I remember finishing Seafire and needing more. And today my wishes were answered. I love the high stakes, the dangerous seas and pursuit of revenge. If you like books with heroines who are feisty and dangerous, captains who question their decisions, and family then Steel Tide is perfect for you.
Caledonia may have lost her crew, but she’s not done fighting yet. After nearly dying at the hand of a powerful foe, Caledonia is pulled from the sea and nursed back to health by a crew of former Bullets that call themselves Blades. The Blades escaped Aric Athair’s clutches and now live a nomadic existence, ready to disappear at a moment’s notice should trouble come their way.
But Caledonia wants to do more than just hide. She wants to find the Mors Navis and her beloved sisters. She wants to continue fighting Aric’s fleet and to take back the Bullet seas. She’ll need to do everything in her power to convince the Blades that fighting is their only option, that there has to be a life better than the one under Aric Athair’s reign, and that finding the women of the Mors Navis is the first step to revolution.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
It’s such a glorious feeling to be back in a book world you left. It makes me wonder how it must be for readers to be able to pick up both Seafire and Steel Tide and be absolutely swept away. While Steel Tide reveals a great deal about the past of our favorite characters, it asks us how much of an impact the past has on our present. Who will we be when we emerge from the ashes, from underneath the surface? And, most importantly, Steel Tide asks us if people can ever truly change.
Decisions & Leadership
The decision making process and consent is sacred in Steel Tide. In a world where our decisions are turned against us and manipulated into betrayal, our free will cannot be sold. Steel Tide examines control whether that be through drug addiction or manipulation and extortion. How do become brave and strong enough to break free of the hold someone can have over us? The very act of choosing our names, shaping our own reality is made real in Steel Tide.
All while asking the readers if people can ever truly change. Are we able to be changed into someone we cannot recognize? Into someone we cannot return from? And who is deserving of a second chance at the end of the day? Caledonia is forced to make difficult choices with deadly consequences. It’s a captain’s responsibility to lead people into battle, to have them get hurt or even die. But it’s a risk we have to take.
Overall,
Steel Tide is full of questions. Do we really want to know the dark truths of each other’s past? Their scars and secrets, sacrifices and betrayals? To figure out if we can still look at them the same way. When our past mistakes have become a part of who we are, can we make the conscious decision to atone for our past? Steel Tide is full of heart wrench, whether it be the themes or comrades we lose along the way. The most important trust and loyalty are earned. And where can they go in the finale?
Find Steel Tide on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.