Reviews with content warning for 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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itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.25

I think I went in like a lot of people expecting something slightly different to what the book claimed itself to be. This is by no means a bad story, just a bit predictable at times. It was fun to see the crew get into situations and see how they would get out, even if sometimes they got out of situations a bit too easily.

Also like a few people, I went in expecting some f/f content and was disappointed when there wasn't anything

unless you count that one character making eyes at someone moments before she was injured. There's nothing wrong with having a queer author not have any explicit queer rep in their stories, but there's enough subtext to make it feel like there was something there; it feels like either the relationship in question was cut at the last minute or the author was censored by the publisher (I feel like the former is more likely, and maybe it will be bought up again in a future installment).

Speaking of relationships, I was so confused at the Cal/Oran relationship that came out of nowhere. The book felt like it had been building towards Pi/Oran and then it swerved starboard seemingly to make an enemies to lovers relationship for the hell of it. Cal should have been allowed to forgive Oran without the awkward romance angle, and the relationship feels a bit comphet for my liking.

Finally, although I am definitely going to read the next book, I can't help but think

the ending where Cal goes and raids the Bale Blossom alone despite her crew saying AT LEAST THREE TIMES THAT THEY'RE HER FAMILY AND THAT IF THEY MAKE A BAD DECISION, IT'S TOGETHER feels like it was just there to spring a sequel hook.

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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 against another edition

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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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