Find Romantasy Books
The Library of Amorlin: Deluxe Limited Edition (The Age of Beasts)
Kalyn Josephson
4.4
Ship of Spells (Deluxe Limited Edition)
by H. Leighton Dickson
Published Nov 4, 2025
Categories
About this book
Ensign Honor Renn survives the catastrophic destruction of her naval post only to awaken aboard the *Touchstone*, a sentient, legendary vessel crewed by outcasts. Her rescuer is a brooding, enigmatic elven captain who views her presence with deep suspicion. As Renn navigates the volatile dynamics of a ship that seems to possess a mind of its own, she harbors a lethal secret: the tragedy that claimed her former crew left her with a parasitic, chimeric magic that is slowly eroding her life.
The *Touchstone* operates in the shadow of the Dreadwall, a crumbling barrier straining to prevent total war between the Overland and the treacherous Nethersea. To survive her affliction, Renn must align herself with a captain who keeps his own motives cloaked in silence. Their precarious alliance is tested by ruthless privateers, meddling royalty, and the constant threat of espionage.
With the fate of empires hanging in the balance, Renn and her captain must navigate a landscape of shifting loyalties and mounting danger. In this high-stakes maritime fantasy, the line between ally and enemy blurs, and the slow-burn tension between them threatens to ignite a conflict that could set the entire sea aflame.
Available Formats
Hardcover: $20.80 Hardcover: $12.49
What readers are saying
Anna SharonEdges are gorgeous!
"Beautiful book! Can’t wait to read it and waiting in anticipation for the expected second one :) ["
April 27, 2026 Verified Purchase
Rhonda CarrollBeautiful book but not my type of read.
"This book is absolutely gorgeous. Four stars because I just couldn't get into it until the very end. I felt like it was the same situation just repeated over and over until the end. Believe it is probably just personal preference on writing style but this just wasn't for me. ["
December 6, 2025 Verified Purchase
Abigail Calhoun-MartinezCan’t say anything bad!
"This book was absolutely amazing that I had to buy every version! I can say no bad about the book! It captured me from cover to end! ["
March 27, 2026 Verified Purchase
C.Peter AlbertsonThe book is pretty.
"Oh, how I wanted to love this book. Magic and a living ship? That concept alone had me completely sold. Unfortunately, The Ship of Spells never quite lived up to its promise for me. We follow Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn, who survives the wreck of her first naval post only to end up aboard the legendary Touchstone, a sentient, mythic ship crewed by misfits and captained by a mysterious commander. The story jumps right into the action, which I don’t mind in theory, but only if the world-building unfolds clearly along the way. Here, it felt incomplete. We’re given pieces of the Overland, the Nethersea, and the crumbling Dreadwall, but not enough depth to feel fully grounded in the world. Renn herself is a decent protagonist, and the idea of her carrying a chimeric magik that’s slowly killing her is interesting but again not fully fleshed out or explained. The tension around her secret, the captain’s lack of trust, and the looming threat of war should have been gripping. Unfortunately, while the characters were fine on paper, I never felt an emotional pull toward any of them. I was interested in the plot, but not invested in the people. Light spoilers: the political maneuvering involving privateers, princes, and spies added stakes, but much of that tension felt more told than felt. I kept waiting for the story to really grab me and it just never did. That said, the book itself is absolutely gorgeous, and I genuinely love how it looks on my shelf. I just wish the story inside had matched that beauty. As it stands, this was an okay read with a fantastic premise that didn’t quite come together for me, and I’m not sure if I’ll continue the series if it goes on. ["
January 1, 2026 Verified Purchase