Libertad coming June 16th, 2026 from Quill Tree Books; 352 pages
Content Warning: Blood, death, execution, mass murder, natural disaster, war
About the Author: “Cassandra James grew up in a mixed immigrant family with a penchant for storytelling, so becoming a writer was almost inevitable. She recently graduated from Princeton University with a degree in English, focusing on Creative Writing. After solo-traveling the world for several months, she met her swoon-worthy husband and landed in Orlando, Florida, where she spends her time cooking Colombian food, obsessing over Broadway musicals, and occasionally swashbuckling” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Cassandra James on the following platforms:
Ximena Reale has spent her whole life in service of the law, trying to prove that she was not like her parents—former protectors of Luza, famous cazadores that became pirates. Knowing the odds were stacked against her, and with no other way to become a cazadora, she set out to capture the infamous pirate martyr Gaspiralla, who kidnapped Luza’s queen. While sailing across the empire with her hero, Admiral Perez, and her rival cazador candidate, Dante de Leon, she starts to see new parts of the empire, the events left out of the news and history books: the truth about the cazadores. After learning how the cazadores have harmed the people of Luza and that her sister, Marquesa, was Gasparilla—set to be publicly hanged—Ximena, the archivist Pía, and Dante race to free Marquesa. The four of them then decide to expose the cazadores’ crimes by stealing the admiral’s log. However, after a famous northern pirate known as la Pantera de la Noche pilfers the log out from underneath them, they must journey to the Isla de Miseria—notorious for its especially cruel treatment of pirates—to get it back. With everything to lose, Ximena must decide what she is willing to risk for freedom.
When reading Libertad, I found myself surprised by the twists and turns of this sequel. While I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, I was enthralled by the direction this novel went. I appreciated how each of the characters interacted, like Marquesa calling Dante ‘gatito’ or seeing Amador fondly teaching Pía el idioma prohibido. I found the relationships to be very realistic, from Ximena and Dante’s complex rivalry turned romance to Ximena and Marquesa learning how to reconnect and rebuild their friendship. I was really drawn to Ximena’s anxieties around her past as a cazadora and wanting to prove herself. Her desire not to let anyone down was relatable and well written. My only note for this novel is that I wish there was more written about the year in between the first novel, Capitana, and this book. I loved the tension of the first chapter and thought the set up worked really well, but I wish I got to see Ximena and Marquesa grow closer. I enjoyed what I got, I just craved more. Additionally, I loved experiencing the different islands and how the characters interacted within the different settings. James really has a way of bringing the setting and her characters to life.
Libertad releases on June 16th, 2026.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Natalia Williams, Pine Reads Review Writer