Listmania Monday: Pirates & Mermaids


One subgenre that has absolutely stolen the show in YA for the past couple years is that of the high seas adventure! Whether based in history or set in a more fantastic lands, books starring pirates and mermaids are sweeping bookshelves all over! For this list, I've collected books that contain something seaworthy, although for some, it's a small part of the plot overall.

The Abyss Surrounds Us duology - Emily Skrutskie
Airborn (Matt Cruise series) - Kenneth Oppel
The Aquathari duology - Amalie Howard
"The Assassin & the Pirate Lord" - Sarah J. Maas (part of The Assassin's Blade bindup)
The Assassin's Curse duology - Cassandra Rose Clarke
Atlantia - Ally Condie

Beauty Queens - Libba Bray - I DON'T CARE IF THESE PIRATES ARE MTV-ESQUE REALITY FUCKBOYS. I AM COUNTING THEM, BY GOLLY
Blackhearts duology - Nicole Castroman
Bloody Jack series - L.A. Meyer
The Buccaneer's Apprentice - V. Briceland

The Celestial Globe - Marie Rutkoski

Daughter of the Pirate King duology - Tricia Levenseller
The Dust of 100 Dogs - A.S. King

Fathomless - Jackson Pearce (book 3 of the Retold Fairytales series)
Forgive My Fins trilogy - Tera Lynn Childs

Gentleman's Guide to Vice & Virtue duology - Mackenzi Lee
The Girl from Everywhere duology - Heidi Heilig

Hook's Revenge duology - Heidi Schulz

In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan

Jane Unlimited - Kristin Cashore

The Language of Thorns - Leigh Bardugo
Lies Beneath Trilogy - Anne Greenwood Brown
Lost Voices trilogy - Sarah Porter

The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea - Maggie Tokuda-Hall (2019)
Midnight Jewel - Richelle Mead
Monstrous Beauty - Elizabeth Fama

The Necromancer's Song series - Caitlin Seal
Never Never - Brianna Shrum

Over Raging Tides - Jennifer Ellison

Pacifica - Kristen Simmons
Passenger - Alexandra Bracken
The Pirate Captain's Daughter - Eve Bunting
Pirates! - Celia Rees
Princess Bride - William Goldman

The Reader - Traci Chee
Real Mermaids series - Helene Boudreau
The Runaway King - Jennifer A. Nielsen

Salt & Storm - Kendall Kulper
Sea Change - Aimee Friedman
Sea Witch - Sarah Henning
The Seafarer's Kiss series - Julia Ember (HECK yeah this series has BOTH mermaids AND badass girl pirates)
Seafire trilogy - Natalie C. Parker
Siege & Storm - Leigh Bardugo
Siren - Michelle Zink
The Siren - Kiera Cass
Song of the Current duology - Sarah Tolcser
Stardust - Neil Gaiman
Steel - Carrie Vaughn
Stream Raiders series (These Rebel Waves) - Sara Raasch
Syrena Legacy trilogy - Anna Banks

Teeth - Hannah Moskowitz
Tempest trilogy - Tracy Deebs
Tiger Lily - Jodi Anderson
To Catch a Pirate - Jade Parker
To Kill a Kingdom - Alexandra Christo
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi - Not so much pirates as an awesome sea voyage book, but I can't leave it off. Charlotte Doyle is, like, OG girl pirate
A Tyranny of Petticoats: "Mother Carey's Journey" - J. Anderson

The Unbinding of Mary Reade - Miriam McNamara

Water Tales duology (Aquamarine!!!) - Alice Hoffman
Waterfire Saga - Jennifer Donnelly
Watersong series - Amanda Hocking
Witchlands series - Susan Dennard


What do you think of my seafaring list? Which of these are your faves? Did I leave anything off? Let me know in the comments!

10 comments:

  1. ooo yes, I like this list very much!

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    1. I had a feeling a lot of people would be into this list. :D

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  2. I didn't realize how many books i had to choose from to read high seas adventure. I've read and loved Daughter of a Pirate King, Over Raging Tides as well as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. I've seen, but never read, Princess Bride so many times it's "Inconceivable" but I love the Dreaded Pirate Roberts.

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    1. So many options for pirate books! And I have a feeling we're going to see many more coming out. They're really hot right now!

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  3. Yes, yes please! The only pirate (ahem privateer) I’ve read about is Nikolai in the Grisha series! Daughter of the Pirate King is on my TBR though!

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    1. READ SONG OF THE CURRENT, WENDY!!! Seriously, it's SO good! But yes, I love Nikolai. I can't wait for King of Scars!

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    2. Thanks for the rec, Mary! I will check out Song of the Current!! And yes, King of Scars!! 😍

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  4. I love this list!!! And I love that Never Never made it on! <3

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  5. o0o yes, I love this list! This is very useful.

    Thanks for sharing,
    ~Brittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles

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  6. I wonder if the Mackenzi Lee follow-up to "Gentleman's Guide to Vice & Virtue" will be as good. The first book wasn't the exciting thrill-ride to the extent that I expected, but it was still pretty good!

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