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A review by ghostboyreads
Saltblood by Francesca De Tores
4.0
"There is a bonfire again, or perhaps one of the shacks is ablaze. In Nassau it amounts to the same thing, and men have gathered to drink around the fire. I can hear the preacher's familiar chant: You are all damned in the eyes of God. Tonight he has become part of the night's music. Somewhere a fiddle is playing, the notes flaring and fading into the dark like the sparks from the blaze. "
Saltblood is the perfect blend of a swashbuckling historical fiction tale of piracy on the high seas, and a beautifully unfurling fact as fiction account of a real, well lived life. It isn't the most in depth portrait of the life of Mary Read, Saltblood instead opts to offer us an enthralling and highly entertaining glimpse into the life of the female pirate. It's at once both a brilliant adventure story, and shining example of historical fiction made fun, if all historical fiction novels were as enthralling and as captivating as Saltblood, I'd spend a lot more time with the genre. What an absolutely phenomenal way to debut, De Tores manages to balance evocative and poetic writing, without ever taking the edge off the absolutely gnarly action scenes.
Clearly, this is a book that is incredibly well researched, and yes, on its surface, it's an action packed adventure story, but, Saltblood feels no need to rush through its detail, in this regard, it's true historical fiction, moving along at a delicate yet deliberate pace. Saltblood is also not a sensationalist story, it feels no need to embellish the facts nor twist anything for the sake of entertainment, it, instead, sticks to the known facts about Mary Read, which makes it all that easier to recommend. There exist out there, a ton of historical fiction novels set at sea, but, Saltblood stands out as one of the more interesting and refreshing examples. It's a sprawling epic that takes its readers on a real journey, Saltblood will sweep you away and drown you in its brilliance.
Saltblood is the perfect blend of a swashbuckling historical fiction tale of piracy on the high seas, and a beautifully unfurling fact as fiction account of a real, well lived life. It isn't the most in depth portrait of the life of Mary Read, Saltblood instead opts to offer us an enthralling and highly entertaining glimpse into the life of the female pirate. It's at once both a brilliant adventure story, and shining example of historical fiction made fun, if all historical fiction novels were as enthralling and as captivating as Saltblood, I'd spend a lot more time with the genre. What an absolutely phenomenal way to debut, De Tores manages to balance evocative and poetic writing, without ever taking the edge off the absolutely gnarly action scenes.
Clearly, this is a book that is incredibly well researched, and yes, on its surface, it's an action packed adventure story, but, Saltblood feels no need to rush through its detail, in this regard, it's true historical fiction, moving along at a delicate yet deliberate pace. Saltblood is also not a sensationalist story, it feels no need to embellish the facts nor twist anything for the sake of entertainment, it, instead, sticks to the known facts about Mary Read, which makes it all that easier to recommend. There exist out there, a ton of historical fiction novels set at sea, but, Saltblood stands out as one of the more interesting and refreshing examples. It's a sprawling epic that takes its readers on a real journey, Saltblood will sweep you away and drown you in its brilliance.
"I take because the world has taught me to take. Because the only steady witness I ever had was the crow, and the sea. Was I more virtuous when I made my coin from wars, in the navy and army, and killing was my business? Or when I earned my living from trade, from tobacco and sugar harvested under a whip by slaves? Where there is money, blood will always follow - or perhaps it is the other way around. I am a pirate now: a thief and a bandit and perhaps a killer. Perhaps I am become what I always was. "
There's something truly magical here, everything in Saltblood just clicks. It all just works. It all flows so fantastically. The life of Mary Read is a remarkable thing, and here it's captured so beautifully. This is a truly extraordinary story, one that strikes the perfect balance of high-stakes action and delving deep into examining societal norms, gender identity, and what it means to not only survive, but to live. There's so, so much to love here, Saltblood is a wonderfully fantastic novel, but above all else, its real strength is in the vivid, lush and lyrical descriptions, it's almost hypnotic, how the writing in this novel can sway you. Truly imaginative, thrilling and wholly unique, Saltblood is a boundary blurring, genre defying beast.
"The gale whips the fire until the flames cast red light everywhere, through a shroud of thick smoke. All the world is a furnace now, and the hot wind carries the sound of screaming. I do not know if it is the French sailors trapped or drowning - and though I do not believe in God, I see now that hell is real enough."