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Black Feather Trilogy #1
The Kestrel
An alternate cover for this ASIN can be found here.
When Alexander Cavendish joins the crew of the pirate ship 'The Kestrel', he anticipates glorious adventures on the waves and many victories ahead. However, once at sea he finds his new life doesn't quite turn out as he expected; complications arise with friends and comrades as petty rivalries rear their heads and piracy becomes harder work than he imagined. As he struggles to find his place aboard ship and get the measure of those around him it becomes apparent that many of his closest shipmates are holding onto secrets and the waters are growing murkier by the minute...
But even this seems inconsequential when he finds himself facing the grim realities of life at sea; enemies, bloodshed and a fight for survival.
When Alexander Cavendish joins the crew of the pirate ship 'The Kestrel', he anticipates glorious adventures on the waves and many victories ahead. However, once at sea he finds his new life doesn't quite turn out as he expected; complications arise with friends and comrades as petty rivalries rear their heads and piracy becomes harder work than he imagined. As he struggles to find his place aboard ship and get the measure of those around him it becomes apparent that many of his closest shipmates are holding onto secrets and the waters are growing murkier by the minute...
But even this seems inconsequential when he finds himself facing the grim realities of life at sea; enemies, bloodshed and a fight for survival.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 26, 2016
4 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
F.K. Sewell
6 books15 followers(F. K. Sewell is an alternate pen-name for actor/writer Caspian Faye.)
Caspian was born in West Sussex, has lived in Wexford, Ireland, Cork city, Los Angeles and currently resides in London.
He attended drama school and has a background in acting, with a keen interest in martial arts, weapons training, history and travelling.
When not writing Caspian is most likely to be found at the gym, listening to a spooky podcast, on a beach or drinking large amounts of green tea while reading.
Their favourite genre to write is historical fiction, with a particular interest in anything spooky or the golden age of piracy.
Currently published works:
The Black Feather trilogy (Released 2016/2017)
The Cavendish trilogy (2018-2020) serves as a prequel trilogy, but can be read before or after the first.
Caspian was born in West Sussex, has lived in Wexford, Ireland, Cork city, Los Angeles and currently resides in London.
He attended drama school and has a background in acting, with a keen interest in martial arts, weapons training, history and travelling.
When not writing Caspian is most likely to be found at the gym, listening to a spooky podcast, on a beach or drinking large amounts of green tea while reading.
Their favourite genre to write is historical fiction, with a particular interest in anything spooky or the golden age of piracy.
Currently published works:
The Black Feather trilogy (Released 2016/2017)
The Cavendish trilogy (2018-2020) serves as a prequel trilogy, but can be read before or after the first.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 21, 2017
A vividly descriptive portrayal of Old-Tymey pirate life. Faye does a wonderful job of bringing the reader alongside of Alex and Kitty's adventure on The Kestrel. You get a real sense of the grim, and dirt alongside of the salty sea air and brilliant scenery. The characters, although pirates, are all likeable, you want them to succeed in these harsh conditions. You want Alex to find love, and Kitty to find peace. The side characters are written with a sense of wanting to know their backgrounds more, who is Vesta or Matthew, why is Nathaniel such a proper gentleman even though he's a pirate captain? It's all very compelling, and I'm excited to see where the story goes next.
October 7, 2017
A fantastic read which is fast paced and truly transports you to another world. The depth of all the characters aboard The Kestrel keep you enraptured from start to finish. Aye Cap'n!
February 29, 2016
I was provided an electronic copy of the book in lieu of my honest, unbiased review. For my full review, visit my blog at http://www.theunapologeticnerd.com.
The Kestrel: where True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle meet Pirates of the Caribbean! The Kestrel follows the story of a coming-of-age protagonist, who for all intensive purposes is an outsider (despite some interesting plot twists and shady backstory snippets that keep the reader guessing!). Unlike Charlotte Doyle however, Alex is not a young woman with no sailing experience to speak of - which surprisingly doesn't make his situation on board the Kestrel any easier - and the story is not exactly what I would rate as a PG read. It's a bit darker, a little grittier, with sexual references, etc. Hence the double reference to Pirates of the Caribbean, and the tag of NA historical fiction.
Faye Sewell is an emerging author with considerable acting/modeling experience, and I was very impressed by how well researched her writing was in terms of sailing/nautical terminology. Many new authors - in a mad attempt to break through the mold and snag a significant audience network - become so engrossed in setting up landscape, backstory, and character development that details such as these fall through the cracks. NOT SO with The Kestrel!!
Overall, I would gladly recommend this book to readers, especially for Young Adult/New Adult audiences who are fans of the current sea-faring/pirate/nautical adventure trend that seems to be sweeping literary circles at the moment.
Visit Faye Sewell's website: http://www.fayesewell.com for more information regarding her writing, acting, and modeling career. And keep an eye out for her future release of The Black Feather Trilogy, Book Two (title to be announced)!
I rate this book 3.5/5 stars.
The Kestrel: where True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle meet Pirates of the Caribbean! The Kestrel follows the story of a coming-of-age protagonist, who for all intensive purposes is an outsider (despite some interesting plot twists and shady backstory snippets that keep the reader guessing!). Unlike Charlotte Doyle however, Alex is not a young woman with no sailing experience to speak of - which surprisingly doesn't make his situation on board the Kestrel any easier - and the story is not exactly what I would rate as a PG read. It's a bit darker, a little grittier, with sexual references, etc. Hence the double reference to Pirates of the Caribbean, and the tag of NA historical fiction.
Faye Sewell is an emerging author with considerable acting/modeling experience, and I was very impressed by how well researched her writing was in terms of sailing/nautical terminology. Many new authors - in a mad attempt to break through the mold and snag a significant audience network - become so engrossed in setting up landscape, backstory, and character development that details such as these fall through the cracks. NOT SO with The Kestrel!!
Overall, I would gladly recommend this book to readers, especially for Young Adult/New Adult audiences who are fans of the current sea-faring/pirate/nautical adventure trend that seems to be sweeping literary circles at the moment.
Visit Faye Sewell's website: http://www.fayesewell.com for more information regarding her writing, acting, and modeling career. And keep an eye out for her future release of The Black Feather Trilogy, Book Two (title to be announced)!
I rate this book 3.5/5 stars.
Read
May 3, 2016In The Kestrel, FK Sewell has skilfully delivered an adventurous pirate romp bursting with exhilarating battle scenes, a pacy plot and engaging narrative.
The story follows the adventures of Alex, an orphan of pirates, as he returns to the sea on board The Kestrel as a cabin boy. On land, due to his parentage, he found himself shunned by polite society and so he joined a gang of miscreants and vagabonds. Two of the gang, Kitty and Sam, join him “on account” aboard The Kestrel seeking a life of excitement and freedom having outgrown the confines of small town Barretstowe.
Led by their charismatic captain, Nathaniel and his fiery, tempestuous first mate, Vesta, the three new crew mates are plunged into the deep end of pirate life in a heartbeat and learn that they need to adjust quickly in order to survive. They soon realise that the life of a pirate isn’t all pillage, plunder and rum, and that there’s more to their captain than meets the eye.
As well as an entertaining plot, Sewell has created a layered work of historical fiction that picks at numerous unsavoury social themes of the day. The prevalence of prostitution, ubiquity of homeless street urchins and an unforgiving and cruel penal system are just a few of the commonplace and accepted issues she explores.
If I have a criticism of The Kestrel at all, it is that the crew's enemies, particularly the Vliets, could have had a little more depth. Everyone loves a good, well developed bad guy and I just felt that Sewell could have done more here. By the same token, I have a feeling that one of the peripheral characters who was introduced late in the day could prove to be a worthy and despicable nemesis of Nathaniel through the rest of the series.
I guess I'll just have to wait for the next instalment to find out. And I'm looking forward to it already!
The story follows the adventures of Alex, an orphan of pirates, as he returns to the sea on board The Kestrel as a cabin boy. On land, due to his parentage, he found himself shunned by polite society and so he joined a gang of miscreants and vagabonds. Two of the gang, Kitty and Sam, join him “on account” aboard The Kestrel seeking a life of excitement and freedom having outgrown the confines of small town Barretstowe.
Led by their charismatic captain, Nathaniel and his fiery, tempestuous first mate, Vesta, the three new crew mates are plunged into the deep end of pirate life in a heartbeat and learn that they need to adjust quickly in order to survive. They soon realise that the life of a pirate isn’t all pillage, plunder and rum, and that there’s more to their captain than meets the eye.
As well as an entertaining plot, Sewell has created a layered work of historical fiction that picks at numerous unsavoury social themes of the day. The prevalence of prostitution, ubiquity of homeless street urchins and an unforgiving and cruel penal system are just a few of the commonplace and accepted issues she explores.
If I have a criticism of The Kestrel at all, it is that the crew's enemies, particularly the Vliets, could have had a little more depth. Everyone loves a good, well developed bad guy and I just felt that Sewell could have done more here. By the same token, I have a feeling that one of the peripheral characters who was introduced late in the day could prove to be a worthy and despicable nemesis of Nathaniel through the rest of the series.
I guess I'll just have to wait for the next instalment to find out. And I'm looking forward to it already!
February 20, 2016
I was given this book by the Author to review and give and honest opinion.
This is the first book I have read from F.K. Sewell and it will not be the last. The book starts in the year 1727 with Alex in a room at the top of a derelict Taylors shop looking out of a window.... he can hear the boots of the men coming up the stairs to get to him. What could he have done for this to happen ? We are then taken back to the year 1704 and the start of his adventures on the Kestrel and what he get up to well you will have to read the book to find out. :)
The Kestrel is a book that I found my self lost in the story.... It pulls you in and take you to a place were you can get away from real life for a few hours,
This is a FANTASTIC read and I am very happy to recommend this book. I am looking forward to reading the second book in this Trilogy.
This is the first book I have read from F.K. Sewell and it will not be the last. The book starts in the year 1727 with Alex in a room at the top of a derelict Taylors shop looking out of a window.... he can hear the boots of the men coming up the stairs to get to him. What could he have done for this to happen ? We are then taken back to the year 1704 and the start of his adventures on the Kestrel and what he get up to well you will have to read the book to find out. :)
The Kestrel is a book that I found my self lost in the story.... It pulls you in and take you to a place were you can get away from real life for a few hours,
This is a FANTASTIC read and I am very happy to recommend this book. I am looking forward to reading the second book in this Trilogy.
Read
July 9, 2019'The Kestrel' is the first installment in The Black Feather trilogy and begins the story of Alexander Cavendish, introducing the reader to his new friends and enemies. Oftentimes it is unclear to both us and Alex whom around him falls into which category...
It also continues the adventures of Vesta & Matthew, way beyond their days in The Cavendish Trilogy.
It can be read as a standalone, or after 'The Kestrel' before 'Cresting Waves' and before or after The Cavendish trilogy.
It also continues the adventures of Vesta & Matthew, way beyond their days in The Cavendish Trilogy.
It can be read as a standalone, or after 'The Kestrel' before 'Cresting Waves' and before or after The Cavendish trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews