Scan barcode
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
4.0
Fitzwater has created a fascinating and unique world in this book. The main character is a queer capybara, and the other characters are a variety of animals. It might seem like a gimmick, but the author stayed true to the animal idea and references the differences it would make for them throughout the story (meaning it doesn't read like she's talking about humans with animal names just slapped on the story). The stories are fun, and the setting is interesting. There are animals, pirates, and queens. Nothing about this story is taxing, so if you're looking for a great quick read, check this one out.
greeniezona's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This book from Queen of Swords Press had been on my radar for a little while, but when I heard it was appropriate for middle grade and up, I hopped off the fence and bought it immediately. It wasn't on the story time shelf for long before my youngest picked it out (he was eleven at the time), and friends, it was a hit! We all appreciated that while these stories had stakes, they were never GRIM. We read a lot of fantasy adventure for story time and a LOT of it gets very dark. This is not. As the one reading this out loud, I appreciated that I got to do pirate voices, but not have to figure out twelve distinct pirate voices! There was also the diva, the queen, the merman, the spy, etc. And the opportunities to talk about gender! And the cast of capybaras and chinchillas and cats and rats and mer and kraken and stars and fae!
But my FAVORITE part was that it was a world where the main character could be lesbian and polyamorous and and it was just JOYFUL. There was no overcoming societal bullshit or strife or homophobia at all. These stories are incredibly important, too, but it is also SO GOOD to live in a world for a while where it just isn't necessary.
There is one character who comes out as trans, and ONE CHARACTER who is kind of shitty about it, but their entire pirate family is incredibly supportive of his identity and works to protect him from the other person, who is definitely portrayed as misguided and judgmental, and not representative of society at large.
I could go on and on, but I will wrap up by saying this: when we finished the book, we were talking about how refreshing it was to read a fantasy adventure book that was so joyful and cheerful all the way through, and my youngest son pronounced it the most cheerful adventure story ever written!
But my FAVORITE part was that it was a world where the main character could be lesbian and polyamorous and and it was just JOYFUL. There was no overcoming societal bullshit or strife or homophobia at all. These stories are incredibly important, too, but it is also SO GOOD to live in a world for a while where it just isn't necessary.
There is one character who comes out as trans, and ONE CHARACTER who is kind of shitty about it, but their entire pirate family is incredibly supportive of his identity and works to protect him from the other person, who is definitely portrayed as misguided and judgmental, and not representative of society at large.
I could go on and on, but I will wrap up by saying this: when we finished the book, we were talking about how refreshing it was to read a fantasy adventure book that was so joyful and cheerful all the way through, and my youngest son pronounced it the most cheerful adventure story ever written!
fairymodmother's review
3.0
A very cute collection of queer and poly friendly short stories involving a capybara pirate, her rat queen and primadonna marmoset lovers and their various friends. I wanted more time with the crow, too!
I think they were sweet and showed a lot of joy in life, but they were a bit too vague for me to get a sense of the extraordinary or picture what was happening.
I think they were sweet and showed a lot of joy in life, but they were a bit too vague for me to get a sense of the extraordinary or picture what was happening.
witmol's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
This is a charming collection of stories but I found a lot of it baffling. The nature of the world is not well explained and neither is the scope of the magic in it. Of the anthropomorphic creatures, there are rodents of many kinds and ... cats. Add to that cryptids such as fairies, mer and kraken and sentient elements such as the sea, weather and stars.
While a lot of the characters sound great on paper, such as the eponymous Cinrak (dapper lesbian unionist capybara pirate with an unexplained magical ability), there's no real insight into what drives them so as reader I felt they were endearing and then my feelings didn't move beyond that.
The other problem was that things just seem to cruise along and happen without any real effort on the characters' part or friction from an antagonist. Without a narrative arc, a lot of the tales fall flat.
I wanted to love this book (largely because I love rodents so much) but it was ultimately sweet but unfulfilling.
While a lot of the characters sound great on paper, such as the eponymous Cinrak (dapper lesbian unionist capybara pirate with an unexplained magical ability), there's no real insight into what drives them so as reader I felt they were endearing and then my feelings didn't move beyond that.
The other problem was that things just seem to cruise along and happen without any real effort on the characters' part or friction from an antagonist. Without a narrative arc, a lot of the tales fall flat.
I wanted to love this book (largely because I love rodents so much) but it was ultimately sweet but unfulfilling.
hwesta's review
4.0
Charming tales of the Dapper Capybara pirate Cinrak. I thoroughly enjoyed the world full of all sorts of rodents, cats, merfolk, lovable kraken and glass whales, with sentient stars and wild adventures. I wish there had been more it it - it's structured as a collection of short stories, and I wanted more about the time in between the tales, more details about character interactions and growth
prgchrqltma's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"Dapper. Lesbian. Capybara. Pirate. " I like all of those words, and I love the gorgeous silhouette on the cover. The short stories were cute, with lots of interesting representation in the talking rodents, mermaids, etc. Probably better for someone who reads younger books than I.
octavia_cade's review against another edition
4.0
You know, after seemingly endless avalanches of nothing but miserable fantasy, all that grimdark why-do-you-even-bother-being-alive shite, it's really nice to have a fantasy that's all about finding happiness and doing good. Fitting, then, that the main character is a capybara, famed as they are for their laid-back attitude and willingness to make friends with any number of species. This particular capybara is a pirate, which is ridiculous but just plain fun. The author notes in the introduction that people would light up when told about pirate capybaras, and that's been my own experience when telling others about this book. It's an idea that just makes people smile.
There's no wider story here. Rather, it's a collection of loosely connected short stories, all set in the same universe and with the same characters, and they are all likeable. My particular favourite is Agnes the kraken, because I will never not like tentacular monsters. Agnes is only one of a wider cast, however, and the whole thing is just imaginative and original and relentlessly positive. I really appreciate that.
There's no wider story here. Rather, it's a collection of loosely connected short stories, all set in the same universe and with the same characters, and they are all likeable. My particular favourite is Agnes the kraken, because I will never not like tentacular monsters. Agnes is only one of a wider cast, however, and the whole thing is just imaginative and original and relentlessly positive. I really appreciate that.
queerbillydeluxe's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot express how absolutely LOVELY this little book is. The characters, the worldbuilding, the beautiful, woven QUEERNESS of it all. Bless you, A.J. Fitzwater.
thebisexualbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this so much, but it just wasn’t my bag. To be perfectly blunt, I thought the writing was terrible. That said, some of the ideas were sweet and the representation is amazing. You can’t really go wrong with a poly lesbian triad comprised of a capybara, marmot, and rat. It’s impossible to not love something that cute. In fact, cute is a great word for this book. The sheer cuteness of a dapper capybara pirate carried me through to the end. If you have an extremely high tolerance for writing that feels like it’s never been edited, I do kinda recommend it for that reason alone. I also want to give credit to the author for saying in the introduction that they wanted to write queer happiness. I do believe the world needs more of that, and support them in their journey to provide it. I just don’t think their books are for me.