It's easy to enter into and be entertained by the world Jordan S. Keller has established in A Sea of Ships & Souls . It's a quaint, charming place of delightful whimsy that combines adventure and innocence. The story focuses on a wide-eyed young man named Jace Kit that dreams of sailing and swashbuckling instead of helping his parents with laundry. He encounters a mysterious Sea Sprite named Sable and adventure ensues....

There's an instant appeal and accessibility reminiscent of comic strips and cartoon shorts, like Popeye or The Phantom (and with a little bit of Nancy & Sluggo). The comic-strip appeal continues with the amusing naming conventions, offering places like Whale Hat and Crescent Isle; encountering people named SkipJack and Bird Poop, and journeying aboard boats named Typhoon Swell and The Waveson's Bounty. Keller has established a rich world full of potential where adventure is expected at every turn.

Similar to those comic-strip heroic adventures, all the stakes are treated with the same earnestness and awe, whether it's a soul being stolen, participating in a contest or a young man afraid of disappointing his mother. And the lack of distinction is where the door opens for criticism. The dangers and risks that Jace and Sable encounter are not fully considered nor are they really explored.

Take the villains of the story as an example; they have so much potential but fall flat. (Note: The "flat" comment as a 2D comic-strip pun is not intended, but it fits....) A bit of expositional motivation might give us a background into the why, but we aren't given a deeper glimpse.

Another example about the shallow risk pertains to our hero's journey and the price it takes. In several instances, there's story potential for the how and why that Jace succeeds, but in a lot of cases, it's just dumb luck? Or convenient plot motion? Don't get me wrong -- Keller makes such a damned likable character that you'll be happy for Jace's victories, but when you look closer, you start to wonder if this kid has Zeus's blood, a can of spinach or a rabbit's foot tucked away.

What Jace really has, in abundance, is charm. As does Sable, Momma and Poppa Kit, and nearly every character in this book. Which makes me want to reconsider my earlier comparison. I'd like to amend the comic strip/cartoon short reference with a bit of 1980s John Hughes characterization. It's entirely appropriate that Jace is Ferris Bueller, and he's the maritime equivalent of a righteous dude. This story is his day off -- from laundry instead of school? No matter how high the odds are stacked that it's not going to work out for him, everything inevitably works out. Every. Single. Thing. (Guess that places me in the role of Ferris's sister. Well, even she came around at the end of the story.)

And because there's so much charm and enjoyment in Jace's journey, does it really matter if his persistent good fortune makes no sense?

Nope, just enjoy the story.