Pacifica is pretty much the best pirate and dystopian book I’ve read!
I don’t even know what to excitedly shout about first, okay?! I absolutely adored this one. I actually didn’t realise it was dystopian (because I don’t even know where my brain is; if you see it, let me know) so then I was worried I wouldn’t like it because I’ve been anti-dystopian for ages. But this? THIS WAS PERFECT.
My emotions are all —> !!!!!
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
- badass epic conniving pirates
- one of the best most wholesome friendships ever
- shipping (relationships) on shipping (sea)
- a dystopian with influences from the Japanese internment camps in WWII
- PAIN AND BEAUTY
+ It’s an extremely personal story for the author, and the love just shows on every page! It’s very much #OwnVoices and author has a note in the front (you can catch her twitter thread on it here) on how she based it on what her grandmother went through in WWII, losing everything after being imprisoned in a Japanese interment camp. Reading about Kristen Simmons’ grandmother’s life and refusal to give up and just general epicness was so amazing. I’m really grateful she wrote this book. Just the emotion and power?!? It’s so important!
+ The friendships stole the show for me. 10/10. AGH I LOVE IT. It’s all characters first in this book, which made me so invested so fast. They were complex and dimensional and were equal parts pushed by the story and pushers of the story. Hold onto your sailing hats while I gush:
- ROSS: He’s the president’s son and privileged and clueless to what is REALLY happening in their wreck of a world. But he’s like so sweet. He is SO PURE and he is so loyal and loving towards his best friend, Adam. Basically Ross is amazing.
- ADAM: He’s the vice-president’s son and used to be one of the very poor and discriminated against “lower” people. But his family has risen up and is in a place of power, buuut he still gets discriminated against. He’s very neat and pleasant, but totally knows how bad the world is. I LOVE ADAM. I love his and Ross’ unsinkable friendship.
- MARIN: She is the epic pirate oF ALL OUR DREAMS. (Basically if Lila Bard x Kell from A Darker Shade of Magic had a daughter; it would be Marin.) She’s conniving and tricky, but her absolute dream is to just be loved and have a family. SHE’S SO BADASS BUT SWEET. The combination stole my heart. Also she built her own boat and has a secretly dark pirate past…I freaking adore Marin.
+ Plus it’s just nice to have a book about friendship! Obviously there still is romance (hello this is YA) and Ross and Marin are the cutest shippy ship as well. But Ross/Adam were so pure and wholesome. (The only negative is that whenever people insinuated that Ross had romantic feelings for Adam, he reacted with disgust. Part of me hates the erasure of friendship too, so I get it! But it’s so so unnecessary to be disgusted at queerness…c’mon.)
+ The world building was the light of my lighthouse heart. How on earth is this book so good at everything? We don’t know. We just accept and revere. But complex world? ✓ Complex characters?✓✓ Amazing plot? ✓✓✓ It’s a frikkin’ standalone and DOES IT ALL. The world it’s set in is basically where everything is trash and falling apart and gross. The rich in power are trying to send the poor people off to this “utopia island” but…does it even exist? Marin says no. The president says yes. EVERYONE MIGHT DIE WHO CAN TELL. I could totally see the whole world, with the islands of trash, and the broken down slums, and the contrasted virtual palace of the rich. Incredible.
+ The plot was full of twists and fights and riots and running. There was even a shocking plot twist that had me whispering, “MARIN. YOU DIDN’T TELL US AHHHH.” Pacing = amazing. It it was so compelling, with the riots and kidnappings, the boating and eating radioactive fish (that seems…bad for you but teenagers…what can you do) and the vicious pirates and violence.
+ Did I mention the prospect of you sailing into a horizon full of feelings? That will happen. I had at least nine and that’s madness for me because I only have three emotions usually.
Pacifica is a pirate dystopian tale of trash and beauty and friendship and it will absolutely take over your heart. The characters are precious and the storyline is enthralling. A+ FOR IT ALL. I LOVE IT.
THANK YOU TO TOR TEEN FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Pacifica by Kristen Simmons was published 6th of March 2018.
★★★★★
Marin is cosario royalty, a pirate like her father and his father before him. Sailing the ocean to chase adventure is in her blood. But these days no one cares that the island town her people call home is named after her grandfather. They have a new leader, one who promises an end to their hunger – and one who thinks that girls are meant for the kitchen or the brothel. Marin knows she’s meant for more than that, and with the sudden influx of weapons on the island, and rumors of a pending deal with the enemy oil nation in her wake, she knows a big score to gain the council’s favor is the only way to save her people, and herself.
Ross lives a life of privilege. As the president’s son he wants for nothing, but he longs for a life of adventure. On a dare, he convinces his best friend Adam to sneak out to the Docks, the site of local race riots between the poor Shorlings and the upper class. But when Adam is arrested along with the other Shorlings, and not even the president is willing to find him, Ross finds himself taking matters into his own hands. He journeys back into the Docks, ready to make deals with anyone, even a beautiful pirate, if it means Adam’s safe return.
When Marin and Ross meet in dangerous Shoreling territory he sees a way to get his friend back and she sees her ticket home. The ransom a president’s son would command could feed her people for years and restore her family’s legacy. But somewhere in the middle of the ocean, Marin must decide if her heart can handle handing over the only person who has ever seen her as more than a pirate.
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I’m not that into dystopian anymore but I kind of adore the sound of this one?? I love pirates in YA so I have a neeeed.
YES YES ADD IT, BEE! I mean, I’m a chronic disapprover of dystopian these days but this was 5-stars of perfection. No regrets.😍😍
I have never heard of this book before but I so want to read it now. The fact that it’s based on what her grandma went through makes me want to read it more. War is a terrible thing and a lot of heinous crimes were committed during those Wars. Great review as always.
Absolutely ugh wars are horrific. And I think it’s important to still be talking about them and the effects…and like I know this is dystopian and it’s just based on it, but it still really talks about SO many important topics and the characters are perfect and afjdskald.
I picked up And I Darken, thinking that it was fantasy (because that title is giving me some dark fantasy vibes) but after 100 pages of no magic I finally decided to check the genre and was so surprised it was actually historical fiction! It came out in my country this year and they put it into the fantasy section and everybody who decides to pick it up will be terribly misled XD
I also didn’t know much about Pacifica but I just added it to my TBR because it sounds amazing and I just love it when a YA novel turns out to have everything you need, I’m glad you enjoyed it! ^^
Yes yes same for me and And I Darken too!! I was so confused when it was just historical fiction.😂 (But it also was excellent so like…who’s crying for long. *happy sigh*)
wow, um, with such a review, how can I not put it on my TBR?? *clickity clicks off to Goodreads* *where lives my virtual TBR that I feed a lot and don’t exercise very much* *oops*
GOOD LIFE DECISION. I APPROVE.😂
/comes in running almost breaking her skull on the slippery floor because she’s wearing cute socks/ Did someone say dystopia!?
I’m obviously pinning this to my reading list because dystopia ( my love for dystopia knows no limit definitely 😂 ) / and / pirates, also it’s a stand-alone which well, thank you because I’m crushed by all those series. I also love when there are good friendships, it’s so rare. 💜
I APPROVE OF THE CUTE SOCKS. And also yesss please go devour this book ASAP because honestly not enough people are and I need to shout happily about it way way more.
I’ve been eyeballing this! Kristin Simmon’s previous stuff and me haven’t really gotten along, but I’ve seen so many good reviews for this! And I love pirate books, but I’ve never read a dystopian pirate book, and it seems like it’s time to change that!
Also I’m all for ships on ships.
I totally get that haha.😂 I really didn’t like The Glass Arrow? But I requested this before I realised it was the same author BUT HOLY HECK. This is exactly why I should care about books over who wrote them, because just because one of an author’s work doesn’t fit me, another might!!
This is already on my tbr but now I really want to read it! I love this pirate trend going on in ya but I’m also worried that if people don’t start getting imaginative it’s gonna get old real fast so the fact this is actually dystopian makes this more appealing to me.
I’m actually flailing all over the place at all the pirates coming out.😂 That saaaaid. I’ve only read like 2 of them. Ahem.
Same, and they’re in the same series so I think it counts as one
I just keep collecting them and adding them onto the endless TBR pile. :’) I am hopeless.
This book has been getting such good reviews. I’m not usually into pirate stuff, but I might have to read it. Great review! It sounds epic.
YAS I’m so glad I’m slowly convincing you here. 😉
THIS IS A STANDALONE!?!?!? This makes me 10000x more exited! And after loving TO KILL A KINGDOM, I’ve been looking for another pirate YA book to wow me. The friendships (and the romance, because you know me) sound FANTASTIC, and I can’t wait to meet these characters and witness this world-building!!!
I WANT TO READ TO KILL A KINGDOM SO BAD OMG. *wonders wildly why doesn’t have it yet* But honestly Pacifica just has a checklist of EVERYTHING good in this life. I have no idea how it did it.😂 I’m in love haha.
I loved Kristen Simmons’ previous book Metaltown (and was disappointed it didn’t get more attention when it first came out; I always feel like the weird kid when I’m super into a book no one else has ever heard of), so Pacifica was already on my TBR. Even if the title does remind me of Gravity Falls.
Re: books that are a different genre than you thought: More Than This by Patrick Ness was…not at all what I was expecting. The description I originally saw made it sound like a psychological thriller, with a maybe paranormal twist? And it was Very Much Not That. I still l enjoyed it, tho.
Also, if you like Pacifica – or dystopian pirates in general – then I really recommend The Beast of Cretacea by Todd Strasser. Dystopian YA retelling of Moby Dick, with an environmentalist twist. The world-building is FANTASTIC.
Ooh, now I need to find Metaltown! I’m really loving her style. AHH! And usually my very very favourite books are a bit obscure too, but hey, that just means we’re good at finding hidden gems right?!😂
Oh the first time I read Patrick Ness I was weirded out too.😂 I had NO idea what More Than This was even on about. Is it sci-fi??? I ended up putting it down as sci-fi but IT WAS SO WEIRD. (I still liked it though.😂)
I don’t usually read pirate books, but I think I must make an exception. THIS LOOKS SO GOOD! I love twisty plots and worldbuilding and especially amazing friendships! Honestly any book that has a super strong friendship is going on my TBR. 😂Great review, Cait!
But pirates are ammmmmazing, Olivia. *flails piratishly* 😂😂 And honestly any book with amazingly solid friendships just has me instantly. So much love.
I want to read this book so bad because I saw your review of it on my Goodreads feed. So bad.
True story: I add about 4 out of every 5 books you review to my TBR.
*screams softly* REALLY!? I’M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THOUGH THAT MAKES MY DAY.
I wasn`t planning on reading this book, but your review definitely changed my mind. I hate no idea that it`s an own voice novel, and that the author based so much of the story on her grandmother’s recollections. Now I`m really excited to read it!
*flails quietly in the background* Honestly that is the best compliment ever to know I changed your mind.😂 And isn’t it cool when authors just get all personal like this? It’s SO inspiring and I can only imagine how difficult it must be. <3
WOW! The cover is PRETTY! While I do admit that the summary doesn’t sound like my cup of tea, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Good post as usual Cait!
IT IS SO PRETTY. I WANT TO GO SAIL OVER A SEA OR SOMETHING NOW.
Gosh, I need this book! I have seen SO many rave reviews lately, and I had NO IDEA it was dystopian, you know I love those! And then add WATER!? This is actually an idea I had in my head, so that is sad- but mine didn’t involve pirates so it’s fiiiine, right? Anyway. Need it, immediately. Great review!
YAS THIS ONE IS FOR YOU, SHANNON, GO EAT IT!! But like everything is better when adding crushing amounts of water and radioactive fish. It’s like Nemo but death. #Nice
So glad you enjoyed it!
Ahhh so glad I got to read it. *heart eyes to this book*
ACOTAR. That book sometimes was too ‘blehhh’ and I just couldn’t believe they told me it was YA. I mean, the protagonist’s 19, I know, but… you told me it was YA! The worst thing is that I now want to read the next book… and the next book’s worse than the first. But oh boy anyways. I LOVE PIRATES! First and last reason to read this books: it has pirates. It already has my heart. Ever since I met Jack Sparrow I want to be a pirate when I grow up. I’m still hoping I can find good dystopian books so yay for this.
Omg I agree! IT is NOT YA at all and it absolutely makes me so angry that it’s pitched as YA constantly .The characters are in their 20s and there’s so much sex??? Not YA. >_>
Oh, I just saw it around Twitter just days before it was going to be published. Why no one was talking about it? Really, I just saw it one time and now here woith a review. I’m quite perplexed….
I love the concept of this kind of wasted worlds witj island of trash. Even if I will never want to see it in real life (yet already exist -.- )
But aside form this, I can imagine many of the concept art that I saw around, dystopic and post apocaliptic like, and wel… I’m so happy. I love this kind of worlds when are well described. I’m great fantasy lover but I would love to read something different from the usual city in dystopia novels. Still need my cyberpunk book
I’m so mad no one is talking about this! It’s SO good and so much fun and feelsy! GOOD BOOK IS GOOD *flails* (It would also make a good movie with all these visuals.)