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cnowery's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Beautifully written, I was ALL IN from the first chapter. I was so invested in this little family (biological and found) and the fight to survive. There were moments of horror and tragedy, and yes I did ugly-cry. But there were also beautiful moments of mundanity that come with simply being a human trying to survive. While this book gave me anxiety about climate change and our fate in the distant/not-so-distant future, it did so in a way that wasn’t preachy/hopeless OR overly optimistic. I can’t say enough good things honestly, I loved it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence and Gun violence
jessismoore's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Murder, Dementia, Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, and Car accident
Minor: Animal death
Natural disasterskelseylee123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Dementia, Gun violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Bullying, Child death, Death, Violence, Animal death, and Body horror
hmatt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It's a rarity, at least in the range of speculative fiction that I usually read, to encounter a book that so thoroughly looks at the "in-between times". So often, we're plopped into a near-future where things have mostly transitioned to a "new" way of being post-climate disaster/pandemic/whatever. The Light Pirate doesn't do this: It takes the reader through the before, mid, and after in heart-wrenching detail, and is a much better story for it.
That said, this book is definitely a slower burn. Very, very dramatic things happen but they almost feel muted because of how they're described. I didn't hate this, it's just something to note. We're taken through the entire life of the main character (who is "The Light Pirate") from multiple perspectives.There are maybe supernatural elements to this story, but I thought the author did a great job of keeping that mostly vague, as though they could also be explained through science. I've tagged the book as hopeful because it is - despite experiencing incredible loss throughout her life, the main character persists.
I've started and not finished one of the author's other novels multiple times, and my enjoyment of this one may just be the push I need to actually push through it this year
Loved the little romance at the end.
That said, this book is definitely a slower burn. Very, very dramatic things happen but they almost feel muted because of how they're described. I didn't hate this, it's just something to note. We're taken through the entire life of the main character (who is "The Light Pirate") from multiple perspectives.
I've started and not finished one of the author's other novels multiple times, and my enjoyment of this one may just be the push I need to actually push through it this year
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Death, Bullying, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
cyndi1966's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dementia, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Gun violence, Death of parent, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Death, Murder, and Bullying
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
tifftastic87's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Light Pirate follows Wanda who is born in a devastating hurricane that changes not only the trajectory of her family but signals the change in the world itself. We follow Wanda as she grows up in a Florida ravaged by climate change. She learns to survive, guided by her mentor and adoptive mother, Phyllis. Phyllis is an ecologist and a bit of a prepper, but she was right. As Florida slips further away, Wanda becomes more isolated and the rest of the country follows.
This book is beautifully written, it reminds me a lot of Mink River in that it is very much about the environment as much as the characters. Its a love letter to a world slipping away.
Wanda is such a wonderful character and she suffers so much loss throughout her life. The climate anxiety underlaying the whole story gave it an edge that made it border on post apocalyptic. But the moments of Wanda doing basic survival things, mending nets, drying fish etc gave it a quiet element that most disaster movies and post-apocalyptic stories don't have. It was a quiet survival. In parts it reminded me of Water World.
The pacing was great and the "chapters" that were just from the perspective of the environment were a wonderful touch.
This book is beautifully written, it reminds me a lot of Mink River in that it is very much about the environment as much as the characters. Its a love letter to a world slipping away.
Wanda is such a wonderful character and she suffers so much loss throughout her life. The climate anxiety underlaying the whole story gave it an edge that made it border on post apocalyptic. But the moments of Wanda doing basic survival things, mending nets, drying fish etc gave it a quiet element that most disaster movies and post-apocalyptic stories don't have. It was a quiet survival. In parts it reminded me of Water World.
The pacing was great and the "chapters" that were just from the perspective of the environment were a wonderful touch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, and Bullying
Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual content, and Animal death
savvylit's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
The Light Pirate is an eerily believable imagining of Florida's all-too-near future. Climate patterns and predictions indicate that Wanda's Florida is an inevitability. Hurricanes are already increasing in frequency and deadliness. Coastal flooding is beginning as sea levels rise. The way that Brooks-Dalton takes these facts and weaves them throughout the story is both astoundingly palpable and realistic. The characterization of Wanda - which is excellent - just adds to the feeling that The Light Pirate is based on real events from Florida twenty years in the future.
The Light Pirate is a dramatic survival story with just a touch of magical realism. It's certainly not horror in a traditional sense, but I found this novel to be terrifying nonetheless. Perhaps it's my fear of climate change. More likely, though, it is my personal connection to the location - I grew up in Southwest Florida and experienced a number of intense hurricanes as a child. I still have family in the area and many of them were displaced during Hurricane Ian last Fall. The shoreline that I grew up knowing like the back of my hand is irreparably changed. Wanda's future is our future, there's no doubt.
The Light Pirate is a dramatic survival story with just a touch of magical realism. It's certainly not horror in a traditional sense, but I found this novel to be terrifying nonetheless. Perhaps it's my fear of climate change. More likely, though, it is my personal connection to the location - I grew up in Southwest Florida and experienced a number of intense hurricanes as a child. I still have family in the area and many of them were displaced during Hurricane Ian last Fall. The shoreline that I grew up knowing like the back of my hand is irreparably changed. Wanda's future is our future, there's no doubt.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Gun violence, Death, and Death of parent
oceanwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Choosing to read this book while vacationing in Florida was perhaps not the wisest decision, but I guess it did give me a certain level of appreciation that I might not have had otherwise...
Set sometime in a not-so-distant future in an ever-shrinking Florida, Wanda is born in the midst of a terrible storm. The story sees this extraordinary child through to adulthood. In her lifetime she's privy to constant changes in her family and climate. Even when things reach total disaster, she's reluctant to leave her home.
I loved the writing. It was atmospheric and created vivid imagery. What lacked for me was the characterization. I didn't connect to anyone which kept me from getting fully immersed into the story. A 'me' issue, I'm sure. I did like it, I just didn't latch onto it.
Set sometime in a not-so-distant future in an ever-shrinking Florida, Wanda is born in the midst of a terrible storm. The story sees this extraordinary child through to adulthood. In her lifetime she's privy to constant changes in her family and climate. Even when things reach total disaster, she's reluctant to leave her home.
I loved the writing. It was atmospheric and created vivid imagery. What lacked for me was the characterization. I didn't connect to anyone which kept me from getting fully immersed into the story. A 'me' issue, I'm sure. I did like it, I just didn't latch onto it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Dementia
thenecessarysalamander's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Sexual content and Animal death