Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wet interesting concepts.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Scifi dystopian romance, set in a future where the seas have risen drastically and a pandemic decimated the population. Bird Howlsey is a 19 year old with severe undiagnosed ADHD and a drinking problem who desperately wants to not be a screw up anymore. In a matter of days, she finds out her long-lost brother is still alive, gets kicked out of the only college in town, and is on the run from a criminal organization. She takes to the sea with her best (only?) friend, where the pair deal with their unaddressed mutual attraction by squabbling as they adopt a dog and flee from pirates.
Fun and engaging, the romance is a slow burn (they haven't hooked up by the end of book one, although there's been some light smut in the form of fantasizing and self pleasure). It ends on a cliffhanger (boo!) but at least the next couple books are already out, along with the prequels.
Major spoiler, the one thing I didn't really care for:Teleportation? Really? The rest of the book is so sci-fi and climate disaster futuristic, and then we throw in that? Even though it's got a pseudo-sciencey justification, it felt weak and kinda weird.
Fun and engaging, the romance is a slow burn (they haven't hooked up by the end of book one, although there's been some light smut in the form of fantasizing and self pleasure). It ends on a cliffhanger (boo!) but at least the next couple books are already out, along with the prequels.
Major spoiler, the one thing I didn't really care for:
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was an okay story. The writing was good, the setting was interesting, the characters were fine, and there was always something happening so it wasn’t boring, but nothing really led anywhere. I feel like it was more of a setup for the next book(s), but it left me feeling meh. Not sure if I will read on.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is basically a combined review for books 1-6. (Very mild spoilers in the last paragraph)
I wasn't super sure what the Thalassic series is about or how I'd feel about it, as I hate being on boats. I've followed the author, Liz Shipton, on social media for probably close to a year at this point. Her sense of humor is right up my alley so I figured the least I could do was give her books a chance.
I'm so, so glad that I did. This is a beautiful, well written series with so much depth and nuance. I wouldn't call it romantasy, its more dystopian sci-fi, but that made it more intriguing because it was so different to what I've been ready lately.
The characters are phenomenal and well developed. Shipton doesn't shy away from heavy issues like addiction or racism. She handles them with so much grace and kindness. My ex husband and several loved ones are addicts. I've watched them struggle, but obviously I can never truly understand what they're going through. Its important to me to see addiction and its affects handled with respect. Its not a topic I seek out, so admittedly I wasn't sure how I would feel about it being so important to both the plot and the arcs of several characters, but these portrayals blew me out of the water.
Even outside of addiction, all of the characters fuck up. They make mistakes, sometimes ones with absolutely devastating consequences, but they are still treated with dignity and respect in the writing (even when the character may not deserve, and does not get, respect in universe for how their choices hurt others). It was all so... human. These characters and their journey are such a beautiful example of the shades of gray that surround literally everything in life.
The relationships, from family to friends to romance, are so raw and real. There's so much depth, variation, and growth to all of the different ones we see in the series. Even when problems are brushed aside or ignored by characters, they bubble up and explode in very realistic (and sometimes painfully accurate) ways. These aren't books to read for the more typical "super devoted everything works out magically" kind of romance. Don't get me wrong, I love those kind of stories. But the Thalassic series is so much more. Its messy and painful, people fight, people stop talking, but people also love fiercely in their own ways. Its beautiful.
As a complete and utter turf rat in every sense of the word, the sailing aspect was surpringly easy for me to understand. I know for a fact I didn't catch all of the nuance of every action, but its written in a way that makes it very easy to grasp the important parts of what's happening and why. Plus, the idea of stepping on a boat makes me just a little bit less terrified now! (Would that actually hold up if I saw a boat on the water in real life? I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure.)
This is a series about redemption and about love, about struggle, about hope, about family and belonging and finding a way to live a meaningful life. Its also a super fun adventure with pirates and a climate crisis and interdimemsional travel and overthrowing the government to save the world and the multiverse and a boat and a dog. I fully understand what Shipton means when she says its so hard to explain to readers! Its like nothing I've ever read before, and its like the good parts of every story I've ever enjoyed.
I cannot wait to devour the prequels!!!
I wasn't super sure what the Thalassic series is about or how I'd feel about it, as I hate being on boats. I've followed the author, Liz Shipton, on social media for probably close to a year at this point. Her sense of humor is right up my alley so I figured the least I could do was give her books a chance.
I'm so, so glad that I did. This is a beautiful, well written series with so much depth and nuance. I wouldn't call it romantasy, its more dystopian sci-fi, but that made it more intriguing because it was so different to what I've been ready lately.
The characters are phenomenal and well developed. Shipton doesn't shy away from heavy issues like addiction or racism. She handles them with so much grace and kindness. My ex husband and several loved ones are addicts. I've watched them struggle, but obviously I can never truly understand what they're going through. Its important to me to see addiction and its affects handled with respect. Its not a topic I seek out, so admittedly I wasn't sure how I would feel about it being so important to both the plot and the arcs of several characters, but these portrayals blew me out of the water.
Even outside of addiction, all of the characters fuck up. They make mistakes, sometimes ones with absolutely devastating consequences, but they are still treated with dignity and respect in the writing (even when the character may not deserve, and does not get, respect in universe for how their choices hurt others). It was all so... human. These characters and their journey are such a beautiful example of the shades of gray that surround literally everything in life.
The relationships, from family to friends to romance, are so raw and real. There's so much depth, variation, and growth to all of the different ones we see in the series. Even when problems are brushed aside or ignored by characters, they bubble up and explode in very realistic (and sometimes painfully accurate) ways. These aren't books to read for the more typical "super devoted everything works out magically" kind of romance. Don't get me wrong, I love those kind of stories. But the Thalassic series is so much more. Its messy and painful, people fight, people stop talking, but people also love fiercely in their own ways. Its beautiful.
As a complete and utter turf rat in every sense of the word, the sailing aspect was surpringly easy for me to understand. I know for a fact I didn't catch all of the nuance of every action, but its written in a way that makes it very easy to grasp the important parts of what's happening and why. Plus, the idea of stepping on a boat makes me just a little bit less terrified now! (Would that actually hold up if I saw a boat on the water in real life? I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure.)
This is a series about redemption and about love, about struggle, about hope, about family and belonging and finding a way to live a meaningful life. Its also a super fun adventure with pirates and a climate crisis and interdimemsional travel and overthrowing the government to save the world and the multiverse and a boat and a dog. I fully understand what Shipton means when she says its so hard to explain to readers! Its like nothing I've ever read before, and its like the good parts of every story I've ever enjoyed.
I cannot wait to devour the prequels!!!
Really hard to get into this book, really hard to continue on. I was only able to read 100 pages and then I DNF.