Review: Seafire

Title: Seafire

Author: Natalie C. Parker

Rating: 4 Stars

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Razorbill

Date Published: 28 August 2018

Goodreads Description: After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains her ship, the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, who have lost their families and homes because of Aric and his men. The crew has one mission: stay alive, and take down Aric’s armed and armoured fleet.

But when Caledonia’s best friend and second-in-command barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all . . . or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for?

I received a free copy of this book from Penguin Random House South Africa in exchange for an honest review. 

Spoiler Free

Seafire really blew me away. I never knew I needed an all-female crew of sassy pirates in my life until now. I loved each and every one of Parker’s characters and the story blew me away. The crew of the Mors Navis truly believe in sisterhood and they fight tooth and nail for what they think is right. Seafire was fast paced and tight, and I loved the fact that the main focus of the book was the sisterhood of the crew, not the romance between Caledonia and Oran.

That being said, I did feel like the romance was shoved in there, and I would have been really fine without the romance. The writing was addictive and I didn’t want to put it down. The book had a lot of heartwarming and emotional scenes and I would totally die for any of those girls.

One other complaint I have is that the book wasn’t gay enough. It’s hinted that two side characters are in a relationship but never confirmed. Is it too much to ask for a kickass feminist story that doesn’t shy away from gay characters?

Overall this book is fantastic and I cannot wait for the rest of the series.

Characters

Caledonia Styx is my new favourite pirate (Nikolai aside). She’s tough as nails and she doubts herself as anyone in a leadership position would do. She tries to do what’s best for her crew, but at the same time, she wants revenge on the person who killed her family. Her conflict plays out very realistically and every choice she makes is completely in character and gives us a deeper look into how she thinks.

The side characters were brilliant as well, and I mourned the passing of them. Redtooth was by far my favourite. She’s a true warrior, but at the same time, she can be soft and understanding as well. I loved the fact that one of the characters, Hime, couldn’t speak and communicated via sign language. That’s not often seen in books and I think it was executed very well.

I would like to get to know the male characters, like Oran, a little better and I’m hoping we get to see more of them in the future books.

Spoilers

Not really a spoiler, but I hoped that Caledonia wouldn’t fall in love with Oran. That was the most predictable outcome, but at a time I wondered if she might fall in love with a woman on her crew. That would have made for a much better twist.

Let’s Chat

Are you a fan of pirate books? Which is your favourite?

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