THE WICKED BARGAIN

Vico Ortiz narrates this action-packed fantastical pirate adventure with gusto. Sixteen-year-old Mar has to hide twice over--they wear a chest binder, and they have tattoo-like markings that glow when they use their magical powers of ice and fire. Slipping seamlessly between English and Spanish, Ortiz puts listeners firmly in Mar's point of view--we feel all of Mar's anguish when they learn their father made a deal with the devil and are then shipwrecked, with Papá and the rest of the crew presumed dead. When Mar is rescued, they meet Bas, the son of another pirate captain. Mar grows closer to Bas and works to learn to trust and control their magic as they fight the Spanish navy--and El Diablo himself. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2023]