Speculating on SpecFic

Picking up almost exactly where The Assassin's Curse left off, The Pirate's Wish follows Ananna and Naji as they travel around their world, trying to complete three impossible tasks to break the curse between them. Adventurous and exciting, this book concludes their journey together and introduces us to a few cool new characters and places.Ananna, daughter of pirates and colourful language extraordinaire, is still an awesome character, but this book allows her a lot of growth and maturity. She continues to balance out Naji, who, despite being an assassin, sometimes comes across as stoic and dull. Ananna allows him loosen up a little. They are joined by a manticore, who quickly became my favourite character of the book, and their friend Marjani, the pirate captain. Between them, they create a cast of great female characters, but I felt the male cast suffered a little. Aside from Naji, the only other male character we get to know doesn't turn out to be all that great.The romance between Naji and Ananna, which was set up in the previous book, trudges along in The Pirate's Wish. It comes to the forefront of the novel because one of the three impossible tasks is to obtain true love's first kiss. The romance stumbled a little in the middle of the book but I still think Ananna and Naji are very cute!I had a hard time getting used to Ananna's voice (syntax and grammar) over The Assassin's Curse, but I coped a lot better this time around. I quickly stopped noticing her strange way of speaking and was able to immerse myself deeper in The Pirate's Wish.The plot-line of this book is every bit as exciting as the last, and I enjoyed seeing new cultures, especially that of the manticores, and the new places the action takes us. I think the book is tight and well written for the most part, but the ending feels rushed. I don't think I enjoyed the concluding quarter as much as the rest. I can't help but feel that the book would have benefitted by extending the end a little.The Pirate's Wish is a great book and a wonderful sequel, perfect for readers of all ages. Fans of fantasy will enjoy this YA series with a pirate bend and desert influences. This book is amazing, I enjoyed it and would love to read more set in the world if Clarke ever wrote it.A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.