What do you think?
Rate this book
Fire Sword and Sea
The real Pirates of the Caribbean were Black, and women! From Vanessa Riley, acclaimed author of Queen of Exiles, comes a sweeping, immersive saga based on the life of the legendary seventeenth-century pirate Jacquotte Delehaye.
The Caribbean Sea, 1675. Jacquotte Delahaye is the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy tavern owner on the island of Tortuga. Instead of marriage, Jacquotte dreams of joining the seafarers and smugglers whose tall-masted ships cluster in the turquoise waters around Tortuga. She falls in love with a pirate, but when he returns to the sea, Jacquotte decides to make her own way. In Haiti she becomes Jacques, a dockworker, earning the respect of those around her while hiding her gender.
Jacquotte discovers that secret identities are fairly common in the chaotic world of seafaring, which is full of outsiders and misfits. She forms a deep bond with Bahati, an African-born woman who has escaped slavery and also disguises herself as a man to navigate the world. They join forces with Dirkje De Wulf, a fearless adventurer who also lives as a man at sea. As Jacques, Jacquotte falls in love with Lizzôa d'Erville, a beautiful courtesan who deals in secrets and sex. While others see their work clothes as a disguise, Lizzôa’s true self is as a woman.
For the next twenty years, Jacquotte raids the Caribbean, making enemies and amassing a fortune in stolen gold. When her fellow pirates decide to increase their profits by entering the slave trade, Jacquotte turns away from piracy and the pursuit of riches. Risking her life in one deadly skirmish after another, she instead begins to plot a war of liberation.
The Caribbean Sea, 1675. Jacquotte Delahaye is the mixed-race daughter of a wealthy tavern owner on the island of Tortuga. Instead of marriage, Jacquotte dreams of joining the seafarers and smugglers whose tall-masted ships cluster in the turquoise waters around Tortuga. She falls in love with a pirate, but when he returns to the sea, Jacquotte decides to make her own way. In Haiti she becomes Jacques, a dockworker, earning the respect of those around her while hiding her gender.
Jacquotte discovers that secret identities are fairly common in the chaotic world of seafaring, which is full of outsiders and misfits. She forms a deep bond with Bahati, an African-born woman who has escaped slavery and also disguises herself as a man to navigate the world. They join forces with Dirkje De Wulf, a fearless adventurer who also lives as a man at sea. As Jacques, Jacquotte falls in love with Lizzôa d'Erville, a beautiful courtesan who deals in secrets and sex. While others see their work clothes as a disguise, Lizzôa’s true self is as a woman.
For the next twenty years, Jacquotte raids the Caribbean, making enemies and amassing a fortune in stolen gold. When her fellow pirates decide to increase their profits by entering the slave trade, Jacquotte turns away from piracy and the pursuit of riches. Risking her life in one deadly skirmish after another, she instead begins to plot a war of liberation.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 2026
158 people are currently reading
9981 people want to read
About the author
Vanessa Riley
43 books1,687 followersI'm Vanessa Riley, and I write Historical Fiction of dazzling multi-culture communities of the 1750s to 1830s, The Revolutionary Years. I write for readers who treasure and share with friends books that showcase women, power, strong sisterhoods, and love.
Web: https://vanessariley.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/vanessarile...
FB: https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRiley...
Web: https://vanessariley.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/vanessarile...
FB: https://www.facebook.com/VanessaRiley...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
they-told-me-to-read-it
August 9, 2025
January 17, 2026
3.5⭐️
Thank you @williammorrowbooks + @librofm for the free finished copy & ALC ♡
link to my review on bookstagram
⚓️ Pirates are often romanticized for their morally grey ruthlessness, brazen risk taking, and general badassery.
🏴☠️ imagine all that and the pirate is a mixed race black woman, a true historical figure.
❤️🔥 Things I loved about this:
♡ the richness of the historical context. the reality of 1600s Caribbean islands, on the verge of slave trading and European pillaging. For crown and country.
♡ the presence of many mixed races characters, those who were passing and those who were viewed as half breeds, and all the complexities therein.
♡ the acknowledgement and normalization of queer relationships and gender identities
♡ sailing by the constellations 🌌 freedom of the open seas, going where the winds blow. the raw beauty and destruction of nature.
It took me a bit to warm up to Jacquotte Delahaye, many of her choices were so hard to fathom. However, in the end I see her wayfaring pirating spirit 🗡️🏴☠️
The first half of the book is a slow build. We learn how Jacquotte became a buccaneer, hiding in plain sight amongst so many men.
And women, as it turns out. There were many climactic moments along the way to a cathartic final showdown.
▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။|• 🎧 I struggled with this one on audio due to the narrator’s accent. I had to switch to the written word. However the songs 🎶 in the audio were quite beautiful.
Thank you @williammorrowbooks + @librofm for the free finished copy & ALC ♡
link to my review on bookstagram
⚓️ Pirates are often romanticized for their morally grey ruthlessness, brazen risk taking, and general badassery.
🏴☠️ imagine all that and the pirate is a mixed race black woman, a true historical figure.
❤️🔥 Things I loved about this:
♡ the richness of the historical context. the reality of 1600s Caribbean islands, on the verge of slave trading and European pillaging. For crown and country.
♡ the presence of many mixed races characters, those who were passing and those who were viewed as half breeds, and all the complexities therein.
♡ the acknowledgement and normalization of queer relationships and gender identities
♡ sailing by the constellations 🌌 freedom of the open seas, going where the winds blow. the raw beauty and destruction of nature.
It took me a bit to warm up to Jacquotte Delahaye, many of her choices were so hard to fathom. However, in the end I see her wayfaring pirating spirit 🗡️🏴☠️
The first half of the book is a slow build. We learn how Jacquotte became a buccaneer, hiding in plain sight amongst so many men.
And women, as it turns out. There were many climactic moments along the way to a cathartic final showdown.
▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||။|• 🎧 I struggled with this one on audio due to the narrator’s accent. I had to switch to the written word. However the songs 🎶 in the audio were quite beautiful.
January 18, 2026
I think we're due for a lady pirate trend and this book should usher us into it! We get an epic journey, beautiful relationships (both platonic and romantic), and incredible insight into life in the Caribbean in the late 1600s. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll learn a lot along the way!
Jacquotte Delahaye is our main character and she's cooking in her father's tavern on Tortuga when we meet her. She aspires for more for herself and her brother and pounces on opportunity when it arises. There are few phases to the story. First, she's cooking for her father and marries a pirate. After being abandoned, she moves and pretends to be a man while doing dock work (and being paid less because she's black). We get a phase during which she's generally safe, living with a new love, a trans woman who gathers intelligence while working as a prostitute. Eventually, life at seas calls and she becomes a pirate and works her way up to captain.
Each phase of this story is fantastic and fast-paced. Pirate crews of the day were diverse and we see that reflected on Jacquotte's boats. Her crew doesn't remain intact and it's a testament to Riley's writing that I was heartbroken when members died in battle.
I was prepared for a sad ending because of the risks Jacquotte took, but was relieved that we got a beautiful, satisfying conclusion.
Jacquotte Delahaye is our main character and she's cooking in her father's tavern on Tortuga when we meet her. She aspires for more for herself and her brother and pounces on opportunity when it arises. There are few phases to the story. First, she's cooking for her father and marries a pirate. After being abandoned, she moves and pretends to be a man while doing dock work (and being paid less because she's black). We get a phase during which she's generally safe, living with a new love, a trans woman who gathers intelligence while working as a prostitute. Eventually, life at seas calls and she becomes a pirate and works her way up to captain.
Each phase of this story is fantastic and fast-paced. Pirate crews of the day were diverse and we see that reflected on Jacquotte's boats. Her crew doesn't remain intact and it's a testament to Riley's writing that I was heartbroken when members died in battle.
I was prepared for a sad ending because of the risks Jacquotte took, but was relieved that we got a beautiful, satisfying conclusion.
October 6, 2025
Fire Sword and Sea is a sweeping tale about a legendary seventeenth-century pirate Jacquotte Delehaye.
From the first page I was engaged in the story and adventure. The plot was fast paced and had lots of twist and turns. i will recommend this book
l
From the first page I was engaged in the story and adventure. The plot was fast paced and had lots of twist and turns. i will recommend this book
l
December 23, 2025
I had very mixed feelings about this book and I couldn't decide what I didn't like about it for the longest time. I think it's the writing style. It's written in first person present tense, but there was a lot of passive voice, and for a fast-paced, action-packed narrative, it dragged quite a bit for me. I also tend to struggle with biopics because sometimes they have a distance to them that I find hard to engage with.
I am in love with the idea of lady pirates though and hope this will be the new lady knights trend of 2026. I will gladly scoop up any lady pirate books I can find.
This book is based on a real-life historical figure, Jacquotte Delahaye, who was a pirate from Tortuga, and I think the book did do a good job at portraying her as a complicated, flawed character. I frequently didn't like her and didn't understand her decisions, but as she was inspired by a real person, I can't fault the narrative for that.
She was not a sparkly pirate. I often found her to be selfish. She treated her crew like family but sacrificed her personal life for adventure, even abandoning her mute brother to a monastery, making her wife work alongside her when she wanted to retire to her garden, or not reuniting with her ex husband because he needed extra care after becoming disabled on his adventures.
I loved that she was fierce, brash and bold, and she was bisexual; her two loves were a pirate captain who abandoned her after a week of marriage to chase adventure and riches, and a trans woman courtesan who joined her on her adventures. I enjoyed the love stories the most in this narrative. I also loved that she hated slavery so much, which drove her to become a pirate; and she wouldn't become a wench or a wife, but wanted to forge her own path. This really showed how hard it was for women at the time.
Wanted to love this more than I did, but it just didn't work for me. More lady pirates though!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I am in love with the idea of lady pirates though and hope this will be the new lady knights trend of 2026. I will gladly scoop up any lady pirate books I can find.
This book is based on a real-life historical figure, Jacquotte Delahaye, who was a pirate from Tortuga, and I think the book did do a good job at portraying her as a complicated, flawed character. I frequently didn't like her and didn't understand her decisions, but as she was inspired by a real person, I can't fault the narrative for that.
She was not a sparkly pirate. I often found her to be selfish. She treated her crew like family but sacrificed her personal life for adventure, even abandoning her mute brother to a monastery, making her wife work alongside her when she wanted to retire to her garden, or not reuniting with her ex husband because he needed extra care after becoming disabled on his adventures.
I loved that she was fierce, brash and bold, and she was bisexual; her two loves were a pirate captain who abandoned her after a week of marriage to chase adventure and riches, and a trans woman courtesan who joined her on her adventures. I enjoyed the love stories the most in this narrative. I also loved that she hated slavery so much, which drove her to become a pirate; and she wouldn't become a wench or a wife, but wanted to forge her own path. This really showed how hard it was for women at the time.
Wanted to love this more than I did, but it just didn't work for me. More lady pirates though!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 6, 2026
No conocía la pluma de Vanessa Riley y me sorprendió gratamente en esta novela histórica que leí por Black Heritage Month,
Aventuras emocionantes que te llevan al Caribe del siglo XVIII. La historia de Miranda "Miri" Stephenson, una joven que se disfraza de hombre para unirse a la Marina Real Británica, es fascinante y llena de acción.
La prosa es envolvente y la documentación me pareció bien investigada.
Los personajes son complejos y creíbles.
La trama es emocionante y llena de giros inesperados.
Una excelente opción para los amantes de la novela histórica y la aventura.
100% recomendado.
Aventuras emocionantes que te llevan al Caribe del siglo XVIII. La historia de Miranda "Miri" Stephenson, una joven que se disfraza de hombre para unirse a la Marina Real Británica, es fascinante y llena de acción.
La prosa es envolvente y la documentación me pareció bien investigada.
Los personajes son complejos y creíbles.
La trama es emocionante y llena de giros inesperados.
Una excelente opción para los amantes de la novela histórica y la aventura.
100% recomendado.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC and Librofm for the ALC!!!
In "Fire Sword, and Sea," Vanessa Riley takes us back to the rugged Caribbean of the late 17th century. The story begins in 1674, following the legendary Jacquotte Delahaye. As a mixed-race woman in Tortuga, Jacquotte rejects the limited life laid out for her and instead carves a path through the dangerous world of seafaring and piracy.
Riley’s writing is incredibly immersive, capturing the grit of the docks and the freedom of the open water. Jacquotte is a fierce and complex lead, and seeing her navigate a world of smugglers and empires is truly captivating.
I'm in love with Black women who are pirates! I hope this becomes a trend in historical fiction because Jacquotte’s story is exactly the kind of representation and adventure I want to see more of.
The plot includes history so rich that I wish I had a physical copy or an ARC so I could have taken notes as I read. I kept wanting to mark down my favorite moments and clues. Needless to say, I still enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good seas saga.
🎧The Audiobook Review🎧
The audiobook is a high energy production, but it does come with a learning curve for the listener. The narrator uses very authentic 17th century Caribbean accents to bring the diverse cast of pirates and sailors to life.
Because the accents are so thick and realistic, I must admit I had to immerse read (following along with the text while listening) to make sure I didn't miss any important details. It required a bit more focus, but it made the world feel much more real.
In "Fire Sword, and Sea," Vanessa Riley takes us back to the rugged Caribbean of the late 17th century. The story begins in 1674, following the legendary Jacquotte Delahaye. As a mixed-race woman in Tortuga, Jacquotte rejects the limited life laid out for her and instead carves a path through the dangerous world of seafaring and piracy.
Riley’s writing is incredibly immersive, capturing the grit of the docks and the freedom of the open water. Jacquotte is a fierce and complex lead, and seeing her navigate a world of smugglers and empires is truly captivating.
I'm in love with Black women who are pirates! I hope this becomes a trend in historical fiction because Jacquotte’s story is exactly the kind of representation and adventure I want to see more of.
The plot includes history so rich that I wish I had a physical copy or an ARC so I could have taken notes as I read. I kept wanting to mark down my favorite moments and clues. Needless to say, I still enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good seas saga.
🎧The Audiobook Review🎧
The audiobook is a high energy production, but it does come with a learning curve for the listener. The narrator uses very authentic 17th century Caribbean accents to bring the diverse cast of pirates and sailors to life.
Because the accents are so thick and realistic, I must admit I had to immerse read (following along with the text while listening) to make sure I didn't miss any important details. It required a bit more focus, but it made the world feel much more real.
January 14, 2026
Thanks to William Morrow for the gifted copy. All opinions below are my own.
This is the story of notorious female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye. It's actually the story of a woman from the Caribbean finding a way to survive, thrive and own her own destiny. Only the last third or so is swashbuckling pirate action. The first third is her childhood and the realities of life on a small island at the center of slave trade and piracy. The middle really focuses on her first brush with a pirate, losing it all and then deciding hiding her gender and becoming a pirate was the life she wanted. I enjoyed every second of it. It's great historical fiction which evolves into an action packed story.
This is the story of notorious female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye. It's actually the story of a woman from the Caribbean finding a way to survive, thrive and own her own destiny. Only the last third or so is swashbuckling pirate action. The first third is her childhood and the realities of life on a small island at the center of slave trade and piracy. The middle really focuses on her first brush with a pirate, losing it all and then deciding hiding her gender and becoming a pirate was the life she wanted. I enjoyed every second of it. It's great historical fiction which evolves into an action packed story.
December 22, 2025
This book was a truly adventurous read. I’ve never read a story about pirates—especially not one centered on a Black female pirate—so it immediately stood out. The main character, Jacquotte Delahaye, was born to an enslaved mother and a French father under French colonial rule. Her mixed identity placed her in a complicated position, shaping how she navigated the world from an early age.
From beginning to end, Jacquotte was brave, determined, and fierce. She knew what she wanted early on. At first, she was willing to compromise her dreams for love, particularly with Captain LeBasque. But once he left, she fully chose herself and pursued her true calling—becoming a filibuster, a pirate, and eventually a captain. She achieved all of that and even found love again.
I really appreciated how research-driven Vanessa Miller is. Because so little information exists about figures like Jacquotte, this historical fiction is carefully built around real facts, with thoughtful storytelling filling in the gaps. Miller did a great job portraying Jacquotte’s strength alongside her regrets, fears, and emotional struggles.
Although Jacquotte was proud of her accomplishments, she was also incredibly hard on herself. She carried guilt over what she lost by choosing her dreams—especially her relationship with her brother, whom she left in the care of monks. Still, she remained deeply committed to her crew, who became her chosen family.
The book also offered strong representation. Women couldn’t own property or command ships during this time, yet Jacquotte defied every expectation. She was a skilled sailor and fighter, quick to identify her enemies’ weaknesses and navigate danger. The story also explored gender and identity through Madame Erville, showing how people in the 1600s often had to disguise themselves to live freely and love who they chose.
While the story dragged a bit in the middle, the character development and reflection made it worth the read. Overall, it was a compelling story about ambition, sacrifice, identity, and the cost of choosing yourself.
From beginning to end, Jacquotte was brave, determined, and fierce. She knew what she wanted early on. At first, she was willing to compromise her dreams for love, particularly with Captain LeBasque. But once he left, she fully chose herself and pursued her true calling—becoming a filibuster, a pirate, and eventually a captain. She achieved all of that and even found love again.
I really appreciated how research-driven Vanessa Miller is. Because so little information exists about figures like Jacquotte, this historical fiction is carefully built around real facts, with thoughtful storytelling filling in the gaps. Miller did a great job portraying Jacquotte’s strength alongside her regrets, fears, and emotional struggles.
Although Jacquotte was proud of her accomplishments, she was also incredibly hard on herself. She carried guilt over what she lost by choosing her dreams—especially her relationship with her brother, whom she left in the care of monks. Still, she remained deeply committed to her crew, who became her chosen family.
The book also offered strong representation. Women couldn’t own property or command ships during this time, yet Jacquotte defied every expectation. She was a skilled sailor and fighter, quick to identify her enemies’ weaknesses and navigate danger. The story also explored gender and identity through Madame Erville, showing how people in the 1600s often had to disguise themselves to live freely and love who they chose.
While the story dragged a bit in the middle, the character development and reflection made it worth the read. Overall, it was a compelling story about ambition, sacrifice, identity, and the cost of choosing yourself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2025
I received a free copy from William Morrow by entering a Goodreads Giveaway.
I really wanted to like this book but didn't. Fast paced, but in an unexciting way. It felt like I was being told about a loose set events revolving around one person. I wasn't living/feeling the story. A lot happens and I was completely detached. It started strong but after the first couple of chapters I lost interest.
I really wanted to like this book but didn't. Fast paced, but in an unexciting way. It felt like I was being told about a loose set events revolving around one person. I wasn't living/feeling the story. A lot happens and I was completely detached. It started strong but after the first couple of chapters I lost interest.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A historical fiction taken in the Caribbean was all I needed to see in order to get my eyes on this ARC anticipated novel. This book was a whirlwind but Vanessa Riley did an amazing job keeping the reader fully engaged in the world she built. It was easy to follow as she took us from land to sea and back. I love when I read a book and the author can transport me to a time period and place without it feeling muddled or overdone. You could visualize and taste the saltwater spray, hear the crackle of fire spreading, and see the various faces of diverse characters we were introduced to throughout the story.
At first when I went through the cast of characters and their alternative names in the introductory pages, I found myself feeling overwhelmed. I mentally started to prepare myself to be confused which hindered me from picking up this read sooner. However, while reading I felt Riley did an excellent job making the characters names and presence easy to follow and remember. Because of this, I feel like there was no need for the list we are first introduced to.
While I wouldn’t necessarily have picked up a book surrounding the theme of piracy, I’m glad I took the risk and engaged with a text outside of my comfort zone. I found myself invested and surprised by Jacquotte Delahaye’s ambitious nature. At the same time, I was angry with Jacquotte a lot. While we saw her grow into herself more through each page, we also saw how she lost herself in other ways. I think that “selfishness” she displayed was truly a double edged sword. If she chose a different path would she really have been better? Or would the embers of her longing be too strong to cool?
I recommend this book to anyone who’s even a little bit curious. The historical aspect of this book makes it even more fascinating knowing it draws on some researched truths.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #FireSwordandSea
Oh, and #JusticeForJosiah !
At first when I went through the cast of characters and their alternative names in the introductory pages, I found myself feeling overwhelmed. I mentally started to prepare myself to be confused which hindered me from picking up this read sooner. However, while reading I felt Riley did an excellent job making the characters names and presence easy to follow and remember. Because of this, I feel like there was no need for the list we are first introduced to.
While I wouldn’t necessarily have picked up a book surrounding the theme of piracy, I’m glad I took the risk and engaged with a text outside of my comfort zone. I found myself invested and surprised by Jacquotte Delahaye’s ambitious nature. At the same time, I was angry with Jacquotte a lot. While we saw her grow into herself more through each page, we also saw how she lost herself in other ways. I think that “selfishness” she displayed was truly a double edged sword. If she chose a different path would she really have been better? Or would the embers of her longing be too strong to cool?
I recommend this book to anyone who’s even a little bit curious. The historical aspect of this book makes it even more fascinating knowing it draws on some researched truths.
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC of #FireSwordandSea
Oh, and #JusticeForJosiah !
February 5, 2026
This book is such a powerful reminder that the real Pirates of the Caribbean were Black and women.Set in 1675, this story follows Jacquotte Delahaye a mixed race daughter of a tavern owner in Tortuga who refuses to accept the small life the world expects from her. Instead of marriage, she chooses the sea and when life forces her hand, she reinvents herself as “Jacques,” a dockworker in Haiti, hiding her gender just to survive in a brutal world built to erase women like her.
What makes this book hit so hard is how fearless Jacquotte is. Such a ICON. I love her. She’s not just fighting for freedom on the water she’s fighting for her right to exist fully. Along the way she forms bonds with other outsiders including Bahati, an African born woman who escaped slavery and she falls into a complicated romance with Lizzôa d’Erville a courtesan who holds her own power in a world of secrets.And when piracy starts sliding into the slave trade Jacquotte doesn’t just disagree She turns away from the easy riches and starts plotting something bigger: a war of liberation.This is absolutely a must read especially for anyone who loves a story led by a strong Black female main character who refuses to be broken, owned, or silenced. Jacquotte is bold, complicated, and unforgettable the kind of heroine we deserve more of. Manifesting this becomes a movie. Because I WAS SAT throughout this whole book. My first by this author but it most definitely won’t be my last.
What makes this book hit so hard is how fearless Jacquotte is. Such a ICON. I love her. She’s not just fighting for freedom on the water she’s fighting for her right to exist fully. Along the way she forms bonds with other outsiders including Bahati, an African born woman who escaped slavery and she falls into a complicated romance with Lizzôa d’Erville a courtesan who holds her own power in a world of secrets.And when piracy starts sliding into the slave trade Jacquotte doesn’t just disagree She turns away from the easy riches and starts plotting something bigger: a war of liberation.This is absolutely a must read especially for anyone who loves a story led by a strong Black female main character who refuses to be broken, owned, or silenced. Jacquotte is bold, complicated, and unforgettable the kind of heroine we deserve more of. Manifesting this becomes a movie. Because I WAS SAT throughout this whole book. My first by this author but it most definitely won’t be my last.
February 8, 2026
Okay but nobody warned me I’d be emotionally invested in a pirate like this. I went in expecting vibes and adventure and came out caring deeply about freedom, legacy, and one very stubborn woman who refuses to shrink.
Jacquotte Delahaye is based on a real life Black woman pirate, which already had me hooked, but it’s the way she’s written that really got me. She’s fierce but soft, grieving but hopeful, powerful without losing her humanity. The story moves at a steady pace at first, but once it picks up, it picks up. Ships, battles, politics, tension, feelings. All of it.
What really worked for me is how much is happening under the surface. Disability rep, queerness, gender roles, colonialism, chosen family, resistance, and none of it feels forced. It just exists naturally in the world. And yes there’s romance and spice, but the heart of this book is purpose and survival and choosing joy anyway.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely.
Would I reread it? Not anytime soon, but I’m genuinely glad I experienced it.
Perfect if you want historical fiction that feels bold, emotional, and quietly powerful.
Jacquotte Delahaye is based on a real life Black woman pirate, which already had me hooked, but it’s the way she’s written that really got me. She’s fierce but soft, grieving but hopeful, powerful without losing her humanity. The story moves at a steady pace at first, but once it picks up, it picks up. Ships, battles, politics, tension, feelings. All of it.
What really worked for me is how much is happening under the surface. Disability rep, queerness, gender roles, colonialism, chosen family, resistance, and none of it feels forced. It just exists naturally in the world. And yes there’s romance and spice, but the heart of this book is purpose and survival and choosing joy anyway.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely.
Would I reread it? Not anytime soon, but I’m genuinely glad I experienced it.
Perfect if you want historical fiction that feels bold, emotional, and quietly powerful.
Read
January 5, 2026Fire Sword and Sea is a powerful and engaging historical novel that blends courage, love, and resilience. The individuals worked to live of their truths, and become who they one themselves to be. They were fearless in times where being black, as well as a woman counted against you.
Vanessa Riley brings her characters to life with strong emotions and rich detail, making the story both inspiring and immersive. The novel explores themes of freedom, identity, and sacrifice while keeping the pace exciting and the stakes high.
Overall, it’s a compelling read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with strong characters and meaningful depth. Thank you Netgalley and Vanessa Riley for this ARC copy.
Vanessa Riley brings her characters to life with strong emotions and rich detail, making the story both inspiring and immersive. The novel explores themes of freedom, identity, and sacrifice while keeping the pace exciting and the stakes high.
Overall, it’s a compelling read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with strong characters and meaningful depth. Thank you Netgalley and Vanessa Riley for this ARC copy.
January 31, 2026
Jacquotte Delahaye, a mixed race woman, wants to be a buccaneer in the Caribbean during the 17th century. She disguises herself as a man and eventually captains her own ship. Author researched much of the book through the character's friendship with Anne Dieu-Le-Veut, a Blanc (white) French woman, whose life was more documented than Jacquotte's. I'm fascinated by this time period of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and liked learning how strong women were also part of pirate culture.
Read
February 4, 2026I smell salt of air
turn another page
crack with wave of wishs
sail to best dream
slave to sea ghost
build my work as castle of sand
wear another life
its dangrus trip
wood of prite
gold of wind
live my dream war
take over many problm step
live to be just me
sail at dangrous way
turn my way and start again
against thee storm
i come to rest my gold
black as hony
turn another page
crack with wave of wishs
sail to best dream
slave to sea ghost
build my work as castle of sand
wear another life
its dangrus trip
wood of prite
gold of wind
live my dream war
take over many problm step
live to be just me
sail at dangrous way
turn my way and start again
against thee storm
i come to rest my gold
black as hony
January 17, 2026
Loved this.
Also, reading this alongside Eduardo Galeano’s OPEN VEINS OF LATIN AMERICA (particularly the chapter on sugar) deepens my understanding.
Also, reading this alongside Eduardo Galeano’s OPEN VEINS OF LATIN AMERICA (particularly the chapter on sugar) deepens my understanding.
February 4, 2026
I will always need more lady pirates in my life. This novel is so well done in terms of setting and the historical context of it. It was fun because I recognized some of the places (thanks Black Sails) and I was curious about where the story would go. The characters were complex in some ways and, while the story was not fast paced, I enjoyed where we went in it.
Read
January 23, 2026DNF - narrative too choppy
October 30, 2025
A big thank you to the author, Netgalley, and William Morrow for providing an ARC in exchange for a review!
This was such a good read!!
I've never read anything by Vanessa Riley but I want to check out more after reading this. The novel is about the late 1600s and the pirate life at the time; it follows the life of Jacquotte Delahaye, a woman of French and Haitian descent. After losing her father in the hostile takeover of his tavern in Tortuga, Jacquotte Delahaye escapes to Haiti with her brother, where she works as a dockhand under the male identity of Jacques.
It's a deeply fascinating delve into the world of Caribbean piracy and how not every pirate was a Jack Sparrow-like figure. Some were escaped slaves from colonized nations, others were puppets of imperial powers like Britain or Spain. It corroborates the notion that many countries sponsored pirates and let them attack their rivals' ships. This was to build their own countries' wealth, as seen in the novel. It also acknowledges the way the slave trade impacted many nations' fortunes, and how even other pirates took part in it for a quick buck.
It's clear that Vanessa Riley is a masterful historian, and I appreciated how much thought went into how she wrote about Jacquotte. She writes about Jacquotte's identity and sexuality with tact and care while adhering to the time period, and while she wrote a disclaimer that the dialogue isn't historically accurate, what she wrote fit naturally with the world. I've noticed that some historical fiction writers struggle with writing about marginalized groups in a way that meshes cohesively with the time period, and I'm glad to see that Riley does not have that issue when writing about LGBT+ folks in this book.
One thing that is wild about the story of Jacquotte Delahaye that I found out after reading this book is that her existence is disputed. I saw some sources say that she did exist and collaborated with many of her fellow pirates, while other sources suggest that Jacquotte was a character created by a French writer in the 1940s. A sobering fact is that the lack of concrete documentation is very common when it comes to the lives of disenfranchised folks from the late 1600s, (systemic discrimination in action via inaction) and so I appreciate Riley for researching as much as possible to stitch a complete narrative of Delahaye's life.
This was such a good read!!
I've never read anything by Vanessa Riley but I want to check out more after reading this. The novel is about the late 1600s and the pirate life at the time; it follows the life of Jacquotte Delahaye, a woman of French and Haitian descent. After losing her father in the hostile takeover of his tavern in Tortuga, Jacquotte Delahaye escapes to Haiti with her brother, where she works as a dockhand under the male identity of Jacques.
It's a deeply fascinating delve into the world of Caribbean piracy and how not every pirate was a Jack Sparrow-like figure. Some were escaped slaves from colonized nations, others were puppets of imperial powers like Britain or Spain. It corroborates the notion that many countries sponsored pirates and let them attack their rivals' ships. This was to build their own countries' wealth, as seen in the novel. It also acknowledges the way the slave trade impacted many nations' fortunes, and how even other pirates took part in it for a quick buck.
It's clear that Vanessa Riley is a masterful historian, and I appreciated how much thought went into how she wrote about Jacquotte. She writes about Jacquotte's identity and sexuality with tact and care while adhering to the time period, and while she wrote a disclaimer that the dialogue isn't historically accurate, what she wrote fit naturally with the world. I've noticed that some historical fiction writers struggle with writing about marginalized groups in a way that meshes cohesively with the time period, and I'm glad to see that Riley does not have that issue when writing about LGBT+ folks in this book.
One thing that is wild about the story of Jacquotte Delahaye that I found out after reading this book is that her existence is disputed. I saw some sources say that she did exist and collaborated with many of her fellow pirates, while other sources suggest that Jacquotte was a character created by a French writer in the 1940s. A sobering fact is that the lack of concrete documentation is very common when it comes to the lives of disenfranchised folks from the late 1600s, (systemic discrimination in action via inaction) and so I appreciate Riley for researching as much as possible to stitch a complete narrative of Delahaye's life.
Read
February 9, 2026DNF ⭐ 2/5
I picked up Fire Sword and Sea expecting a gritty, unflinching historical novel about Jacquotte Delahaye, the legendary mixed-race female pirate in the brutal 17th-century Caribbean. The content warnings for the transatlantic slave trade, rape, violence against women, and more set my expectations high — I braced myself for something dark, harrowing, and deeply engaged with the era's horrors.
Instead, the book delivers a feel-good swashbuckling adventure with empowering vibes: queer romance (including gender-bending elements), sisterhood, anti-slavery rhetoric, and a bisexual métisse heroine who repeatedly triumphs with surprising ease.
Jacquotte speaks constantly of freedom and rails against servitude, yet she embraces possessive "you belong to me / I belong to you" language in her relationships — a paradox that feels unresolved.
Her vulnerable mute brother Josiah is treated as a convenient plot device: he's her "irreplaceable" family motivation at first, but she's quick to leave him with strangers (monks) and barely dwells on the guilt or consequences.
The sensitive themes (slavery, women's oppression, queerness, marginalisation) are name-checked and included for representation, but rarely explored with real depth or lasting emotional impact. Jacquotte faces dangers, but she bounces back resiliently, without recurring nightmares, deep scrupules, or the kind of crushing costs that history would demand. It's uplifting and necessary in its focus on agency and joy for marginalised women, but the heavy content warnings made the relatively light, almost YA-for-adults tone feel mismatched and superficial.
Placing this story in a fully alternate-history world (or marketing it more clearly as a reimagined adventure rather than strict historical fiction) would have suited it far better. As it stands, the dissonance with known historical realities — especially for a woman of colour in that time and place — pulled me out too often.
Correct research shines through in the setting and pirate life details, and the queer representation is refreshing, but overall it prioritises empowerment over nuance. A fun high-seas romp if you're after hope and romance; disappointing if you wanted raw historical grit.
I picked up Fire Sword and Sea expecting a gritty, unflinching historical novel about Jacquotte Delahaye, the legendary mixed-race female pirate in the brutal 17th-century Caribbean. The content warnings for the transatlantic slave trade, rape, violence against women, and more set my expectations high — I braced myself for something dark, harrowing, and deeply engaged with the era's horrors.
Instead, the book delivers a feel-good swashbuckling adventure with empowering vibes: queer romance (including gender-bending elements), sisterhood, anti-slavery rhetoric, and a bisexual métisse heroine who repeatedly triumphs with surprising ease.
Jacquotte speaks constantly of freedom and rails against servitude, yet she embraces possessive "you belong to me / I belong to you" language in her relationships — a paradox that feels unresolved.
Her vulnerable mute brother Josiah is treated as a convenient plot device: he's her "irreplaceable" family motivation at first, but she's quick to leave him with strangers (monks) and barely dwells on the guilt or consequences.
The sensitive themes (slavery, women's oppression, queerness, marginalisation) are name-checked and included for representation, but rarely explored with real depth or lasting emotional impact. Jacquotte faces dangers, but she bounces back resiliently, without recurring nightmares, deep scrupules, or the kind of crushing costs that history would demand. It's uplifting and necessary in its focus on agency and joy for marginalised women, but the heavy content warnings made the relatively light, almost YA-for-adults tone feel mismatched and superficial.
Placing this story in a fully alternate-history world (or marketing it more clearly as a reimagined adventure rather than strict historical fiction) would have suited it far better. As it stands, the dissonance with known historical realities — especially for a woman of colour in that time and place — pulled me out too often.
Correct research shines through in the setting and pirate life details, and the queer representation is refreshing, but overall it prioritises empowerment over nuance. A fun high-seas romp if you're after hope and romance; disappointing if you wanted raw historical grit.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Fire Sword and Sea is the latest historical fiction effort from Vanessa Riley, and while it’s my least favorite craft wise, it still has a lot to offer. I was quite excited to see what she would bring to the story of Jacquotte Delahaye, and I having read another author’s take on her story a year or two ago, I’m so happy that we’ve now reached a point where more than one book about a Black historical figure (aside from the obvious ones) can exist and further broaden the landscape of Black historical fiction.
Jacquotte herself is a compelling figure, and I really enjoyed following Riley’s take on her. I was a bit curious as to how the aspects around her sexuality and gender would be handled, given that Riley has a background in Christian fiction, only pivoting away in recent years. However, she has a lot of compassion for Jacquotte’s identity, so it’s very obvious that she does not align with the mainstream view of many in the Christian fiction community in that regard (with racism also being something that likely alienated her further). She strikes a solid balance of writing about these topics in a way that works for the modern reader, without being too jarring from a historical perspective. As for the pirate element, I love how Riley builds the landscape around Jacquotte, showing how diverse crews often were, something that a lot of popular media often glosses over, despite often being centered around the Caribbean.
Prose wise, the narration does feel a bit distant, despite being in first person present tense. And while I was used to Riley’s epic style that she brings to her historical fiction, I found the pacing a bit slow, especially at first as the story skipped ahead in time every handful of chapters. However, as the story went on, the pirate-related swashbuckling came into play, the story picked up more, and the pacing was tinged with high-action moments.
This was a solid read, and I would recommend it to readers interested in Black historical fiction, especially if you like stories about queer pirates!
Fire Sword and Sea is the latest historical fiction effort from Vanessa Riley, and while it’s my least favorite craft wise, it still has a lot to offer. I was quite excited to see what she would bring to the story of Jacquotte Delahaye, and I having read another author’s take on her story a year or two ago, I’m so happy that we’ve now reached a point where more than one book about a Black historical figure (aside from the obvious ones) can exist and further broaden the landscape of Black historical fiction.
Jacquotte herself is a compelling figure, and I really enjoyed following Riley’s take on her. I was a bit curious as to how the aspects around her sexuality and gender would be handled, given that Riley has a background in Christian fiction, only pivoting away in recent years. However, she has a lot of compassion for Jacquotte’s identity, so it’s very obvious that she does not align with the mainstream view of many in the Christian fiction community in that regard (with racism also being something that likely alienated her further). She strikes a solid balance of writing about these topics in a way that works for the modern reader, without being too jarring from a historical perspective. As for the pirate element, I love how Riley builds the landscape around Jacquotte, showing how diverse crews often were, something that a lot of popular media often glosses over, despite often being centered around the Caribbean.
Prose wise, the narration does feel a bit distant, despite being in first person present tense. And while I was used to Riley’s epic style that she brings to her historical fiction, I found the pacing a bit slow, especially at first as the story skipped ahead in time every handful of chapters. However, as the story went on, the pirate-related swashbuckling came into play, the story picked up more, and the pacing was tinged with high-action moments.
This was a solid read, and I would recommend it to readers interested in Black historical fiction, especially if you like stories about queer pirates!
January 10, 2026
Fire Sword and Sea
Fire Sword and Sea is a sweeping tale that spans over 20 years around the Caribbean. We meet Jacquotte Delahaye as the young daughter of a tavern owner who has a thirst for adventure but like the women in her time, she knows her fate lies with either becoming a wife or a wench.
A series of unfortunate and gruesome events leads to her getting a chance for adventure but at a great cost. She’s forced to leave behind something precious including her family, friends, and even her identity. Over the next 20 something years, she sails and fights with a crew of pirates. She participates in much of what we know about piracy today, but the complexity comes from the relationships she forms along the way as well as the political nature of the dealings of that time. There’s battles and treachery, political maneuvering and risky situations, displays of bravery and even a little heat. If had to describe this book in one word, I would choose resilience. Jacquotte is literally taken through it 😩 Loss after loss, she has so many ups and downs over the years. She experiences both love and loss. She also experiences betrayal and a special kind of kinship. She does all of this while growing stronger and becoming more cunning and resilient. I was truly transported while reading this book. The language took some getting used to but once I did, I was locked in. This is a story that I didn’t know I needed, about people I didn’t know existed. It’s a part of history that isn’t discussed nearly enough. I was super fascinated and I think you will be too. Certain phases of her life are a little more interesting than others but I felt that the story flowed really well and kept me intrigued. I did an immersive read with both the physical/ebook and audio. This made for a truly engaging reading experience. Highly recommend!
Thank you to the publisher for my advanced reading copy.
Fire Sword and Sea is a sweeping tale that spans over 20 years around the Caribbean. We meet Jacquotte Delahaye as the young daughter of a tavern owner who has a thirst for adventure but like the women in her time, she knows her fate lies with either becoming a wife or a wench.
A series of unfortunate and gruesome events leads to her getting a chance for adventure but at a great cost. She’s forced to leave behind something precious including her family, friends, and even her identity. Over the next 20 something years, she sails and fights with a crew of pirates. She participates in much of what we know about piracy today, but the complexity comes from the relationships she forms along the way as well as the political nature of the dealings of that time. There’s battles and treachery, political maneuvering and risky situations, displays of bravery and even a little heat. If had to describe this book in one word, I would choose resilience. Jacquotte is literally taken through it 😩 Loss after loss, she has so many ups and downs over the years. She experiences both love and loss. She also experiences betrayal and a special kind of kinship. She does all of this while growing stronger and becoming more cunning and resilient. I was truly transported while reading this book. The language took some getting used to but once I did, I was locked in. This is a story that I didn’t know I needed, about people I didn’t know existed. It’s a part of history that isn’t discussed nearly enough. I was super fascinated and I think you will be too. Certain phases of her life are a little more interesting than others but I felt that the story flowed really well and kept me intrigued. I did an immersive read with both the physical/ebook and audio. This made for a truly engaging reading experience. Highly recommend!
Thank you to the publisher for my advanced reading copy.
January 27, 2026
An advance copy of the audiobook was provided to me for free by the publisher.
Both an epic adventure and an intimate portrait of a woman determined to live beyond society’s limits, Fire Sword & Sea by Vanessa Riley belongs at the top of your reading list. Inspired by the life of Jacquotte Delahaye, the story plunges readers into the golden age of Caribbean piracy as Jacquotte risks everything to pursue her dream of becoming a buccaneer, even if it means disguising herself as a man to survive in a world that was never meant to include her.
What I loved most about Jacquotte’s story was her relentless determination to carve out a life beyond the rigid boundaries of gender, race, and class. Her journey is shaped by profound loss and sacrifice, and Riley beautifully balances Jacquotte’s reflective moments, where she questions whether relative freedom is worth its cost, with pulse-pounding sea battles and daring voyages that keep you immersed in her world. The contrast between Jacquotte’s strength and her vulnerability made her feel deeply human, and I was completely captivated by her fight to claim agency in a world designed to deny it. I’m so grateful to have learned about this remarkable and almost forgotten historical figure through Riley’s vivid storytelling.
🎧 Audiobook Commentary:
Narrated by Robin Miles, the audiobook is a must-listen. Her performance elevates both the emotional depth and the action-packed intensity of Riley’s prose. She shifts seamlessly between a multitude of accents, including Caribbean, French, Dutch, and more, fully immersing you in Jacquotte’s world and the many people that surround her. I highly recommend reading with both the audiobook and a physical or digital copy so you can savor and highlight Riley’s powerful prose.
✨ If you love fierce heroines, high-seas adventure, and stories about women who refuse to be erased, Fire Sword & Sea should be at the top of your reading list!
Both an epic adventure and an intimate portrait of a woman determined to live beyond society’s limits, Fire Sword & Sea by Vanessa Riley belongs at the top of your reading list. Inspired by the life of Jacquotte Delahaye, the story plunges readers into the golden age of Caribbean piracy as Jacquotte risks everything to pursue her dream of becoming a buccaneer, even if it means disguising herself as a man to survive in a world that was never meant to include her.
What I loved most about Jacquotte’s story was her relentless determination to carve out a life beyond the rigid boundaries of gender, race, and class. Her journey is shaped by profound loss and sacrifice, and Riley beautifully balances Jacquotte’s reflective moments, where she questions whether relative freedom is worth its cost, with pulse-pounding sea battles and daring voyages that keep you immersed in her world. The contrast between Jacquotte’s strength and her vulnerability made her feel deeply human, and I was completely captivated by her fight to claim agency in a world designed to deny it. I’m so grateful to have learned about this remarkable and almost forgotten historical figure through Riley’s vivid storytelling.
🎧 Audiobook Commentary:
Narrated by Robin Miles, the audiobook is a must-listen. Her performance elevates both the emotional depth and the action-packed intensity of Riley’s prose. She shifts seamlessly between a multitude of accents, including Caribbean, French, Dutch, and more, fully immersing you in Jacquotte’s world and the many people that surround her. I highly recommend reading with both the audiobook and a physical or digital copy so you can savor and highlight Riley’s powerful prose.
✨ If you love fierce heroines, high-seas adventure, and stories about women who refuse to be erased, Fire Sword & Sea should be at the top of your reading list!
February 3, 2026
At its heart, Fire Sword and Sea is a story about legacy—who gets to claim it, who is erased from it, and what it costs to fight for a place in a world that has already decided you don’t belong.
What struck me first was how confidently this book blends adventure with emotional weight. There are duels, magic, danger, and political tension, but none of it exists just to dazzle. Every conflict feels rooted in identity, history, and consequence. The stakes aren’t abstract. They’re personal. Survival here isn’t just about staying alive; it’s about refusing to be diminished.
The protagonist’s journey carries a quiet intensity. Strength in this book isn’t loud or effortless. It’s earned through endurance, restraint, and moments of very human doubt. Power comes with responsibility, and bravery is often paired with fear. I appreciated that the story allows its characters to be conflicted without making them weak. Their choices feel heavy because they should.
The worldbuilding is vivid without being overwhelming. Cultures, politics, and magic are woven naturally into the narrative rather than explained at length. You feel the weight of history pressing in from all sides, especially in how the past shapes present danger. The sea, the sword, and the fire all feel symbolic as well as literal—forces that test, protect, and destroy in equal measure.
What stayed with me most was the sense of defiance running beneath the story. This book doesn’t ask for permission. It insists on presence. On being seen. On claiming space in a genre that too often sidelines voices like these. That insistence gives the story an emotional charge that goes beyond the plot.
By the end, I didn’t feel swept away so much as grounded.
Grounded in the cost of resistance.
In the necessity of hope, even when it’s fragile.
This is an adventure with teeth.
With heart.
With purpose.
And it leaves you thinking not just about who survives—but about who gets remembered.
What struck me first was how confidently this book blends adventure with emotional weight. There are duels, magic, danger, and political tension, but none of it exists just to dazzle. Every conflict feels rooted in identity, history, and consequence. The stakes aren’t abstract. They’re personal. Survival here isn’t just about staying alive; it’s about refusing to be diminished.
The protagonist’s journey carries a quiet intensity. Strength in this book isn’t loud or effortless. It’s earned through endurance, restraint, and moments of very human doubt. Power comes with responsibility, and bravery is often paired with fear. I appreciated that the story allows its characters to be conflicted without making them weak. Their choices feel heavy because they should.
The worldbuilding is vivid without being overwhelming. Cultures, politics, and magic are woven naturally into the narrative rather than explained at length. You feel the weight of history pressing in from all sides, especially in how the past shapes present danger. The sea, the sword, and the fire all feel symbolic as well as literal—forces that test, protect, and destroy in equal measure.
What stayed with me most was the sense of defiance running beneath the story. This book doesn’t ask for permission. It insists on presence. On being seen. On claiming space in a genre that too often sidelines voices like these. That insistence gives the story an emotional charge that goes beyond the plot.
By the end, I didn’t feel swept away so much as grounded.
Grounded in the cost of resistance.
In the necessity of hope, even when it’s fragile.
This is an adventure with teeth.
With heart.
With purpose.
And it leaves you thinking not just about who survives—but about who gets remembered.
January 18, 2026
I love historical fiction, especially when it introduces me to fascinating subjects like female filibusters, buccaneers, and pirates.
This captivating fictional account delves into the life of Jacquotte Delahaye, a real-life pirate from the Caribbean. Jacquotte, the mixed-race daughter of a formerly enslaved woman and a Frenchman, embarked on a journey from cooking in her father’s tavern to seeking a greater purpose. Her love for a pirate named Michel led her to marry him, only for him to abandon her. Believing him dead, she moved to Haiti after her father’s passing and adopted the identity of Jacques, a dockworker. There, she crossed paths with a courtesan named Lizzoa. She eventually found herself becoming a pirate herself, captaining her own ship and crew.
The book sheds light on the historical context of the prevalence of African slaves, driven by the wealth generated from sugar production. It explores the role of the church in purchasing and utilizing slaves to expand its influence. The narrative also delves into the complexities of love between gay and transgender characters, highlighting the challenges faced by women in a society where they were not permitted on ships and faced severe consequences for their presence.
While the book may have a slower pace in the middle, it compensates by allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the lives of its diverse characters. Overall, I enjoyed it.
This captivating fictional account delves into the life of Jacquotte Delahaye, a real-life pirate from the Caribbean. Jacquotte, the mixed-race daughter of a formerly enslaved woman and a Frenchman, embarked on a journey from cooking in her father’s tavern to seeking a greater purpose. Her love for a pirate named Michel led her to marry him, only for him to abandon her. Believing him dead, she moved to Haiti after her father’s passing and adopted the identity of Jacques, a dockworker. There, she crossed paths with a courtesan named Lizzoa. She eventually found herself becoming a pirate herself, captaining her own ship and crew.
The book sheds light on the historical context of the prevalence of African slaves, driven by the wealth generated from sugar production. It explores the role of the church in purchasing and utilizing slaves to expand its influence. The narrative also delves into the complexities of love between gay and transgender characters, highlighting the challenges faced by women in a society where they were not permitted on ships and faced severe consequences for their presence.
While the book may have a slower pace in the middle, it compensates by allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the lives of its diverse characters. Overall, I enjoyed it.
January 22, 2026
Thank you @williammorrowbooks for the free book! #EpicTastemakers #williammorrowbooks #williammorrow #FireSwordAndSea
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 & 𝐒𝐞𝐚
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
3.5★
This was the second historical fiction novel I’ve read that was based on the real life of Jacquotte Delehaye, a seventeenth-century Black female pirate. It’s a book about secret identities, as Jacquotte decides she must make her own way and becomes Jacques, and soon earns the respect of those around her while concealing her gender. Soon, she learns that secret identities are common in the world of seafaring. This book is so much more than just a pirate out at sea. It looks at identity and resilience. While there are some action scenes at times, there is a lot of character growth between the pages. I appreciated how gender identity was normalized in the book.
It was hard to like Jacquotte at times. I did not always agree with her choices and it made it a little difficult to get through the book at times. With that said, I loved the historical context and pushed that aside because of how well-researched this book was and really appreciated how everything wrapped up in the end.
🗡️Based on the Life of Jacquotte Delehaye
🗡️17th Century
🗡️Forbidden Love
🗡️Sisterhood
🗡️Secret Identities
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 & 𝐒𝐞𝐚
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐲
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
3.5★
This was the second historical fiction novel I’ve read that was based on the real life of Jacquotte Delehaye, a seventeenth-century Black female pirate. It’s a book about secret identities, as Jacquotte decides she must make her own way and becomes Jacques, and soon earns the respect of those around her while concealing her gender. Soon, she learns that secret identities are common in the world of seafaring. This book is so much more than just a pirate out at sea. It looks at identity and resilience. While there are some action scenes at times, there is a lot of character growth between the pages. I appreciated how gender identity was normalized in the book.
It was hard to like Jacquotte at times. I did not always agree with her choices and it made it a little difficult to get through the book at times. With that said, I loved the historical context and pushed that aside because of how well-researched this book was and really appreciated how everything wrapped up in the end.
🗡️Based on the Life of Jacquotte Delehaye
🗡️17th Century
🗡️Forbidden Love
🗡️Sisterhood
🗡️Secret Identities
January 25, 2026
“Every day offers two chances to succeed, two opportunities to get things right. If you keep striving, you’re bound to win—or at least find peace within yourself.”
Fire Sword and Sea is a fast-paced, first-person historical biopic of pirate Jacquotte Delahaye, following her from childhood through her life on Caribbean waters. Riley’s research is clear (and her author’s note is excellent), and the way disability, sexuality, and gender are woven into the story felt genuinely refreshing.
Jacquotte is a fascinating character because she refuses to abandon her convictions, even when doing so costs her dearly. She wants a life of her own making—and she’s willing to fight for it, not just for herself but for those who come after her. The women in this book are especially well drawn; Lizzôa and Bahati were standouts for me.
There’s love, loss, betrayal, sacrifice, action, and reflection here. It’s entertaining without being shallow, emotional without being overwrought, and ultimately inspiring. In a world that constantly asks us to justify what we believe in, this book is a reminder to hold fast to your values and keep going.
Highly recommended if you love historical fiction, care about justice and equality, and want to read about women who take life by the reins.
Fire Sword and Sea is a fast-paced, first-person historical biopic of pirate Jacquotte Delahaye, following her from childhood through her life on Caribbean waters. Riley’s research is clear (and her author’s note is excellent), and the way disability, sexuality, and gender are woven into the story felt genuinely refreshing.
Jacquotte is a fascinating character because she refuses to abandon her convictions, even when doing so costs her dearly. She wants a life of her own making—and she’s willing to fight for it, not just for herself but for those who come after her. The women in this book are especially well drawn; Lizzôa and Bahati were standouts for me.
There’s love, loss, betrayal, sacrifice, action, and reflection here. It’s entertaining without being shallow, emotional without being overwrought, and ultimately inspiring. In a world that constantly asks us to justify what we believe in, this book is a reminder to hold fast to your values and keep going.
Highly recommended if you love historical fiction, care about justice and equality, and want to read about women who take life by the reins.
January 28, 2026
Fire, Sword & Sea
🔥 Overall: 4.0
🌶️ Spice: 2.5
Sis… I thought I was preparing myself for a tragic ending and you’ll just have to read it to see if I was right 👀. This one? Whew. It was a ride. High seas, high stakes, and high emotional payout.
You’ve got Jacquotte Delahaye, a real-life Black woman pirate, fighting for her people’s freedom in the Caribbean and somehow navigating grief, legacy, and survival without ever letting go of her joy or justice. The pacing is a slow simmer in places, but when it takes off? It’s got wind in the sails and fire in the bones.
What I loved? This story is layered. Gender, disability, queerness, resistance, and power it’s all there without feeling like a checklist. You don’t just read Jacquotte you root for her, yell at her, cry with her, and want her to win. There’s love, there’s loyalty, and there’s loss. but Vanessa Riley doesn’t make it trauma porn. It’s history, it’s heart, it’s us.
Perfect if you want your historical fiction with a sword, some spice, and a whole lot of soul.
💥 Would I recommend it? Yes.
📖 Would I read it again? Probably not soon, but I’m glad I read it.
💡 Best read when you’re feeling bold—or need a reminder that you are.
🔥 Overall: 4.0
🌶️ Spice: 2.5
Sis… I thought I was preparing myself for a tragic ending and you’ll just have to read it to see if I was right 👀. This one? Whew. It was a ride. High seas, high stakes, and high emotional payout.
You’ve got Jacquotte Delahaye, a real-life Black woman pirate, fighting for her people’s freedom in the Caribbean and somehow navigating grief, legacy, and survival without ever letting go of her joy or justice. The pacing is a slow simmer in places, but when it takes off? It’s got wind in the sails and fire in the bones.
What I loved? This story is layered. Gender, disability, queerness, resistance, and power it’s all there without feeling like a checklist. You don’t just read Jacquotte you root for her, yell at her, cry with her, and want her to win. There’s love, there’s loyalty, and there’s loss. but Vanessa Riley doesn’t make it trauma porn. It’s history, it’s heart, it’s us.
Perfect if you want your historical fiction with a sword, some spice, and a whole lot of soul.
💥 Would I recommend it? Yes.
📖 Would I read it again? Probably not soon, but I’m glad I read it.
💡 Best read when you’re feeling bold—or need a reminder that you are.
February 5, 2026
I found Fire Sword and Sea through the Millions and Edioak Reader Program, and this book feels like a bold fantasy adventure packed with danger, emotion, and high-stakes momentum.
What stood out most is the atmosphere. It has that classic epic-fantasy energy where the world feels vast and unpredictable, but the story still stays personal through the characters. The action is intense, but it never feels empty. Every conflict carries emotional weight, and every choice feels like it could change everything.
The world-building is immersive, with strong mythical elements that give the story a rich texture. The sword-and-sea theme creates a unique vibe, blending battle intensity with exploration and survival. It feels cinematic, like something built for a big-screen adaptation.
The pacing stays strong throughout, and the plot has enough twists to keep you locked in without becoming confusing. The characters also feel driven by purpose, not just plot convenience, which makes the journey satisfying.
This book delivers adventure with impact.
Not just magic and war, but real consequence.
A gripping fantasy read for anyone who enjoys epic journeys, powerful stakes, and an immersive world.
What stood out most is the atmosphere. It has that classic epic-fantasy energy where the world feels vast and unpredictable, but the story still stays personal through the characters. The action is intense, but it never feels empty. Every conflict carries emotional weight, and every choice feels like it could change everything.
The world-building is immersive, with strong mythical elements that give the story a rich texture. The sword-and-sea theme creates a unique vibe, blending battle intensity with exploration and survival. It feels cinematic, like something built for a big-screen adaptation.
The pacing stays strong throughout, and the plot has enough twists to keep you locked in without becoming confusing. The characters also feel driven by purpose, not just plot convenience, which makes the journey satisfying.
This book delivers adventure with impact.
Not just magic and war, but real consequence.
A gripping fantasy read for anyone who enjoys epic journeys, powerful stakes, and an immersive world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews