Scan barcode
A review by mastersal
Seafire by Natalie C. Parker
4.0
3 stars for my emotional reaction to this book - I liked it but didn't love it. 1 star added for the craft - this is a well written story which avoids a lot of clichés and pitfalls. I would definitely recommend this everyone who likes adventure stories and especially those set on the sea. I would make this mandatory reading to all the little girls who never get to see girls in a wholistic real way (killing people and generally being violent is not strength people).
This is sort of a pirate story but I've always disliked that moniker as pirates were cruel and thieves. This crew, as they describe themselves are rebels in the best tradition of stories about a small band finding against oppression. The characters, especially of the main lead Caledonia, are well drawn for the most part. There are a few stock types which I can accept since it wont be a crew otherwise - the best friend, the quippy weapons master, the plucky younger orphan (?). But for the stock characters there was a Hime and Amina. I especially like Hime who balanced between vulnerable and strong quite well.
Ms. Parker has a command over her writing which is admirable. The flatness of some of the other characters, including Pisces, fits into the story which is squarely focused on Caledonia. This is her book and the rest are supporting characters in the truest sense. They support but don't take centre stage. The author kept that focus so that the book is not cluttered. I am sure it was difficult to maintain it - as an example, I was expecting more focus on the boy they rescued but we don't even learn his name till the last 1/3rd of the book. That dedication to keep in character and focus on developing Caledonia's motivation was fascinating. It would have been easy to go on a tangent to build him up but in a novel of sisterhood it would have been self-indulgent and Ms Parker is definitely not that.
If anything, I found the book to be a little sparse. At less than 400 pages it is economical in what it focuses on. The worldbuilding is done quickly and the mix of modern technology and sea-adventure vibe creates echoes of Treasure Planet which kept me engaged. I could have used a little ore context setting and description of where we were as this could have been Earth or Mars for what I got. Nothing that rose to the level of annoyance but just an acknowledgement of the fact that this is a relatively short book when it comes to fantasy adventure and as a result it will leave off certain things. The focus on sisters and brothers also a very welcome change from the focus on romantic couples. The acknowledgement of addiction and child enslavement was covered sensitivity but not graphically given the target age range. If you are a younger reader, or giving this to a younger child please be aware that there is mention of things like addiction - it's not gratuitous and not visceral but it should be approached with guidance for the younger readers who are getting into these topics for the first time.
Having said all of this and despite my admiration of the book, I couldn't really love it. This is not going to become one of my favourites and I am not sure I will put the sequel high on my TBR. This is due to my preferences in fantasy and the fact that I don't like stories set on ships. There is a claustrophobia to the setting which doesn't appeal. Stories on ships are necessarily narrow in focus so they avoid nuance and big picture narrative that I prefer when reading. This is akin to liking history books about the entire war instead of a particular battle.
The reading level of the book is also for younger audiences. This is not a bad thing as the writing is clear. However, the writing was too simple for my tastes - honestly this is my fault in picking up a YA novel. On a positive note though it reminds me of Terry Brookes in his heyday so fans of that style should definitely pick this.
PS. All of this may be bunk as I read this while recovering from surgery so my detachment could be psychosomatic.
This is sort of a pirate story but I've always disliked that moniker as pirates were cruel and thieves. This crew, as they describe themselves are rebels in the best tradition of stories about a small band finding against oppression. The characters, especially of the main lead Caledonia, are well drawn for the most part. There are a few stock types which I can accept since it wont be a crew otherwise - the best friend, the quippy weapons master, the plucky younger orphan (?). But for the stock characters there was a Hime and Amina. I especially like Hime who balanced between vulnerable and strong quite well.
Ms. Parker has a command over her writing which is admirable. The flatness of some of the other characters, including Pisces, fits into the story which is squarely focused on Caledonia. This is her book and the rest are supporting characters in the truest sense. They support but don't take centre stage. The author kept that focus so that the book is not cluttered. I am sure it was difficult to maintain it - as an example, I was expecting more focus on the boy they rescued but we don't even learn his name till the last 1/3rd of the book. That dedication to keep in character and focus on developing Caledonia's motivation was fascinating. It would have been easy to go on a tangent to build him up but in a novel of sisterhood it would have been self-indulgent and Ms Parker is definitely not that.
If anything, I found the book to be a little sparse. At less than 400 pages it is economical in what it focuses on. The worldbuilding is done quickly and the mix of modern technology and sea-adventure vibe creates echoes of Treasure Planet which kept me engaged. I could have used a little ore context setting and description of where we were as this could have been Earth or Mars for what I got. Nothing that rose to the level of annoyance but just an acknowledgement of the fact that this is a relatively short book when it comes to fantasy adventure and as a result it will leave off certain things. The focus on sisters and brothers also a very welcome change from the focus on romantic couples. The acknowledgement of addiction and child enslavement was covered sensitivity but not graphically given the target age range. If you are a younger reader, or giving this to a younger child please be aware that there is mention of things like addiction - it's not gratuitous and not visceral but it should be approached with guidance for the younger readers who are getting into these topics for the first time.
Having said all of this and despite my admiration of the book, I couldn't really love it. This is not going to become one of my favourites and I am not sure I will put the sequel high on my TBR. This is due to my preferences in fantasy and the fact that I don't like stories set on ships. There is a claustrophobia to the setting which doesn't appeal. Stories on ships are necessarily narrow in focus so they avoid nuance and big picture narrative that I prefer when reading. This is akin to liking history books about the entire war instead of a particular battle.
The reading level of the book is also for younger audiences. This is not a bad thing as the writing is clear. However, the writing was too simple for my tastes - honestly this is my fault in picking up a YA novel. On a positive note though it reminds me of Terry Brookes in his heyday so fans of that style should definitely pick this.
PS. All of this may be bunk as I read this while recovering from surgery so my detachment could be psychosomatic.