Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by hannahbailey
Saltblood by Francesca De Tores
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
TW: death (of parent/partner/child/stillbirth), violence, attempted r*pe, murder, blood, sexism
I had high hopes for this one as I enjoy reading about pirates, and the more rooted in history the story is, the better! I knew the names of Mary Read and Anne Bonny so I was excited to watch these real women come to life.
I enjoyed the historical setting and the level of research that went into this, from descriptions of Mary's life before she went to sea, to the acting of sailing itself and the references to conflict happening at the time. I think it also handles themes of gender identity, gender roles and sexuality really well, so that added another layer to the narrative and kept me reading. There were fleshed out characters throughout, which I liked and wished we'd spent more time with.
Despite written from Mary's first-person POV, I never felt connected to her or particularly impacted by anything she went through. Lots of people die in this but I can't remember any of their names. I couldn't tell you much about Mary either - what does she enjoy other than being at sea? Despite there being lots of action throughout, with Mary as a key player in most scenes, she still reads like someone observing the goings on around her. I thought this would change once she met Anne Bonny, but again I found Mary's character lacking of emotion.
Maybe the Golden Age of Piracy wasn't as fun as I like to imagine and maybe I need to find my pirate fix elsewhere, rather than this historical biography-esque novel that read too matter-of-factly. You'll enjoy this novel if you prefer tales rooted in history without need for sensationalisation. For a real swashbuckling adventure, I'd recommend The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review
I had high hopes for this one as I enjoy reading about pirates, and the more rooted in history the story is, the better! I knew the names of Mary Read and Anne Bonny so I was excited to watch these real women come to life.
I enjoyed the historical setting and the level of research that went into this, from descriptions of Mary's life before she went to sea, to the acting of sailing itself and the references to conflict happening at the time. I think it also handles themes of gender identity, gender roles and sexuality really well, so that added another layer to the narrative and kept me reading. There were fleshed out characters throughout, which I liked and wished we'd spent more time with.
Despite written from Mary's first-person POV, I never felt connected to her or particularly impacted by anything she went through. Lots of people die in this but I can't remember any of their names. I couldn't tell you much about Mary either - what does she enjoy other than being at sea? Despite there being lots of action throughout, with Mary as a key player in most scenes, she still reads like someone observing the goings on around her. I thought this would change once she met Anne Bonny, but again I found Mary's character lacking of emotion.
Maybe the Golden Age of Piracy wasn't as fun as I like to imagine and maybe I need to find my pirate fix elsewhere, rather than this historical biography-esque novel that read too matter-of-factly. You'll enjoy this novel if you prefer tales rooted in history without need for sensationalisation. For a real swashbuckling adventure, I'd recommend The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Murder, War
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail