Saltblood by Francesca De Tores

A gripping read from start to finish and once read , I felt that it had educated me also.
Mary was raised as a male and given the name of her deceased brother Mark.
Once into the world of work Mary/ Mark starts off as working as a footman before discovering the open seas and takes to live upon the water.
There Mark has to deal with the French war and comes close to dying , sees death , and has to fight for survival.
The next journey is as life as a pirate on the high seas in what was known at that time as the New World.
An enjoyable read that showed women were able at that time ( although partly due to portrayal as male ) to lead an exciting life , living their dream .

Saltblood is a brilliant fictional account of the real life pirate Mary Read. To know that there is even a snippet of truth to Francesca de Tores tale is extraordinary.
Mary is fascinating throughout, she is full of depth, and her character continues developing as the story unfolds. She is the perfect female protagonist, fearless and strong, staying true to herself to the end. With the exception of Dan (who I struggled to picture) all other characters were unique, interesting and well imagined.
I particularly enjoyed the way the author described the sea, the boats, the creaking, the ropes, the flapping of sails-for me it created an audio track that was constantly present even when Mary was on land. This really set the scene and enabled me to feel the strength of the sea, always drawing her back.
I would recommend Saltblood to anyone who enjoys a book with an atypical, strong, female protagonist. It is an easy and enjoyable read without skimping on detail. There is plenty of pirate action too! What’s not to like?!

I have to admit that my knowledge about the Golden Age of Piracy is somewhat limited, but when I saw this book its premise immediately reminded me of Pirates! by Celia Rees, which I enjoyed so much as a teen. Saltblood didn’t have as much swashbuckling adventure as I thought, but it truly excels as a historical novel, which is primarily why I was interested in it.

We follow the life of Mary Read, born to a widowed mother and raised as her dead brother, Mark. She continues to live as a man as she moves into work in service, and then in the navy and army, straddling the line of her gender until she ends up in the Caribbean, and entering the pirate haven of Nassau. I think it would have been very easy for De Torres to just write Mary as a woman disguised as a man, but she takes the opportunity to explore a more nuanced perspective on gender, and Mary’s voice and character are strong and well-executed throughout the novel.

I did find that the length of the book began to drag it down a little bit in terms of pacing in the last quarter - I’m not super familiar with the lives of Mary Read and Anne Bonny, but I had assumed that they had been captains of their own crew, so was a bit disappointed that this never came to pass. I did think that the ending was meaningful and well written, and I think Saltblood in general stands up very well in the historical fiction genre

Saltblood is the tale of Mary Read, known in her early life as Mark due to a financial ruse by her mother. She grows up with different experiences of being both treated as a man and as a woman as she leaves home she becomes a serving member of a household as a boy, then serves in the Navy in the guise of a man, developing a great of love sailing and the sea. Later she switches to become known as Mary aboard Pirate ships .
Matters around gender are highly topical now and I like the way that this fictitious account of a real life person perfectly describes just being yourself.and shrugging off others labels.


Saltblood describes the Golden Age of Piracy so well. I loved reading about the author’s take on Calico Jack a.k.a. Jack Rackham. She’s obviously undertaken solid historical research.

It is an enthralling and engrossing read. Athough it is a simple linear story the writing is so descriptive and the settings so strong that felt I didn’t require big plot twists, or devices such switching back-and-forth in time. I couldn’t really put this down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to an advance copy of this book.

This book follows the life of famed pirate Mary Read, right from her childhood, when she takes the name 'Mark' (once belonging to her now dead brother), through her time in service, years in the navy, army, and her turn to piracy, where she meets similarly famed pirates, Calico Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny.

I will say, I somewhat struggled with the beginning. It felt fast-paced; I felt like we didn't spend enough time with some of these characters to care about them or feel particularly invested in their fates. There is one point, whilst Mary is serving in the army in Flanders, that she meets a man called Dan, whom she goes on to marry, have a stillborn child with, and who then dies - all in what feels like a very short period of time. I knew next to nothing about Dan, and so I didn't feel particularly emotionally invested in his relationship with Mary, or his death. It must be said that I am generally someone who prefers slower paced, gradual books, so whilst the pace of this book might not be to my liking, it might well be to yours!

The book generally improved once Mary took to sea, both the first time around in the navy, and when she rejoined after leaving the army. Mary herself was an enjoyable character to follow - you can feel and see her mature as the book continues, which absolutely is a credit to the author. The characters themselves, though not always very fleshed out, were always interesting and multi-faceted; and oftentimes witty. This book is very witty at times, the character's interactions with each other felt very natural and the dialogue never felt 'cringe' - if that makes sense. The writing style itself was something I very much took to; very easy to read.

Part of me wishes there was more of a focus on Mary's life at sea, and perhaps a little bit more of a focus on her interactions with Jack and Anne Bonny, whom we didn't meet until about 45% of the way through. Anne was one of those characters who did feel fleshed out, I only wish we had met her sooner, rather than almost halfway through.

To conclude, this book was very much enjoyable and fun, but did seem to lack in some areas. The pacing wasn't particularly to my tastes, too fast-paced, cutting through some parts of Mary's life perhaps too quickly, but again I will say my disliking of this may be because fast-paced books aren't really my cup of tea - if they are something you enjoy, then please pick it up! I liked almost everything else about this.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the chance to read this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. Saltblood is such an interesting read, it’s got historical pirates, dual perspectives and it is extremely thought provoking.

Mary Read is raised as a boy and loosened from the restraints of womanhood, lives a life of sailing and piracy that most boys could only dream of.

Based on the historical pirate and her life, I really enjoyed how this novel explored themes of gender and performance through the cross-dressing exploits of Mary. At a very digestible level to the novel's style, the narrative really thoroughly discussed ideas of gender fluidity and the constructed social relationships between sexes; I appreciated the elements of sapphic/ queer romance as well.

The style was very typical of a historical fiction and there was some beautiful prose throughout, however, it did struggle a little to differentiate its voice to me, I felt like the writing style was similar to quite a few reads I'd picked up before and I would have liked a little more variety or difference to break it free from a mould. At times, I felt certain sentences or paragraphs were rehashing a point or feeling one or two times too frequently than was necessary, and I would have occasionally liked a little more sustained depth to a plot or scene. Often, we were flitting between times and moments at quite a distance without really laying out a scene that the reader could get fully immersed in. That being said, I liked how even smaller characters were given moments of interest in a way that humanised them and gave hints of their character.

One glaring issue that I felt was raised a little later in the novel than I would have expected was the workings of the Atlantic slave trade which was very much concurrent and relevant to the events of the novel and the lives of the pirates sailing around the trading routes of the Caribbean. The novel addresses briefly the hypocrisies and inflated rhetoric often espoused by the supposedly more radical brotherhood of pirates, pointing out how their objections to enslavement are not very often accompanied by tangible action. While the novel did feature enslaved characters and made mentions of how the slave trade interacted with the themes of piracy, I felt it could have been explored at greater depth. I got the sense that it was included because it would have been an oversight not to but it was not really fundamental to the story that De Tores wanted to tell.

This was a very enjoyable historical fiction - I'm drawn to a lot of narratives that revolve around the kinds of jobs you wanted as a child (spy, cowboy, pirate, a combination of multiple etc) so I did speed through this and got the hefty dose of swashbuckling adventure that I was looking for. Although I have my critiques, I would recommend this to anyone interested in the themes.

Saltblood was a really fun read, I mean, can you really go wrong with pirates?

In this story we follow Mary, also known as Mark, as she traverses through the navy, army, family life and finally piratehood. The story explores themes of gender identity and sexuality in an intriguing, non-judgemental way.

Mary is a fantastic character; bold, brave and pragmatic. I loved her transformation through childhood to adulthood, watching her learn about herself, fall in love with men, women, and most of of all, the sea. The side characters were also really well developed. The villains were loathsome and the comrades loveable and unique in their own manner.

The pacing of the book was consistent throughout - not so urgent that it felt frantic but also slow enough to really delve into her world

My only qualm about this book was the character of Anne and it's because of her that the latter end of the book felt a little more difficult to read. To me, she came across as incredibly selfish rather than laissez-faire and I struggled to reconcile why the characters put so much time and effort into loving and protecting her.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to any fans of pirate literature.

Saltblood is about a baby born a girl who is raised as a boy and who becomes a person not defined by 17th century British society's gender-informed limitations. Moving from footman to sailor, to soldier, it's interesting reading how Mary protects herself from being exposed as a woman. The endless wars with France expose her to death, danger and opportunity. But it is in the New World that Mary feels most truly herself and where she becomes a pirate sailing the seas as a woman. Mary's friendships and love affairs never seemed particularly interesting or moving to me and although I really enjoyed learning about historical details of life at sea, I didn't feel any great affection for the main character. The writing is good and at times lyrical making this a book that, overall, I enjoyed.

Historical fiction chronicling the life of Mary Read, one of a very small number of female pirates in the golden age of piracy. It charts her progression through childhood, navy, army, marriage and piracy, often through the lens of Mary being outwardly different to what she is.

I enjoyed the narrative, from Marcus’s doubts to the ever-watchful and portentous crow.

An enjoyable tale of the sea and self discovery. 3 out of 5 stars

What little is known about the female pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny is fascinating enough but through Saltblood Francesca De Tores has crafted a tale of women fighting back in an unjust world, taking opportunities and seizing their chance when all the world is set against them. Mary's journey though life is one of restless longing to find out who she truly is and where she really belongs. This book is full of interesting characters and paints beautifully vivid pictures of their lives. It does glorify piracy somewhat, but given it's the first person perspective of a known pirate that's only to be expected. It's impossible to know how historically accurate this is as the records themselves are somewhat questionable, but since when has accuracy gotten in the way of a good story.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Really sorry, I just couldn’t get into this. It just seemed a bit slow paced. Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

In the late 17th century, Mary is raised as a boy so that her mother can claim her dead infant brother’s income. Still posing as biological male as a servant, in the navy and then in the army, it is ironically only when she becomes a pirate that Mary presents herself as a woman.

At sea, Mary’s deftness and skill speak for themselves. Mary finds herself in an in-between world where she is neither Mary nor Mark and is frustrated by the arbitrary attempts to be confined by one or the other.

Meeting the ruthless Anne Bonny – a female pirate also raised as a boy but undoubtedly now identifying as a woman – introduces her a different kind of love, a love which she must with their captain, Jack Rackham. There is a freedom to being at sea that Anne chooses even over her children.

The greatest encapsulation of Mary is not her lovers or her garb, but the crow which has accompanied her for years. The crow can neither be named nor owned, she just is, a facet of life at sea.

A fascinating and surprising erotic historical novel of gender, sexuality, and freedom.

Francesca de Tores’s ‘Saltblood’ chronicles the life of Mary Read, a female pirate, famous during the Golden Age of Piracy. Despite Tores’s acknowledgement that much of Mary’s life is unknown and is borne from conjecture, the author does a fantastic job of filling in the gaps and documenting her life. From a hidden birth where Mary must take her dead brother’s identity, to joining the navy as a man and finally ending up on Calico Jack’s pirate crew, Tores tells an incredibly touching, poignant story of one woman’s search for her identity.
I really enjoyed this novel - it was wonderfully researched, well-written and thoroughly captivating.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for the ARC.

This is a fictional account of Mary Read and her adventurous life, told from her own perspective. Mary leads a fascinating life, from the moment she’s born and must assume the identity of her deceased brother Mark, to her time as a female pirate and the trials and tribulations she faces in between. This is not only a story about adventure but of self discovery and resilience.

I absolutely loved this! The writing is beautifully poetic and the story is paced just right so that it keeps you captivated to the end. Marys character is so well developed and believable, I really wanted to just read this in one sitting. Best book I’ve read this year so far.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the pleasure of reading this ARC.

Saltblood is based on two real life characters, Mary Read and Anne Bonny, and gives us a fictionalised account of their exciting lives. The book's voice is that of Mary whom we follow from her childhood where her Ma opts to call her Mark and bring her up as a boy since, back in the 17th century, this made getting work easier and money was desperately needed. Mary [ aka Mark ] finds work as an assistant to the butler in a country house before deciding to join the navy. From there she joins the army, fighting in Holland ,still disguised as a man. Years pass and she is back in the navy where circumstance gives her the chance to join a pirate ship - an opportunity she is happy to take up. Time passes and she meets up with Anne Bonny who also ultimately joins the pirate ship's crew.

Anne and Mary become inseparable and, together with their small band of pirates, acquire notoriety throughout the Caribbean. Ultimately justice catches up with them but before their story ends it still has plenty of surprises in store for the reader.

This proved to be a very enjoyable "Boys-Own-type" read and many will be bemused at the totally fictional element De Tores introduces in the novel. It certainly sits well with the storyline. Mary's life was certainly never short of hardship or excitement and reading her story, albeit fictionalised, certainly doesn't disappoint.

I felt Mary crammed a lot into her life I the first half of this book..
Navy, army, sailor... there was a lot going on.
The everything slows down completely when she meets Anne.
Then picks up for the biggest adventure yet... pirates.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable read, more so as its based on real characters.
Mary was incredibly likeable, and Anne too. They probably coined the phrase "sisters are doing it for themselves" about them 🤣
Action packed to the end.

Very solid book with a compelling main character. The writing was solid and I enjoyed the ride. Fantastic book.

Saltblood is a fascinating book based on true facts about two female pirates, Mary Read and Ann Bonny, roaming the West India seas in the 18th century.

The story is told from Mary's perspective and starts in England when she was born out of a wedlock and forced by her mother to be disguised as a boy. Used to her dual identity, Mary chooses to be 'Mark' long after leaving her family home. She joins the navy, fights on Flanders battlefields, and finally becomes a pirate.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a very well written, captivating story of incredible women, their resilience, and bravery in a man dominated world. It's hard to imagine Mary's life isn't just a work of fiction.
I really recommend this book for all historical fiction and strong female character lovers.

‘For years I felt myself a stowaway in my own life. But the sea has taught me this: such days as I was granted, they were mine’

Wow, what a treasure this is! "Saltblood" is a captivating dive into the tumultuous world of the Golden Age of Piracy, offering a fresh and thrilling narrative that unfolds through the remarkable life of Mary Read. Born in 1685, Mary's unconventional upbringing as her deceased half-brother Mark sets the stage for an extraordinary journey that transcends societal norms.

The novel takes readers on a riveting odyssey as Mary navigates through diverse roles, from serving a French mistress in a grand house to joining the navy and later the army amidst the battlegrounds of Flanders. Love, loss, and the persistent yearning for the sea weave together to form the intricate fabric of Mary's life. The decision to reinvent herself as a pirate adds a dangerous layer to her character, challenging traditional expectations and propelling the story into the heart of the notorious era.

The strength of "Saltblood" lies not only in its vivid depiction of historical settings but also in its exploration of themes such as gender identity, survival, and transformation. Mary Read emerges as a compelling and multifaceted protagonist, defying conventions and embracing the perilous life of a pirate. The prose is both sumptuous and lyrical, immersing readers in the vivid tapestry of Mary's experiences.

The narrative unfolds like a treasure trove, revealing layers of complexity and depth in Mary's character as she evolves through various stages of her adventurous life. The author's skilful storytelling keeps the reader hooked, balancing moments of high-seas excitement with poignant reflections on identity and societal expectations.

"Saltblood" is a triumph of imagination, offering a thrilling and original take on the historical fiction genre. It is a tale that roars with a gender-shaking vibrancy, leaving readers eager to explore the pages further and be swept away by the intoxicating journey of Mary Read, one of history's most intriguing figures.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Francesca De Tores, NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this opportunity.

To be published on 25th April 2024