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clarabooksit's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Murder, Trafficking, Child abuse, Child death, Violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Vomit, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Drug use
Minor: Suicide
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
SCAVENGE THE STARS is a Count of Monte Cristo retelling which uses the source material as inspiration and a loose outline, but diverges from the plot and precise premise in way that is delightful to those who are unfamiliar with the inspiration, but delicately balances reference and surprise for those who know it well.
There are two main characters, Amaya (known early on as Silverfish), and Cayo (son of a nobleman who wronged her). Amaya is working with a man named Boon, who helped her find a fortune and offered it for her use as long as she helped him with his aims. Cayo is a recovering gambler who is trying to get back in his father's good graces after losing a large portion of the family fortune to games of chance.
Amaya and Cayo's sections have distinct narrative voices and it was pretty easy to track what was going on. There are some well-laid surprises in the structure of the chapters, especially for someone like myself who has read The Count of Monte Cristo (or someone who has seen one of the movie versions).
The repeated missteps as Cayo and the Countess kept assuming things about each other's actions worked well and made a lot of sense in context. They never built enough to be extremely stressful for me when reading, but they were a completely understandable level of small but well-intentioned miscommunications which would result from these characters getting to know each other when they haven't yet put all their cards on the table.
The worldbuilding is pretty good, it feels like there's a lot of political ground laid that will pay off in the sequel. At times the asides discussing politics with other countries felt a bit distracting because they mostly didn't go anywhere until the very end. None of the characters (so far) were at a level to affect international politics, and while their actions gradually built so it might be possible in RAVAGE THE DARK, it made it harder to know what details mattered to the main plot. I like the handling of the quarantine and plague, there's an excellent payoff for it, as well as ongoing impacts to the main characters.
This was good overall and I'm looking forward to reading RAVAGE THE DARK. I'm happy to read a retelling which had room to surprise me with its plot, using the bones of one of my favorite books in a new way.
There are two main characters, Amaya (known early on as Silverfish), and Cayo (son of a nobleman who wronged her). Amaya is working with a man named Boon, who helped her find a fortune and offered it for her use as long as she helped him with his aims. Cayo is a recovering gambler who is trying to get back in his father's good graces after losing a large portion of the family fortune to games of chance.
Amaya and Cayo's sections have distinct narrative voices and it was pretty easy to track what was going on. There are some well-laid surprises in the structure of the chapters, especially for someone like myself who has read The Count of Monte Cristo (or someone who has seen one of the movie versions).
The repeated missteps as Cayo and the Countess kept assuming things about each other's actions worked well and made a lot of sense in context. They never built enough to be extremely stressful for me when reading, but they were a completely understandable level of small but well-intentioned miscommunications which would result from these characters getting to know each other when they haven't yet put all their cards on the table.
The worldbuilding is pretty good, it feels like there's a lot of political ground laid that will pay off in the sequel. At times the asides discussing politics with other countries felt a bit distracting because they mostly didn't go anywhere until the very end. None of the characters (so far) were at a level to affect international politics, and while their actions gradually built so it might be possible in RAVAGE THE DARK, it made it harder to know what details mattered to the main plot. I like the handling of the quarantine and plague, there's an excellent payoff for it, as well as ongoing impacts to the main characters.
This was good overall and I'm looking forward to reading RAVAGE THE DARK. I'm happy to read a retelling which had room to surprise me with its plot, using the bones of one of my favorite books in a new way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Alcohol, Addiction, Blood, Violence, Child death, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Grief, Drug use, Child abuse, Slavery, Terminal illness, Medical content, Excrement, Vomit, Gun violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism
nmcannon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I’m squeaking this in right under the wire for Pride Month! Scavenge the Stars was delivered to our home in an Owlcrate box…last year, but better late than never. And I’m glad I can immediately dive into the sequel because WOW what a book.
In a fantasy world that I’m 75% sure is the Mediterranean Sea, Moray stands alone as a neutral island between the two massive Rain Empire and Sun Empire. Distinguished for its premiere access to waterways and important trade routes, Moray is also known for its Vice Sector, which is full of delights, and its massive economic inequality and rampant ash fever plague, which are decidedly less delightful. As a young girl, Amaya was sold to a debtor ship. These ships function as floating debtor prisons, with children forced to work off their parents’ debt in time/labor or any treasures they find while pearl diving. After seven years, Amaya can almost taste freedom, but her plans go quite sideways when she fishes a noble covered in marigolds out of the sea. Meanwhile, back in Moray, Cayo Mercado is out of money: recovering from gambling addiction, he finds out his family’s coffers will be further strained when his sister contracts ash fever. The required medicine is deathly expensive.
Strangely, the weakest part of the novel is the world-building. I say “strange” because I read the Timekeeper Trilogy earlier this year, and that world-building is top-notch. Throughout the novel, Sim describes the world beautifully, but often couches these descriptions in reference to fantastical places I couldn’t match to reality. For example, so-and-so has Sun Empire and Khari features, or this building has a Rehanese architecture style. Fantasy novel locations don’t need to have to be a 1:1 match to someplace in reality, but buildings, fashion, and people kept being described as “Khari,” “Rehanese,” or “from the Sun Empire” or “hailing from the Rain Empire” and I didn’t know what that meant. It’s a descriptive tic in the story, and I itch for a world map. My best guess is Khari is India, Rehanese means Chinese, the Sun Empire is on the African continent, and the Rain Empire is…all of Europe? Cause Europe is wet? Maybe it would have gone better if I’d read the Count of Monte Cristo instead of just watched the movie. In addition, there were some logical holes: if trade contracts with the Empires are forbidden, who does Moray trade with; when the big scheme is revealed, I failed to see how that’s easier than a military takeover; this character has been with the Navy for a few weeks and somehow he’s fully trained and trusted, etc.
Leaving all that aside, however, I enjoyed this book. The plot is immense and interlocking, but Sim is in control. I could feel my head spin at some points, but a quick breath and I grasped the tail again. The characters, if not the brightest bulbs in the bunch (looking at you, Cayo) are painfully doing their best and lovable for it. As I’ve said in other reviews, sometimes I become exasperated with overwrought teenage antics, possibly because my overwrought teenage antics went less traditional directions. Remarkably for me, the Scavenge the Stars teenagers act like teenagers, but I never wanted to put the book down. Amaya is an especial delight, with many layers. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. AND, making this a perfect Pride Month read, we get some excellent asexual and bisexual rep.
In conclusion, if you’re looking for adventure, if you like your justice bloody, if you want schemes upon plots upon intrigue, pick up Scavenge the Stars. I’ve already requested Ravage the Dark at the library.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Terminal illness
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