Chloe Neill brings her trademark wit and wild sense of adventure to a stunning seafaring fantasy starring a dauntless heroine in a world of magic and treachery.
THE BRIGHT AND BREAKING SEA by CHLOE NEILL
Series: Captain Kit Brightling #1
Publication date: November 17, 2020
Published by: Berkley
Genre: YA fantasy
SYNOPSIS
Kit Brightling, rescued as a foundling and raised in a home for talented girls, has worked hard to rise through the ranks of the Isles' Crown Command and become one of the few female captains in Queen Charlotte's fleet. Her ship is small, but she's fast--in part because of Kit's magical affinity to the sea. But the waters become perilous when the queen sends Kit on a special mission with a partner she never asked for.
Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, may be a veteran of the Continental war, but Kit doesn't know him or his motives--and she's dealt with one too many members of the Beau Monde. But Kit has her orders, and the queen has commanded they journey to a dangerous pirate quay and rescue a spy who's been gathering intelligence on the exiled emperor of Gallia.
Kit can lead her ship and clever crew on her own, but with the fate of queen and country at stake, Kit and Rian must learn to trust each other, or else the Isles will fall....
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Praise for The Bright and Breaking Sea:
“The Bright and Breaking Sea is an utter delight. I deeply enjoyed my voyage with Kit Brightling and her loyal and charming crew and would happily sail with them anywhere.”–Kat Howard, Alex Award-winning author of An Unkindness of Magicians
“A heroine worth cheering for and some magic I wish I could tap into myself. Set sail with Captain Kit Brightling; you’ll like the cut of this story’s jib.”–Kevin Hearne, New York Times bestselling author of Ink & Sigil
“Magic and sea battles set in a world that gives more than a nod to the Napoleonic wars–entertaining and fun!”–Patricia Briggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Smoke Bitten
“The diverse crew, sea battles, intrigue, treason, class and gender infighting, and the attraction between Kit and Grant will appeal to fans of historical military fantasies like Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series. Readers will eagerly anticipate the next exciting adventure.”—Booklist
“Neill’s creative reinterpretation of the Napoleonic Wars is diverse and gripping, and the growing bond between the well-matched Kit and Grant is sure to conquer readers’ hearts.”–Publishers Weekly
“Readers who enjoy adventure, intrigue and a touch of magic will be swept away by Chloe Neill’s seafaring historical fantasy and its devoted and supremely competent captain.”–Shelf-Awareness.com
“A fast-paced tale of high adventure, featuring naval battles, the rescue of a prisoner from a pirate stronghold, the hunt for traitors. And heroes, male and female both, with superior talents to get the job done. The writing is taut and witty.”–Historical Novel Society
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chloe Neill is the New York Times bestselling author of the Heirs of Chicagoland, Chicagoland Vampires Novels, Devil's Isle Novels, and Dark Elite novels. Chloe was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest. When she's not writing, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys--her husband and their dogs, Baxter and Scout.
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The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe NeillMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
“The world is becoming dangerous again,” she said.“Be as careful as you can.”“The world has always been dangerous,” Kit said.“But some are better at hiding it."
Believe it or not, this is my very first read by Chloe Neill! I'm ashamed to admit that considering how long she's been on my radar and TBR. In The Bright and Breaking Sea, she has created a strong female lead named Captain Kit Brightling. A young woman who was raised in an orphanage and managed to rise out of poverty to the esteemed position in Isles' the Crown Command. Even more notably, she has garnered the respect of Queen Charlotte herself, and is one of the most trusted in her inner circle. She's worked hard to reach the heights she has at such a young age, and that's probably why she doesn't take anything for granted. Kit is a leader-through and through-and she doesn't take kindly to anyone trying to undermine her authority. One of her best qualities I think was her sheer unwavering confidence in herself, even in situations where the odds were against her. She knew her own worth and never failed to put 110% into whatever mission is put in front of her.
The book begins when Kit returns home for a needed rest, only to be summoned by the queen for new, urgent orders. There have been rumors that Gerard Rousseau, the exiled emperor of Gallia may be plotting something. One of the queen's spies investigating has been captured, and it's imperative that Kit travel immediately to the prison where he's reportedly being kept and break him out. She doesn't bat an eye...until she's told that she'll be joined by Colonel Grant who will assist in leading the mission. She immediately puts her barriers up against him because of his aristocratic lineage-which is a little judgmental in my book, but coming from her life experience most likely logical.
This is where my three star rating comes in. This book really dragged for me. The pace was excruciating as it took me three days to read 15% at some points. Did that consistently stretch on for the entire book? No. But there were long periods where I was having to force myself to hold my concentration on the story because it wasn't grabbing me with ease. I would say that the first 50-60% was an effort. Not because I didn't enjoy the characters or the plot, but it was just stretched out in a way that I didn't enjoy. It was bogged down by so much description of the technicalities of the Diana: how they operated her, and how they maneuvered her through the action scenes. It kind of took me out of the moment to constantly be fed information about what they were doing rather than allowing me to just enjoy the adventure. I like research and facts in fiction as much as the next person, but for me I needed to feel more organic. There was also worldbuilding to be done as it's the introduction to a new series which also tends to slow things down to a degree.
This world has a definite feminist spin. While there are females in high positions of power, as well as lower ranking such as those in Kit's crew, that's not to say that there wasn't still prejudice against Kit. There was one instance in particular when she was confronted by a man at the palace who had preconceptions about her solely based on her being a woman. However, for the most part, the author created a historical fantasy world in which women were given many more freedoms that in real world historical reality. I think that added credence to the world because you're never going to have a utopian society that's completely free of prejudice and discrimination. In fact, it's instances like this that illustrated Kit's unconcern for others' poor opinions of her. The magic was not as strong as I was expecting in this world. The "Aligned" can control elements-as Kit can control the sea.
“I’m Aligned, you know. I can feel the sea, the rise and fall,like an echo of my heartbeat.I hear a tune just for you, ready to call you home.”
I honestly loved Captain Kit-she's a firecracker with endless reserves of courage that anybody could respect. She's loyal to Hetta Brightling, the woman who raised her at the orphanage, and still considers her and the orphans family. She has a soft core that she tries to hide under her tough exterior, but it reveals itself in many ways throughout the book, giving her character more dimension.
The way she treats her crew like a team rather than subordinates who are beneath her, the way she cares for the stowaway child on her ship and worries after her, these are all examples of her principles and strong character.
The second half of the book picked up some, and there is a romance developing that this romance reader really appreciated. It was definitely in the background, but I think that's the way it should be in a YA fantasy. It doesn't need to overtake the central action of the plot. I really liked her love interest, Colonel Grant and enjoyed how their initial antagonism and distrust evolved into the warm tenderness at the end. The book ended on a high note, but there was a cliffhanger last minute which I think many will already anticipate since this is a first in series. Although I had some issues with this one, I would still recommend giving it a try, especially if you're already a Chloe Neill fan. I think the series has a lot of positive things going for it into book two, and I'm willing to continue on to join more adventures with the bold Kit Brightling in the future.
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