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josephine_jellybean's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
dance64's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5*
It had a pretty slow beginning, but it did start to pick up the pace towards the halfway point. I became more intrigued by the magic system, and it was a nice, quick read. I do wish the book had been a little longer to go a bit more in-depth about the magic and the overall setting, but for what it delivered it was a pretty good and light read.
It had a pretty slow beginning, but it did start to pick up the pace towards the halfway point. I became more intrigued by the magic system, and it was a nice, quick read. I do wish the book had been a little longer to go a bit more in-depth about the magic and the overall setting, but for what it delivered it was a pretty good and light read.
yapha's review against another edition
4.0
Really different than most of the fantasies I've been reading, in a good way. Some great twists, too!! Highly recommended for fantasy lovers, grades 5 & up.
jennybeastie's review
2.0
I'm not sure why this book didn't do much for me. Singing magic in a post-mer world is a pretty compelling set-up, but I think the sheer amount of neglect and abuse of children really bothered me. In some ways that's the point, and I know there are pearl diving children in the world right now who are living Mara's life, but I found that appalling, and I found her frustrating as a character and I thought the all-tied-up-in-a-bow ending was not believable. The adults in this book are pretty uniformly horrible, and the magic can't make up for that.
Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss.
jbells7's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
rimareads's review
4.0
Such a fun middle grade novel with a cool magic system. Everything was fiarly predictable but I still enjoyed it a lot.
divine529's review against another edition
This was such a quick and fun read, but it ended up being a lot darker than I was expecting.
This book follows our main character Mara, who lives in a world made up of islands (an archipelago honestly) and is a diver who retrieves artifacts from the ocean floor and delivers them to a master. This world had an ancient society who has now been lost, so they're trying to find relics from that time. Mara ends up gaining favor with the master and sent on a quest under the sea and what she gets is a lot more than she bargained for.
The writing of this book was pretty well done. It was a fast-paced book, flowed nicely and was just fine in general. You know by now, I tend not to pay too much attention to writing when I read, except in very specific cases.
The plot was very interesting, it took all kinds of interesting twists and turns (most of which I saw coming overall, but still fun regardless) and was fast moving and kept you wanting to know what was going to happen next. This book had a bit of a mystery aspect to it, but it was also fairly dark and had themes of death, experimentation and the like in it.
The world building was great. I would honestly read an entire book about this world because I really enjoyed it. As I mentioned earlier, this world is a whole culture based on different islands. There was also the whole history of this ancient culture that we're trying to find out and how it all ties together. The magic system in this was primarily done through songs and language which I really enjoyed. I can be picky with music magic, but I thought it was done really well here. Also just the every day lives of the people who lived here was lovely to see. Honestly I wish we got to spend more time exploring the world because I think we only got a smattering of what it could be. I hope the author writes more in this world someday, even though the story wrapped up nicely in the end, I felt like there was more to explore.
Finally, the characters. I'm not going to go into too much depth about them because their interactions and personalities are what drove the story, but I loved Mara as our main character - she's so inquisitive and determined and ambitious (she's quite Slytherin-like if you ask me) and I just loved getting to see her adventures and how she gets in and out of different situations. I loved the friendships we got to see as well. The main one between Mara and Izzy was great and I honestly loved their dynamic a whole lot. Another was the relationship between Mara and Fish Hook. I loved them a lot as well. Overall the relationships and interactions between the characters was well done.
Overall, I really enjoyed this; the plot and writing we well done and made me want to keep reading, the world building was lovely and I wanted more of it because I felt like it wasn't enough and the characters and all of their interactions were lovely to read about. I'd definitely recommend giving this one a read if you haven't already.
This book follows our main character Mara, who lives in a world made up of islands (an archipelago honestly) and is a diver who retrieves artifacts from the ocean floor and delivers them to a master. This world had an ancient society who has now been lost, so they're trying to find relics from that time. Mara ends up gaining favor with the master and sent on a quest under the sea and what she gets is a lot more than she bargained for.
The writing of this book was pretty well done. It was a fast-paced book, flowed nicely and was just fine in general. You know by now, I tend not to pay too much attention to writing when I read, except in very specific cases.
The plot was very interesting, it took all kinds of interesting twists and turns (most of which I saw coming overall, but still fun regardless) and was fast moving and kept you wanting to know what was going to happen next. This book had a bit of a mystery aspect to it, but it was also fairly dark and had themes of death, experimentation and the like in it.
The world building was great. I would honestly read an entire book about this world because I really enjoyed it. As I mentioned earlier, this world is a whole culture based on different islands. There was also the whole history of this ancient culture that we're trying to find out and how it all ties together. The magic system in this was primarily done through songs and language which I really enjoyed. I can be picky with music magic, but I thought it was done really well here. Also just the every day lives of the people who lived here was lovely to see. Honestly I wish we got to spend more time exploring the world because I think we only got a smattering of what it could be. I hope the author writes more in this world someday, even though the story wrapped up nicely in the end, I felt like there was more to explore.
Finally, the characters. I'm not going to go into too much depth about them because their interactions and personalities are what drove the story, but I loved Mara as our main character - she's so inquisitive and determined and ambitious (she's quite Slytherin-like if you ask me) and I just loved getting to see her adventures and how she gets in and out of different situations. I loved the friendships we got to see as well. The main one between Mara and Izzy was great and I honestly loved their dynamic a whole lot. Another was the relationship between Mara and Fish Hook. I loved them a lot as well. Overall the relationships and interactions between the characters was well done.
Overall, I really enjoyed this; the plot and writing we well done and made me want to keep reading, the world building was lovely and I wanted more of it because I felt like it wasn't enough and the characters and all of their interactions were lovely to read about. I'd definitely recommend giving this one a read if you haven't already.
bloom9159's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful middle grade story with definite Atlantis vibes! Mara lives on a series of islands that were long ago abandoned by their powerful aquatic creators, in a world where magic is practiced through song. She discovers a plot to try and harness the powers of old, at a deadly price, and must try to protect her friends and her home.
I found the setting and the atmosphere of this book to be delightfully whimsical! I loved following Mara as she uncovers more about what’s happening on the islands as well has her own past.
Worth the read for anyone who enjoys fantasy, middle grade, or just loved the animated film Atlantis as much as I did. I’m really glad I picked this one up.
I found the setting and the atmosphere of this book to be delightfully whimsical! I loved following Mara as she uncovers more about what’s happening on the islands as well has her own past.
Worth the read for anyone who enjoys fantasy, middle grade, or just loved the animated film Atlantis as much as I did. I’m really glad I picked this one up.
barberchicago_books's review against another edition
5.0
I am so grateful to the publisher for an ARC of City of Islands for my #bookexpedition group.
What an incredible middle-grade fantasy. Wallace’s descriptions (and that amazing map) invite readers in and surround them in a world built unlike any other. Characters are well-developed, the story arch is spot on for MG fantasy readers, and the allegorical aspect - the things people will do for power - are so appropriate for our times without being heavy-handed. I’m so very hopeful that this one will be the first on a series. I want to read more of Mara, her friends, the mages, the founders, and everyone in this magical world.
I am really excited for this one to come out next month so I can purchase a copy for our classroom library!
What an incredible middle-grade fantasy. Wallace’s descriptions (and that amazing map) invite readers in and surround them in a world built unlike any other. Characters are well-developed, the story arch is spot on for MG fantasy readers, and the allegorical aspect - the things people will do for power - are so appropriate for our times without being heavy-handed. I’m so very hopeful that this one will be the first on a series. I want to read more of Mara, her friends, the mages, the founders, and everyone in this magical world.
I am really excited for this one to come out next month so I can purchase a copy for our classroom library!
drvibrissae's review against another edition
4.0
Iselected this book as my prize for the Library's summer reading challenge, and I'm so happy with my pick. Mara is a strong heroine and the city itself is a fascinating setting. It's a classic one slightly outcast kid against great odds fanatasy adventure, and while there's resolution it's not theeverything wrapped up in a tidy bow sort of ending. The book doesn't end with an obvious sequel, but I'd be happy to read more stories set in this place with these characters.