This was a fun and interesting book that did a good job of staying true to history despite some of the liberties it took (and they were very small ones). Jill Archer is a protagonist that you can get behind. She's brave and yet not some larger-than-life heroine. Her conflict with her surroundings does not sour her to the reader, but endears her to you. There are some interesting characters, and if the story were not YA and was just a bit longer, I suspect we could have learned more about them and had a stronger sense of their presence in the story. As such, most of the focus remains on Jill and what she deals with. There's a sweet little romance with another crew member, a young boy named Henry, but it doesn't develop into anything too deep. There's also Captain Marjory Cooper, who has a strong character and is quite awesome. Finally, there's Abe the quartermaster, who is an ex-slave. The antagonist of the book, Blain, isn't seen till toward the end, and though his story is dastardly, he himself didn't seem to live up to his fantastic reputation. A bit of a disappointment, but strangely enough, it didn't take much away from the ending. There was a great battle, a great many risks taken, and it was all still very riveting. Steel is a fun story, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves pirates.