Quintencia: Pirates of the Montaleo Isles

Melanie Marttila is a Sudbury-based freelance writer and writing
consultant.

It is quite an accomplishment that this young-adult fantasy novel was
written, let alone published, by a 17-year-old. Franky Morriello shows a
refreshing originality in his ideas. In the opening sword fight, for
example, Captain Alexis Pincer crushes the arm of the pirate Morgan
Blunskeen. Using ancient sorcery, Blunskeen creates for himself a new
arm of water, including fish. Later on, the reader is introduced to the
hypnotist Peppitto, who is not a human, but a talking possum.

Quintencia: Pirates of the Montaleo Isles tells the fantastical tale of
Mercury Findlay, better known as Marc, whose mother was a citizen of
Quintencia, the underwater continent in which the Montaleo Isles are
found. At the outset of the novel, however, Marc knows only that his
mother went missing at sea not long after he was born. Through a series
of mysterious and tragic events, including the death of his father, Marc
finds himself in Quintencia and learns not only that his mother was a
great heroine, but also that he is a child of prophecy, destined to save
Quintencia from the piratical tyranny of Blunskeen and the other
generals of the evil magician Illuxius von Xifor.

As might be expected of a younger author, Morriello’s writing is
plagued by poor grammar and word choice, convenient plot developments,
and unrealistic dialogue. That said, Pirates of the Montaleo may find a
home in larger young-adult or fantasy collections. The author, who will
doubtless improve in the future, promises seven more novels in the
series, and librarians may not want to omit this first instalment.
Recommended with reservations.