Ship of Smoke and Steel by Django Wexler – Review

Published: January 22, 2019

Publisher: Tor Teen

Series: The Wells of Sorcery #1

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 367 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

In the lower wards of Kahnzoka, the great port city of the Blessed Empire, eighteen-year-old ward boss Isoka comes to collect when there’s money owing. When her ability to access the Well of Combat is discovered by the Empire—an ability she should have declared and placed at His Imperial Majesty’s service—she’s sent on an impossible mission: steal Soliton, a legendary ghost ship—a ship from which no one has ever returned. If she fails, her sister’s life is forfeit.

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Ship of Smoke and Steel, despite having a terribly formulaic YA book title, was so cool. Honestly though, I would expect nothing less from Django Wexler after having read and experienced the quality storytelling in his adult fantasy books. Ideally, quality should never go out the window when an author writes a book geared towards the YA readers but sadly it sometimes does. Not in this case though.

The reader is thrown headfirst into Isoka’s world from the first chapter. She’s a ward boss for one of the cities gangs and she and her two enforcers are going to make an example of someone who owes them. It quickly becomes apparent that Isoka isn’t just a street tough, but rather has the glorious green blades of a Melos adept. Melos is the magical Well of Combat and by all rights Isoka should have been forced into the emperor’s service years ago but she has remained hidden… until now. Of course she gets tracked down by the emperor’s servants and rather than being killed or forced into military service she is given as offering to the ghost ship Soliton with a mission – steal the ship within a year or Isoka’s sister, who she had kept hidden, will be killed.

I know what you might be thinking, “GHOST SHIP? Hah, like the Flying Dutchman, right?” Wrong, Soliton is a ship of unprecedented scale and those who live on it haven’t seen a fraction of its interior. It seems to be the size of a city, powered by some strange magic and those aboard cannot escape without being slaughtered by the strange metal creatures called angels. The ship is inhabited by many species of crab-like creatures of all shapes and sizes and the human residents hunt them down for food and renown. Isoka quickly gains status as a hunter and her newly acquired friend Meroe helps her to navigate politics and gather information so that they may take over the ship and escape. Of course, nothing is ever that easy in books, because there wouldn’t be a decent story otherwise.

I really loved the characters and all their internal and external struggles. That, coupled with the exotic and dangerous setting kept the story fresh and exciting throughout, leaving nary a dull moment. I think this is a book that will appeal to YA and adult fantasy readers alike and I’ll certainly be keeping up on any news of the sequel.