The Raven and the Banshee by Carolyn Elizabeth, narrated by Mary Sarah

Fifteen years after being lost at sea, Branna Kelly is the captain of her own ship and intent on avenging her parents’ death at the hands of pirates. Her thirst for revenge grows tenfold when her crew boards a seemingly abandoned ship and finds numerous bodies and one survivor: Julia Farrow, Branna’s childhood friend and first love. The first woman who broke her heart, too.

If you’ve read At Words Point, you’ve already met Branna and Julia. When this short story was released, Carolyn Elizabeth was getting known for her Curtis and Reynolds romantic thrillers and trying her hand at a different kind of thrill. I’m really glad she took it further and her publisher, Bella Books, went along.

If you like pirate stories, this one has it all. It’s full of twists and hurdles, with a healthy dose of angst. There’s drama and villains and betrayals but no damsel in distress. Both MCs are strong and brave and everything you’d want in a heroine battling bad guys. Their only weakness is each other.

I have to say, however, that this may be the strangest narration I’ve ever listened to. The narrator has a nice voice, her choices for the characters work well, but the tone and pace are all wrong. This is a story of pirates and revenge, with the action and adrenaline one would expect, and yet the narration reminded me of a wildlife documentary, with the narrator channelling David Attenborough at his most soothing. I’m not taking stars off because it would be unfair to the author but I’d recommend reading rather than listening if you want to enjoy the story to the fullest.