The Wicked Bargain

[3.5] i know i am not the target audience (YA is not my standard fare by a long shot), but a transmasc nonbinary latinx pirate possessing magia PLUS that gorgeous cover? i couldn't resist requesting this literal pirates of the caribbean story.

my favorite aspect of the book: Mar is the perfect vehicle for proper lgbtqia+ representation. i love that in this world, no one bats an eye at people's gender identity or sexuality. Mar still has to confront their feelings of body dysmorphia, but it's depicted in a sensitive manner that i believe any reader in a similar boat can relate to and feel seen. this is coupled with their arduous process of coming to terms with their magia as a power for good and not evil during their quest to save the people they love.

the story is very much plot-driven - some developments a bit cliché at times and the grand finale predictable, but one that i imagine a younger me would have had fun with. my biggest niggle comes with the dialogue. occasionally stilted, it made getting a nuanced feel for the characters beyond a broad overview challenging, such as the love interest Bas. he's a supportive, happy-go-lucky guy with a talent for maps but that's everything i could glean from the text. i think i was hoping for him amongst other characters to have been fleshed out more. but that being said, i'm also a sucker for found family and unlikely allies, so it was most exciting for me to find that both featured prominently. those tropes truly reign supreme!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book - this is my honest review :)