Wielder's Prize in The Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club

May 25, 2020 Jemi Fraser rated it it was amazing

Seriously awesome!!
16-year-old Jasmine must be known as Midge, the cabin boy if she is to stay safe. She also has to allow her father to hit her to keep her feminine features hidden.
An encounter with pirates changes every single aspect of her life.
Jasmine is thrust into a world where wielders can control bodies and minds and even the sea.
Danger comes from all sides and Jasmine has to wade through lies and half-truths and far worse if she is to save herself and those she loves.
A fantastic read!!

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Sep 12, 2019 C. McKenzie rated it it was amazing

Life aboard a sailing ship is all young Midge has ever known. That and the fact she must masquerade as a boy because females are considered bad luck at sea, set the stage for her journey. However, she soon begins to discover there鈥檚 a lot she doesn鈥檛 know about who she is and why she鈥檚 a cabin boy on a trader.

At each turn young Midge, whose real name is Jasmine, uncovers more about who she really is and who the people in her life really are. No one is simply a ship鈥檚 cook, a father, a wielder. ...more

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Oct 14, 2019 Juneta Key rated it it was amazing

Life aboard a ship is no place for a girl it is bad luck for the ship, so Midge's father to protect her raises her as a boy. There is a bit about family violence written very well but it weaves into the story as the life she is living is revealed and the discoveries she is about to make about herself.

It is very much a high seas adventure full of magic, discovery, and rolling hijinks. It kept me turning the pages. The characters are well written and you find yourself cheering and anxious for Mid ...more

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Jun 28, 2022 Toi Thomas rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, rated, fantasy, children-teen, historical-fiction, action-adventure

Actual rating 4.75.

I really enjoyed this book and have already picked up the rest in the series. Before I get into everything I adored about this book, I want to mention why it's not a full 5-star rating. There is content in this book depicting domestic violence/child abuse. For some readers, this content may be triggering, though I've been told an update has been issued to lessen some of this. Regardless, I do feel that it served a purpose to the story and it didn't feel exploitive. My main is Actual rating 4.75.

I really enjoyed this book and have already picked up the rest in the series. Before I get into everything I adored about this book, I want to mention why it's not a full 5-star rating. There is content in this book depicting domestic violence/child abuse. For some readers, this content may be triggering, though I've been told an update has been issued to lessen some of this. Regardless, I do feel that it served a purpose to the story and it didn't feel exploitive. My main issue is that by the end of the story, none of those who witnessed this treatment ever really acknowledge their role in it. I felt it was a missed opportunity, though I am glad some aspects of this are addressed in the book.

Now on to the good stuff.

Jasmine is the "ships boy" on the Wielder's Prize, such a fitting name once you get into the book (this is me trying not to give spoilers while being giddy). She loves almost everything about her life aboard the ship and is devastated when she's taken from it. (I mean like someone stole her puppy devastated.) Even her other shipmates don't seem as upset as she is but they don't have the same connection to the ship that she does. Getting back to the Prize is her main focus until a young wielder shows interest in her. Now she has several cans of worms to deal with that simply don't go away once back on the Prize.

Aside from dealing with the magical elements of this story, there are many relationship dynamics presented. This book brings into question the loyalty a crew has for their captain and what's the dividing line between mutiny and doing the right thing. There are also other loyalty conflicts presented in this story as well as the notion of what makes a family. Is a ship's crew a family or are they just roommates who work together to keep the ship afloat? There is also the question of parentage and what makes a person a parent. Lots to think about here.

This is a classic high seas adventure with a fun fantasy spin. This is not a light-hearted, jolly tale of pirates and mages, this is gritty action and serious pirate intrigue. The magical elements of this story reveal themselves slowly, and I like that. As the story progresses we learn a little more and I have a feeling there is more to learn in the books to come.

Highly recommended to fans of sword and sorcery fantasy, YA fantasy, and books with a strong female lead. ...more

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May 29, 2020 Diane Burton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have never been so entranced with a YA fantasy until Wielder's Prize. From the first page until the end, my attention never ceased. Midge is such a fascinating character, true to a sixteen/seventeen year old who's been raised on the sea, away from "normal" civilization. Other characters are quite well developed. Since most of the story is from Midge's point of view, it's hard to know who to trust. Everyone has secrets. Excellent world building. But sailing the high seas is basically the same i ...more

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Oct 26, 2019 Crystal Collier rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A Wonderful Surprise

Adventure. Battles. Magic. Dangers just below the surface. This book was such a breath of fresh air, and I loved going on a voyage with these characters. I read this in less than a day around lots of familial commitments, so it clearly had some great tension. Looking forward to installment #2!

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Oct 11, 2019 Alex Cavanaugh rated it it was amazing

A tense adventure that will keep you guessing with all of its wicked twists and turns. You'll feel for Midge as the tension grows and the predicaments grow worse. Highly recommended! ...more

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Jun 16, 2022 Ronel Janse van Vuuren rated it did not like it

Shelves: young-adult-fantasy, books-that-should-have-a-trigger-wa, fantasy, did-not-finish, historical-setting, disappointing-read, magic, young-adult, iwsg-member-book, tbr-2022-challenge

This is the book club selection for June 2022.

The blurb, title and cover are all good.

Jasmine/Midge is a cook鈥檚 apprentice on a merchant vessel. She鈥檚 sixteen going on seventeen 鈥� and has pretended her whole life that she鈥檚 a boy so she can live aboard a ship. The story reads a lot like a pirate鈥檚 adventures on the high seas. But鈥�

If I hadn鈥檛 read and enjoyed another book by the author and if a friend hadn鈥檛 recommended this series, I would have stopped reading the moment her father had struck he ...more

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