This book was exactly what it said it was going to be and I enjoyed that.. It really was a fun and adventurous story about an all girl crew taking on a warlord. We have an adventure on the high seas and also a revenge story, there is lots of fighting and really what more could you want.

I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, she could be quite annoying and didn't listen or really change her opinions when she probably should have. She decided she was responsible for everything and to blame if anything bad happened when these girls just wanted to be free.

I did find the setting to be quite interesting, I assumed it was going to be in the past but its not. It seems to take place in a near future where something has happened to the world and not a warlord has pretty much taken over. It has a bit of a steampunk vibe with lots of tech being used but in what seems a more historical setting of piracy.

The plot was pretty basic and predictable, they just seemed to jump from one issue right into the next but all of them were solved pretty easily. Nothing surprising really happened and I did find it quite formulaic. Saying that it was still a fairly enjoyable adventure story with some interesting aspects. The characters could have done with being a bit more fleshed out and having some actual development. I would still continue with the series as I really want to know what happens next and sometimes I just want a fun story about badass female pirates!

I apologise I did not get to this one. I did however purchase and finished copy and will review on Goodreads as soon as I complete.

Seafire was exactly the sort of book I wanted to read right now - easy, fun and with likeable characters. What that means is that it isn't necessarily the sort of book you want to read again, or even the sort of book you would recommend to others overly, but it is a book you want to keep picking up until you finish it.

Caledonia witnessed the brutal murder of her family, caused in her mind by callous trickery from an army of Bullets (her sea-faring adversaries), leaving her and her friend Pisces to navigate their own ship and found crew as best as they can into adulthood. Determined to enact revenge on the boy who tricked her, Calendonia sees an opportunity to hurt the man who took everything from her, now as captain of her own ship, and she'll done whatever it takes to get it.

The story is quite blood-thirsty, and you do feel suspicious of most characters you meet. Having said that, the plot remains to be predictable and ends on a really unfortunate cliff-hanger which left a bad taste in my mouth. Regardless, it was a compelling read with very little thinking-power required; perfect for those moments when more than anything you just want to get lost in a book for a few hours.

ARC provided from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fast and exciting story. Sea-chases, sea-battles, the threat of a double-cross, the slow exploration of new places and the constant need to protect the crew. Even better, no real romance, just the sea!

Caledonia is a hard character to love. She has been hurt, damaged and broken. But she is stubborn, intractable and will never give up on what she believes is right. But we see her faith and her focus being shaken as she is pushed out of her comfort zone and forced to adapt to not just a new situation but to a greater risk to her crew. She makes poor decisions, and loses her sense of direction. But I really liked that about her as a character. She is so afraid of losing more people that she is sometimes hesitant about what action to take, even when the rest of her crew are advising something else.

The crew were also super - Redtooth, Hime, Amina, Lace, Pisces, Nettle and Tin. We only got a glimpse of each of these characters, as there just wasn't time for them all, but they were a mixed, strong and varied bunch. I would have loved more time with the rest of the crew (ie not just the main named characters), and a greater sense of their relationships (whether friendship or romance), as a few things seemed to be dangled in front of the reader, but nothing was quite explicit.

However, it is still a fun and exciting story of seas, battles, lady pirates and the powerful sting of betrayal. It gave me a lot of what I wanted story-wise, but I would have a loved a bit more from the rest of the cast.

I'll certainly be looking out for the following books - this was a great starter and the ending has left so much open for book two!

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker is an action packed thrill ride of an adventure and an absolute page turner of a book. An all female crew lead by the intrepid and honourable Caledonai Styx sets out on a mission to take down the fearsome Aric Athair, the corrupt warlord who has captured and enslaved or killed their families. Along the way there will be tragedy and loss, but also the forming of new friendships and the re- discovery of long lost ones.
I really enjoyed this fast paced book, and loved the strong characters and the emphasis on female friendship. I found the setting intriguing, it feels historical because it is at heart a pirate story but there are some references that suggest it could be set in a post apocalyptic future, and that ambiguity is interesting to me. I also liked that there was not a huge emphasis on romance, it made a nice change of pace from a lot of the YA out there at the moment. Overall I really enjoyed the book and I look forward to seeing where Caledonia and her merry band set sail for next.
I read a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Absolutely fantastic! I loved reading about Caledonia and her crew’s high stakes journey to save their brothers who they had presumed to be dead years before. Along the way they encounter a myriad of catastrophes - not unexpected when your ship is crewed by a mishmash of teenage girls - and make some unlikely allies. Caledonia is strong, determined, and carries the safety of her crew on her shoulders, along with her guilt over the death of her family. The twist at the end was unexpected and I’ll definitely be picking up the second book to see what happens next!

This book is all at sea, literally and figuratively. Caledonia Styx made a mistake when she was hardly more than a child. While ashore gathering supplies with her friend, Pisces, she trusted Lir, a 'bullet' - one of Aric Athair's drug-controlled seagoing soldiers, and her family and all the crew of the Ghost paid the price Her parents died along with the crew, and her brother, and Pisces' brother were taken for Aric's fleet. Caledonia reinvents herself, restors the remains of the ship (now called the Mors Navis) crews it with a sisterhood of girls, and takes the fight to Aric, destroying several of his bale blossom barges (the source of the highly addictive drug, Silt). When Pisces falls into the hands of Aric, she's rescued by Oren, a bullet who wants out even if it means undergoing painful withdrawal from Silt. Caledonia, unsurprisingly, has trust issues, but Oren gives them information that sets them on a different course.

First of all, the cover of this book is lovely. The blurb promises of an all-girl pirate crew (though they are not pirates in the truest sense), which Ms Parker delivers on, but this isn't as tense and exciting as I had hoped. Though it picks up for the final big battle. That's not the end of the book, however. Caledonia subsequently goes on to do something quite out of character... and then... there's a cliffhanger ending. I've said in previous reviews how much I hate cliffhanger endings. They don't make me want to read on. They make me want to run away because it's likely the next book will also have a cliffhanger ending (and the next?). Don't get me wrong, Caledonia and her crew achieve part of what they set out to do, but leaving the main character in a predicament, is not helpful. I have a few issues with Caledonia. She's all about sisterhood and girl power, but she's inconsistently tough/nasty, and her moments of self-doubt put people in danger. Okay, so she's only eighteen, but most of her crew-girls are younger - except conveniently the woman who does the cooking who is - shock/horror - in her forties. If this is supposed to be a feminist book, can we please drop the ageism, too?

We're deep inside Caledonia's head throughout, so as a result most of the other characters are two-dimensional. They have a defining characteristic, but not much else. The only exception to this is Pisces, whose job it is to reflect Caledonia back at herself.

And then there's the worldbuilding. Though we don't find out immediately, this seems to be a post-apocalyptic world where there's leftover tech that can be scavenged. At first you get the impression that the Mors Navis is a sailing ship, but then you discover she has a metal hull, a solar sail and water-jet propulsion. We only see two land-based settlements, both very different, and we never really learn how Aric terrorises the whole 'world' of the book, because we never see the rest of that world. Are there inland settlements? How far does Aric's power extend inland? If he's terrorisiing coastal villages and towns (taking their children for his soldiers) why don't people move inland, or group together to fortify their ports? Why do people meekly give up their teenagers? Though this was a solid read, it could have been so much more

Let's start with the positives: I was sucked right in. I devoured the first 30ish% and that's amazing because lately I've been struggling with reading.It was a very fast-paced book and there was so much action.

I have three main problems that stopped me from enjoying this book:

- I couldn't care less about the characters and the main character drove me nuts. Most of the trouble in the book happened because she was too stubborn and refused to listen.

- There was hardly any worldbuilding? All we know on is that there are a lot of ships and some child-trafficking-drug-thing going on. And then there was this off-handed comment towards the end that made it seem as if actually it was a dystopia and not a fantasy book but it was never elaborared on.

- It was so painfully heteronormative. You have a ship of FIFTY THREE GIRLS. It's absolutely impossible that they are all straight. And Caledonia had way more chemistry with Pices or any of her close friends than with this random guy whose name I have already forgotten even though I've just finished it.

Overall, I expected better. At the very least a tale of epic female friendships, not one stubborn, annoying, and frankly very stereotypical YA fantasy lead who didn't seem to care about anyone and just made a stupid decision after a stupid decision.

Seafire is the ultimate Girl Power novel. It takes the reader on a gripping and exciting adventure which has you on the edge of your seat. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Such a good book, easy to read and a great story. So much so I finished Seafire and then two minutes later I had bought Steel Tide.. oops?

Can’t wait to see how it progresses and ends!

I had been wanting to read this for so long, and was happy ro get an arc. It didn't disappoint! Feminist pirates, and a very well written book. Loved it

3.5/5 STARS

This was definitely an interesting read. I loved the idea of girl pirates and an entire feminst crew battling the seas. I instantly fell in love with Cal, I thought she was a brilliant female protagonist. The entire crew was also great, definitely some heartbreaks along the way.

The story did sag a little in the middle, the plot became repetitive and the story wasn't quite moving as expected. However, the last couple of chapters truly saved the story and made the ending worth it.

Seafire is a fantastic read, fast paced, gripping, full of action and has excitement on every page turn.

The writing style is fluent and easy to understand. There is a lot of use advanced technology which we do not have and the names of these and descriptions were well written without over sharing and dont leave you confused later.

The main character Caledonia is great, she is caring, passionate and determined to look after her family. And her crew are her family. She is surrounded by people who love each other, but don't necessarily agree with each other all the time - like all families!

I loved this so much i have pre- ordered Steel Tide book 2!

Thanks so much for this ARC

I was provided a copy in exchange for an honest review through netgalley. Thank you to the publisher.
This is the feminist badass pirate story I didn’t know I needed, even now with the conversations about the new Pirate of the Caribbean being an all female cast. I was really excited for this book, as I don’t tend to read many stories about pirates or that take place at sea.
I love books filled with action and this one has that, but there was something missing for me, I really enjoyed the writing style, it was a very quick read and easy. This is for sure a very different, adventurous, unique story. This is a very addictive book, I didn’t want to put it down.
I loved Caledonia as a character and as the captain. Now, let’s talk relationships! I loved how relationships (love and friendships) are described in this book, and how friendship and loyalty are themes addressed in this book. And that sneak peak at book 2 makes me want book 2 now!

What to say about Seafire? I loved this book so freaking much.

Pirates are one of the things I absolutely love and Seafire was finally a book that had pirates in and did them really well! Our main character is beyond a bloody badass and I love her with my entire heart. I was sort of nervous going in because of the huge cast of characters but it did not feel overwhelming at all and I came to like so many of them!

The plot was so intricate and I was a little confused at times but when I got into it, I started to love it more and more and I just cannot wait to see where the second book takes the story because the last quarter was so intense and had me on the edge of my seat. The world building was also incredible I could see everything in my mind as it was happening and I was immediately wrapped up in this incredible world.

Okay, Seafire had been on my radar since it first came out and I never got around to it. So when it came up I knew I had to read it and I was lucky enough to be accepted for it!

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was 20% into the book and I was already crying. This book hits hard but in a good way. Seafire was so beautifully written that I felt like I was with those girls fighting for their lives.

Caledonia is a brilliant protagonist. She’s strong but she doubts her decisions especially when it comes to the crew and their safety. She’s been put into this role of captain, fighting with the realisation that any wrong move and her crew could die, just like her family was when she was younger.

I was nervous having such a large cast of secondary characters but honestly, they helped make the book. Each with their own personalities and what they bring to the table I fell in love with each of them.

I’m annoyed with myself for leaving it so long to read this book and I honestly cannot wait for the next book. I absolutely loved this book to the point that as soon as I had finished it I went and brought a physical copy.

This is perfect for any fans of pirate books and girl power! If you’re on the fence about this book please go pick it up. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the world and the characters that Natalie C. Parker has created.

Thank you to NetGalley and Usborne Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

An epic feminist adventure full of heart & heart-stopping thrills! I am KICKING myself for not picking this up earlier. It was a thrilling read full of daring twists and characters you want to cling to after the final page. Picking up the sequel IMMEDIATELY.

Seafire presents such clever world building. Ostensibly a light pirate fantasy, there is also an element of Sci Fi in the technology used (and a possible hint of dystopia?). The level of detail is fantastic - it feels like the author really understands her world which makes it easier to fall into it.

Non-stop action from start to finish, this book is a wild adventure stretching across the seas! There are enough twists for a gripping and engaging read.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A pirate story with a difference, an all female crew brought together by loss and a sense of pride to fight for what is right.

In a world where a man called Aric wants to rule everyone, who takes children from families to use them for his own cause & sails the seas with his Bullet Crews, dominating the waves. Calendonia is the captain of the Mors Navis an all girl crew determined to take down Aric once and for all, one ship at a time.
These girls have balls and have made there own kind of family and they leave no one behind, sisterhood is all.

The world building in this story is great, so vivid and real, the emotions are also very real! We go through all the emotions in this book. There is romance but it is not the main theme of the story, to be honest i would like to see these relationships grow more in the next book. The secondary characters all have strong personalities that you come to admire what each girl brings to the story.

I can’t wait to see where this story takes us especially after that cliffhanger of an ending!!