Listen, you tell me "badass queer lady pirate" and I am THERE. And the cover? Gorgeous.

Unfortunately, I was also told "Ballad" and therefore expected a more literary, perhaps poetic writing style. What I got was short, simple sentences. Which is fine, but not what I was hoping for. The action scenes were well done, the emotion and character not as much. I'm a character reader so for me, it was lacking. Someone who cares for plot more than character will probably enjoy this more than I did.

The author said she wanted to feel out the story of a black woman who improbably won the hearts and loyalty of a pirate crew. Which again, I love the idea of, but there wasn't much winning of hearts in this story. Even the romance was barely there and happened without feeling. It was more winning of fights and having an opinion and then suddenly everyone was on her side. I don't know. I just hoped for more and feel a bit let down by the promise of such an exciting premise with a thoroughly mediocre delivery. I also feel let down by the listicle that got me super hyped for this book as an exciting upcoming release.w/show/6040164847

I tend to be a sucker for pirate tales with strong lasses at the helm. The story itself is a bit repetitive, but I found it quite the adventure. The protagonist took care of business, and is very efficient about keeping the story moving. I love pirate stories as a general rule, but it's always special when you unexpectedly find yourself immersed in a story that builds its world around diverse cast of characters on all fronts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained and I loved the storyline. Thank you for the ARC.

"Jacquotte, you in danger girl!" -This was basically me most of the book.

Thank you to Atria Books for an advanced readers copy of, "The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye" in exchange for my independent thoughts and feedback.

Literally, from pretty much the beginning of this dazzling and harrowing odyssey Jacquotte finds her self in mess after mess, by no fault of her own may I add. You see, there is this running theme throughout life about women's place in history and our society and well as hard she may or may not try Jacquotte will not have it and I lived for every second of it. Of her defying what was expected of her during the time of this story. She will do what she wants, live how she wants, and so be it. Now no one said it would be easy. But if Jacquotte has anything to do with it, it will be done!

This tale is set in the islands, seas and coasts of the Caribbean during the 17th century. You quickly learn about the different caste systems during this period and that between the Spaniards, French, and English, if you aren't European you don't have much of a say in the way of life.

I loved the premise of this book and the author did an amazing job with the Character development. Though as expected some artistic liberties appear to have been used overall it was a fun ride. For me the mark of a great book is when you can get lost and immersed in not just the story but the setting, the characters and for me I got that while reading TBOJD. I basically timetraveled to witness what a pirates life may have been and most importantly felt like. The narrative also provides a humanization of them that helps to maybe explain some of the reasons why some may have turned to this life of "crime."

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to try something different. I enjoyed it and felt like I learned something new. There are elements of history, suspense, adventure and romance. I would like to caution there are some gore elements as there are amazing fight sequences illustrated through the writing.

I think this book is for a lot of people, but ultimately it just wasn’t really for me. I actually didn’t manage to finish this, I only got about 40% of the way through before my NetGalley ARC expired. To be honest, I think a lot of that is just the genre. I enjoy historical fiction, I just realized reading this that I don’t really enjoy the kind that has like, sword fights and treason. If you are someone who enjoys your historical fiction with a side of action, and is intrigued by the concept of a biracial lesbian female pirate, I’d say you should check this out! Be warned that it takes awhile to get to the pirate part though (I stopped reading before any real pirate exploits began).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

At no point in this book did I know where it was going, in the best way. Historical fiction is not my comfort genre, so I was a bit unsure going into it, but the book did an excellent job keeping me engaged throughout. Loved the found family aspect -- the characters were a lil Mary Sue at times but very likeable and easy to root for.

Retelling real people's lives can feel iffy sometimes, but this story felt more like it was borrowing from Jacquotte Delahaye's life than trying to rewrite it. Overall, a solid debut!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a swashbuckling adventure. I like the fact that it is based on a real woman and appreciate the research that was done. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a wild adventure of pirates in the Caribbean like no other with a captain that is strong, brave and daring.

Jacquotte, a shipwright from Yáquimo, Santo Domingo, had been living a peaceful life with her French father and little brother. Her Haitian mother passed earlier from health issues. Jacquotte was dark-skinned mulatto that was looked down upon like a slave. Yet, she was free and hadn’t valued it until she found out the background of her parents.

In the mid 1600s, there was a battle for control and her once childhood friend took over as governor. She had to escape as he was ruthless killing her father in front of her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to become property of a man. Afterall, she was in love with a woman. With her skills, she could be a crew member of a pirate ship. She had to act quickly.

The author, Briony Cameron, knows how to tell a good story. She has a vivid imagination that brings characters to life in the days when pirates were known to attack ships and take the treasures of gold and silver after deadly sword fights. While the pirates could be merciless taking off limbs and fingers, it’s not too gruesome to stomach. Parts are a little hard to believe but it’s fun with a strong female presence. It wraps up with a satisfying ending.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy with an expected release date of June 4, 2024.

Briony Cameron's The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is a brutal, beautiful, brilliant what-if historical novel about the mythical queer disabled Black female pirate Jacquotte Delahaye. I'm not sure there's any greater selling point than that fact. There's never been a novel like this before. And it's clear Cameron takes that seriously. Cameron's interpretation of Delahaye's story takes place in three parts, all of them full of action, intrigue, and romance — but, wonderfully, Cameron doesn't shy away from the misogyny, racism, and homophobia Delahaye personally encounters. She also doesn't shy away from the horrors of colonialism. There are also lifelong repercussions to Delahaye's lifestyle; this isn't a high seas fantasy book. Cameron's aims so high with her debut novel and she accomplishes basically everything she clearly set out to do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

Well done if disturbing & violent. They’re 1700-century pirates, what you gonna do?

The novel is based on a historical character; god rest her soul. They were violent times especially for a Black lesbian woman; yet Jacquotte, she fights, she conquers.

Yes, you can count this as an #ownvoices by a queer, disabled author. Check, check if you try to keep track of those things.

The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is a fictional interpretation of the life of a relatively unknown female pirate of the mid 17th Century. The book opens on her life on Hispaniola as a shipwright, but things quickly go awry and she ends up fleeing the island with her brother and friends, and becomes indentured to a cruel pirate, Captain Blackhand. The book follows how she becomes a pirate Captain in her own right from there.
For me, I'm honestly having a difficult time rating this one because I just didn't like this book, but it feels a bit unfair to rate it 2 stars. Right off the bat, this title is a misnomer, as the writing was neither lyrical nor all that poetic. The writing itself would be my primary complaint as it just felt choppy, uneven, and undeveloped. From there, the premise could have been interesting but it just didn't feel authentic to the time period and verged more on fantasy than history. I'm typically a very fast reader, but this book took me 5 days to finish just because it did not hold my interest long enough to become invested in finishing it.
So, with all that in mind, I do feel I have to rate it 2.5 stars but will round up to 3. It's possible that I went into reading this book in too critical a frame of mind and others may enjoy it, even knowing that it's not accurately portraying the time period, etc.
Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

When I saw the word Pirate in the description I immediately requested the arc and I was so happy when I received it. I don't think I've ever read a book about a queer black female pirate, and I hope Jacquotte isn't the last. They way this story is written I wouldn't be surprised if it was adapted for a movie or mini series in the future.

Who doesn’t want to read a book about a female pirate? Briony Cameron’s The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is a fictionalized imagining of a real life historical figure, and she brings out all the bells and whistles to bring Jacquotte to life. A mulatto woman, Jacquotte has a life that’s better than it is for most people during her time, not just women or Black women. She has a job she’s passionate about, has friends and a brother that care deeply for her, and has never been forced to marry. But all good things must come to an end and so they do for Jacquotte. She realizes the circumstances between her parents were different than she thought, her father has gone from being a drunk to a drunk and a traitor, and there’s even bigger betrayals afoot that end up leading her and her friends into a life of piracy. But, as it turns out, she’s pretty good at that too - if she doesn’t let her desire for revenge consume her. This was really interesting and pretty enjoyable. I tend to start zoning out during battle scenes in just about any medium, and did so here. Just because Jacquotte is a woman doesn’t mean she gets treated like a shrinking violet; some of the scenes are somewhat graphic in their violence. Props to Cameron for picking a unique person to write a book on and creating a story that makes you root for her in a world where the odds were stacked against her. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fantastic, engaging novel perfect for fans of an engaging historical fiction. This didn’t feel feminist in the way that some of the recent mythological retellings have– this wasn’t a limited, white feminism. This was an effortless feminism that came just from telling an authentic and engaging story.
Fans of Black Sails will love this pirate epic. Jacquotte Delahaye solidifies herself as one of the most epic pirates of our time in this tour de force of a novel.

Jacquotte Delahaye is a female pirate. The book was adventurous but a hard read during the first half. Some of it was a little unrealistic. The second half picked up but was still a little difficult to get through. If you like fictional history with dynamic fight scenes, I recommend this book. The author did a good job with the written and laying out the scenes. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC read.

The Run-Down:
"The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye" by Briony Cameron is a gripping, action-packed pirate adventure with a lot of heart, perfect for fans of "The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi."

Review:
In "The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye," Briony Cameron brings to life the legend of Jacquotte Delahaye, a red-haired pirate of the Caribbean in the seventeenth century. Jacquotte lives with her brother and her exiled French father on Hispaniola when she is unwillingly brought into the schemes of the political elite. With her father dead and a warrant out for her arrest, Jacquotte enters a life of piracy alongside her band of loyal friends. Piracy proves itself to be brutal and difficult lifestyle, but it affords Jacquotte the freedom to form new relationships, develop her skills, and pursue the dreams previously withheld from her as a poor, mixed-race woman on a Spanish colony.

This book does what pirate stories do best, which is to deliver a narrative filled to the brim with action, adventure, found family, and a healthy dash of romance. The straightforward three-act structure of the plot makes this book feel a bit like a young adult novel at times, especially with the fade-to-black romantic elements. At the same time, the graphic violence suggests that "The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye" might be geared toward an older audience. Cameron is not afraid to explore darker themes such as racism and domestic violence in this novel, but she balances it out with a plot that unapologetically empowers its main character and her friends.


You might like this book if . . .
• You love pirate adventure stories, strong female characters, and found family
• You enjoy new adult fiction
• You want to read an empowering historical fiction novel with queer and Black representation

You might not like this book if . . .
• You are looking for a more “literary” historical novel
• You aren’t a fan of nonstop action sequences
• You’re a stickler for historical accuracy and want a book that will immerse you in the time period

The storyline was actually vwry interesting, I found myself wondering where it was going, but in a good way. Although at times it felt a little like it was dragging on, however other than that i thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a good read overall.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I’ve been reading more novels lately that include a lot of action and fighting and this one pleasantly surprised me. It had fabulous queer and feminist advocation and representation without being overly preachy, the fights were intense and detailed without being overly gory. I have a very low tolerance level for injuries- so many authors write their characters getting hurt in ways that just seem unbearable and unsurvivable and then write on as if the characters were never hurt in the first place. I was really pleased to see these characters get injured, treat the injuries seriously, and have the injuries not just written off or forgotten about or otherwise presented in a way that just requires absurd amounts of suspended disbelief. While the epilogue ended on a little bit too high of a paradise/perfection note for me, overall I really enjoyed the experience of reading this one.

This novel is a marvelous maiden voyage for a talented debut author. The early chapters detailing Jacquotte's life in Yaquimo were spectacular, reminiscent of the luscious details provided of Caribbean girlhood in Jamaica Kincaid's 'Annie John.' Fans of Celia Rees' 'Pirates' may find familiarity with a character like Jacquotte who displays determination and resilience while falling into a life of piracy due to external events and influences. However, Cameron delivers a refreshing viewpoint in her descriptions of supporting characters and relationships that propel Jacquotte ever forward in her mission to fight oppression and obtain freedom for all members of her motley crew of pirates, while navigating an overwhelmingly colonial world. I'm excited to see more from an amazingly talented author.

“The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye” is technically a historical fiction book by Briony Cameron. I use the word “technically” because there is still a lot of debate over whether Ms. Delahaye actually existed. It’s obvious that Ms. Cameron did as much research as she possibly could about a character who may not exist - and I enjoyed both reading and learning more about this woman. However, I found that there’s a lot of repeated information in this book. The author used a simplistic writing style, which is fine, but this also included some of the dialogue, which I felt was a bit disappointing. However, the action scenes were full of action and made for great reading. I do hope that someone decides to make this into a movie - I think there’s plenty of material in this book for one and I think a visual representation would be fantastic. Overall, a solid book, especially if you enjoy books about pirates! 3.5 star rating overall, bumped up to 4 stars.