Review of Sea Wolf by Anna Burke

After Anna Burke’s amazing debut novel Compass Rose stormed the WLW books world in 2018, I have this author on my radar. Three years later and with four more books under her belt in the genres of fantasy, historical fiction and traditional romance, we finally have the Compass Rose sequel.

In the year 2514, the sea levels on Earth have risen and land is either flooded or too polluted to live on. Compass Rose is a gifted navigator who has joined forces with mercenary Captain Miranda Stillwater. In their journey across the ocean, while they battle dangerous enemies in human and animal form, Rose will embark on a self-discovery journey of her own.

This is book 2 of 3 in the Compass Rose series. Book 3, titled True North, is gonna be released next year according to the author. Like book one, this novel is told from Rose Point of view. Sea Wolf delves deeper into her life story, background, and her relationship with Miranda. Ms. Burke loves putting her characters through the wringer (by her own admission) and Sea Wolf is a perfect example as it packs up emotional turmoil with nail-biting action at a fast-paced speed that never gives the reader a respite.

Sea Wolf picks up three months where Compass Rose finishes so it’s highly recommendable to read them in sequence. There are too many details to the overall arc that cannot be fully understood without reading book one. I listened to the audiobook of Compass Rose a few days before reading Sea Wolf and I’m glad I did as I had forgotten many important details about the story and it helped with my enjoyment of book two. While Compass Rose plot ties most loose ends, Sea Wolf unties and transforms them into a tangled yarn. You can think of this novel as a bridge between books one and three. While Compass Rose tended to describe facts, Sea Wolf asked questions. Hopefully True North will have all the answers and we won’t have to wait too long to get them.

If you are looking for a fast-paced adventure dystopian book with a romance at the side and don’t mind committing to reading the whole series, then this one is for you. 5 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.