Book Review: The Galaxy Pirates: Hunt for the Pyxis by Zoe Ferraris

The Galaxy Pirates: Hunt for the Pyxis by Zoe Ferraris is a middle grade to young adult novel and the first book in a new fantasy trilogy. On the night Emma Garton's supposedly boring parents are kidnapped, she is forced to face the truth: they've been lying to her about many things, including the Pyxis, a mysterious amulet that holds the key to saving another world—and worse, they aren't even from planet Earth. To find her parents, Emma and her best friend, Herbie, must leave Earth and enter the Strands, the waterways of space, where huge galleons ply the intergalactic seas. But a journey through the constellations won't be easy, not with evil Queen Virgo and every scoundrel in the galaxy determined to find them.

Hunt for the Pyxis is a novel of high action and solid world building. I liked the concept and the majority of the execution. The idea of the constellations being worlds which people can actually sail to, and the variety of conflicts and magics at work were all well done. I found myself intrigued and interested in learning more about the different locations, their inhabitants, and how the Strand and Memory Water worked. I found the characters to be a little flat though. While they seemed interesting and kept me reading, I felt like they were a little too predictable- they acted a little too perfect for the roles they had. They were not quite stereotypes, but at no point was I surprised by their actions or reactions. I prefer my characters a little more quirky and unpredictable rather than slightly flat and easy to understand. I did still enjoy the ride, and the fact that there was a certain level of resolution for the end of the book. However, there was a little dig at the end, a lingering sentence to ramp up the need to read the next book, that I felt was a bit unnecessary.

Hunt for the Pyxis was a good and entertaining read. It did a good job of world building and setting the stage for further adventures. It was not a perfect book, but one worth reading for those that like action, fantasy, science fiction, and/or pirates.