Ancient Mariners

Is Beth Portman the next Lisbeth Salander, Katniss Everdeen, or Vanessa Michael Munroe?

A girl and a man sail the South Pacific guided by Death to an act of revenge that will set them free.

Beth Portman's parents died in a home fire four years ago, while Beth, then a normal, happy 14 year-old girl sails with Silas Tufts, an ex-Navy SEAL and family friend. With no other family, Beth stays with her best friend, Judy, and her lecherous father. After a few uncomfortable months Judy asks Beth to leave and she's glad to go, beginning her coming-of-age journey to become anything but a "normal" teenager.
Silas also lost his family to tragedy. He has roamed the sea for years fleeing his guilt and grief. Beth joins him on his sailboat, both seeking solace and peace. In Mexico, they believe they have found the new love and family they seek with a beautiful Mexican woman. Soon, though, tragedy forces Beth and Silas to sail into the South Pacific, wandering aimlessly.
But Death, in the form of a black Albatross, has a task for them. Over the next four years Death surreptitiously guides their journey and prepares their bodies and minds for their mission.
Beth's transformation begins with an attack in the Philippines that changes her life forever. In a beautiful Great Barrier Reef lagoon Beth saves a life, but another tragedy shows her and Silas the purpose of Death's mission.
Pirates, butterfly poachers, a jungle spirit, and a merciless Hong Kong crime boss, complete Beth and Silas's journey to an act of revenge that will set them free.