The Chainbreakers

Gr 4-8–As a Reaper, Violet sails with her captain father on the Mooney to help rescue passengers (souls who’ve died at sea) from the Children of the Shark, also called Pointers. The Reapers descended from the original Chainbreakers who fought the Chainmakers with the help of their gods, a battle called The Storm at the Edge of the World. The Chainmakers, who captured and enslaved people, were cursed by the gods and became ghost sharks, living beneath the waves on the Tides of the Lost. The Chainbreakers established new homes under the Atlantic Ocean in the enchanted underwater world known as the Tides of the Lost, on five islands they called heavens. Violet’s father gets taken by the Pointers on one voyage to rescue passengers, but she’s sure he’s still alive in the Depths. As the new captain of the Mooney (her father gave her his magic before diving overboard to rescue Violet’s dearest friend, Moss), Violet wants to rescue her father, but this will require locating the one person who’s been to the Depths and survived and convincing the other Reaper captains to join in on the dangerous mission. The action and strong emotion running through the story make for a compelling read. Themes related to the power of home and freedom and teamwork shine through the well-written text.