THE PIRATE AND THE PORCELAIN GIRL

What would you risk for acceptance?

Ferra bemoans the loss of Ephemeral, the girl she loves, and wishes to be so “beautiful” and “unique” that she will return her affection. Ferra’s prayer is answered by a magical being who turns her into a living porcelain figure. Now extremely fragile, Ferra damages her face, leaving an empty hole where her left eye was. Wanting to cross the sea to be with her lost love, she overhears young pirate captain Brigantine bragging about her ship’s prowess. With a crew desperate for cash, Brig takes the job. They set sail, hot-tempered Brig clashing with know-it-all Ferra nearly the entire way. Ferra will do anything to be worthy of Ephemeral’s attention, while Brig has something to prove to the floating city of pirates who banished her. What follows is an extended tale exploring the importance of accepting oneself, including one’s so-called imperfections. The story is fun, sweet, and exciting and is set in a rich fantasy world where magic is rare but very real. Offering moments of genuine depth, it challenges the toxic idea that people should change just to please another. Barna’s illustrations add oodles of energy as well as visual expansions of the worldbuilding. Before her transformation to white porcelain, Ferra had light-tan skin and brown hair; green-skinned Brig resembles an ogre-type, and the population of this world reflects various real-world and fantastical races.

Part fantasy, part fairy tale, part action-adventure—and all heart.