Reviews with content warning for Child death - Seafire

A girl makes a costly mistake that causes her to lead a life fighting those who took advantage. As a woman she leads others in their fight for survival and revenge.

Plot or Character: I think the third person single point of view requires a character driven writing style. However, the character didn't grow a lot in the first book. This was mainly about setting up the world and characters.

Loveable Characters: There were some characters I liked a lot. I wouldn't say I love any of the characters yet, but there are a few growing on me.

Diverse cast of Characters: The ship most of the plot takes place on is full of women and girls. That's the only reason I didn't say yes to this question. There is lesbian representation, someone using sign language to communicate, and skin tones ranging from "midnight" to "pale". The sign language dialogue was awesome because Parker didn't attempt to directly translate signs or refer to it as anything other than the character speaking. I also liked how everyone on the crew learned how this character communicated and her entire society also understood her. This is very different from the way my culture handles sign language. I didn't notice any prosthetics or wheelchairs, but I have trouble reading long blocks of texts without dialogue. If they were in descriptions of the towns they walked through, I missed it.

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alexalily's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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kayyyqgilbs's review against another edition

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adventurous sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I have had this book on my bookshelf for years, but I never ended up picking it up, until now. "Seafire" follows a young pirate by the name of Caledonia. A few years prior, Caledonia was tricked by a beautiful boy on the beach, which left her family and their ship completely defenseless against the infamous and ruthless Aric. Now, Caledonia has her own ship and her own crew to take care of, and a heart filled with rage and guilt over the conquest of her family. When Caledonia's ship is attacked and her best friend and second in command brings a Bullet on board, Caledonia's world is turned completely upside down because the Bullet reveals that Caledonia's brother is still alive, but under Aric's control. Can Caledonia trust what this Bullet says and find her brother while evading Aric?
I think this book has a market, but it is just not me. One thing this book does exceptionally well is expressing how valuable a found family can be to a person. Sometimes, people are not lucky enough to have their blood support them through and through, and that is why it is so imperative that people build and foster friendships. Caledonia has lost her whole family, but she has found a group of girls that she is willing to die for, and that is what keeps her going. This book shows how the crew has unfailing support for one another, and I loved it. This book also does a great job of balancing a high action story with high stakes, all while not veering into writing that is too graphic. The story was enjoyable, but not too much for a YA reader. My only real criticism of the book is that I found Caledonia's decisions to be infuriating at times, but I think that has more to do with the fact that she is a teen, and I am almost thirty.
I will likely not continue in this series, but I will recommend it to young adult readers who want a high action story about family, friends, and pirates.

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booksthatburn's review

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Very description- and action-heavy, even the calm moments are packed with descriptions of where everyone is and exactly what they're doing. Not what I'm looking for.

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crzicricket's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I loved this book, every minute of it. The character driven parts of the story were amazing, the inclusion was just great, and I loved the change of pace for where a story takes place. (for me)

I am excited for the next book and to see where the story goes. To see how the characters grow and push each other, and how they will overcome the challenges that were put against them in this book that carry over.

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literarycavy's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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