Blackthorn Winter (Maritime Series Book 1)

This book is packed with action and my boys loved it from the first page.As a mom, I loved that themes of virtue are taught throughout. The hardworking, wise, and conscientious Thomas is a great hero for young boys.

We enjoyed this book very much as a family and part of history study - it was full of adventure, winsome sayings and compared various characters in situations that stimulated interesting family discussions. It also kept us flipping chapters to find out what happened next!

My junior high daughter recently read this book and really enjoyed it. She said that the storyline flowed really well and it held her interest.

Blackthorn Winter by Douglas Wilson is a truly wonderful story and a good action novel. Pirates, buried maps and hidden treasure! Set on the glorious Chesapeake Bay during the third year of good Queen Anne (c.1705), this swashbuckling novel depicts the conflict of righteous behavior and foolishness with the outcome being a matter of life or death. The story follows the service of fifteen-year-old Thomas Ingle on the Prudent Hannah under the honorable Captain Monroe, and then their unfortunate tour on the Lady Constance. Treasure, financial hardship, and pirate mystique all add to a cleverly woven tale of uncommon honor in the face of insidious treachery that stretches from the days of cutlasses and muskets to our own.

It's a historical fiction novel, with a strong emphasis on integrity, character and virtue. If that's what you're looking for, you'll probably like this. And I know that books that meet these criteria are woefully few and far between, so there will definitely be a niche for this book. Unfortunately the writing is, well, wooden. The plot has possibilities, but the stilted, awkward prose distracts from it. If you are getting this book for a reluctant reader, they'll probably be more reluctant after slogging through this. This is definitely the least readable young adult book I've read in the past five or so years. Stick with Treasure Island.

I purchased this book for a 12 y/o son. I know he likes it alot, I havent' got to read it yet, but am looking forward to it, as we have very much appreciated other writings of Doug Wilson.