Overall: 4/5

Ok, Blacksouls was much better. More action, more character development, and (for the most part) a solid plot. WE FINALLY GOT TO THE PIRATES PART! Castroman’s tempo was still a bit off; the middle lagged a bit, she repeated obstacles and rushed the end a bit, but there was still much more connection/substance to this storyline compared to Blackhearts. Overall this book made the series worth reading.

Favorite Quote:

Really the same quote from both Teach and Anne’s POV which I thought was cute.

“He claimed he no longer felt the pain, but she certainly did.”

…

“The brandy had helped to ease her pain, and for that he was glad, but it hadn’t helped him at all.”

The Plot:

We finally got some action! The characters still kinda follow the same pattern as Blackhearts – you kinda go through side characters and only a couple reappear throughout the book. There was more of a main protagonist/common enemy which allowed for more story line development and plot twists (We got to focus on one plot line rather than 8).

Conclusion: Castroman started to get her shit together and finally got to the point.

The Character Development:

I feel the beginning of Blacksouls allowed the characters to grow a little more independently and discover who they wanted to be and what they wanted to do with their lives. Both Teach and Anne knew they wanted a future together but figured out how to do so while keeping their ambition and resolve as well. (Rather than just being content as a husband and wife on a farm – which is not what either of them wanted or would ever be satisfied with – I mean come on, it’d be cute, but they’re both adventurers at heart).

Anne grew up and realized that if she wanted to change her life she had to do it herself; Life wasn’t going to just give her a break. She learned to protect herself so she could protect those around her. It took her a good portion of the book to figure this out, but by the end, she knew what she wanted, and she wasn’t going to let anyway stop her – Anne found her purpose in life which was exciting to read/watch.

Teach also had some solid development that made him more human, at least to me personally. I think in Blackhearts Teach didn’t honestly believe he could lose… Like sure he was gonna get an arranged marriage that he didn’t want but he didn’t actively say “fuck you, I’m going to marry Anne instead because I love her” he just kinda went along with it hoping/believing it would work out in the end (which it did). In Blacksouls Teach knows and accepts the fact that he could lose everything he finally decided to fight for – and this added a lot of depth to his character. He learns what it means to have fear and uncertainty – Conclusion: he gets humbled to so fucking hard and stops being an arrogant boy. However, he doesn’t really know how to deal with his fear which creates a slight anger management issue – like brah; you can’t kill everyone who looks at Anne or pisses you off. Also, he goes major overprotective beau when it comes to Anne going into any kind of dangerous situation. Which at times is reasonable, like Anne no, he’s right, you’re gonna get yourself killed, but at others: dude, you don’t own her so stop trying to control her – you can’t protect from everything. (don’t worry he gets over himself eventually when Anne saves his sorry ass).

In the end, Teach re-discovers himself and what it means to have someone you care about in a dangerous world – He can’t just do whatever he wants anymore because he isn’t alone. He learns what it means to be in this partnership with Anne rather than just being a boy sailor looking out for himself.

The Relationship:

We had a much more in depth look at the Teach-Anne relationship, and honestly, it got so much better. Here is the relationship development I was waiting for! It grew into a partnership in which both had to accept the dangers in the world and that they couldn’t keep each other in a cage in the name of protection. There were arguments and disagreements – which honestly I love because it proves they’re in it for the long-haul, it’s more realistic – while also having major sweet moments and snarky dialogue between them. (they moved out of the honey moon stage and into the long-term “I love you, you stubborn person” stage).

Conclusion:

I wish that Blacksouls was the middle of the story, and we got to see the gang (the gang we FINALLY got) achieve what they set out to do, but Castroman wanted to write a prequel to the real journey, and that’s what she did – unfortunately for us. She had the potential for a good series at the end of the second book, but I have a feeling we won’t be seeing a third or fourth book (but god-damn do I hope I’m wrong).

Feminist Quality:

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change, I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

– Angela Davis

Bonus Quote:

cuz its too cute not to share…

“The gold band on her finger winked up at her and she realized that she’d never answered him. ‘Yes,’ She whispered.

Teach turned. ‘Yes, What?’ he asked, his voice low.

‘Yes, I’ll marry you,’ she murmured, tilting her head back to meet his eyes.”