Scylla and the Pepper Pirates, by Rayne Hall

As some of you know, I recently joined Twitter.  I wasn’t sure I wanted too, but now I’m glad I did.  I started following author Rayne Hall.  Following her led me to get some of her work, including Scylla and the Pepper Pirates, free for Kobo.  It is an enjoyable and almost cute story (you know, except for the gut eating sea creature and other violent deaths).

Scylla didn’t quite grab me from the beginning.  I don’t know what it was.  There was just something missing in that first paragraph.  A more immediate connection to Scylla or the surroundings?  I felt a little lost.  The feeling did not last long though.  Once the first “conflict” was over and Scylla was in the Captain’s cabin, I knew what was going on.  That’s also when more of Scylla’s story was revealed and I began to connect more with her as a character.

Scylla and the Pepper Pirates was light fair.  It was not as simple a quest as Scylla made it appear (though I guessed the end).  I like that Scylla became a more complex character as the story progressed.  Though she seemed love-struck, Scylla became a more thoughtful, problem-solving character with each problem she faced.  I really enjoyed the story I look forward to reading more from Rayne Hall.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John Mutford at The Book Mine Set.