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tasha_bombastic's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
nata_10's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
chlooee's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
admittedly i did not have any expectations going into this one, but i was pleasantly surprised! a good, female-led fantasy novel with a focus on pirates.
admittedly i did not have any expectations going into this one, but i was pleasantly surprised! a good, female-led fantasy novel with a focus on pirates.
fireweed15's review against another edition
3.0
What I expected starting this book: Pirates
What I got: Steampunk adjacent pirates-- and I'm not complaining about it!
The storyline here was really interesting, and I love the world that Parker has created. I also like that Caladonia is a complex character-- she struggles and has flaws and that makes her fascinating. I do feel like on some level I wasn't prepared for this to be a trilogy, so the end felt like
Something that really bothered me about this (at least here on Goodreads) was that this is tagged as queer... and there was precious little queer content. Like there's an established sapphic couple on the side, and references are made, but that's it. If we're going to tag this as LGBTQ+ and Lesbian fiction, let's have it be more prominent, no?
Overall, though, it was an enjoyable read, and I can definitely see myself coming back for volumes two and three!
What I got: Steampunk adjacent pirates-- and I'm not complaining about it!
The storyline here was really interesting, and I love the world that Parker has created. I also like that Caladonia is a complex character-- she struggles and has flaws and that makes her fascinating. I do feel like on some level I wasn't prepared for this to be a trilogy, so the end felt like
Something that really bothered me about this (at least here on Goodreads) was that this is tagged as queer... and there was precious little queer content. Like there's an established sapphic couple on the side, and references are made, but that's it. If we're going to tag this as LGBTQ+ and Lesbian fiction, let's have it be more prominent, no?
Overall, though, it was an enjoyable read, and I can definitely see myself coming back for volumes two and three!
pragreads's review against another edition
4.0
it's a no romancey pirate book featuring 95% girls by a sapphic author,, WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT
wildfire22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
dannywithaygreenlikethecolor's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
At first, it was really boring and then over halfway through it got way better! looking forward to the next one!
At first, it was really boring and then over halfway through it got way better! looking forward to the next one!
thebookberrie's review against another edition
1.0
This book was a mess and it wasn't my kind of mess.
After her family is killed by an evil warlord, Caledonia Styx is left to captain her own ship among these dangerous seas. With her crew of girls and women who lost their families just like her, Caledonia leads them on a mission to ruin the warlord Aric's ships, one at a time. When Caledonia's best friend almost loses her life and gets saved by one of the warlord's men looking to defect, Caledonia struggles with the decision to let him join the crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric once and for all, or just someone who could ruin Caledonia and her crew?
The writing in this book did not work for me. It was third person and it was so disconnected from any emotion and the action. All these characters kept getting introduced and someone even dies and I just... didn't care. Even by the end of the book I felt like I barely knew the MC herself.
Another thing that didn't work for me was the so-called feminist aspect. No one @ me but there are actually dozens of YA fantasy novels this year that use the tag and all it is, is a marketing tool. The feminism in this book is no better than all the other failures I've read this year. This book kept telling me so many times how strong the women are together, how sisterhood is survival. Do we ever see it? Not really. Even Caledonia and her "best friend" didn't seem like they liked each other at all. Yes, friends and sisters fight but there was no friendship there to me and all they did was fight in every scene. No bonding, no togetherness. Just a mantra about how sisterhood is survival and how men are not to ever be trusted.
Of course that leads to the romance which of course was with a man and of course was for our lovely MC. I don't have words to express how much I hated the idea of them together and how useless it was. Come on, you can't tell me that ALL of the women on the ship are straight. Okay no lesbians but not even one bi? Fine.
The world-building didn't work either. We have super weird tech and some weird drug that keeps the male fighters in line. The warlord guy controls all and that's it. We don't get much more than that. Also not to beat this book when I've already put it down but damn these girls were probably the worst pirates ever. It felt like EVERYTHING they did, they failed at.
This book was so disappointing and I was sad I couldn't enjoy it but then the book ended literally mid-scene in an action fight and I'm just done.
After her family is killed by an evil warlord, Caledonia Styx is left to captain her own ship among these dangerous seas. With her crew of girls and women who lost their families just like her, Caledonia leads them on a mission to ruin the warlord Aric's ships, one at a time. When Caledonia's best friend almost loses her life and gets saved by one of the warlord's men looking to defect, Caledonia struggles with the decision to let him join the crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric once and for all, or just someone who could ruin Caledonia and her crew?
The writing in this book did not work for me. It was third person and it was so disconnected from any emotion and the action. All these characters kept getting introduced and someone even dies and I just... didn't care. Even by the end of the book I felt like I barely knew the MC herself.
Another thing that didn't work for me was the so-called feminist aspect. No one @ me but there are actually dozens of YA fantasy novels this year that use the tag and all it is, is a marketing tool. The feminism in this book is no better than all the other failures I've read this year. This book kept telling me so many times how strong the women are together, how sisterhood is survival. Do we ever see it? Not really. Even Caledonia and her "best friend" didn't seem like they liked each other at all. Yes, friends and sisters fight but there was no friendship there to me and all they did was fight in every scene. No bonding, no togetherness. Just a mantra about how sisterhood is survival and how men are not to ever be trusted.
Of course that leads to the romance which of course was with a man and of course was for our lovely MC. I don't have words to express how much I hated the idea of them together and how useless it was. Come on, you can't tell me that ALL of the women on the ship are straight. Okay no lesbians but not even one bi? Fine.
The world-building didn't work either. We have super weird tech and some weird drug that keeps the male fighters in line. The warlord guy controls all and that's it. We don't get much more than that. Also not to beat this book when I've already put it down but damn these girls were probably the worst pirates ever. It felt like EVERYTHING they did, they failed at.
This book was so disappointing and I was sad I couldn't enjoy it but then the book ended literally mid-scene in an action fight and I'm just done.
jale_sellards's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.25