Seafire by Natalie C. Parker Review

Title: Seafire

Author: Natalie C. Parker

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Series: Seafire, book one

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

As soon as I finished Grace and Fury, I chose to start Seafire. Natalie C. Parker won my heart all over again recently, after I read the anthology about love triangles that she edited. But I’ve always been a fan, since I read her debut novel, Beware the Wild. So, when I found out that she was writing a brand-new series debut, complete with forbidden love, high seas adventures, betrayal and a heaping helping of girl power, I was so stoked. I dove into Seafire as soon as I was finished reviewing Grace and Fury. I wish I’d had this book when I was younger, because it was just so good. Filled with adventure, action, and girls as tender as they were fierce, my heart was stolen by Caledonia Styx and the dynamic, unstoppable crew of the Nors Mavis. I can’t wait for the sequel and to see what’s in store for the new friends I’ve made!

Caledonia Styx had everything taken from her by the brutal, vicious Warlord of the high seas, Aric Althair, and his clip, The Bullets, when she was a teenager. A Bullet washed ashore, asking for mercy, and Caledonia granted it, only to have a dagger shoved through her gut and her family slaughtered in return. Vowing to take her parents’ ship and avenge her fallen family, she becomes the Captain of the Nors Mavis and devotes her life to getting her revenge, building her crew along the way. But things suddenly get complicated when a Bullet saves one of her girls’ lives and asks to join her crew. Forced to make a shaky alliance with someone she trusts least, Caledonia finds herself at the greatest crossroads of her life when she discovers that her brother may, in fact, be alive. But this mission will be the one that tests all of her limits, and not everyone in their ragtag crew will make it out alive…

This book was wonderful, a rip-roaring adventure across the seven seas, full of political intrigue, action, forbidden love, humor, and most importantly, girl power! I really loved it. It wasn’t perfect; there were times when I wished that the world-building and the technology throughout the novel was explained better. But nonetheless, Seafire has become one of my favorite books of 2018. The pacing was breakneck, and I was absolutely seduced by the dangerous world that Caledonia and her family inhabited, even in the darkest and most terrifying parts. But what really sold this book for me were its characters. I loved Caledonia and her fierce resolve, and her crew members, especially Pisces, Lovely Little Hime, Red, Lace, and the Mary sisters. I adored the way that they were all so well fleshed out, a great foil to Caledonia. I also adored the Bullet that slowly gains the trust of Cale and her crew; Aric Althair and Lir, the Bullet that almost fatally betrayed her and set all of the events of the book in motion. The only thing that I really wanted was the world-building, tech, and weaponry explained better: it felt like it took place in a near-future, but it wasn’t that clearly defined. But this ragtag group of young women, full of heart, fight, and bravery, more than made up for the few flaws the book had. And that ending! Oh, my goodness, I need the sequel, right now! I’m kind of dying a little bit! The bottom line: A rollicking, thrilling adventure in a near future across the seven seas, I loved Seafire, and I can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy! Next on deck: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White!