Name: The Maiden Ship
Rating: 4.307692307692307 (13 reviews)
ISBN: 9780986937354

Micheline Ryckman

Dain Alloway was only nine years old when he began a new life with his father, sailing aboard The Maiden. Eight years later, the aristocratic city-boy turned merchant-sailor feels like he lives with one foot on land, and one foot in the sea. Life floats smoothly by until the night he wakes to find a mysterious woman in his cabin. The events that unfold after her appearance transform Dain's world. Now, hunted by empty-faced demons, he finds himself thrown into a dangerous web of intrigue and magic. As the crisis grows, the young sailor discovers powerful gifts buried deep within, talents that might shift the tide of a centuries-old war. Whether or not he's ready, Dain will have to risk it all for the salvation and freedom of those he loves.--Back cover.

The Maiden Ship

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

I am enchanted by The Maiden Ship. There is simply no other way to put it. Having gotten to know the author through social media, and knowing the history behind each word on these pages made the reading experience all the more lovely, and I could see pieces of Micheline’s soul in every sentence.

The author is an artist, and that translated beautifully into her prose. The Maiden Ship reminded me of a storybook from a fairytale, where every sentence is filled with imagery and every word brings you deeper and deeper into the story, until you’re lost to it heart and soul. It was a delicate storytelling, with no great amount of action sequences and a slower narrative, which accompanied the reader through the magical events of the novel like a friend.

The Maiden Ships’s greatest strength were its characters. Dain was a wonderful protagonist, mature for his seventeen years and yet with the sensitivity and inexperience that often characterizes that age. It was so easy to warm up to him because of how relatable he was throughout the entire book. Dain wears his emotions on his sleeve. His doubts, his insecurities, his emotions made him feel incredibly real. I wanted to hug him whenever the world hurt him, I wanted to laugh with him and share in his joys when he was happy. I felt like a proud auntie as he grew more confident in his role and his journey. Dain is the kind of character who is at once righteous and flawed, who makes mistakes and lives up to them. I just love him, okay? I think you can tell! 

Like every great character-driven book, Dain could count on the support of an incredible cast of secondary characters. It goes without question that I loved Sable. Her liveliness and spunky sass were a perfect counter to Dain’s personality and I couldn’t help myself from shipping them like a crazy fangirl! But I also appreciated Mo and Toff and Casper and Lydia and Ileana…gosh I loved all the characters in this book!

I was a huge fan of the representation of women in this novel in general. Women don’t always have to wield weapons to be badass. Our inner strength is the most powerful weapon of all. Be it through Ileana’s regal grace, Sable’s steely resolve or Lydia’s motherly protectiveness, we are a force to be reckoned with! But when in doubt, frying pans are excellent weapons. You’ll get it once you read the book.

So in case you couldn’t tell so far, I absolutely adored this book. I cannot wait to learn more about this world (which I am sure holds many surprises for us in the next installment!) and to be reunited with these wonderful characters.

Maria Elena Vitale Zelaia

The Maiden Ship is an absolutely beautiful book, inside and out. I’m kind of cursing myself for taking so long for picking this up, but I’m very glad I did. Micheline is a wonderful person, a talented artist and now I know she’s also an incredible writer! Her prose was wonderful, her descriptions flawless and her characters were impossible not to love.

Reading this book made me very emotional and nostalgic of a story my sister and I were writing a few years ago. We finished it, and then we decided to change some things, but we didn’t get to go back to it yet. It’s there, though, and it will happen, because the characters are very dear to our hearts. The Maiden Ship reminded me of that story, because they’re both set at sea. For this reason, it felt like going home—a beautiful home, filled with characters that I fell in love with. 

Dain is an amazing main character. His cinnamon roll nature should not fool you. This young man’s wit is as sharp as a blade, and though he’s sweet and often awkward (especially around girls), you can count on him to find a solution to any problem. It was hard not to love him. But a good lead needs to count on the strength of the supporting characters, and the cast of The Maiden Ship lived up to the task. I especially loved Sable, whose no-nonsense attitude and kind heart were a perfect match to Dain. The scene between the two made me smile, laugh and my heart skip several beats. The ship is strong. Mo and Toff were also amazing characters, especially Toff. For an old man, he holds many surprises. 

So, yes, I loved this book, and I highly encourage everyone to read it, especially if you love character-driven stories and adventurous reads. I cannot wait for the second book because the ending has me begging for more!

The Maiden Ship

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