Review: My Salty Mary

My Salty Mary

Written by: Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows

HarperTeen

2024

My Salty Mary is perfect for all fans of Pirates and The Little Mermaid, leaving you smiling from beginning to end.

I absolutely loved this book. There’s no doubt about it, My Salty Mary was everything I didn’t know I wanted in a little mermaid retelling.

Fun & Energetic

I absolutely loved this book. There’s no doubt about it, My Salty Mary was everything I didn’t know I wanted in a little mermaid retelling.

My Salty Mary had me laughing from beginning to end. Mary Read was a pirate who died in prison in the 18th century. Of course, the lady Janies played with history a little, as usual.

I love how the authors have taken our Little mermaid and turned her into a pirate. I think it’s so much fun to see Mary Read come to life, and honestly, it made me eager to learn more about the person by whom this book is inspired. And it was just like a fun twist on The Little Mermaid story because it worked so well.

Mary has such a wild personality. She’s very thoughtful, and she’s an ambitious young girl. But Mary’s also someone who’s had her heart broken. However, she survived. Mary did not turn into seafoam; instead, she took that heartbreak and reinvented herself.

Anyone who’s gone through heartbreak on any level can probably find that aspect of Mary relatable because she just created a new version of herself that didn’t cater to someone not worthy of her time or attention. Instead, she focused on rebuilding herself into a version of herself she loved, allowing her voice to be heard.

And then you have Tobias, the son of Blackbeard, and I think Tobias is incredible. He’s so in love with Mary Read, and seeing him admire her is adorable. Tobias admires her brain, ambition, and ability to rally a crew, be a pirate, and fight for equality. He is in all of her, and I love their dynamic and how they are friends first. I love how the author flushed out their dynamic and the romance and developed them as best friends before delving into their romance.

And then you have her cousin Jack, son of the Sea Witch, who goes by Calico Jack. He is just so funny and mesmerizing, with a vibrant personality. And the fact that his love interest is Anne Bonny was icing on the cake. They were hysterical together.

Final Thoughts

I absolutely loved the characterization in My Salty Mary. I love the way the story developed. I love how these characters came to life with their personalities and drove the story. I also love how the story moves from beginning to end, and the author’s voices break the fourth wall and address the reader; it doesn’t break up the pacing or take you out of the story; it just pulls you further into the story.

There’s so much I loved about My Salty Mary that I don’t think I can actually put into words. This is just a book that made me smile from beginning to end. I was grinning from ear to ear because the characters were just fun. Their voices, their tone, everything about it’s very light-hearted. If you are a fan of The Little Mermaid or love Pirates, I guarantee this will be another enjoyable read for you.

Cynthia Ayala

Cynthia Ayala-Bujnicki majored in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. Editor-in-chief of Cyn's Workshop, she loves to read and write while tending to her pepper plants. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband, two kids Dante and Selene and two furbabies Mr. J the Kitten who Thinks He's Batman (yes, that is his full name) and Nyx.