The Piratica Series

The Piratica Series is a series of young adult fantasy novels by Tanith Lee.
Piratica: Being a Daring Tale of a Singular Girl’s Adventures Upon the High Seas.
Piratica: Being a Daring Tale of Singular Girl's Adventures Upon the High Seas is a fantasy novel in The Piratica Series. The novel was written in 2004.
Plot summary.
The novel takes place in a world somewhat parallel to Earth, in the year Seventeen-Twelvety, which is equivalent to approximately 1802 in Earth years. The main character is sixteen-year-old Artemesia Fitz-Willoghby Weatherhouse, who is an amnesiac student at the Angels Academy of Young Maidens. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, while practising deportment, she tumbles down the stairs and hits her head on the banister, restoring her memories from six years previous – of her life aboard a pirate ship led by her mother, Molly Faith, more commonly known as Piratica, until a misfired cannon caused Molly's death and Artemesia's amnesia.
Her sudden change in behaviour and into men's clothing due to the restoration of her memories convince her teachers and fellow students that she is mad, and she is locked in a room for safety. She quickly escapes up the chimney and sets off to locate her mother's former crew members. On the way she meets Felix Phoenix, a traveller, and forces him to trade clothes with her. She locks him in a sooty, abandoned house and continues on her way.
From there, she locates some of her mother's old 'crew' and commandeers a ship. When she meets them they all think it is her mother Molly. She finds out that they advertise coffee and have a small ship. Heading out the stop at a town where they show her a theatre. They then explain to her that her mother and themselves were only actors and not pirates. Confused Art makes a plan to become the REAL Piratica, and sail the seas. She holds by her mother's (stage) code of honour- she steals by guile and trickery, and never takes a life. When stealing a boat Felix Phoenix joins them. Together they set out to find a mysterious treasure isle.
Piratica II: Return to Parrot Island.
Piratica II: Return to Parrot Island is a fantasy novel by Tanith Lee. The novel was published in 2006 and is part of The Piratica Series.
Piratica III: The Family Sea.
Piratica III: The Family Sea is a fantasy novel from The Piratica Series by Tanith Lee. It was published in 2007. Piratica III explores the reason behind Golden Goliath's hatred of Molly and also explains why Art cannot love her child. It also features the return of Goldie Girl. The UK edition was released in 2007 but the US edition has yet to be released.
Characters.
Art Blastside (Piratica).
The protagonist of the series, Artemesia Fitz-Willoghby Weatherhouse is the only child of Landsir Weatherhouse and actress Molly Faith. When she escapes from the Angels Academy for Young Maidens after the restoration of her memory, Artemesia dresses in boy's clothes and changes her name to "Art Blastside". Determined to return to the life she remembers so clearly, though others tell her it was fiction, she gathers her crew and sets out to sea to become known throughout the land and seas she as "Piratica", the stage name of her mother.
Pre-"Piratica".
As soon as she was born, Art's mother took her from her father's house. When she was two, Molly and Ebad took her with them on a sea voyage around the world. The voyage ended when their ship was attacked by the Golden Goliath. However, Art retained memories of this time and regained them along with her other memories after the accident at the Angels Academy.<br>
Molly became a stage actress and Art participated in her shows until the age of ten, when a cannon accident caused Molly's death and Art's amnesia.<br>
Her father regained custody of her and sent her to the Angels Academy of Young Maidens.
Felix Phoenix.
Felix Phoenix has dark blue eyes and ice blond hair. His father was killed by the Golden Goliath and he is a good singer. While being chased by an angry mob who thinks that Felix is the notorious Highway man Cuckoo Jack, Felix is rescued by Art and her crew.. Felix travels with Art and her crew but says he doesn't want to stay; however when the chance arrives to leave and be freed from Art's ship, "The Unwelcome Stranger", he decides to stay. Art, under the belief that Felix has just taken a liking to her crew, thinks nothing much of his stay but it turns out that Felix has many more reasons to stay, some more sinister than others.