Customer Reviews

The Witch from the Sea: A Novel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Witch from the Sea" is not a pirate-themed "bodice ripper" but a "coming of age adventure story", with a spirited female adolescent lead character. Tory is a feisty orphaned runaway from a stuffy Boston girls school (she was sent there by her blue-blood Bostonian aunt who disapproved of her half-Indian blood). After she dons boy's clothing, and stows away on a ship leaving Boston Harbour, she is soon discovered and put to work learning the ropes as part of the merchant ship's crew.
Then comes the pirate attack. Tory betrays the location of the contraband silver in order to save a fellow crewman's life. Knowing she'd be no longer safe aboard the merchant vessel, she willingly joins up with the pirates. Till now, everyone had believed her to be a lad, but the pirates soon find out differently. Luckily, by the time that happens, she has taken the oath and signed articles with Capt. Hart, who thus proclaims her as a regular crewmember, despite her gender. Very few of the diverse, colorful crew is happy with a female aboard, but amidst the glares, harassment, and near disasters, she adapts to her new life, and manages to create a niche for herself.
The era is the 1820's, a time when many pirates were Cuban, and most Caribbean ports friendly to pirates are Spanish colonial backwaters. The U.S. Navy is determinedly tracking down all pirates. Capt. Hart, though Scottish himself, has a largely Cuban crew, with Spanish as the "official" language of the his ship. Tory (and the reader) quickly learns some important (and colorful) phrases in Spanish. And she learns much more - sailing, fighting, circus tumbling, and ... even love.
True ... while this is more of an adventure story, rather than a romance, it doesn't mean there aren't some passionate moments, and a love interest (after a stumbling false start).
While no Patrick O'Brian or C.S. Forester, author Lisa Jensen gives you enough of a feel of shipboard life, and swashbuckling action, along with a mix of grimy, seedy reality, that even the lads out there might enjoy this book.

The Witch from the Sea has it all--swashbuckling adventure, sea and ship lore, a down-to-earth character you enjoy rooting for, and on top of everything, a moving love story! What impressed me most is the writing, from the pacing to character development to just plain well written, evocative sentences. Such authors are rare, and I cannot wait for the sequel!
Carolyn Woolston

This first novel is well written, fast paced, vivid and an all over fun book to read. The time and place come to life as you sail the blue seas with unforgettable pirates that break away from the usual sterotypes. And there's romance as well. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Steeped in historical ambiance, "The Witch from the Sea" provides a richly entertaining look at the arduous, yet strangely beautiful life of seafaring privateers in the nineteenth century. The heroine, Tory Lightfoot, is a hardy adventurer worthy of Anne Bonny and Grace O'Malley. Tory meets life with courage and grace, reveling in the demands of her chosen career, set on proving to herself and the world that there's more to her than meets the eye. To my mind, Lisa Jensen has a written an exemplary tale of courage and romance. A rare find, I look forward to the sequel!

Lisa Jensen's THE WITCH FROM THE SEA is filled with sweet surprises. She has a marvelous gift for description, from the interior of a crude seaside hut to the way clothing feels on the body. That last can be a bit disconcerting for a male reader--or this one, anyway--particularly when Tory Lightfoot, her heroine, tells us exactly what it is about her shipmates that interests her. And Tory's pirate companions are cheerful advocates of rum and sodomy (though not so much the lash), which can be amusing or romantic, depending. All in all, a tidy yarn in the old Zorro vein from an author who bears watching.

I really enjoyed this book? It was well-written, sexy, and a good page-turner. Tory Lightfoot is a convincing character, and the author brings her adventures on a pirate ship dramatically to life. Romance, adventure, and a satisfactory (and beleiveable) conclusion. Can you hear my applause?

I really enjoyed the tale of Tory Lightfoot and her coming of age on the high seas. Her story has a little bit of everything - adventure, humor, tragedy, romance, Shakespeare! We are swept into the story as she grows from the brave young girl who stole out of her private school in Boston to take to the seas, into a bold, young lady pirate. She learns to seek the things she wants, instead of leaving them to Fate and her wheel. Several things stick out as exceptional in this story... (1) The story keeps you interested until the very last paragraph - you're not sure how it's really going to end. (2) The author avoided all the pitfalls of making this into your average pirate romance (I don't want to give spoilers, but I was very pleased with the outcome of everything, and delighted to see it rise above the norm) (3) I was not expecting the humor, but the pirates were exactly as I would like to think many were! (4) This author didn't balk at the cruelty of the era, classes, races, nor life at sea - she gave you the details, even the terrible ones. (5) The heroine may have started out young and in over her head, fallible, but shes a real person - a very likeable heroine with a strong will that you can relate to.

Absolutely wonderful book by this new author! It reads like Jane Eyre goes to Treasure Island and becomes Moll Flanders. Piracy, romance and coming-of-age wrapped into one fast-reading package. You will enjoy this terrific novel!

I don't know why this was categorized as a romance novel. It's definitely an adventure story that has romance in it. It was far better written than a romance novel. I loved the characters in it. They were all vivid and human and poignant in their own ways. The style wasn't flowery, thank the gods. I enjoyed every bit of this book, including the love story, one that I found more realistic than what you'll see in the majority of fiction out there.

I found the details of sailing and history more fascinating than the romance; but that, too, kept me up past bedtime. I liked learning a lot about the places and times, too.