Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland

TL;DR: Absolutely not going to work for everyone, but if you have the right sense of humor this is hysterical and such a fun adventure.
Source: NetGalley and I purchased my own copy, many thanks to the publisher!

Plot: Avra accidentally steals a huge national secret and has to either hide or sell it. All the while he’s an idiotic little bird with a fantastic pirate crew to back and assist him.
Characters: These characters were absolutely delightful. From Avra who is a genuine idiot, to Teveri who and Julian the sexy but very celibate monk – I loved all of them.
Setting: Most of this was set either on the ship or in a pirate town, and both of which felt well drawn and set well within the larger world Alexandra has established in other books.
Magic: Very light on the magic itself. The setting is very fantastical but the actual handwaving magic time was light and it definitely didn’t detract.

Thoughts:

Here I am, yet again, trying to sum up why I loved a book and I’m kind of at a loss for words. Running Close to the Wind is an absurd book that will not work for everyone, but for those of us it works for – it really works. This is set in the same world as A Taste of Gold and Iron but is an ENTIRELY different tone. Where Taste is a slow, beautifully drawn and intricate political fantasy with a romantic plot this is a comedic pirate romp. Think Our Flag Means Death meets some What We Do In the Shadows humor and you’re pretty close.

Avra has ‘witchy’ luck. And unfortunately for him that led him to accidentally stealing a national secret. Which of course terrifies him and he takes off running. He ends up (thanks to that witchy luck) on the pirate ship of his former lover and compatriot Teveri and thus begins a big adventure as the crew begins to work to understand the scholarly notes of the secret to sell it. We have the stoic and straight faced Teveri, who I would love to see more of their story in another story, Julian who is both beautiful and kind, and a whole range of hilarious crew and towns folk.

The humor is the biggest part of this. You cannot take that out of the story, so truthfully you must get along with it. Try a sample if you’re unsure, but if you get on with it I promise you this is 100% worth every page. The story has some deeper musings and it’s going to capture you and engage you, while tickling you, the whole time. It also adds more to this lovely world that Alexandra Rowland setup in Taste and I cannot wait for more.

5 out of 5 Absolutely phenomenial cake competitions