I loved this book! It has everything you’d expect in a pirate novel and I loved the concept of a pirate hunting academy. The hunters are just as ruthless as the pirates. Ximena starts as a very closed off character, but you find out why as the story goes on. The supporting characters are the perfect balance to her harshness and do well in bringing her out of her shell and teaching her to trust.
The plot twist was crazy! I shoukd have seen it coming-all the pieces were there. Can’t wait for Book 2!

Ximena is a teenager at an academy that hunts pirates. She comes from a legacy of piracy herself so she feels like every breath is under the microscope. She is deeply conflicted and not very likeable. It’s easy to not like Capitana because the lead is very rigid. But I think that’s the point. Dante is the polar opposite and has his faults too but I think the reader (especially if you’re well out of your teenage years) need to keep in mind they’re young. They hold firm to their beliefs because they think they know everything but they do learn. It takes Ximena the whole book to open her eyes but I think that makes her a more realistic character. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Capitana by Cassandra James was an interesting read. The premise sets this book up to be an amazing adventure story about pirates. That said, I have mixed feelings.

When I finished the book and reflected on the story...the characters are definitely something I struggled with as Ximena isn't really someone I liked. I get she has been manipulated but as a human with thoughts and critical thinking skills, I would have expected her to be able to distinguish between right and wrong but not even her family ties could make that happen. Her relationship with the Admiral was not my favorite and considering his role in her parent's death. Although I suppose Ximena's role was just as consequential so perhaps that's how she looked at it. Regardless, her ability to just compartmentalize her feelings that way and cut herself off from everything was disconcerting.

And Dante, the love interest, was the rebellious rich boy who was in love with Ximena but for unexplainable reasons. Nothing that really stood out here.

Ultimately, Ximena's only goal is to obtain a Cazador cloak and to do that she is willing to sacrifice anything and everything. I don't know if that was supposed to make me respect her but in the end, it just made me feel sorry for her. Yes, she eventually realized her mistake but she certainly lost a lot before she did and I don't know if that redeems her in my mind.

All that to say, I'm not sure how I feel about this book...read the reviews and decide how you want to proceed. I know a lot of people have some strong feelings about it based on the author's past writing and opinions but taking that out of the mix, the story is still just an ok story in my mind.

A shockingly good YA pirate adventure! This was fast-paced and entertaining with a twist that left me gasping and bewildered, even though the ending was predictable. I also didn't expect to enjoy the romance subplot so much, and I look forward to seeing how the duology ends. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I was very excited for this book based on the overview. Pirates, rivals to lovers, political intrigue, and the potential for a revolution? Sign me up! Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to my expectations. It definitely had the exciting adventure and the political intrigue I had hoped for. It wasn’t groundbreaking in the plot, but I really did enjoy it. I like the idea of a pirate rebellion and am definitely interested in seeing how that takes off in the second book.

Where I felt underwhelmed was in Ximena herself. Ximena’s growth as a character/person is flat, and she continually flip flops back to her blind faith in the Law. Then suddenly at 90% it was like a switch was flipped out of nowhere. I do understand the idea that she’s been groomed from a young age, and that can account for it to some extent, but mostly she just continued making terrible choices for the sake of burying her head in the sand.

Similarly, the romantic tension was almost non-existent for a book marketed as a romantasy. Ximena and Dante had no chemistry, and it never seemed to develop. It felt like it came out of left field when Dante made it obvious he liked her early on, given he was rather awful to her most of the time. And while his actions more or less showed his intentions from that point on, Ximena never really reciprocated. I’m not saying a book needs romance to be good, but if you’re going to include it, at least make sure you do it with the proper buildup.

Overall, this story had great potential and I think the concept is interesting; the execution just fell a little short. That said, I will be finishing the duology when book 2 is released.

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

I love pirates…like a lot, so it’s not a huge surprise that I really enjoyed this book. What I loved about this book is that the MCs aren’t pirates (at least not yet) they are pirate hunters. The FMC, Ximena, has one goal in life--to become a Cazador (a pirate-hunting soldier of the empire). However, the fact that her parents were Cazadors turned pirate traitors means that the only way for her to become a Cazador is to do something truly great--such as capturing the mythical pirate known as Gasparilla. The only thing standing in her way of this mission is the infuriatingly handsome, complete thorn in her side, Dante.
I really liked this book. The plot was engaging, the characters interesting, the romance tension-filled. Out of everything there is to like, my favorite part of this book was Ximena’s character arc. Ximena starts out the book completely loyal to the Empire, the perfect soldier, she never questions, never wonders, she is totally devoted to becoming a Cazador and serving her beloved Empire. Throughout the book, she travels and sees the Empire and her precious Cazadors from another angle, and without getting into any spoilers, let’s just say she begins to see the world without her empire-tinted glasses. I loved the way we get to see Ximena change; she becomes a totally different person by the end of the book, and I loved watching her grow. I was also a big fan of the side characters, particularly Dante and Pia, though I would have liked to see more of them.
One of the problems with a first book in a series is that there is so much worldbuilding and storyline to get out that sometimes side characters go undeveloped or romances become an afterthought, and Capitana struggled with this. I loved Ximena and Dante, but their relationship was like two pages, so I’m really hoping to see more of the two of them in the next one. They have so much potential I just know it is going to be fantastic. My other problem with this book was the pacing. The first half was rather slow, and the last three or four chapters were far too fast. Everything seemed to happen at once and it was a lot to take in.
Other than those little things, I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to read the next one!

I was a underwhelmed by this book. I found Ximena extremely pedantic at the beginning of the story and wish we had gotten to know Marquesa better given her importance to the story. For a book marketed as romantasy, it was pretty light on the romance with an enemies to lovers romance only briefly explored. The world building was adequate in my opinion, but there is definitely more explanation necessary regarding the magic and various players involved that will hopefully be addressed in book 2. If you enjoy YA pirate adventure stories with a hint of enemies to lovers romance then you may like Capitana, but don’t expect any surprises from this one

Thank you NetGalley and Quill Tree books for this ARC!

Not only was this book boring it was way too plot heavy with no character development. Also super disappointed in the "sizzling chemistry" as it went nowhere. The twist at the end is almost interesting it just came way too late to save the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Cassandra James, and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ximena has spent a lot of her life at La Academia training to become a Cazador, a sea hunter who tracks down pirates. Her future is uncertain though, thanks to the repuration of her parents. They were pirates, traitors, and though they were killed when Ximena and her sister were little. Their last name was also ruined.

Ximena's abilities won't earn her the Cazador cloak. So, when Gasparilla returns and captures the Empire’s queen, Ximena offers to bring her back and capture the pirate in exchange for the cloak. The catch? There is only one cloak and Ximena’s competition is Dante, an annoying but handsome classmate.

With their futures on the line, Ximena and Dante set out on a dangerous quest across the sea. Will Ximena sail far enough to escape the legacy of her family, or will hber budding relationship with Dante ruin her success?

A pirate themed YA read.

I was mostly intrigued with “Capitana” by Cassandra James, because of the elements of pirates, pirate hunters, seafaring adventures and the academy for the Cazadores. I hoped that all these parts would be strong elements for a great plot and story. We get schoolmate rivalry, a main character who is an outcast, a pirate rebellion, sea battles and betrayal in this first book.

Ximena’s parents were famous Cazadores all her life, until they turned pirate and committed treason against the empire. The night of their capture, a young Cazador grants both Ximena and her older sister pardons to attend the famous school for becoming archivists or Cazadores, allowing them a second chance at making a better life for themselves and redeeming their family name. All Ximena has ever wanted was to become a Cazador herself but finds that she is less than welcome at the academy. She must prove to everyone that she is worthy of this chance. Years later, the famous, long dead pirate, Gasparilla has returned to the empire, threatening to destroy its foundation. Ximena sees capturing Gasparilla as her final chance to prove herself and to earn her Cazador cloak and title. What she doesn’t realize is that this opportunity will unveil many secrets, betrayals and shake her very belief system.

Overall, the plot was good and well-paced. The world building was also interesting and developed well, but there were some aspects that could have been developed more. The main issue for me was the likability of any of the characters. I did not feel invested in them throughout the whole book until the very end, and even then, I wasn’t too invested. I thought the two main characters were not likable in the least. There was a side character that I didn’t mind, and thought was a good addition and kind of wish she was on page more. I would have liked to have seen more character development, the supposed romance between one of the characters to another was lacking greatly in any lead up and more time on the backstory of Ximena, her sister and their parents would have I think, made me feel more connected to Ximena all together and understand her better. The ending was solid though and did leave me kind of wanting to know what comes next.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.

I am aware of the controversy surrounding this author but I had agreed to read it prior to that and of course there are pirates….
I can’t say I loved this book, although fantasy, the circumstances seemed quite implausible at times. I am a character driven reader and the fmc, Ximena, is almost always infuriating in her beliefs and actions. The male lead Dante is funny, charming and somehow feels a connection to Ximena. Definitely YA and a quick read from this first time author and as I mentioned there are pirates…..
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins publisher.

DNF'd a few chapters in. Pirate stories can be hit or miss for me, and this was feeling like a miss.

I wanted to love this book so badly. Here’s the thing. I love the concept, however, I found the prose uninspiring, the FMC insufferable, and the romance unconvincing. The best way I can describe it is the whole book felt really forced, and long story short, I felt no connection or attachment to the story. The lore and worldbuilding were decent, though.

I read this book before I found out about the controversy with this author. I would recommend anyone considering this book to research the author themselves to make an informed decision on if this is an author they wish to support. I agreed to review this book before I was aware of the controversy.

I love pirates. I love academic stories. This book should have been all of my wildest dreams coming true. And while I did enjoy it while I was reading it, the second I finished it and started thinking deeper about it, it fell apart.

The world-building is weak. There are mentions of religions and pirates and even a historical figure, but it’s not clear how all of those things fit together. Is there magic that can reincarnate someone? That never seems to be clear, even though the main character seems to think it’s possible. I was never certain why things worked the way they did.
The pirates are theoretically the good guys, but their systems seem just as rigid and cruel in some ways as the empire is. It’s supposed to be a democracy where people are equal and free, and yet they don’t seem any safer or free from inappropriate use of power. I also don’t know why the cazadores are the way they are or what life looks like for most people in this world. I couldn’t figure out how the government is run, which seems like a pretty important detail if we’re supposed to discover how bad this regime really is.

Ximena is an intensely frustrating main character. She’s supposed to change her mind throughout the book, but it is so mind-numbingly slow. She sees example after example of the cazadores being awful and wrong and she flat-out refuses to change her mind. Her character arc of why she wants so badly to become a cazadore also falls flat when her backstory is revealed. It just doesn’t make sense. She’s so hopelessly stubborn until she has to change her mind for plot reasons. She also has a terrible attitude and is awful to people. She also doesn’t really have character growth.

Similarly, the romance is weak. He’s a nepo baby bully who cares about nothing but somehow decides he’s wildly in love with her, in spite of her aforementioned stubbornness. I have no idea why these two change their mind about each other. I have no idea why Ximena doesn’t stick to her morals and turn him in over and over again. At least Dante shows slightly more of a nuanced character than Ximena even if it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

I also didn’t like some of the writing itself. The random Spanish felt like it was more for color than anything else. The timeline doesn’t completely make sense (how is she being bullied by Dante the whole time in the same classes if she’s skipping years constantly?) There were descriptions of things that didn’t entirely make sense. There were some issues with how disabilities were portrayed, and I was troubled by the only people who were not white being described as being uncivilized.

Generally, the characters were annoying and irredeemable. The world systems don’t make sense. The writing had some issues. Overall, this book could have used another few drafts before it was fully developed. I wish it had been as fun as the cover had made it look.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my honest review of the book.

Apparently this author is a Z!onist and I will not be leaving a review for this book but refuse to let my ratio get messed up!

Thank you for sending me a copy but i will pass.

Capitana by Cassandra James was full of adventures.
A pirates, rivals-to-lovers deliverers an adventurous journey.
This YA pirate fantasy has engaging characters and merit me intrigued till the end.

a pirate revenge story, i initially requested this book thinking it would be a fun adventure story. unfortunately i ended up regretting that decision. i tried reading this book, but could not get into it, despite initially looking forward to reading it. it also turns out that the author is apparently a z!onist and has very questionable political views, which made me want to read it even less. overall, not an enjoyable story and not something i would recommend.

i received a copy of this book to review from netgalley and the publisher.

genres: fantasy, adventure, young adult, historical fiction

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this swashbuckling tale. Of course, it truly gets good right at the end. The book has several strong females on both the side of the law and the side of piracy. If you love Pirates of the Carribean, you might find some similarities. I especially loved stretching my Spanish vocabulary with words and phrases that were sprinkled in. Don’t worry if you don’t know Spanish! The author added translations in for most and others are similar enough to English that you should be able to understand most.

Ximena Reale is determined to become a Cazadora, devoting her life to hunting pirates and upholding law in the Luzan Empire. She knows it won’t be easy—haunted by the betrayal and execution of her parents, famed cazadors-turned-pirate, it will take a miracle to overcome the traitorous Reale name. When legendary pirate Gasparilla attacks the Empire and captures its queen, Ximena finally gets the chance to prove herself and earn her place as a Cazadora—but can Ximena’s belief in her cause survive the journey, or is piracy truly in her blood?

I love a good pirate story and was excited by Capitana’s premise, but simply couldn’t look past its unlikeable main character. Ximena is mean, lacks empathy, and consistently fails to acknowledge the Empire’s obvious cruelty. Though I often enjoy imperfect protagonists, Ximena has no “save the cat” moment to humanize her, and between her unkindness and love interest Dante’s near-constant inebriation, it’s difficult to find anyone to genuinely root for.

Plot-wise, Capitana is fairly predictable. Ximena’s journey from black-and-white morality to a more complex worldview functions as a story but isn’t revolutionary, and though certain twists were surprising (if not wholly believable), they aren’t enough to save an otherwise formulaic narrative. The romance is similarly lackluster, and while the pirate vs. pirate hunter dynamic James sets up for the sequel will perhaps be more compelling, I personally won’t be continuing the series to find out.

NOTE: While I am immensely grateful to the publisher for the chance to read and review Capitana, the author holds views that I personally do not feel comfortable supporting. As such, I have made the decision to refrain from posting my review on social media.

Ximena is trained to fight pirates after discovering that her parents were once respected pirate hunters that turned to pirating. She goes on a mission for queen and country and discovers that everything she was taught is a lie.

Overall, the book was fine. I found myself not caring through most of the book. The writing was reminiscent of college papers I've written. Not exactly what I want when reading fiction, but not painfully bad. The training didn't really make sense financially or when it came to building trust between candidates. The relationships were not well done. Ximena pretty much does a 180 on all of her relationships after a nightmare. The plot twist didn't make sense. The "fantasy" aspect of this book could have easily been removed and nothing would be changed. Maybe the sequel will take more advantage of the forbidden magic, but I'm not interested in reading it.