Reviewed by nightingalereads on
As a general rule, I'm not a fan of pirate stories. I've never watched the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (gasp!), and I usually lose interest whenever I see a book pitched as anything "pirate"-esque. It's just not a sub-genre that calls to me. Seafire, however, totally caught me off guard. I started it late at night and found, to my dawning horror, that I could not put it down. Natalie C. Parker's writing is vivid and absolutely captivating, without being flowery. The main character, Caledonia, is flawed, and frustrated me at numerous points, but not in a way that put me off. She was level-headed and her prejudice toward the Bullets was grounded, which only left me more eager to see her perspective grow.
Female friendship and girl power was a crucial element in this book, but it was done in a way I really appreciated. Instead of feeling preachy, or just consisting of "rah-rah" lines with little substance, Seafire actually introduced me to girls who stood by each other and showed strength, instead of just telling me they were strong. I feel like the girl who charges into situations with a tough-girl attitude and no regret is an often mis-construed character trope. Caledonia is certainly tough, but this book doesn't gloss over or idealize the less admirable sides of her personality. I cannot tell you how much I appreciated this, because it made her moments of vulnerability even more powerful.
Plot-wise, I could picture everything that was happening in my mind. The world and the "sailor talk" was well-constructed, and the relationship in this book. I am so here for it. It was subtle and angst-ridden and I'm just 100% on-board. So congratulations to Natalie for writing the pirate book that hooked my attention and finally changed my mind!
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 24 April, 2018: Finished reading
- 24 April, 2018: Reviewed