Seafire

By: Natalie C. Parker

Narrated by: Rebecca Soler

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A warlord killed Caledonia's parents and kidnapped her brother. Now, on the deadly Bullet seas, Captain Caledonia Styx and her all-female crew are ready for revenge.

"This is Mad Max by way of Davy Jones, a high-energy, breathless adventure [about] a group of damaged girls who find home in one another."—Booklist

"The pace of the book is fast and relentless, and the action sequences tense and believable, but the best moments are the ones in which the female relationships shine."—NPR

"One of the most spell-binding adventures of the year. This is female piracy at its best."—The San Francisco Chronicle

"The best kind of fantasy. . . . impossible to put down."—Paste

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, who have lost their families and homes because of Aric and his men. The crew has one mission: stay alive, and take down Aric's armed and armored fleet.

But when Caledonia's best friend and second-in-command barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether 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?

The first in a heart-stopping trilogy that recalls the undeniable feminine power of Wonder Woman and the powder-keg action of Mad Max: Fury Road, Seafire reminds us of the importance of sisterhood and unity in the face of oppression and tyranny.

©2018 Natalie C. Parker (P)2018 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"One of the most spell-binding adventures of the year. This is female piracy at its best."—San Francisco Chronicle

"The pace of the book is fast and relentless and the action sequences tense and believable, but the best moments are the ones in which the female relationships shine."—NPR

"Full of nonstop action, adventure, and surprising turns of events, this fast-paced, feminist tale is suspenseful and thrilling."—School Library Connection, starred review

Very enticing

The characters and secrets. Tricks and traps. I could hardly put it down! Amazing!

Good story dull narration

the story was good and fluid but the narrator had almost no variation between characters, I heard maybe 4 distinct voices that she used for all characters. If you can get by with such similar voices you will enjoy the story

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD READ THIS!!

This is one of the most empowering books that I have read in some time. Without giving anything away, it's about a crew of bad ass women sailing the seas, kicking ass and taking names in world where men have been holding the upper hand. It is beautifully written by Natalie, who has the magical power to make you connect on such a deep level to every character she introduces to you, whether you love them or hate them; you will never forget them.

Seafire Book Review

I was hesitant about reading this novel when I first picked it up. The dust cover caught my attention, but I was not sure if the story would hold my attention. I’m not one for sea stories, pirate stories, or anything in that regard. Perhaps, that is because I had to recently study Moby Dick, and I was not a huge fan. However, the synopsis of the novel did provide an interesting description of the story and so I decided to give this novel a try.

I was not immediately draw in as a result of all the sailing and ship-related descriptions. Again, I’m not one for boats and sea stories. But I decided to continue, because there was something in the characters that held my attention. Their story was more important to me than my not liking ships/sea stories. I wanted to know their history and what Parker had in store for these characters.

I found myself drawn in by the action taking place in the novel. Parker does a magnificent job navigating this tale full of discovery, fighting, and the hunt for vengeance. I quickly found myself rooting for Captain Caledonia and her crew. I was drawn in and felt the tension, excitement, and fear the characters endured throughout. In the end, I was satisfied with the ending to this first part of the trilogy and cannot wait to see what is in store for the Mors Navis, for Caledonia, and for the crew.

Audible Review:

Soler does really good job narrating. Her narration at a 1.0 speed, is perfect for captivating the tale. It does not seem too slow or boring as I have experienced with some Audible narrations in the past. I listened at a 1.75 speed the whole time while I was multitasking. That speed was the fastest I would go. 2.0 speed was too fast to listen to while multitasking. However, for those who are listening while reading the book, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator's reading speed. 

post apocalyptic pirates (but not really pirates)

Narration can be weird sometimes (sounds like two readers in the same sentence sometimes)

If you have read 'Daughter of the Pirate King' this book is an amazing next read.

Sisterly love, what it means to be a leader, and being kick butt on the open sea. This book is un-put-down-able. And the climax at the end omg. Book 2 here I come.

Lady pirates ahoy!

Rebecca Soler — whose work I fell in love with after her performance of the Lunar Chronicles — delivered a rock solid performance of Natalie Parker’s kick ass story about an all-girl ship of rebels in a world at sea. I’m solidly looking forward to the next installment!

amazing

such a great story for female solidarity! I love how there's also a theme of learning to admit when you're wrong or being prejudiced also.

Fable meets Caraval

When a powerful pirate lord begins recruiting an army of kids, families take to sea and fight for their lives.
But when Caldonia's family is murdered by enemy pirates, she makes it her mission to take them down and make them pay.
Trust, Loyalty, and Love are called into question, and Caldonia must learn to her truths or die.

This book was incredibly fast-paced. We start out in the throes of action and are jolted forward four years. Although I did find the beginning a little hard to follow, the story overall was amazing! Rebecca Soler was just phenomenal bringing the characters to life. Oh! And that ending 😱

Think Fable by Adrienne Young meets Caraval by Stephanie Garber and you've got Seafire!

4 shining stars! I cannot wait to dive into Steeltide!

Not my Favorite

I know a lot of people who rave about this book, but I don’t see it. I liked how strong all the girls were, and the meaning behind that. I also though the revenge plot was good. The plot overall was good. The thing that ruined it for me, was the characters. All of them I didn’t connect with at all. The main characters, were biting. Honestly, I really remember much from this. The ending especially confused me. A waist of a good book credit.

Entertaining but mediocre

The author wove a great story. Mostly action with little space for character development. The self defacing inner monologue of the captain was tiring and made the main character less believable as she was also supposed to be a powerful leader. The reader was ok but made everything sound equally as intense regardless of whether someone was eating dinner or fighting battles which got old. Can’t decide if I want to know what happens enough to tolerate the shortcomings.