One of the best I’ve read in a while. Loved every word. A little bit of magic but we all have magic inside of us. Set in Florida in a future that has deemed Florida. A lost cause because of the brutality of hurricanes. Wanda is our protagonist. Born in a hurricane but a survivor. Through and through a survivor. Go read this book

I’ve discovered something about myself. I like stories that include some sort of calamity causing the collapse of civilization as we know it. It can be sudden (like a pandemic) or creeping (I see you climate change).The main characters discover that they have a resilience in themselves they never knew existed and find a way to survive and maybe even thrive. I can’t be bothered with a cozy mystery or a sweet, feel-good read where nothing bad happens. Survival. That’s my comfort reading. Why this is would be a great question for a therapist.

The Light Pirate scratched the survival in the face of calamity itch for me. It’s the life story of Wanda, born during and named after the most devastating hurricane her small Florida town has seen. She grows up amidst the creeping devastation of stronger, more frequent storms, rising water, and bankrupt governments who no longer have the funds or will to help. But Wanda loves her home and has an uncanny connection to the beauty and danger of nature. Eventually, the government deems Florida uninhabitable and orders a mandatory evacuation. Wanda and her guardian (who conveniently happens to be a biologist, retired schoolteacher, and prepper) decide to stay. What follows is a life of survival, completely off the grid, as nature quickly reclaims Florida.

I thought it was suspenseful, quite often heartbreaking, but also full of characters who love each other and lift each other up. I really enjoyed it.

3.5 stars.

Climate fiction meets Where the Crawdads Sing. Atmospheric writing captures the dystopian setting of flooded Florida amidst climate changes that have extended and hardened the annual hurricane season. The majority of the plot follows young Wanda, named for the hurricane she was born during, as she makes her way in the near apocalyptic setting.

A good survivalist story and climate fiction exploration, but the magical realism component just didn't work for me. It felt a bit extraneous and really wasn't very well explored. If this piece had been removed from the plot, I think the resulting literary fiction style novel would have been much stronger. That aside, the writing is good and there are some wonderful explorations of human relationships and the ways in which we adapt. The prose can be incredibly beautiful. The pacing can be a bit slow and the events mildly repetitive during the middle section of the book, but there are quite a few momentous occasions that keep the narrative revived and drive home the humanity at the center of the tale.

An interesting read for certain and a mostly realistic examination of the potential effects of climate change.

The most believable imagined future I've read in a very long time - which is absolutely terrifying. A moving and horrifying coming of age story about a whimsical girl living in a dying world, and what she must do to survive.

The Light Pirate was one of my favorite reads of 2022. The Unstacked podcast interviewed Lily Brooks-Dalton in December and it was a wonderful conversation on her book and writing process!

The strength of this dystopian is where it places you on the timeline of the disaster. Most dystopians, and decidedly *post*, starting the novel with some nebulous backstory of what happened X years ago. But this one puts you right at the beginning as characters slowly realize what is happened to their homeland and how to decide what to do. We are right there with them as slowly each family migrates north, to what we don't find out. We stay behind as see what happens to our community, and Florida overall, as the population hits a tipping point where services are slowly cut off.

As dystopians go, it's pretty tame. There are some tense situations as people do what they can to protect themselves.

Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing might enjoy this novel about another plucky female character learning how to make it on her own with a strong relationship to nature.

The Light Pirate is the story of Wanda who was born during a historically devastating hurricane in Florida. We follow her journey as she grows up and her world is changing around her - people leaving her town and surrounding areas as Florida is becoming a seemingly post-apocalyptic ghost town. She encounters incredibly tragedies and hardships as she navigates the new world around her.⁣
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This book has everything I love in a story: amazingly complex characters and character development, survivalist storyline, heart pounding moments, quiet and introspective moments and so much more. A literary fiction masterpiece in my opinion. I enjoyed every minute of it and had to know where the story would go.⁣
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For fans of After the Flood and…we might be on opposite sides of this one but it also gave me Crawdads feelings…you’ll really enjoy this one. (But if you didn’t love those books like I did I still highly encourage you to give this one a go!)⁣
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Five solid stars, what a beautiful story.

I have some deeply mixed feelings about this story, on the one hand the apocalyptic Florida the author builds sounds like the thing of nightmares, perhaps made all the more horrifying by the possibility of it becoming a reality if we don’t change our ways. On the other hand, I think this is really a story of perseverance and defying the odds. It has to be said that the main character, the unfortunately named Wanda, gets the cards stacked against her from the outset. Her ability to get up everyday and not just persevere but also thrive with the hand she is dealt is inspiring. This story contains a lot of heartbreak, but there is beauty also in the violence. I found it interesting that the vicious storms that consistently tear Florida to shreds are almost treated as a character themselves here, something ancient and indomitable that just keeps grinding away regardless of the scale of the damage. Definitely a unique tale. Review posted to Goodreads, Amazon, Litsy, Facebook, Instagram, LibraryThing.

Like Lily Brooks-Dalton's previous book "Good Morning, Midnight", this is a tragic but ultimately redemptive read. The book offers a very bleak view of our potential world if extreme climate change comes to be, but through that hard living a simplicity and return to what's important can emerge. While the world she portrays is brutal, Brooks-Dalton's prose is beautiful and offers some very heartfelt and tender moments. As someone with young children I will say that some parts of this book were awful to get through. There is so much loss and not unlike the smell of ozone before a hurricane, you can sense some the oncoming tragedies but there is nothing you can do but batten down the hatches and hope you see the return of sunlight eventually. The loss not only extends to lives but to a world and way of living that I hope my children and future generations will get to see because the world of The Light Pirate is about the farthest thing from an easy one.

<i>“After all this time, the aches have grown softer but also deeper. They both know the looping shape of pain—it changes and quiets but never ends. There is a strange comfort in its constancy. Memories of what was lost are also reminders of what was held.”</i>

I would describe <b>The Light Pirate<b/> as a work of apocalyptic literary fiction with just a sprinkle of magical realism. I don’t normally gravitate towards apocalyptic stories or stories about climate change, so I’m glad I kind of went into this one somewhat blindly and solely based on reviews otherwise I would have missed out on this gem.

The book is broken up into 4 sections: Power, Water, Light and Time.

Power: In the first section, we experience preparation for Hurricane Wanda as well as the devastation left once the storm has passed. Wanda is born during this catastrophic storm which is how she gets her name. This section is fast-paced, atmospheric and claustrophobic at times. Living most of my life on the east coast of Florida and having been through many hurricanes, I could easily relate to the preparation phase before the storm and that feeling of anticipation as you are waiting for it to make landfall. The storms throughout this story seemed to move quite quickly which is not usually the case in real life, so I had to reorient and remind myself that this book is written in the not so distant future which entails a big change in weather patterns.

Water addressed life after the storm and is very much character driven and shows how the different characters deal with loss and grief as well as their individual struggles and interpersonal relationships. Many relationships are explored in this section - Father-son, sister-brother, father-daughter and then there is Phyllis and Wanda. These characters were all so realistically written and were easy to care for.

Light had a slower pace and focused on adjusting to life after Florida’s infrastructure completely collapses and is essentially closed off from the rest of the country due to storm damage over the years as well as rising water levels. There is a time jump between Water and Light with no specification of how much time had passed between the two which was a little disorienting at first but after finishing the book, I believe this may have been the author’s intent since days, months, years and time in general really weren’t all that relevant anymore.

Time felt like a brief epilogue.

What I loved: The writing and imagery throughout the book is beautiful despite the very depressing subject matter. I could easily picture everything as I was reading. I loved reading about Wanda’s ability to adapt to the rapidly changing world around her. The sense of community. The manner in which the author conveyed Wanda’s feelings of isolation.

Although Wanda’s emotional struggle with one major event was clearly detailed, I felt like her feelings and struggles with multiple losses were barely touched upon especially given how significant those losses were. I wanted to know more about how those losses affected her.

Overall, this was very thought provoking and I really enjoyed it. This was my first Lily Brooks-Dalton novel, but now I’m definitely looking forward to reading <b>Good Morning, Midnight</b>. 4 stars.

Some trends come and go...but some stick around much longer than you expected. Much like the fascination with vampires, I expected the fascination with dystopian novels to slowly fade into the background. However, my young adults still clamor for this genre. So, I find myself previewing these books despite them not being my favorite genre. As such, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I requested The Light Pirate. I didn't expect it to be one of the best books I have picked up in a long time. Filled with characters that you will literally know by the end, this coming-of-age, friendship novel brings climate change home. For anyone that has spent time in Florida in the summer, the descriptions sound much more like reality than fiction. This is a powerful novel and I will gladly recommend it.

A look at the potential future of climate change, full of heart and hope. Full review posted at BookBrowse: https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/pr292416

This was a wonderful book; the kind of book you hate seeing the end. Florida is gradually becoming destroyed by floods and hurricanes. The story follows Kirby and his family through the trials of coping with the devastation. Kirby is a lineworker so the disasters are seen firsthand through his eyes. Brooks-Dalton carefully crafts a cast of characters who disappear and reappear as the book develops. This emphasizes the continual destruction and impact on residents of Florida and we follow their lives, as well. So many storylines but laid out so well.

I loved this book! It kind of felt like a cross between the apocalyptic setting of The Wanderers and the mystic setting of Where the Crawdads Sing. I loved the writing and felt like I was transported to Florida after Florida as we know it had disintegrated. This will probably be one of my favorite books of the year! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Climate fiction about the disintegration of towns, cities and later society in Florida following catastrophic damage from mega hurricanes. Eventually, Florida becomes a swamp. The eponymous main character, Wanda, born in the middle of Hurricane Wanda, faces tragic personal loss after loss and channels that energy toward pure survival. The writing was trite at times and the novel is slow to start but the plot line is excellent - it was fascinating to read about the rapid crumbling of our world as we know it. Great literary fiction pick to kick off the year. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #LilyBrooks-Dalton, and #GrandCentralPublishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dystopian, magical realism, survival, natural disaster… this book had me feeling so much. Have you ever woken up from a dream and it takes a minute or two to decipher what is real and what was the dream? That’s how I felt when I would put this book down. So much of what is written *could* be true, that you can’t help but wonder if a world like in The Light Pirate might be some sort of nightmarish foreshadowing to real life.

This was not a book that I would classify as a quick read — at times it might even be why I would consider slow, but that is in no way a criticism to the autor. It’s simply because of the heavy nature of novel and loneliness and longing for global change it created in me.

I would recommend this book as one to read slowly and savor. There is much to unpack and lessons to be learned.

In a near future Florida, devastating weather events have eroded the state’s coast and infrastructure. The Lowe family is determined to stay, regardless of what comes their way. A daughter is born to the Lowes during a hurricane and given that storm’s name: Wanda. As Wanda grows up, she finds herself with unique abilities to survive disastrous weather events and adapt to civilization crumbling around her.

Completely breathtaking, from beginning to end. I'm stunned by how Lily Brooks-Dalton balances climate-based dystopia, touches of magic, and deeply layered, believable characters. I can't wait to shout about this book to everyone I know. It's really that good!

For me, cli-fi causes a reader high. It’s the heart-thumping, adrenaline-fueled, tear-filled fictional portrayal of climate upheaval that edges so close to reality that’ll make you feel so woefully unprepared. I’m going to tell you a secret though, my absolute favorite cli-fi books are those that are infused with hope.

Nestled between The Overstory by Richard Powers & The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger on my forever shelf, The Light Pirate perfectly encapsulates the beginning of the end of life as they know it for Florida residents as Hurricane Wanda ravages the land and the lives of so many. Part coming-of-age, part dystopian climate fiction, Lily Brooks-Dalton sets the stage for the birth of an unusual child, Wanda, named for the catastrophic storm that causes an equally unusual upbringing. As she navigates from childhood to adulthood, nature is remade and a distinct sense of survival & purpose necessitate a fierce determination to treat the everyday with a sense of adventure.

“The rule of this household is that Wanda occupies its center. She is their sun, and in return for their venerations she gifts them with a levity they would have otherwise forgotten is possible.”

The quiet, beautiful prose as nature wreaks havoc is reminiscent of Lily Brooks-Dalton’s earlier novel, Good Night, Midnight, another character driven novel that predicts what the future might hold and how it’s effects reverberate through the soul. Her newest novel is riveting, heartbreaking, and hopeful. The Light Pirate is a book that will have lasting effects on this reader’s mind & soul, just like Hurricane Wanda to the people in Florida in this fictional tale.

If you love climate fiction, I highly recommend you add this to your TBR. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow! Author Lily Brooks-Dalton grabs you from the first page and takes you for a wild ride in a wild world devastated by climate change. It's described by reviewers as apocalyptic, dystopian, literary fiction and magical realism. It's a beautifully written combination of all!

The protagonist is Wanda, a girl named after Hurricane Wanda, a storm that turned Florida upset side down. Her mom died during childbirth, leaving Wanda to be raised by her dad and two brothers. It's a name that sets the precocious child apart from the beginning, bullied and teased over a circumstance far out of her control. She thinks she's finally found friends at school, but instead they hold her underwater. It's then that she discovers she has a gift, one that will translate to survival.

What makes the novel so compelling is Wanda's story as she struggles to live in a sinking world, weighted down by loss, climate and few options. The novel follows Wanda from childhood to adulthood, capturing all the emotions and issues that drive the young woman to survive.

The novel is told in four parts, each focusing on different aspects of Wanda's life. They trace her wins and losses as society collapses around her. There's beauty and ugliness as individuals long to belong, whether in a water-soaked world or a community of like-minded spirits.

As dark as "The Light Pirate" is at times, it's an inspirational message. Once that says take care of what you have before it's gone, and when it's gone, keep looking for it.

This book sounded so interesting to me! It’s a bit of a cautionary tale for global warming which was interesting. but to be honest, it was hard to get through, especially the first half. I would say the second half was more interesting but as a whole, it gave me an overwhelming sense of dread, but maybe that’s just me. It was just one sad thing after another. Although I really felt for the characters, I never really felt like I connected them.
The slight magical aspect to it was super interesting and I loved it.
The ending was nice enough, but it just seemed a little rushed.
The part where this book shines is the writing. The writing really takes you in and transports you right into the setting.
Overall, this was a solid book with beautiful writing and interesting premise!