A review by jade_smith
Saltblood by Francesca De Tores

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 I loved absolutely everything about this book. Thrilling historical fiction, with prose that made me seriously reconsider my latent fear of the ocean. Mary Read is an entirely compelling main character, and De Tores did a fantastic job of presenting their complex relationship with gender and identity in ways that felt skillful and historically situated.

This novel felt like it could be a concept album by The Decemberists. And I mean that as an utmost compliment.

Read it if you like: piratical adventures, queer main characters, sweeping pseudo-biographical accounts. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Outing, Dysphoria

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War

Minor: Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Vomit, Trafficking