The Ocean of Secrets

The Pegasus Trilogy soared into reader's hearts with its thrilling debut, The Voyage of the Pegasus, written and illustrated by author Eliza Crooks, at the young age of eleven. By fourteen, Eliza released the gripping sequel, The Return of the Cobra, in which the Stowaways embarked on adventures that were both perilous and delightfully comical. Now, at age fifteen, this remarkable, young author delivers a captivating finale with The Ocean of Secrets, bringing the crew's epic journey to a pulse-pounding conclusion. Reunite with the Stowaways as they welcome new members, reminisce past escapades, and face their most dangerous mission ever. Will Belle confront her nemesis for a final clash, and will there be a cay of reckoning for the ruthless, barbaric captain of the Cobra?

In the author's words:

When I was a sixth-grader, just wanting to try and write a book about pirates, I had no idea it would become a trilogy that almost seemed real to me. Throughout the first two books, the characters and the plot line went deeper and deeper, and by the time I got into the third book, they had plunged into my own heart.

The Ocean of Secrets is a tear-jerking, romantic, and sometimes even comical story that is ultimately about love. Not just romance, but forgiveness, compassion, brotherly love, trust in God, and a thirst for justice. Swords, guns, and blood battles won't fix a dying world; what the world needs is love.

I'm fifteen years old now, and going into my sophomore year in high school. I've obviously changed drastically between the ages of eleven and fifteen. So I have to admit, this book has an older audience than the first one in the trilogy, and even the second. I grew up, and so did the characters.

It's bittersweet, because the story begins to deal with realistic emotions and interactions for teenagers, and that comical innocence starts to fade out. But the real world isn't innocent; it's heartbreaking.

As I finished my trilogy, my imagination for these characters became less fantasy and more dutifully typed words. The years I spent with them came to a close, as did their story, and they went from being real people in my mind to book characters.

But I hope someone will pick up this book, read it, and that my characters will become real again, for them. I hope that these fictional lives can be lived in hundreds of imaginations, sending the reader on their own voyage.