The Battle of the Blighty Bling by Ruth Quayle

The Battle of the Blighty Bling Reviews

• 
  Mehsi

  A pretty fun book about 2 pirate kids who lose their little pirate sister and also their precious heirloom.
  
  I was delighted to be able to read this one, I love pirate stories, I love adventures. And while there were some things I didn't like, in the end this was an enjoyable book.
  
  I will do a good/bad review, I am pretty tired.
  
  Good:
  -Pirates! Mehsi loves pirates, especially when there is a small twist like the pirates having to live on the land due to circumstances (like the Dutch book series: De piraten van hiernaast).
  -Maud. Maud was just my favourite. I am normally not a fan of toddler sister/brothers as they are generally very annoying. But Maud? Maud was just so awesome. She ate candies like a candy machine. She screams/cries so loud that things around her get destroyed. She can row like a champion. She is not afraid of even the evilest of pirates. She is determined (I mean, this girl just took the Blighty Bling to find her Nuggy (aka her blanket). I could go on, but this is one kick-ass toddler.
  -The twist about what happened to the McScurvy's boat, I didn't see it coming. That was fun!
  -The evil pirates are truly evil, though a bit weird.
  -I loved reading about what kind of things Vic and Bert did back when they were still living as pirates at sea.
  -The Blighty Bling, I would love to have. Not only is it shiny as hell, but it is apparently also magic enough that one doesn't need to navigate, the Bling will guide them.
  -The kids could eat whatever they wanted, but apparently also weren't too fussy to eat something healthy when they need to.
  -The illustrations! I really liked the style of them. They fitted with the story and the characters so well.
  -The siesta the pirates hold during the afternoon and how they just don't wake up (well, unless it is a screaming toddler).
  
  What I didn't quite like:
  -The constant reminder of what pirates are like and what they do. We get it. Really, I get it. You don't need to go on and on about it. Thank you.
  -Arabella. Urgh, please, move it. I don't like characters who know-it-all and think they are better than others. URghhh. Sure, she got better in the end, but I still wanted to throw her off a boat.
  -Oh, hey, there are items here on the beach. Let's just take them, and hey, there are the owners, they tell us it theirs. Screw them. Yeah, wow.
  -I get a tad tired of the "You're not starving, you're just peckish." I see it pop up in more books, and I get that in most countries one isn't starving when they are just hungry, but do we really need to bring it up?
  -Pedro. Yes, he also had one good moment, but mostly he was just the annoying pet.
  -Why didn't the parents tell them what happened to their ship?
  -The first pages. I am not sure why, but I had a hard time getting through the first pages.
  
  But as you can see, mostly good points. And sure, I had to get through a bit of a bumpy start, but after that the book did pick up. I would recommend it to everyone looking for a fun pirate adventure.
  
  Review first posted at
  https://twirlingbookprincess.com/