If you put the best parts of Outlander and Pirates of the Caribbean together, you would get The Highland Thistle (Bowker) by KJ Fay, a swashbuckling tale brimming with adventure. The year is 1584; Scotland is on the precipice of a Civil War. Rebels and traitors are sweeping through the Highlands, building up their resistance to face King James VI. Amidst the mounting tension, we meet Arabella Fraser, a whip-smart Highland lass with a mane of red curls and fire in her eyes.
Arabella’s father believes it is high time she finds herself a suitable husband while she is still of eligible age, but he is unaware that she has been holding out for a certain Duncan Campbell. Once Duncan professes his love for Arabella, they waste no time preparing for their lives together, beginning with wedding plans abroad.
Upon setting sail on a merchant’s vessel bound for France with her betrothed and a group of friends and family, Arabella’s party is attacked by pirates. They are immediately overrun as merchants travel with little to no defenses. Arabella is separated from her fiancé — who is taken onto another ship — and she is sent below with the other prisoners. She learns they are no longer sailing toward her dream wedding in France but for the slave trade on the Barbary Coast.
MEET ARABELLA, THE CRIMSON-HAIRED SHE-DEVIL
Arabella is a force to be reckoned with. Throughout her story, she proves herself to be every bit as fierce as any man, if not more. As a man writing about women, Fay does an excellent job not letting our heroine succumb to the fate that every woman at that time is facing: life as a wife and nothing more. He has given Arabella a strong voice, which she isn’t shy about using to her advantage. Any ordinary woman faced with a ship full of pirates would cower and succumb. Instead, she takes on every obstacle with bravery, determination, strategy and a fair bit of stubbornness.
Despite carrying the weight of witnessing the murder of her brother, and enduring both the separation from her father and the kidnapping of her fiancé, along with the abuse from the pirates aboard The Thistle, Arabella has little time for self-pity. She says, “That’s enough. I am a Highlander and a Fraser, and I will cry no more.” And upon her ship being attacked by another group of slave traders, she shouts a Highland cry, leading her men fearlessly into battle, earning her men’s admiration as a “crimson-haired she-devil.”
FAY’S NARRATIVE EXCITES IN ITS HIGHLY VISUAL EXECUTION
One of the makings of a great book (in my opinion) is being able to visualize everything perfectly in your head, almost as if you’re not actually reading the story but watching it unfold in front of your eyes. Fay spares no expense when describing his characters, the scenery and the thrilling and suspenseful fight scenes.
As to the latter, what would a tale of pirates be without a bit of violence, am I right? Fay helps you visualize this world so perfectly in your mind that you can almost feel the spray of the salty sea and hear the clang of swords as you read.
It’s exciting following Arabella on her journey from fiancée to captive, then to the captain’s chair. But even then, her story is far from over. Arabella’s adventure, ultimately, leads to a heartbreaking betrayal that will shock her — and readers — to the core.
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About KJ Fay:
KJ grew up reading the classic, action-adventure yarns of yesteryear by the likes of Dumas, Sabatini and Burroughs. He encourages anyone interested in these topics to give his novels a read, and hopes his writing evokes and pays homage to these thrilling tales.
Great review, very expressive and I think that people who read the review will definitely want to read the book.