Sail into a world *literally* divided to learn the story of the Ship of Spells. When Ensign (P.S. this is the lowest commissioned officer rank for those of us not up to snuff on naval chain of command) Bluemage Honor Renn is the sole survivor of a naval battle, she is rescued—or captured—by the crew of the Touchstone, a mythical, sentient ship captained by the mysterious Thanavar. The captain (or the Ship??) rescued her from death at sea, but as an enemy of her people, Renn wants nothing more than to push him overboard. Renn soon discovers that the magical blast that sank her old vessel left her with a powerful, and rare, chimeric magik that is slowly draining her life force. But the strength it grants makes her a target for rulers and captains from both sides of the globe.

Motivated by a desire to find a cure for her magik disease, and her interest in furthering her casting abilities, Renn joins the crew of the Touchstone. In exchange, Renn agrees to help find a solution to fix the crumbling barrier separating the Overland and Nethersea. Unfortunately, this also means working alongside the infuriatingly enigmatic captain. And while he is as untrustworthy as he is alluring, he might hold the key to surviving the deadly magic she now carries- if he will give it up. This is a book with an epic quest, but it is also a book about people and how they grow.

I love that Renn is so flawed, and makes mistakes over and over again that both she and others pay for (sometimes painfully). She is very much the product of her upbringing.  Renn’s inner journey trying to outgrow the skepticism her mother instilled in her, in order to learn to (maybe almost?) trust people felt like something very relatable.  There was a particular scene towards the beginning of the book where Renn throws hateful words out to hide how deeply upset she is, and then storms off. We get to see true, struggling, character growth in the best way. Dickson isn’t above stabbing us in the heart, however, and the amount of death and destruction that flows from naval battles was accurately portrayed, unlike in some other books I have read. The ship is as much a character as any of the landlubbers, and very clearly has opinions of its own. I lived for the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang moments, and the tension was delectable, not rushed or forced. This book was a great blend of adventure, political intrigue and romance (just enough to keep you twitchy in the best way). The main character is smart- if the reader can figure out who the secret prince is, you bet she can too- and you root for her all the way.

I was completely captivated by Ship of Spells and will definitely be reading the next book! I would recommend this novel if you liked The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson and for fans of Sharron Shinn.

Ship of Spells is available now, you can order your copy from Bookshop.org