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Seafire by Natalie C Parker [arc review]

Seafire, Natalie C Parker
Sisterhood is Survival
Seafire follows the captain of an all female ship put together after a tragic incident. Those fierce and loyal girls want nothing more than to take down the vicious warlord's fleet who has destroyed so many lives.

Blurb:
After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains her ship, the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, whose lives have been turned upside down by Aric and his men. The crew has one misson: stay alive, and take down Aric's armed and armored fleet.
But when Caledonia's best friend and second-in-command just barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether or not to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all...or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for? 


Seafire was a great book. It had bad-ass female characters, plenty of action, and a very good plot.


3.5 Stars 

The story begins with a tragedy that sets everything else in motion. Something that installs guilt and grief in the heart of Caledonia (the main character) and guides all her actions moving forward.
Four years later she is the captain of an all female ship and is fighting against the bullets (the warlord's fleet soldiers) with all she can and has, one ship at the time. 

The story was intense, the characters were all great and lovable, and the action was just enough to keep it entertaining and make it a fast read. All in all a fantastic story.

Caledonia was fierce, strong minded, and followed her rules for her crew to the letter. Until a bullet saves her best friend's life that is... Everyone in her crew loves her and would follow her to the ends of the earth. Such loyalty is a beautiful thing and made my heart sing with joy.

Piesces, Caledonia's best friend since childhood is the perfect description of an annoying and obnoxious younger sister that you can't help but love. They fought almost the whole way through but the love between them was always above all else.

Oran is the main male character. He is a bullet, or was, or is... we don't know for sure. He saved Piesces life and so even though the rule has always been to never save a bullet, Caledonia is forced by Piesces to save him. He is a prisoner in her ship and is trying to convince her he wants to help, that he can be trusted.  

The story takes place almost entirely at sea and has a cliffhanger that will leave itching for more. I can't wait for the next installment. 

However, I have two things on the negative.
First, Caledonia reminded me too much of Alosa from Daughter of the Pirate King. Seafire does not have the fantasy elements, so it distance itself there a little, but it still at times a bit too similar to the DotPK. And since I just finished reading that duology last month, it is still very fresh in  my memory, which did not help.
I am also little tired of all the female empowerment on YA, not because I am against it, I AM NOT. But because it often comes at the cost of making all male characters look bad. There were some redeeming aspects here, but it still annoyed me that there were only two or so male characters potentially good, emphasis on potentially since we still don't know for sure. 

Release date: August 28th, 2018

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