Oathbound

About the Book

Book: Oathbound

Author: Victoria McCombs

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release date: February 15, 2022

Oathbound-New Beware the waters. The dangerous deep brings ruin to all.

Emme has spent her life avoiding anything to do with pirates. But the fates are cruel, and now a hidden sickness leads her to partner with pirates for the one thing that can save her—a cure on an island none are certain exists.

The pirate captain’s secrets are darker than the deep and threaten to kill them all. His obligations are tinged with betrayal, for his oathbind must be fulfilled. To ignore it is to invite peril of unimaginable destruction.

As the adventure unfolds, the sea takes more than she expects and the sea gives more than he wants.

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My Review:

The one thing she *never* wanted to do, is what Emme is doing. She's on a pirate ship, looking for an island that may not be real. Her mission is to save her parens from the sickness that's killing them. This is but the first plank in a very well crafted plot driven, world you can sink into, this is it.

Some major topics are covered, but not pushed. I appreciate that. I'm past weary of some crazy takes on things of late and this book didn't do that. It just told us Arn's past, which helped us understand why he does things so backwards at times that it's boarding on annoying. He needs to grow up and treat others a bit better than has been. Will he? I'm not going to tell you so you can read that for yourself.

I like good pirate tales, but they have to be very good, this one is. It's free of physical intimacy other than some kissing. This is a book I could get my friends who have never read Christian fiction to read as it carries light tones in that regard, mentioning more the afterlife and what might lie in with there.

Thankfully this story is not devoid of all that makes a pirate book or movie a good one. "Argggh mate!" Sail the fickle seas. Look for that elusive treasure or cure. Fight "monsters" that are more spiritual in nature along the way. Deal with love, and loss, joy and grief. Win fights, gasp at plot twists, and above all - value life and pass me book two please!

5 Stars, a cup of java and a loud happy "ARGgggh!" from me!

About the Author

McCombs, Victoria Victoria McCombs is the author of The Storyteller’s Series from Parliament House Press, and Oathbound. She writes young adult fantasy and adores stories about treacherous pirates and traitorous princes. Her favorite things include peppermint hot chocolate, peanut butter ice cream, game nights with family, and Jesus. She has her mom to thank for allowing so many medieval weapons inside the house as she was growing up, which curated her love for that time period. She is a mom of three little boys and a wife to the handsomest accountant there is. Together they live in Omaha, Nebraska.

More from Victoria

Oathbound was my quarantine book. I remember getting the idea and thinking “I don’t know of any other pirate books in the YA fantasy genre.” Of course, after that, I saw them everywhere, and several amazing ones have come out since. But theses broken pirates had grabbed my attention and I couldn’t let go.

One aspect of my book makes it unique, and that comes in our main character. My characters are a reflection of me, but none more so than Emme. We see early on that she is sick, and while the disease is made up for the book, it’s mirrored exactly by the disease that runs in my family called ataxia. This is a disease that impairs every part of life before it ends it too soon. I’ve never opened those emotions so fully to put them on a page, but Emme and I were going through this together. While I’m lucky not to have symptoms yet (and the chance to never have to go through it), this disability is something I understand deeply, and I’m honored to bring it to life on the page to show the strength that can lie within even when our bodies fail us.

I hope you all enjoy Oathbound!