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YA Sidekick Super Review: Compass and Blade (2024) by Rachel Greenlaw
- Nov 20, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 4, 2025
The Basics
Page Length: 336
Audiobook Length: ~10 hours
Grade Reading Level: 8+
Target Audience Age: 13-17
Maturity Rating: 14+ (Plugged In Review)
Goodreads Score: 3.34 out of 5
Buy it HERE
Setting: The Fortunate Isles, a group of islands located in this world's Southern Ocean
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Topics: Shipwrecks, Sirens, Pirates, Magic, Myths, Revenge
Plot: Mira’s life is the sea. She is one of the Seven, the crew on her island of Rosevear who survive by pillaging shipwrecks along its dangerous coast. Her mother was once part of the Seven as well, but she died on the job when Mira was young. That loss still haunts her—along with the call she feels deep within her to the sea itself.
Mira has always dreamed of leaving Rosevear, but her duty to her father and her people keeps her tethered there, much like the rope that secures her when she dives into wrecks. When the Watch—the kingdom’s authoritative policing force—captures several members of the Seven during a raid, including Mira’s father, she leaves the island for the first time in hopes of finding help.
What she discovers is a world far different from what she imagined. Her journey uncovers a secret message left behind by her mother, and she soon encounters mysterious creatures, witches, and magic she never knew existed. Mira is forced to confront where she truly belongs: with the sea that has always called to her, the home she has always known, or somewhere entirely in between.
Themes: Survival vs. ethics, nature vs. nurture, sacrifice, bondage and bargains, trust and betrayal
You might like this book if you like:
Ocean exploration + myths
Sailing + scuba diving
Treasure hunting/geocaching
Books like To Kill a Kingdom, Fable, Daughter of a Pirate King
Movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, Narnia Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Shape of Water
Shows like Siren, Tidelands, and Black Sails
Other books written by this author: The Ordeals (Killmarth Trials #1)
Teaching Compass and Blade in Class
Content
Language: a little bit, very mild use
Sex/Romance: there is a sexual encounter between two characters who spend a night together in an inn. It's not described graphically, more "poetic," but it is not closed door.
Violence/Scariness: typical pirate violence--swash buckling sword fights, gunshots. There are witches and sirens and creatures who are considered scary and violent.
Drinking/Smoking/Drugs: there is drinking in a tavern
Class Novel-ability: With the romance and the level of violence in the story, I’m not sure it’s the best fit for a full-class read. It might work well in a lit-circle or themed book-club unit based on theme? Really, it just feels like a great book to pick up for the fun of it and enjoy.
The Star Qualities
It's fast-paced and engaging. The story moves quickly, with enough action to keep even the most reluctant readers hooked.
It's the beginning of a binge-worthy series. There’s a sequel, which I read immediately after finishing this one because I had to know what happened next! And a third installment is coming soon. This is a great way to get students excited about continuing a series.
There's a relatable main character. Mira makes mistakes, especially when it comes to trust. She feels like a real girl trying to figure out the world, her heart, and her identity—much more believable than many fantasy-romance protagonists.
It's fantastic, balanced blend of genres. It feels like Pirates of the Caribbean mixed with witches and sirens. The blend of fantasy and adventure is done in a really compelling way that I think students will love. There is a romantic thread, but it doesn’t dominate the plot. This makes the book accessible to a wider range of readers, including those who prefer adventure or fantasy over heavy romance.
Book Talk Read Aloud Section
If you have the physical book, read chapter 1 (pages 10-16)
"Reading Like a Writer" Mentor Texts
I mean, this passage has so much going on—paragraph breaks, sentence fragments, ellipses, repetition, and internal monologue in italics. The pacing shifts from short and choppy to long and reflective, and I love how dramatic it feels. You can picture the scene perfectly: the knife dropping, the narrator’s moment of revelation. There’s just so much to choose from, and so many craft moves students can imitate!
This passage has such great sensory detail, and I love the repetition at the end. The paragraph breaks make the reveal even more dramatic, and the whole moment gives us an inside look at the world the narrator lives in. She doesn’t come from wealth, even though her kingdom is technically full of it. It’s a great example of descriptive imagery with so much information packed into such a small space.
So many cool things here—amazing rhythm, the “us vs. them” perspective, the repetition, the contrasts, the sensory imagery… and the DRAMA! It’s just a really strong passage, with a lot to notice, theorize about, and imitate.
Sentences for Combining and Imitation
Sentence sets for combining:
"Cluttered shelves line one wall, filled with dusky red books and sheaves of parchment shoved into every gap." (Compass and Blade p.189)
Shelves line one wall.
The shelves are cluttered.
They are filled with books and sheaves of parchment.
The sheaves of parchment are shoved into every gap.
The books are dusky and red.
I curl up on the ground, blinking down at the letter, at my mother’s careful penmanship, her beautiful, lilting script. (p. 175)
I curl up on the ground.
I blink down at the letter.
I blink down at my mother's penmanship.
Her penmanship is careful.
Her script is beautiful and lilting.
"Music greets me; a thin, whining sound coming from a music box set up on the desk." (p. 206)
Music greets me.
It's a thin sound.
It's a whining sound.
It's coming from a music box.
The music box is set up on the desk.
Sentences for Imitation:
"The sea gives. The sea takes. That’s what we say. That’s what we believe. But this place, this island, is in our blood, our bones. It’s everything. (p. 24)
I know this is obviously a group of sentences, but I like the way it’s structured. I like the use of repetition and parallelism. The sentences are short but powerful and emotional. Students could imitate this—it’s not too intimidating, and it shows them how simplicity can be powerful.
"I wish. . . I don’t know what I wish. I suppose I wish he would trust me." (p. 25)
I like the structure of this one as well. It creates so much drama. I think it would be another great example for students to imitate, replacing the word wish with something else.
"I am the sea in human form. All her anger. All her storms." (p. 320)
This is such a good example of personification. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it packs a punch. I think students could easily find something to compare themselves to using personification and follow this model’s structure to add some extra flavor to their writing.
Used this book in your classroom? Tell us how in the comments!
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