Review: Piratica I

Piratica: Being a Daring Tale of a Singular Girl's Adventure Upon the High Seas (Piratica #1)

Author: Tanith Lee

Summary:

Artemesia is the daughter of a pirate queen, and she's sick of practicing deportment at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens. Escaping from the school, she hunts up her mother's crew and breezily commands them out to sea in a leaky boat. Unfortunately, Art's memories of her early life may not be accurate-her seasick crew are actors, and Art's infamous mother was the darling of the stage in a pirate drama. But fiery, pistol-proof Art soon shapes her men into the cleverest pirate crew afloat. And when they meet the dread ship Enemy and her beautiful, treacherous captain, Goldie Girl, Art is certain that her memories are real. The Seven Seas aren't large enough for two pirate queens: Art will have the battle of her life to win her mother's title—and the race for the most fabulous treasure in pirate lore.


Published 27 September 2004

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I read this a while back, but I decided to post a review on this fantastic masterpiece!

Hmm... Loads of good books lately, I'm quite tickled!

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Gaudy.

Outrageous.

Hilarious.

Foolish.

Dazzling.

Piratica is a swashbuckling adventure, an over-the-top comedy, and of course, an unforgettable love story.

It's been long since I last described a novel as a blockbuster. Piratica is one, just like one of my top books of 2011, Heist Society. Like a vibrant scroll of swirling colours, Tanith Lee's wonderful tale unfolds like an epic drama.

Piratica has a mesmerizing premise right from the start. First things first, I love pirates (Take Captain Jack Sparrow or Bloody Mary) and Art was a great personality to add to my list of suave pirates.

And then there's the HUGE twist, and by huge, I really mean it. It completely blew me away, and I was staring at the story with a slack jaw. Was Tanith Lee kidding me?! Aren't they supposed to be pirates? What on Earth was she thinking?

I almost put the book down, but thank goodness I didn't. I marched on, doused from head to toe with bewilderment. And, then I couldn't put the book down.

How would I know that the TWIST which I had looked upon with disbelief was to be one that would make Piratica so uniquely breath-taking?

Because of the TWIST, we get to see how she becomes a pirate from scratch. Because of the twist, we see the emotional depth of the book that is astounding for what I believed was just a showy pirate tale. Because of the twist, Piratica is to me more than just an average adventurous story. Instead, it becomes a coming-of-age novel where Art finds her past, her ship, her life, her destiny and her love.

Oh, need I talk about Felix?

This is one rare YA boy.

Don't raise your eyebrows at me because he is firstly, not a bad boy. Uh-uh, not a prince charming either. Nope, not a brooding mystery boy. Nah, he's not a gentle and caring male lead. His existence is a mystery that I completely didn't see from the start.

With dark blue eyes and ice blond hair, he is really hot, at least that's how I imagine him anyway. But he is more of ridiculously beautiful than jaw-dropping handsome. Just before you rule him into the kind of pure hottie category, listen to this-- his hair used to be black, but at the tragedy that befell his family it turned white.

Now, your eyes grow slightly wider.

But wait, when Felix first meets Art, she holds him up and steals his coat. She locks him in an abandoned house with no particular effort as he does not retaliate. While being chased by an angry mob who thinks that Felix is the notorious Highwayman Cuckoo Jack, Felix is rescued by Art and her crew.

Now you nod, thinking that maybe he is one of those spineless boys who are always in need of stronger girls (like Shay in Nightshade? *coughs*).

No no, he is a strategist, one that plans but not fight. He secretly plots to turn the crew in to the English authorities, but later falls in love with Art and saves her life at her hanging.

And now you are in love again. But, sorry, you have to halt in your tracks for a moment.  People took him up for his talents-- singing and drawing.

You are albeit a little confuse as to how to classify him.

So am I.

Because Felix Phoenix (his false name) cannot be classified. He is a rare boy, a royal person, a planner, a strategist, a kind heart and a soul on an evil mission for revenge. He is charming enough to avert a pirate battle (between Art and Goldie Girl), but cunning enough to charm the one girl he swore to kill; he is cunning enough to plan a seamless revenge, but not cunning enough to keep himself for falling in love.

What can I say? You can simply read Piratica for him. But, don't forget the TWIST and the amazing and astounding Artemesia Blastside (funny last name?).

Find this book and kidnap it home. I give 5 stars with no hesitation to this wondrous creation of Tanith Lee.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Piratica.

Source: Read while snuggled in a huge jacket on the Library floor

xoxo,
Sel