Reviews

By Sea & Sky: An Esowon Story by Antoine Bandele

zoeelizabethk's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Sadly By Sea & Sky was a DNF for me. I had high hopes for this - I loved that we had an older protagonist who was already married, and the skyship was super intriguing. Unfortunately, I made it halfway through and just didn't care much about Zala or anything going on in the story. It was very action-oriented, but I didn't get the connection to the characters that I wanted. If you are a more action-oriented reader, want an established, older MC, or really like airships, this might well work better for you than it did for me. 2.5 stars.

Thanks to Bandele Books and Netgalley for an audioARC in exchange for an honest review.

cjeanette90's review against another edition

5.0

You like pirates? You like magic? You'll love this book! With a well-crafted setting and compelling characters, this is truly a great fantasy book. Bandele is excellent at creating relatable characters who you want to see succeed—even when their goals oppose one another!

This is a book that tells the tandem stories of Karim, a determined military officer trying to make a name for himself, and Zala, an intelligent and newly-minted pirate desperate to ensure the safety of her husband Jelani. However, Karim needs Jelani's knowledge of his home island, and is hunting him down. Zala and Karim must face off against one another to protect their own worlds at every cost.

The setting is a real jewel—interesting cultures built on the research of real-world geography, with a compelling magic system. This short book is packed full of enough details in the prose alone that the included maps, diagram of Karim's ship, and a glossary at the back are an added bonus.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

saraishelafs's review

2.0

First of a series. Interesting character with a mix of competence and incompetence in each one.

leilanid's review

I was sent the audiobook for By Sea & Sky.

Unfortunately, I have to DNF the book because I was getting distracted. I really like what I’ve read so far and the action in this story is amazing. The reason why I am DNFing the audiobook is because the narration is not working for me. I think the narrator does a great job using different voices for each character, but for some reason it is taking me out of my reading experience.

I am going to put By Sea & Sky on pause until I can get the physical copy.

doruga's review

4.0

[3.5 or 3.7] I had a really good time with this one. I liked the author's youtube channel and decided to give one of his books a read. The characters are very fun and the lore is super interesting. I will say that this book - being the start of a series - did feel a little too set-uppy at times for me. There wasn't an overarching story 'carrot' pulling me to keep reading until about halfway through the story, when something really big happens. Also, there are points where the main character will come up with a crazy plan and I wouldn't understand why the people around them would trust them and go with it, especially later at the end of the story. These are mostly nitpicking though. I overall really liked this book and will definitely read more from this world.

dawn0fchaos's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jerefi's review

2.0

I wanted to love this book. I loved the premise, but the book didn't really deliver all that it could. I understand that this book is introducing a series, but I found myself skimming a lot to try and get to more interesting parts and there were few. The end of the book is nothing but a cliffhanger with no resolution of any kind to try and force you to read the next book. On some level I understand wanting to do this, but I have found that books that provide partial resolution as well as an unresolved hook to be better. Bottom line though is I never got invested enough in any of the characters with the way this book is written to actually care to waste my time reading the next book or any others to find out what actually happens.

Honestly it just made me want to go back and re-read The Lies of Locke Lamora again instead.

gaysandmurder's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this as someone who rarely reads fantasy - 4.0 stars

I will start by saying that I don't read much fantasy so I don't know how original this was but for someone who stays away from the genre I had a good time.

Zala is a pirate trying to survive and scavenge enough supplies to treat her husband’s terminal illness. Karim is second in command of the empire's newest skyship. If he can capture the wayward pirates, he may be able to become captain. By Sea and Sky follows these two characters and their conflicting goals in an exciting world with characters you enjoy spending time with.

The best part of this book is the way that Bandele is his character work and explaining already developed friendships. I really enjoyed just hanging out with this pirate gang when we were in Zala's perspective. Karim also has important friends, but his perspective felt more focused on achieving his goal of successfully complete the empires mission. I kind of liked this contrast but I did sometimes get confused about who certain people were in his chapters.

I also enjoyed that we were given small chunks of information about the world and the magic system. It was enough for it to be interesting but not overbearing. There is definitely more to be explored in this world and I am excited about it.

The only reason this isn’t five stars is that the pacing and plot could have been more focused. I think it gets better after

Spoiler

Zala and her Husband get separated. Which only happens halfway through the book.

Spoiler

The audiobook is well done with fun sound effects to immerse you at the beginning of each chapter.

"I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

kristinhunziker's review

adventurous 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

3.0

francescamcmahon's review against another edition

4.0

I am someone who has been hit or miss with fantasy on many occasions. As such, when I saw the announcement for Antoine's book on YouTube I was intrigued. Pirates, fantasy, and a connection to African culture - a combination I'd not fully heard of before, so I brought the book.

This story is one which is a fascinating read and a great entry point for those looking for a gateway into fantasy books, as well as those who are hoping for a new take on the fantasy "tropes". Your reluctant hero who isn't really a hero, the ambitious good but not really good guy, and the twist on the 'hero's not so heroic journey' is one that grabbed my attention from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to its subsequent sequels.