Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

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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 armored 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?

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Okay, like no one told me this was a series?????? Like, okay, sure, it’s up on the top of goodreads and this review with little writing saying (Seafire, #1), and the fact that I know the author does series, but like no one told meeeeeeee, and I was just the sucker that was at the end of the book going “oh, wow, there is a lot to be covered” on repeat until the very last page and realized it was ending either really creatively or I just got suckered into a decently large cliffhanger.

I really didn’t know too much about this book before going in besides two things: pirating and allllllllll the female empowerment. And what this book promised, it certainly delivered. This book focuses on an all female pirate crew, cruising the high seas seeking revenge against an opposing pirate group, The Bullets who rule the seas with their drugs, violence, and child snatching – and who also are responsible for killing Caledonia’s and Pisces’s family four years ago. The girls are fierce, strong, and ready to take on anything. However, when they are forced to take on a Bullet themselves and secrets are uncovered, the stakes are definitely raised and, um, the pirating too. Lots and lots of pirating.

The characters were quite well done. I never really fully connected with one or most intensely, but I all liked them and knew them. It took me a bit, but I really was able to sketch out a good deal of the main and side characters. Certain members of the crew had great distinct personalities that shone through. Redtooth was one of my favorites, and both Caledonia and Pisces were great leads. One – Caledonia – was definitely the brawn in the mental and physical aspects, while Pisces brought the heart with the way she connected with emotions. They were definitely a dynamic duo that I loved reading about. And the friendshipppppppppppppppppp. Omigosh, this book had the loveliest of friendships. It was girls supporting girls, girls loving girls, and just all the love for girls, and I need this in every book all the time.

The plot was interesting, too. Little items would pop up throughout the book that kept me interested and intrigued. Some of them were ones that I never even saw coming. I definitely felt like I was on the edge of my seat a couple of times, because I never really understood if everyone was going to be safe or if I was about to be !!!!

The romance wasn’t super super good. I mean, it wasn’t bad, but it seemed a bit of an afterthought, and it would have been best if Caledonia didn’t have a romance at all. The story stood far better without it, and there were so much going on, it didn’t have anything really have an impact.

Ariel’s not too fond of pirates, but she could be into the female crew!

The writing was quite good. The writing felt like an author that had been writing for 50+ years that took a second to pen a great novel in her spare time that felt like high fantasy and a fairytale all in one? I’m not sure that made any sense, BUT IT JUST VIBED WITH ME SO MUCH. I would have liked a little more world building in a sense, since it took me 3/4 of the book to realize that the ship they were on was a metal hull and not a little Pirates of the Caribbean ship??? Parker does do worldbuilding as a gradual unspooling, and it’s good, but I would have liked something a little bit descriptive up front. BUT IT WAS STILL SO GOOD, and I loved diving into the complexity and wonder of this world.

Overall, this was such a great read. I had a feeling in my skull and crossbones that this was going to be a good read, and my latent and usually nonexistent pirating gene was right! It had great writing, great characters, amazing plot twists, and all the girl power a girl could ask for. And if you want an actual book with pirating, this is for youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. 4 crowns and an Ariel rating!

What do you think? Do you like pirate novels? Are you ready for all the female empowerment? Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Important Update:

Mandy will also be on hiatus since this girl will be at Yallfest. I’ll be active on Insta, but Goodreads and here will be quite quiet on my front. I probably won’t be back until mid-week next week. If you are looking for yall updates, definitely make sure you check out our Insta, too! In the meantime, Sha will be taking over most of the blogging, so be prepared for her greatness! ❤