attraction to Curt, the ship’s surly first mate. When Capt. Vesper leads the crew in a mission to find and steal the mythical Hoard of Cerlax, Sol and Curt become closer, but Sol can’t risk a romance—there’s too much at stake. Kalous’ series starter showcases masterful worldbuilding, featuring  mythology, royal politics, and richly detailed topography. However, some of its narrative elements are overly familiar; as a protagonist, Sol isn’t particularly compelling and falls into the not-like-other-girls cliché, even reflecting that “there had always been an oddness to her, things she couldn't explain away.” It doesn’t help that, until the final chapters, she’s the only significant female character; before that, unnamed innkeepers, barmaids, sex workers, high priestesses, and sex trafficking victims abound. Sun-and-moon symbolism throughout the novel is clever but heavy-handed.

An imaginative, well-crafted fantasy that’s weighed down by overused tropes.