If you had told me I had accidentally taken hallucinogenic drugs and hallucinated the entire plot, I would have believed you. I buddy read this in one day during a 24h readathon and I'll admit I had a LOT of fun. However, it was a WILD ride and there was a lot I wasn't a fan of. The whole experience though? I did enjoy. Which is why I’m giving it a 3.5/5, as there were elements I didn’t like, but the experience overall was great. One great thing about this book, which contributed to the hallucinatory feeling, was how not even ONCE did I predict what was about to happen. The amount of twists and completely random things in this book is wild. So if you’re looking for an adventure this may be the book for you. This book feels like Narnia meets Pirates of the Caribbean through the lens of a 17 year old. Piratey (only at the beginning), magical (yet dark) and self centred (think 17 year old pick me). Can we forgive the pick me vibes due to Aster being 17? I suppose so. But it is still annoying so be warned. The world I think is fantastic. I really enjoyed the description of the war between Nightweavers, Underlings and humans. It could have been heavy and weighed down with information but it wasn’t, which was very enjoyable to read. There definitely should have been more time spent at sea. Whilst Aster and her family are pirates, they get captured and taken to shore where they spend the rest of the book not being pirates, despite Aster’s best efforts to remind us of the pirate element (the amount of ‘I AM A PIRATE’ is astounding). I enjoyed the romance between Aster and Will but felt like it got lost a bit towards the end of the book. And Captain Shade? He didn’t appear hardly at all - certainly not enough to be placed in the blurb, and the whole hint at a love triangle felt unnecessary. Not just because I am a usual love triangle hater, but there wasn’t enough Captain Shade in the book for it to even be called a love triangle. I get it’s probably opening up for a love triangle in the next book, but it’s a no from me. By the time I got to the end I felt like I had been repeatedly slapped in the face by so many twists that I couldn’t think straight (this effect was probably heightened considering I read it in one day). Yet I still had a great time. Would I recommend this? Weirdly yes. Despite the negatives, I enjoyed the experience. I would strongly suggest buddy reading it with a friend and voice noting your progress and stage of hallucination as you go. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for a digital early advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!