If you're looking for a fun, swashbuckling pirate tale but make it feature a badass female captain and include queer relationships, you'll enjoy this one! The fun plot and well-researched historical context made up for the lack of character development. The naivete of the main character was almost at caricature level; she IS pretty young and not conventionally raised, so naivete is expected, but it was almost too predictable here. Many of Jacquotte's shipmates appeared to be really interesting characters and I wish we had gotten to know them at a deeper level; as they were written, it was a little difficult to feel attached to anyone, making the battles a bit lower stakes than they should have been. Topics of misogyny, racism, slavery, and colonialism are tackled, but in an easy to digest manner. There is nothing particularly "new" about this tale, other than it being queer and female-led, but it was an enjoyable reading experience! This is a pretty strong debut novel and I'll definitely read Briony Cameron's work in the future!

I have very mixed feelings on this one. For starters, it was a highly anticipated release, so that’s always tough when it doesn’t blow you away from the beginning. But it has so much going for it as well. It really sound be a four-star but for some reason my gut keeps putting it at three.

I read the synopsis for THE BALAD OF JACQUOTTE DELAHAYE and was immediately interested. A fictional account of a real female pirate captain in the Caribbean is such a different concept than you normally see. It starts off with a very Jack Sparrow rescue attempt as she faces the gallows and then takes a step back to Jacquotte’s origin story. I was intrigued for a time but the middle just dragged for me. It was a lot of necessary setup but I just couldn’t get hooked to the characters the way I wanted to.

Perhaps some alternating POVs could have created the character depth I craved. If I had gotten to know some of them outside of Jacquotte’s scope, I probably would’ve been more tied to the story as a whole. She loved these people and they had some incredible qualities, but I only saw them for their tie to her. I would’ve loved to know a couple of them on their own.

This is an incredibly interesting period piece and I’m glad to have read it. There was a ton of research done on BRIONY CAMERON’s part and that really shined in the way that the towns and life on deck were described. I’d definitely recommend you pick it up if it piques your interest. I think it might have been a bit of a me thing when I read it - I was craving a character-driven read and went looking for it in a story that is plot-heavy.

A fun adventure story, but felt lacking in depth. Many characters felt so perfect and perfectly diverse, and sometimes felt too modern for the historical period in ways that brought me out of the story. Some truly unbelievable plot developments as well.. Jacquotte’s character flaws were so blinding and made it frustrating to root for her when you saw her walking blithely towards disaster. I wanted more nuance and a bit more time devoted to character development.

If you’re looking for a fun, pirate romp, then this is a good one. But nothing more.

Thanks to Atria Books & Netgalley for my advanced copy.

Thank you Netgalley for my advance eARC of the book. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to read and review this book in advance of its release.

This book was absolutely fabulous. From Pirates, to epic battles, love stories, and incredible friendships, this book had it all. The author sets the story up beautifully from start to finish beginning with our MC Jacquotte Delahaye being held in prison with her death sentence impending. Her storytelling is effortless and takes the reader back in time leading up to Jacquotte's imprisonment.

Jacquotte Delahaye had dreams of becoming the best shipwright in her small town of Yáquimo, Santo Domingo. She and her brother were doing their best to make ends meet while her father drank his way through their money. All this changes one day when the Governor invites Jacquotte to his manor to discuss a letter that he had intercepted, written by her very own father. When she denies knowing what the letter says, Jacquotte finds herself caught up in the underpinnings of her father's bad decisions and a fight for power between her childhood friend Florian and his uncle, the Governor.

Jacquotte and her friends end up fleeing for their lives when their hometown comes under attack and a new chapter of her life begins on the sea. She becomes indentured to a pirate named Blackhand. It turns out...piracy suits Jacquotte.

The world building, the plot, and the characters were all so well done. I was completely invested in each of the characters, and truly loved their friendships, the bonds they made along they way, and how each one grew and changed as they journeyed and battled across the sea.

The battles were my favorite parts of this book. With my investment in Jacquotte and her friend's lives, I found myself on the edge of my seat whenever they found themselves in peril. Jacquotte was so smart, daring, ingenious, and reckless at times. I cheered, I cried, and I rooted for their success.

This book was such a beautiful blend of historical fiction and adventure. I cannot say enough good things about this one, and anxiously away it's release next month. This book has definitely earned a spot on my bookshelf.

If you are looking for your next adventure with a badass female MC who eats men for breakfast, woos beautiful women, and shows what it means to be a female, mulatto Pirate, look no further. You won't be disappointed!

be gay do crime

some thoughts:
- vibes. gay pirates. pirates of all shapes and sizes. i assume this is why anyone is interested in this book. they were incredible.
- action and pacing!
- the writing was pretty mediocre
- reads like YA, which can be a good thing depending on what you like

Thanks to Atria Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

“All are welcome on my ship… Any woman who wants to live for herself, to be away from the men who determine their fates…”

———————-

Jacquotte is the mixed race daughter of an exiled French nobleman living in Santo Domingo. Her dark skin and unique red hair make her standout and so does her goal to be a shipwright. As the politics of the island shift, she finds her life upended and is indentured to a pirate with her group of friends. Together they have swashbuckling adventures and fight every day for a way to be masters of their own fate.

This one really had it all. Jacquotte is a great female heroine who is smart, crafty, passionate, principled and yet totally ruthless. The loyalty of her crew was really fun to watch through each daring escapade. There is non-stop action and plenty of representation as well as a queer love story.

A black queer female pirate possibly based on true events in the 17th century? Count me in! But the result left me wanting. The story was great and it was obviously very well researched. But the writing felt bloated, like the author tried too hard to fill the pages. I felt like there was a lot of extra dialogue and description that could have been more concise. The editing needed a bit of help. But overall, it was very entertaining.

This is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year! The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is amazing! Action packed and at times emotional, this story of a black, female pirate during the 1600s will keep you engaged until the very end.

Pirates of the Caribbean ain’t got nothing on Jacquotte Delahaye. With the strength of a man, brilliance of a woman, and the heart of a lion Jacquotte was absolutely unstoppable. Going toe to toe with male merchants, soldiers, pirates, and the Governor she proved time and time again why they should put some respect on her name‼️Battered, bruised, and beaten but never defeated.

Based on true events the novel follows Jacquotte Delahaye an upcoming shipwright forced to flee her home because of a conniving acquaintances act of rebellion and betrayal against the Governor. Once Florian takes the Governor’s spot he will stop at nothing to have Jacquotte at his side dead or alive. Now on the run with a crew of refugees and a mysterious woman aka her new found lover they band together and become servants to a ruthless pirate captain Blackhand. When things go haywire under his command Jacquotte must decide what price she is willing to pay to secure a better future for them all.

This was a great read I was a little skeptical going into this one because it involved pirates. But I’m so happy I read this book it was such a thrilling experience. Not gone lie Jacquotte stood on business. Her character really grew on me and by the end of the book she was a fav. The character development was chef’s kiss PERIODT I mean all of them‼️ The premise, vivid details, and dialogue left no questions unanswered for me. I honestly feel this book was perfectly crafted like can we get a movie adaptation?

Overall, y’all know I loved this I mean a female pirate need I say more? Tackling so many themes from oppression, racial/gender inequality, the struggle for power and dominance, male ego, self-discovery, and finding home. The author took the facts and twisted them into her own narrative. If none of this really happened she definitely made me a believer. Looking for a medium-paced, action packed, adventurous read you found it. Special thanks to the author & @atriabooks for my advanced copy‼️

I want to start with I absolutely adored how queernormative The Ballad of Jaquotte Delahaye was, and I think that placing such progressive people in this locale and timezone was a bold and interesting decision. I had some issues with the pacing in this story, but it is clearly well researched and is extraordinarily well-written—especially since I really struggled with the more violent scenes due to how well they were written! The world was immersive, the characters dynamic, and I had fun!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

As I finished this book, I sent a text to my friend group chat and told them all that if they all received a copy of The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye for Christmas this year, it was because I love them. This should tell you two things: One, I do love my friends and want them to be happy. Two, I genuinely think this book will make them very happy, and likely most people who have good taste.
This book was incredible. I adored it. For starters, it's really fun. It's a book about pirates! And lesbians! There are sword fights! Jacquotte is an excellent character. Odds are (unfortunately) that she probably never existed, since sources are limited. But that meant that Cameron was able to have a ton of fun with her. So Jacquotte is a young shipwright dealing with being a woman of color in the colonial Caribbean, and her life takes a sudden swing when the governor's nephew does a coup, forcing her and her brother and some of their friends to flee their home. At sea, they come across pirates and Jacquotte is able to convince them to take them aboard as crew members. There, they live under a cruel and sadistic captain, and Jacquotte must also live with the pressure of being wanted by the new governor. They swashbuckle across the Caribbean and eventually Jacquotte becomes the captain and a legend.
As I said, Jacquotte is an excellent hero. She's brave and strong and beautiful, and flawed, consumed by a quest for revenge. The rest of the crew is wonderful. I love a good found family. There's her brother, a young disabled doctor. Her love, the numbers savvy ex-wife of the old governor, Teresa. Her friends Francisco and Alberto and Miguel, a man who really should have been a priest. Mbala, the former slave. The writing is fantastic, too. It draws you in and keeps you tight.
I wish I could give this book six stars.

4.5 rounded up to 5
As soon as I saw that this was a black queer pirate story I knew I had to read it immediately. I am so glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it and fully plan to get a physical copy when it releases.

The relationships with all of the characters were already established, but through the events of the book we really get to see their relationships and how they grow. The amount of queer love in the story made my heart happy and can we talk about how much of a BAMF Jacquotte is?

In all, (check your trigger warnings) I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a story where women take back their power and in the end, the color of your skin doesn't mean you can have freedom.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader's copy. This book was a wide ride about the infamous female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye. She fought against men to own her own ship and free women from the tyranny of men of the time and ran her ship with these women refugees. Jacquotte was fearless, did things her own way, bucked the system, and chose a woman for her companion and lover, and only used a man to have a child. This book was a fun tale of her adventures across the high seas and the battles she fought and escaped.

Was Jacquotte Delahaye real? The jury’s out on that one, but regardless this was a captivating tale. From start to finish, the story came full circle, through the struggles and triumphs of Jacquotte. Action packed to the point every time I picked the book up, I didn’t have time to wonder what would happen next.

I never thought of myself as someone who loved books filled with action and adventure, but The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye has me rethinking my stance (which says a lot!). At times I did find some of the language and themes difficult to read (however historically accurate), particularly around the view toward POC and women during the time setting. But both of these were important pieces to what makes Jacquotte, well… Jacquotte. Through each challenge, she prevails, creating a true hero’s tale.

And along with every hero’s tale, there has to be a suspension of believe to some degree. This is the main reason I had to subtract a star, as much as I loved this story. It feels too good to be true, a little less and less realistic as time goes on. As injuries and bodies pile up against the odds and a short timeline, it just didn’t feel as realistic as I would have liked.

Putting that aside, the writing, the action, the adventure had me hook. A very solid 4 stars for me.

It felt to me like the author had taken a couple of modern, progressive people and deposited them in Caribbean of the 17th century. The characters seemed either good or bad to me. There were not a lot of grey areas or character development which are the types of books I enjoy.

The violence is often very graphic so consult the trigger warnings on e.g. Storygraph if you'd like to avoid certain topics.

I liked how homosexuality and bisexuality were displayed in this book. Overall, I think I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if it were set in the present day and characters were more ambiguous.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance e-copy of this book

the story was fascinating and the characters were so realistic. the world felt immersive that I felt like I was right there with them. some parts of the pacing was a little off for me but otherwise fantastic!

Briony Cameron’s queer, feminist seafaring romance debut begins in Yaquimo (now Jacmel), Saint-Domingue, in 1655. Jacquotte Delahaye works as a skilled shipwright, with a crew of four men whose intense loyalty to her cannot be questioned. When an incident at the governor’s mansion turns violent and her father is murdered, Jacquotte flees with her ship-building crew and her young brother, a talented doctor-in-training, on a barely seaworthy ship. As they search for safe mooring, they are overrun by pirates, and Jacquotte’s crew are forced into indenture under the brutal Captain Blackhand’s erratic and drunken leadership. In Port Royal she believes she has found haven, but all too soon discovers she will never be free of the intrigues and political machinations of Saint-Domingue’s new governor, who chased her into exile.

While I enjoyed the novel overall, some suspension of disbelief is required. Jacquotte’s liaison belowdecks, while the rest of her crew commandeers another ship and fights for their lives, is unlikely (and would surely raise the ire of her fellow pirates!). There is a bit too much last-minute lifesaving, as well, and the conclusion is unexpected. Jacquotte seems a Robin-Hood-type amalgam of many other historical peoples rather than a real person, but Cameron uses what little information there is to create a highly imaginative, swashbuckling thrill ride as the action sails from one dire event to the next. A stormy journey through Caribbean high seas, with a courageous heroine packing a berserker temper and long (too-often-mentioned) red hair, no doubt a godsend to an adversary in a fight. Sticklers for pirate historical accuracy might take exception to a few things, but set your credulity aside for a while and enjoy the fun ride.

This sizzling historical fiction blends passion with credibility. Piracy is often romanticized, but without compromising on the ugly truths of the danger this novel brings heart-pounding adventure, queer romance, and an era to life. You’ll want to heed the call of the sea and set sail with Captain Delahaye!

While historians can't agree whether Jacquotte Delahaye was a real person, this novel brings her fully to life in all her swashbuckling glory. Forced into a life of piracy, Jacquotte escapes her limited life as a mulatto, a woman and shipwright, and finds her freedom on the open seas. it isn't an easy life and there are constant challenges and danger but Jacquotte stands firm through it all. A great adventure tale that also speaks to the challenges of women and people of color, no matter what century we're in.

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is a debut novel by Briony Cameron. This book is about Jacquotte Delahaye a shipwright in Yáquimo, Santo Domingo. Jacquotte is a mulato, her mother a free slave and her French father. Jacquotte is known for her trademark red hair. After the govenor's nephew overthrows the government Jacquotte and her friends flee Yaquimo. They are soon picked up by Blackhand, a pirate and become members of his crew. This book follows Jaquotte as she struggles to find herself and her desires to become the leader is born to be. This was a great book and I was hooked from the very first page. Her crew will follow her to the ends of the earth if she asks them to. This book is somewhat based on the real Jacqotte Delahaye and her time as a pirate on the Carribean Seas. I would like to think both NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me an advance copy of this beautiful book to read.