Hi everyone! I hope you’re ready to dive into the weekend with a great book! I could definitely use a quiet weekend – hell, I think I need a quiet week or even month to recover from all the hectic stuff that’s been going on these last few weeks. But I digress! You’re not here to read my ramblings about real-life events, you’re here for book reviews. So let’s get to that! Today I want to talk about Seafire by Natalie C. Parker. I’m not one to say no to a good pirate story, but what did I think of this one? Read on to find out!
After her family was killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx assembled a crew of girls and women just like her. Together, they want to bring down Aric’s fleet. But when Caledonia’s best friend Pisces barely survives an attack thanks to a Bullet who wants to defect, Caledonia faces an impossible dilemma: can he help them take down Aric, or will he threaten everything these women have worked for?
Yo-ho, yo-ho
As I mentioned in my introduction, this book is about pirates. Not your typical 18th-century Jack Sparrow kind of pirate though. No, we get a crew of women with different backgrounds, personalities, and so on. And I liked every single one of them. These women are fierce and won’t just sit down to await their faith. No, they bring the fight to Aric’s doorstep. Or, well, to his fleet.
These girls and women are an amazing found family and I loved how they interact with one another. They’re loyal, they care about each other, but they all have their flaws and different views on the matter at hand, which leads to conflicts. But that is what makes this crew so believable. Amina and Hime are great characters, as are Pisces and Caledonia herself of course.
Of course, Seafire is more than just a crew of women sitting on board a ship and plotting attacks. This book is action-packed and there were several battles! And right when you think they have escaped a dangerous situation and can breathe freely again,… BAM, another threat presents itself. And when they’re not fighting, there is some interesting character development happening. Seriously, there was not a single dull moment in this book!
Confusing setting
However, I was a bit confused about the setting. At first, I thought Seafire would be set in a fantasy version of, say, the 18th century. But based on some references and descriptions throughout the story, I think it’s rather some sort of post-apocalyptic future. There are ships with metal hulls and all sorts of technology, like batteries and solar power. I had some trouble picturing this…
Furthermore, I would have liked to see more attention being paid to the f/f romance. Much of it was in the background and therefore easy to miss. Not that I want this story or series to focus on the romance, but still. There was some m/f romance towards the end of this book, which was a bit predictable. Predictable and not necessary for me to enjoy this book, but it also didn’t bother me.
So all things considered, Seafire is a great book if you want to read about pirates-but-different, with a crew of amazing women. Just be ready to strap yourself to the mast, because this book will plunge on and barely let you come up for air. That’s why it gets a strong 4 stars from me! Oh, and great news: the second part of this trilogy, Steel Tide, was published in September!
August 8, 2019
416
Caledonia's family were murdered by ruthless warlord Aric Athair. Now captain of a crew of girls who have lost everything too, she has one mission: to take down Athair's fleet. But when a rogue boy from Athair's crew saves the life of her best friend, she faces an impossible choice. If she lets the boy live, will he help them - or destroy them? High seas, high stakes...and high time for revenge
