Seafire Review

Title: Seafire

Author: Natalie C. Parker

Series: Seafire #1

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: 28 August 2018

Source: Penguin Random House South Africa

Format: Paperback

Pages: 374

Rating: 3.3 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

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?

Book Review:

Pre-reading Thoughts:

Seafire is one of my most anticipated reads for the year. I loved books surrounding pirates and dangerous adventures. I’m also really excited because this book seems very empowering for females due to the book surrounding a crew of young women. 

Thank you so much to Penguin Random House South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book. Just a quick disclaimer for those reading this review, I have received this book for free. Please note that this does not affect my opinions in any way. All thoughts are my own. 

Writing Thoughts:

The writing didn’t pull me into the story. I felt as though I was pushing against the current to get into the flow of the book. The pacing of the writing felt lacking until the last couple of pages of the book. However, with that being said, the dialogue was lighter to read and easier to get into. 

Plot Thoughts:

The plot was filled with heartfelt moments but also moments that had your heart racing from the action on the pages. I loved that this book was centred around a young woman who is attempting to take down a tyrant. The feelings of sisterhood were strong in this book and made it a book that I could easily stand by. This book does have a slow beginning, but the end will have you wishing that you had the second book ready to go.

Character Thoughts:

Our main character, Caledonia, is a complex character who simply wants the best for her crew and will stop at nothing to help them. However, due to her need to keep her crew safe, she gets stuck in her duty to them and forgets that beyond everything they trust her. One critique I have is that Caledonia seems to be all bark and no bite. I found it hard to believe that everyone was equal in their work because Caledonia just seemed to be shouting orders and not really fully participating in the same actions that the crew had to go through. Caledonia’s opposite is Pisces. She was one of my favourite characters she was fearless and just as determined to do right by the crew as Caledonia. Pisces was the heart of the book and I definitely hope that we get to see more from her in the next book.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I liked this book. I will definitely be picking up the sequel because the end left me wanting more and it also left me hopeful. The writing was not my favourite element of the book, but the plot was daring and adventurous. The characters were also interesting and some definitely left their mark. I am intrigued to see what happens next and hope that it is as filled with action as this book. Thank you to Penguin Random House South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book.

Yours in Reading,

Melleny