I received an ARC of Seafire by Natalie C. Parker at San Diego Comic-con and I’m so pumped to share my thoughts on this excellent, stabby, girl power book. This trilogy is going to be amazing and I can’t wait for people to fall in love with it. Keep reading to see why I gave it 5 stars!

Going into Seafire I was hoping for a lot of found family and female empowerment. That’s exactly what I got! It’s clear from the outset that this book pits women against men. The primary antagonist goes by the moniker, The Father, so the protagonists are literally attempting to smash the patriarchy. That being said, I didn’t feel that the feminist themes were overblown or ham-fisted. The loyalty and compassion in the crew of lady pirates are so empowering and I loved seeing them all root for each other throughout the story.

“We can resist them as long as we don’t become them.” -Pices

The atmosphere of the book is so interesting! It’s slightly dystopian, slightly steampunk, and I’m looking forward to learning more about the world as the trilogy continues. There are small hints throughout the book that something dramatic happened to the world to allow pirates and drug lords to rule society as they do. The tech in Seafire just makes so much sense! Yes, of course, futuristic pirate ships would be solar powered. Of course, they would be outfitted with special breathers and underwater tows to swim faster. It all just click into place so well, and Parker does a great job of showing and not telling.

The awesome strong female friendships in this book cannot be overstated. This crew is a found family like no other. 50+ women all work together to form a fearsome and loyal team of Bad*** pirate ladies. They are strong because they lean on each other, and rely on each other’s best attributes. They encourage one another constantly and turn to the group to solve problems. I was reminded of Star Trek in that respect, where the crew always works together to solve difficult problems. The friendships are the primary relationships in this book, and there is almost no romantic plot. I think that could change as the series goes on, but I loved the lack of romance in Seafire.

If I had to critique anything in this book, it would be the main character and Captian, Caledonia. She makes a lot of poor decisions and does a lot of things without taking others’ opinions into account. This annoyed me somewhat, but she starts to realize the error of her reasoning by the end of the book and I enjoyed watching her grow. Her bond with Pices, another swashbuckling femme, is the highlight of the whole book for me. Caledonia’s mistakes make her relatable. She is not perfect, but she tries as hard as she can to protect her crew.

“Prove that there is a fire on these seas he cannot control.”

If you are hungry for a fast-paced high seas adventure, look no further than Seafire. It will be on shelves on August 28th, let me know if you’re planning to read it!