published February 29, 2024 by Inkyard Press
I love fantasy stories set at sea. In Compass and Blade, Mira is a teen girl who lives on an island that feeds their people by plundering shipwrecks. When her father is arrested for wrecking, Mira has to find a way to save him before he is hanged.
Mira is a flawed character, tough and compassionate but also naive. Her love for her father and her drive to save him anchored the book for me. There are a few plot points that are a bit silly, but I loved the world and characters — there’s a found family involving a teen smuggling grew, and some interesting magic lore.
What really made the book work for me was Greenlaw’s writing: her prose is smooth as the sea on a windless day. Her writing captured the setting and emotions of the book so well that I was completely sucked in.
The romantic element didn’t really work for me — it was a bit too insta-love, not well enough developed. Mira’s immediate attraction to two boys was very YA tope-y, but I enjoyed the rest of the book so much that I could look past it.
Fans of Fable and Daughter of the Pirate King should definitely check this one out.
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Thank you to Netgalley and Inkyard Press for my review copy of this book.
Leanne Olson 
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