The Chestmaker - J. L. Smyser

Archie Salvatorre blends artistry with engineering to craft chests with intricate locks, hidden mechanisms, and traps meant to outwit even the most determined thief. But in the oppressed port towns of Tyro Archipelago, he is running out of ways to keep the family business afloat.

After finding a chest hidden beneath his shop, Archie does what any chestmaker would do. He opens it. What's sealed inside sends him on a journey with pirates to uncharted ruins at the edges of the known world.

From one strange island to the next, Archie must use the skills he developed perfecting his craft to keep himself alive. Because the world is just a chest he hasn't opened yet - full of locks, hidden mechanisms, and deadly traps waiting to be sprung. The only thing standing between him and the ocean depths is a ship full of outcasts and an infamous pirate captain who makes him feel more valued on her deck than he ever felt at home.

Chests are built to protect treasure, but Archie is only now beginning to understand what is more valuable than gold.