Loved it! I think teens who are looking for non-typical fantasy will find it especially engaging. It's got some great crossover potential and has a searing ending that will make readers beg for the sequel.

I have to be honest I could not get in to the story the writing was all over the place the political view where just not my style I DNF the book. I attempted to get into it over 4 weeks.

“From preparation comes perfection.” This principle guides everything that Ximena Reale does, including executing Captain Salvador Domínguez. He is a pirate guilty of murder and treason, just like her parents, and the only way to wash away the stain on her family is to be the best and to achieve the rank of cazadora. Everything on this day goes without a hitch, except that her sister fails to appear for the execution and for the pirate’s dying words, “¡Viva Gasparilla! ¡Viva la Libertad!”

For every step forward that Ximena achieves toward her goal, her sister demonstrates weakness that threatens it. Like failing to attend the hanging with all the other archivists. Each disobeyance endangers Marquessa, and makes Ximena fear that she will not be able to keep her safe as she promised the day their parents died.

Ximena does not understand why the executed pirate dared to speak such treasonous words, especially since Gasparilla died two centuries ago. He is not and cannot be alive, and yet rumors, roses, and tattoos suggest the impossible. If she can discover where his long-lost stolen treasure and the pirates’ hideout are, she will have all she needs to surmount her parents’ transgressions and attain her dream. With the help of one of the archivists, this is possible, but convincing the admiral without proof positive is highly unlikely . . . until pirates attack the city and kidnap the queen. Then the admiral re-evaluates Ximena’s treasure map, and selects her, as well as the archivist and her nemesis, to pursue the pirates. Going on this mission is her dream, but it also means that she must leave behind her sister who now languishes in prison under a sentence of death. Her only chance to save Marquessa is to return triumphant, but will Ximena do so in time?

Knowing fellow classmate Dante de Léon, he will do his best to prevent her from succeeding. He is her nemesis and gets away with every disgrace possible, but he is also untouchable. She must work for every iota she achieves, whereas he merely needs to smile because his mother is the high minister of Luza. As the most powerful member of the realm aside from the queen, she is the one person who can and will prevent Ximena from attaining her dream.

Capitana is written for ages 14 and up, but even adults will be captivated by this fantasy romance that expertly weaves piratical details, including a mock pirate trial, into a story that asks one essential question: Are you brave enough to fight for the things that are worth fighting for? Ximena Reale has foibles and strengths that enrich her as a character and make us readily identify with her. James intricately intertwines elements of realism with fantasy that ebb and flow as each successive wave crests higher and higher. At the same time, death-defying twists leave you guessing and your heart pounding as Ximena faces difficult dilemmas and truths and must decide whether the true path to follow is the same as when she begins her journey.

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

All I want to say is I need a second book stat!!

This was a quick read for me. Maybe a 3.5 stars rounded up at times. I enjoyed my time reading this, though it was frustrating at times.

I would have enjoyed it a lot more if she was a pirate the whole time like I thought. My bad for not paying close enough attention to the fact that she wasn’t. But I also get trapped by that. I tend to read books that are about “pirates” but make them the bad guys and the main character is against them. Obviously pirates in real life are the bad guys, but I love them in fiction and don’t want them to be made out as such!

Lots of action and sea adventure which I appreciated. The beginning was a little slow, but I was engaged throughout.

I loved the mix of Spanish in there. I had to use translate quite a bit because my Spanish is pretty rusty, but that aspect of the book I quite enjoyed.

Ximena was not a good person. She was insufferable most of the time. It took her forever to switch sides and it was so annoying. I get it was a slow burn of her learning that what she knew wasn’t the right away, but still. I wish it happened faster.

She wasn’t a super likeable main character. She was flawed, but that was the point in a way.

I loved Dante. He was so funny, I was laughing so much at what he said. I loved his sarcastic nature. He is exactly my type of love interest.

I was a sucker for their relationship! So many of their lines made me insane! The things that were said I was screaming. I enjoyed the slow burn of it. It maybe happened a little quick once they finally got together, but I didn’t even care.

Pía was cute. Wish I could have saw a little more of her, but what I did see it was great. Pía would have done anything for Ximena, which you love to see in a friendship. Ximena used her for most of it, which that really sucked, and Pía was maybe a little too forgiving, but I still am looking forward to seeing more of their friendship.

There were lots of unexpected things that happened. I still wish we knew how exactly some of it was possible, but I can suspend my disbelief.

If this is the only book I hate the ending (because it hurt me haha); if there’s another one I’m hyped to read it. It ended where there could be another one but it also could be a stand alone, which I do appreciate honestly. As much as I’d love to read more and that cliffhanger would kill me, I’m satisfied enough I can come to my own conclusions if there is not a second book.

I'm torn about how to even review this book. I think it had so much potential and it was a lot of fun in places. I think it needed significant revision to be better than it was. Motivations were confusing with several characters which I think could've been resolved with additional drafting. That being said, I read this in just a couple sittings and felt it moved quickly and still kept me engaged despite its flaws.

This was a deliciously written Pirates of the Carribean meets Hornblower. While I didn't connect with the lead right off, the richly portrayed world and the mystery definitely kept me going. I am eager to see where things go.

Capitana should have been an exciting pirate adventure, but it was brought down by its stereotypical characters. The fmc, Ximena, is in school to become a cazadore, a pirate hunter. She's trying to prove her worth to people who don't care about her. She rigidly follows the law, has little empathy for others, and is ruthlessly focused on her career path. The mmc and love interest, Dante, is an alcoholic rival who can't live up to his mother's expectations. It doesn't get much deeper than that. The romance seems forced, especially because Dante bullies and antagonizes her for most of the book. There is some growth for Ximena (i.e., changing their long-held beliefs), but it mostly and quickly happens in the last act, so it doesn't feel earned. The growth arc would have benefited from more situations that incite doubt in her beliefs.

This book is categorized as fantasy, but we barely see any use of magic. What magic we do see happens towards the end, and even then, it's minimal. I think fantasy readers will be disappointed to see very little evidence or explanation of the magic system in this book. However, if readers are looking for pirates and adventure, I think they'd be pleased with the twists and turns of the plot. While the plot may have been the strongest part of the book, it failed to have a meaningful discussion about colonialism, war, wealth, and power. Despite the writing style being easy to read and accessible, it hindered the exploration of these complex issues. There isn't much nuance to the themes in this book. Rather, there is simply a message of "this is bad, this is good." Having the characters explore and self-reflect on these subjects would have aided in believable character arcs and thematic messages. I just wished the characters were well-rounded enough to hold their own against the plot.

Capitana is the story of Ximena Reale, whose only dream is to graduate La Academia and become a cazadora, or pirate hunter. It's personal to her, since she and her sister were orphaned when their parents, cazadoras turned pirates, were executed. But she's not very popular, especially with the high minister who awards the cazadora rank, and the only way she's going to become one is to do something spectacular. She's going to capture Gasparilla, a legendary pirate who appears to have returned from the dead. Sooner than she expects, she gets her chance.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this debut, but it was captivating. Ximena sees things in very black and white terms -- either you follow the law, or you suffer the consequences. Thankfully, she has some companions that manage to dull some of her sharp edges. But along with the battles Ximena is fighting within herself, there are a bunch of pirate battles that are exciting and well done. The book ends in a very interesting place, and I look forward to reading the next one!

DNF. I was really intrigued by the description of this book. However, after learning of how problematic the author is, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I can no longer support this author or book & keep a clear conscience. The bit that I did read wasn’t super impressive, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book was ok overall. That's the best way to describe it. OK. I thought it started off interesting with the world building, except the FMC was very unlikable from the get go (and didn't improve as the story went on). The whole book, she's very stuck in her way of "this is the right way to do things" and if you didn't agree with her, you were the bad guy. It was basically always her way or the highway. But it felt like every other page she was judging people for having different beliefs, including turning on her own parents without waiting to hear out their perspective (knowing what I now know about this author, that sounds about right based on her views). And then for the FMC to do a complete 180 out of no where of her beliefs at the end of the book just didn't make sense at all after all. It was so abrupt and not at all explained and therefore, completely unbelievable. The MMC Dante also was unbelievable in his actions as we are supposed to believe that he has always liked Ximena (who is SO unlikeable), but she's always been nothing but rude to him and they barely interact for him to supposedly be in love with her. It just didn't add up or seem believable that he would support her and care for her the way he allegedly did when she literally treats him like trash.

Overall, I won't be continuing on with the series as the characters were very two dimensional, unlikeable, and just unbelievable in their actions. The premise was promising and sounded good, but just wasn't executed well.

Note: I requested this arc prior to hearing all the controversy surrounding this author. But I decided to still read it because whether or not I agree with this authors political views (I definitely don't), I can't only read things where I implicitly agree with the views (plus I was a bit curious if I'm being honest). That being said, I will not support this author by purchasing or reading any of her books going forward.

I requested this book originally, however, after learning that the author is a trump supporter and has said some pretty awful stuff, I will no longer be reading this book. If the author ever comes out and shares that they have grown and changed their views, I will be happy to read and post my review then

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. DNF. I will not finish. I like reading about pirates, but this isn’t holding my attention, and I don’t feel connected to the characters. I’m only rating and reviewing so it doesn’t hurt my feedback ratio.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins Children's Books and Cassandra James for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

I generally am a fan of all things pirates, so I was looking forward to reading this book by a debut author. We have Ximena, the daughter of pirate hunters turned pirates, who is herself in training to become a pirate hunter. Her parents were caught while she was a young child, and hung for their crimes. She has since been training in the same academy they did. The world is very rigid in following the rules set forth by a previous queen. She forbade magic in the world and the country has taken other countries under their rule. Ximena is a strict follower of the rules, as that is all she has ever had. She is also vilified within the academy due to her parents. She has an older sister who has an intriguing, if somewhat fantastical tale. The pirates portray themself as Robin Hoodesque and they are fighting back against an oppressive and unwanted regime. There really isn’t a magic system, it is mentioned but you only see it in action once. My biggest issue with the book was the romance aspect. I understood the motivations of both characters, and the enemies to ‘lovers’ aspect. With these tropes, there is usually a time period where the characters are figuring out each other's motivations and coming to understand previous behaviors that could have been seen as mean or bullying. And that happens here, but it is way too quick. We jump to loving each other in a fashion that just didn’t work for me. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the rest and will likely read the sequel to see how it ends.

I was really hoping to like this one. Daughter of the Pirate King is one of my faves and I was getting similar vibes from this.

For me at this moment it just ended up being too slow and the language was wordy and confusing for me so I didn’t hold my attention.

No cambies nada! Don’t change anything!

I absolutely loved this book so much. It had adventure, twists, betrayal, family, friendship and more. The Spanish elements…. It felt like I was being told a story from back home and I couldn’t get enough.
I don’t know if a series is planned but I’d definitely pick it up. A De Leon point of view is a must!!

This book was poorly written. I also feel it was done in bad taste to the culture and history. I feel like this was just a ploy to publish a book on a cultural story & legend.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Gaspar

Thanks for the advanced copy of this amazing book! The relationships are very realistic and I loved the bond between the sisters! The relationship between the main couple was written really well! I would recommend to anyone who enjoys pirate and academic stories! I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!

THE GOOD
Honestly…? Probably nothing.

THE BAD
1) The first thing that turned me away from this book almost immediately was the very prolific use of Spanish words. Why? It seemed like a cheap way to establish world building. All kinds of words are in Spanish — titles and rankings, terms of familial endearment, and [lowercase] places…but also randomly selected words in regular dialogue.

- They filed back to their respective wings in la academia: Uvedas to the northwest wing, dotredas to the northeast, trevedas to the east wing, and cuatredas to the southeast.

- What if they had used el idioma prohibido to resurrect the one man who had succeeded in sacking the capital?

There’s so much more and it’s not that I can’t understand it…but it seems cheap and corny somehow to have random words in otherwise English phrases done in Spanish, in both dialogue and in Ximena’s inner dialogue.

2) The tone of the book so far seems like an awkward adolescent — trying hard to prove itself but doing it rather clunky in the end.

3) This one’s my fault for looking through spoiler tagged reviews…but I was aghast that a certain chatacter turns out to be the love interest. Really? Him? That’s like trying to make Draco Malfoy a convincing love interest but portraying him like Crabbe and Goyle instead.

4) There was little to be found about Ximena that was likable. This isn’t to say I actively disliked her. Rather, there was nothing about her character that stood out in any deliberate way as intended by the author. And there was potential. Very early on, we learn that Ximena wears an eye patch to cover her missing or wounded eye. If we wanted to tease her character or slowly reveal more intrigue about her, the author could have showed others flinching away from her remaining stare or whispering about the stories of how it happened, then show Ximena react — or not react — to that. And I’m not saying that exact thing needed to have occurred, but I’m saying that there’s nothing interesting about our main character that draws me into the story or makes me want to know more about her abilities/goals/personality.

5) The beginnings of info dumping. Using the teaching of the creator of the pirate code, Alessandra, to give the reader a backstory of the history and rules of pirating AND making the characters recite it for the benefit of the readers was yet another hint that world building and character building weren’t going to be strengths of this book.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Maybe the book gets fun later — I don’t know. I do know that standing up against other young adult fantasy pirate books (Dark Shores by Danielle Jensen comes to mind), this book might not be able to stand apart due to its bland storytelling and lackluster characters.

The premise of this book had me excited - a school for pirate hunters, a badass-sounding FMC, and a story based on actual pirate history. However, this book had major problems, starting with the main characters. The FMC, Ximena, is a cazador candidate training at la academia. She's sailed through the training in half the time it takes a normal person, and because her parents were executed as pirates and traitors, she has a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas. Her sister, Marquesa, is also in training, but as an archivist, and has the personality of a wet paper towel. Ximena's rival (I don't know how he can even be a rival when he doesn't show up to any classes or exercises) and the MMC, Dante, is the stereotypical playboy/alcoholic from money whose family name buys him immunity from having any actual responsibilities.

The next problem I had was the timeline of the training. Supposedly Ximena has known Dante the entire time she's been at la academia and has been at the same stages of training as him at multiple times but she's also somehow promoted in half the time as a normal person and is the only person to have ever done so. So how could she have known Dante as an uveda, a dotreda, a treveda, and as a cuatreda when she was completing each of these positions in 1 year versus Dante's 2? Also, while it's believable for her to promote through some of these positions in a shortened period, I don't see anyone doing it for all, especially the final position. Within a week of being a cuatreda, she's already ranked high enough to qualify to take the exam to become a cazador. Really?

Finally, the rivalry between Ximena and Dante doesn't make any sense. It's stated over and over again that Dante doesn't actually attend lessons, while Ximena is basically a pirate hunter prodigy. So how could Dante possibly possess the skills and knowledge to even compare to Ximena?

The only thing I can say this book had going for it was the pacing felt appropriate, and the narration and dialogue were easy to get into and follow without being overly simplistic.

Thank you to Net Galley and Quill Tree Books for the ARC. Being from Florida and as a fan of pirates I expected to like this novel but it just was not for me. The plot dragged and the MC was not very interesting.