*Full review to be added closer to publication in December!*

The Light Pirate is a captivating story of the potential fallout and effects of extreme climate change and how it affects the world. Specifically, however, it follows the life of Wanda, a woman named after a hurricane that struck Florida on the day she was born. I have really enjoyed books like The Light Pirate that discuss different possibilities regarding climate change and how the world could be affected, and I think Lily Brooks-Dalton did a really wonderful and careful job of telling a story that was both captivating and somewhat haunting. The story is broken into four parts and follows a few POVs, which really allowed me to get to know and enjoy hearing about experiences from multiple characters. Overall, a great choice for someone interested in futuristic fiction with a strong protagonist.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance opportunity to read The Light Pirate!

This was not what I expected and honestly not my normal genre. With that said I loved it! This book strs with a pretty devastating death, then 2 more under similar circumstances. Wanda is something of an outcast with her peers and is actively bullied. After breaking her fathers rules she is required to go to a babysitter, who happens to be a survivalist. Then tragedy strikes again and Wanda’s life is yet again turned upside down.

How have the skills as a survivalist she learned served Wanda when the unthinkable happens? Can she survive alone? Or will she need to align with her biggest bully’s twin and others?

The Light Pirate took a dystopian turn that I wasn’t expecting, though maybe should have. I really enjoyed the Light Pirate

I received an email from NetGalley that THE LIGHT PIRATE was marked as "read now" for a limited time. I read the synopsis and jumped on the opportunity to read, rate and review this December 2022 release. Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity.

THE LIGHT PIRATE is a dark, emotional, climate disaster dystopian novel that takes place in near future Florida. Wanda is the main character and the book tracks her life from in the womb until old age. This book is heavily character driven (which I love), but if you're more of a plot driven book lover, I'd say skip this one.

Wanda is born in the middle of (and named after) one of the worst hurricanes in Florida's history, Hurricane Wanda. From there, the reader sees how her life in Florida changes as the climate and weather continue to threaten human existence in the state. Her father, Kirby, is a main figure in Wanda's life as is her neighbor-turned-caregiver Phyllis.

This book was difficult to read at times, especially as the summer weather of 2022 continues to wreak havoc throughout the United States (from floods in Indiana to severe droughts in south Texas). Even though it was difficult, it was an impressive story and worthy of the read.

I settled on four stars for this book because the pace felt exceptionally slow at times. I know character driven books tend to move slower than a plot driven or character AND plot driven book, but there were sections of this story that I felt could have been cut or enhanced. Overall, a solid novel that I hope receives the love it deserves come December 2022.

The Light Pirate is an enlightening novel that heightens the awareness of our threatened environment being devastated and constantly changed and eventuality destroyed by hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires, and other acts of nature. Wanda and Phyllis' survival amongst the destruction was amazing and frightening in our age of lifestyles of plenty and wastefulness. Hints of the supernatural and science fiction creep in as this novel makes you ponder what the future could bring.

"Humanity was an ecological disaster. A misstep made by an otherwise magnificently intelligent system of life and death. Evolution could do so much better. Someday, it would."

Prescient and poignant, The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton traverses the life and circumstances of a child born into a world being reclaimed by nature herself. Named for the hurricane that slammed against the coast of Rudder, Florida on the day that she was born, Wanda Lowe will watch the world as she knows it slowly unravel around her as she grows from childhood to adulthood. The cause? Humanity's hubris and insatiety, fueling climate change wrought with devastating weather patterns and rising sea levels.

The Light Pirate is told in 4 parts - power, water, light, and time - each with a differing perspective as fleeting yet forceful as the elements themselves. The untamed and rugged wilderness is used as a backdrop to explore the very human themes of loss, grief, guilt, community, and survival. Brooks-Dalton is a gifted writer and is able to effortlessly interweave alluring imagery and lyrical prose to create moments of aching beauty, despite the bleak, apocalyptic world that she's created. I think what made The Light Pirate so remarkable is that Brooks-Dalton invites her readers to observe the slow demise of Wanda's world, eventually forcing us to confront that we are all active participants in a parallel situation.

This book is a 4.5 rounded down to 4 stars. I felt that there were some loose plot points that were not addressed and the pacing in the middle was a little off, but overall found myself enthralled with the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The Light Pirate will be published on December 6, 2022.

The Light Pirate takes place in Rudder, Florida where Hurricane Wanda makes landfall. I really wanted to like this book and it pulled me in at the beginning but it dragged so much that I had to thrown in the towel at 44%. I’m in the minority with this rating and I’m sure it’s just me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published December 2022.

Hurricane Wanda is coming in because Freda just lost her mother to hurricane poppy she wants to leave and go somewhere safe. Kirby Lowe grew up in Florida and says he knows hurricanes and they’ll be fine. So when the hurricane bears right on top of them his sons go missing and he must leave Freda alone and nine months pregnant and eventually she’ll go into labor and have a baby girl she’ll name Wanda. Yes want to grows up the water gets further and further inland as others leave Wanda adapts. I don’t want to get any more away because I don’t want to give any spoilers, but let me say this book has a lot of inner dialogue first with Wanda’s mom then her dad then Wanda. I felt so sorry for her. She lost her mom she was bullied ET see I do think this was a good book I just can’t get into the story with so much inner dialogue. But once you get past all that it really is a good book. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving thisreview voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the touching scenes, I felt like I could crawl right into that book and feel and experience everything that the author described.
Wanda was named after a terrible hurricane that took her brother and her mothers life. Since that horrible hurricane, Wanda has had to learn all about loss.
Loss of loved ones, loss of home, loss of friends, loss of just about everything.
But its also a story of change, adapting, of overcoming barriers, and finding acceptance.

I loved the lyrical wording of the book and the way that the author would integrate climate change and hope in the book.

I can't wait to read more works from this author.

On coastal Florida, a few decades from now, the infrastructure is falling apart. Most people leave, relocating farther inland. If you stay, you adapt to a new reality of living off the land but on the water. One young woman, born during a hurricane, learns how to thrive and survive making her home with a retired naturalist. This is her story.

This will be one of those books that book lovers will read when it hits the shelves and a book that others will read when it’s being made into a movie. I so enjoyed this book! I am very picky about reading a book, if the first few pages do not pull me in, I am on to the next. There are too many books and not enough lifetimes to read them. This book had me on page one. Such a good story about a girl born at the worst time and what our world may become before we realize it. This was a book I saw as a movie in my head as I read it and those are my favorite. I am not the best at reviewing books and wish I had the words to describe how much I enjoyed it.

The Light Pirate is beautifully written. It is a tale of devastating loss, strength and hope. It is chilling to think this could be a true story about the challenges of climate change. Thank you for my copy Netgalley!

This novel brilliantly intertwines environmental changes, family struggles, societal norms, and survival in the face of near apocalyptic events. As global climate changes wipe out cities and states, those who chose not to flee recreated their worlds. despite loss of home, family and friends, work, and human needs. The basic threads woven through this story of love, and strength over fear not only connect these beautiful stories but inspire hope for the future.

I would like to say thank you to Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for making an electronic copy of The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton available to me to devour. As a fan of 'Station Eleven', this book's description caught my eye and lived up to my expectation. While definitely dystopian in nature, the themes this book explore ring true to life experiences and what we all see occurring in our world and environment today. The limited cast of characters were beautifully shaped and memorable. There are many losses throughout the book but at least two of the characters' old age decline was beautifully detailed and documented leaving me with a smile and joy for their lives. This book will be available December 6, 2022 and I highly recommend it.

I really liked this book. I picked it up because the blurb compared it to Where the Crawdads Sing and Station Eleven and I think those are a good comparison. The book follows Wanda who is named after the hurricane that destroyed her town and killed her mother and brother on the day she was born. The rest of the book follows how storms affect her life, her town and society has a whole. It confronts what could easily become reality when climate change leads to worse and worse storms that slowly eat away cities and put entire states under water. The story is beautifully told and the characters are very real and well realized. And though the book is at times scary because it tells the story of a post apocalyptic world that feels like it very much could be reality someday soon the book isn’t without hope and leaves the reader with the hope that even if civilization fall humanity may still remain intact.

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton is an amazing story of survival, love, and loss. The author weaves a compelling story of life in a rapidly changing world. Wanda is named after the hurricane that pummeled a small town in Florida during her birth. The weather patterns become more and more intense and sea levels keep rising. In spite of Wanda’s personal losses in the ever-changing landscape, she adjusts and adapts to fit the conditions with courage and stamina. This book will make you reflect on our own world as we know it. We don’t know what future generations will experience as we ourselves are affected by climate change. I highly recommend this book for both the story it tells and the poetic language Lily Brooks-Dalton uses to describe the beauty of the natural world.

I've decided that I dislike it when I'm told that a book is for fans of other books, especially when they pick comparison books that I really enjoyed. I liked this book, but I would not say that others will like it if they enjoyed Station Eleven or Where the Crawdad's Sing because there are so many differences. What I loved about those other books is not what I liked about this one. I see similarities between those books and this one, but I feel like it does a disservice to the new book to give it all the expectations of comparing it other books.

I enjoyed reading this book, though I didn't enjoy the second half as much as the first. The magical realism element was interesting I enjoyed thinking about what Wanda's magic means for the future.

Overall, I liked this book but I wish I hadn't gone into it expecting Station Eleven or Where the Crawdad's Sing. I really enjoyed Lily Brooks-Dalton's Goodnight, Midnight and I'll be looking forward to future books she writes.

One of the most eerily prescient dystopian novels I've read to date (and I've read a lot of dystopian novels.) There's no single apocalyptic event...just a slow descent into climate change chaos. I was 20% of the way into the novel before I even realized the dystopia. Add this to your list. It's heartbreaking, sweet, with well developed characters and some of the best relationships I've read in a long time. Just maybe don't read it when it's 110 degrees out or in a hurricane or you might feel like it's a little bit too real.

The Light Pirate, by Lilly Brooks-Dalton, was an interesting and engaging kind of a sci-fi futuristic read, with believable characters, a wonderful plot and dialogue that was just right for moving the story along. The writing is timely, especially in light of our climate catastrophes already encroaching upon us this summer. Wanda is born into a working class family, to a mother struggling with personal issues and a father who makes his living keeping the powers grids operating in escalating times of climate change. Wanda, our protagonist, is born on the crest of Hurricane Wanda, and the author weaves her life story deftly, skillfully and authentically with the global climate crises, rising tides, and destruction and changes these events bring. I think part of what hit me with this narrative, although it’s not really my favorite genre, was that it was so realistic and plausible. It’s actually caused me to do some further research and thinking, not at all a bad outcome from enjoying a fine spot of writing. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this ACR.

This book is an intriguing look at what our world will look like in the not too distant future if climate change progresses on its current path. This will be an excellent choice for book groups as there are many topics to discuss. Wanda's mother dies shortly after giving birth to her in a hurricane and asks that her daughter be named after the storm. She grows up raised by her father who is a lineman for the electrical company, a job that is growing more and more difficult with each storm. Before they can repair the damage from one storm, another arrives to create even more problems. Infrastructure is failing around the country and land is being lost to the ocean. As a single father, Kirby seeks the help of a neighbor in caring for Wanda as she gets older, who turns out to be the key to Wanda's survival in the constantly changing world.

The Light Pirate is a book full of hope and full of destruction. We follow Wanda, who when she was born during a particularly horrific hurricane, is given the name of that hurricane in all its strength. We follow her and her dwindling family through generations as Florida (and indeed the rest of the country), is beset by the vagaries of climate change. Her father, brother, and her brilliant and understanding guide and mentor, Phyllis, eventually die or leave the area. The author's, or more accurately Wanda's descriptions of nature are observant, incisive, and often stunningly beautiful. Through the years, Wanda manages to adapt to and appreciate her tumbling surroundings, and eventually she falls in love, giving us hope for her future.

This book strikes a strong emotional chord that deals with the disharmony and ravages of nature while simultaneously illustrating how a girl grows into adulthood by adjusting to and appreciating her surroundings. Wanda's integration into the environment to which she she has been delivered and her brilliant abilities which help her adjust and thrive and problem solve keep the reader engaged and with a sense of wonder. The characters in The Light Pirate struggle and face the almost insurmountable challenges of climate change, but their headlong movement forward is exhilarating and instructive. I simply didn't want this book to end.

Thank you, Net Galley, for the opportunity to read this