Compass Rose (A Compass Rose Novel Book 1)

After reading Thorn, I couldn’t wait to check out Burke’s first novel, Compass Rose. I was in no way disappointed, and dear reader I don’t think you will be either. This is a pirate adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world in which civilization mostly exists underwater. There’s bloodshed, romance, and all sorts of traumatic near death experiences that you’d expect on a mercenary ship. This was a fantastic read!Here’s the premise-In some futuristic year that is much too high to seem like an actual year, our main character and narrator, Compass Rose, is asked by her Admiral to go on a secret mission: assist the hired mercenaries in gaining information relating to the increased pirate attacks on the Archipelago’s coastal mines. Rose accepts the task and boards a ship in which it is clear she is unwelcome. Her uncanny skill of being able to feel where she is at all times gives her an edge though, and Rose is tougher than she first appears. She becomes just as gritty as the sailors who resented her. Captain Miranda Stillwater keeps Rose protected, mostly, and harbors interest in the human compass that grows beyond her abilities to navigate. The two fall in love amongst the chaos and Rose finds a place she wants to call home. Of course, in the wild seas, nothing can ever be easy, and what’s worth having needs to be fought for.I loved all of the characters in this knock out ensemble. First mate Orca is hard and a bad ass. Kraken is soft and strong. Harper is tougher than all the boys I knew in high school. Everyone is so gritty. I loved pirates as a kid, and well, I still love a good ol’ pirate story now that I’m an adult. This had the same feel of a pirate adventure with a futuristic touch that made the story completely new. Burke’s world-building details are subtle enough that they don’t overwhelm, and yet pointed enough to give you a sufficient idea of what 2513 might look like. I enjoyed all the details relating to the ship and “water-life” as I can hardly even swim.So, I have to admit that I did have to go back and remind myself of the purpose of the mission. I’m not sure if it’s because of all of the action going on throughout before we even get to the mines, the initial delivery by Admiral Comita being too insignificant, or my own faults as a reader (I did read some of this while entertaining a fever) but I did forget what this was all for. A small price to pay for the gracious amount of action provided. Seriously, that squid fight was epic.Burke is definitely a talented writer. She weaves in beautiful prose atop a complicated plot and creative futuristic world. Really, this writing was captivating and rich in details. I also enjoyed the irony in that Rose literally had an internal compass and yet she struggled with her own personal navigation in life. I feel like Burke is really good at layering.

If you're looking for a lesbian pirate romance where the "honorable pirate" love interest is an unambiguously bad person, have I got the book for you! I don't mean in a punk or sexy way. When the protagonist leaves the "Fleet," we are presented with a pirate ship the beautiful captain rules with a harsh but fair code, and we suspect (correctly) that she objects to the injustice and inequitable distribution of resources guarded by the Fleet. Resources and space are scarce on the ship; the sailors are successfully avoiding scurvy, but it's a constant danger. This atmosphere is completely undercut when we discover the pirate captain has a locked orangerie that only she has access to and from which only she eats the fruit, consigning the crew to, in the book's words, "slop". After that scene, I couldn't take any of the book's rhetoric about inequality or what a wonderful and fair person the love interest was seriously. The romance, and thus the human story of the book, was thereby ruined for me.The author effectively conjured a diverse set of environmental hazards for a post-climate-change ocean-going civilization, however, and built tension effectively in a few scenes.

“May I?” I asked, unsure of the protocol for touching a captain’s tortoise.Just one of a few amusing lines in this book.Where to begin to describe a book that most certainly deserved the Sandra Moran Scholarship? The powers that be that decided this author should receive this scholarship chose wisely.This is a story of piracy and mercenaries, but set 500 years in the future, a dystopian future of warring mercenaries, trying to stay alive and gain an upper hand in toxic seas full of characters who will do anything to survive and thrive. Global warming and rising seas have converted most of the land masses of the world to underwater ruins.Compass Rose was born with the innate ability to find true north, regardless of where she is or in which direction she is facing. This ability is unique and worth its weight in gold and as a navigator, and her talent is well-known and sought after by admirals and captains alike.Rose is sent on a mission to clear a path to the valuable mines where supplies are gathered and stored, the control of such mines being in the hands of Ching Shih, the most ruthless captain of all. Under the command of the mysterious and stoic Miranda Stillwater, Rose thrives and feels an attraction to Miranda she cannot deny. Through a series of orders and a sense of duty, Rose leaves Miranda to navigate a path to the mines and beyond, in order to defeat and destroy Ching Shih for good.The battles are fierce and well-defined, and life aboard any and all of the vessels is brought into clear focus in this story of war, love and survival beneath the stormy and poisonous oceans of the world.

Wow what a fantastic book - this has flown to the top of my favourite book list!! It is one of those books that you just cannot put down, that occupies your mind 24/7 - when you have to sleep you fantasise about the characters - when you have to do some work you imagine what might happen next in the storyline. Even now I’ve finished it I cannot stop thinking about it and have already reread some of my favourite passages.It is a great dystopian fantasy - with wonderfully strong female characters - and best of all some much desired f/f romance! If I didn’t already own this book I would buy it all over again! 100% recommend!!

Enjoyable central character to follow in her adventures on and under the high seas (I never did fully understand the craft they used but it didn't really detract from the novel) in a dystopian ruined world of the future.Slow burn romance (with almost no sex) and a pleasantly satisfying ending that I was so keen to work towards that it was hard to put down. So much so, that I read it in the space of a day or so.A great debut novel and I will be looking up to see if the author has now written any other books shortly... can't say more than that really!

This story was so engrossing. The characters were all great and loveable. I could barely put this down, I read this in 2 days and I don't regret it, I just wish there was more. If you love Pirates and lady loving, you will love this.

I loved this book and can’t wait to read the sequel. A drowned world, Pirates and giant squid. What more could you ask for.

What a great read. At its heart is a lesbian romance between Compass Rose, who can sense the cardinal points, but isn't sure of her true direction, and the enigmatic renegade Miranda. The dystopian marine setting is a fully-realised, convincing future world that seeps into the very language and psychology of the characters. Action packed and cracking with sexual tension, this is an excellent debut from a very talented author.