Julie Owen

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the first 2 books in this trilogy, I was very much looking forward to settling down and immersing myself again in the world of the Joubert family. Maybe I should have paid attention to that little voice that asked almost immediately why the cover of book 3 bore no resemblance to the style and layout adopted by the first 2. Very curious. I’ve just finished the novel, and I have to admit to feeling a little unsettled by my reading of The Ghost Ship. It is beautifully written, there is no doubting that, and we are transported to the high seas and swashbuckling piracy through rich and detailed descriptions which carry us along. The characters are fun and unconventional, and we’re rooting for Louise and her love interest for the most part. But here’s the thing - it seems like a very disconnected third part of a trilogy. Indeed, it can be read as a standalone story which I think is a little unfair to those readers who have invested in the 3-parter and come to The Ghost Ship expecting a dénouement of sorts. We don’t get one. We’re left feeling a bit confused about how the prologues of the first 2 novels - set in the 19th century in South Africa - tie in with this novel which ends in 1688. It’s almost like Mosse forgot about them and why she used them in The Burning Chamber and The City of Tears in the first place. They don’t seem to lead us anywhere and are never referenced in The Ghost Ship. Equally disconcerting is the abrupt and almost abandoned ending. It finishes in a rush and we are left with more questions than answers about the fate of Louise. I don’t feel that the reader understands what just happened, and that makes me a bit sad, a bit angry, and a bit let down after what had been a very enjoyable 465 pages. The ending almost leaves the story open for Book 4 - but isn’t this a trilogy?