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rjtheodore's review
5.0
I very much enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing what happens next. The main characters are really well developed and I have no idea who I'm rooting for at this point - Karim's passion for his career is as moving as Zala's concern for Jelani!
puppetdicator's review
3.0
I received this audiobook for free from Netgalley in exchange for a review.. Thank you to the Publishers and NetGalley.
The narrator was amusing. He sounded like quite a few different Phil LaMarr characters.
The book was ok. I enjoyed it well enough. I got through it quickly. It was fast paced in a way due to the action although I couldn't always follow along with what was happening.
I don't mind the main two characters. They are not meant to be sympathetic for the most part and I am okay with that. They are pirates after all. I more so was worried for the people around them since they often made destructive decisions.
I think the main issue for me with this book is that I am indifferent to it. I think that's because not much happened. I listened to the end where the author says that he had too much to put in one book but I'm not sure I agree with that.
I am open to finishing this trilogy but I can't say I will be on the lookout.
I am giving it 3 stars for the world-building and all the fight scenes.
Edit 01/29/21: I do think the next book should add a female voice actor to read Zalas part. Most books do that nowadays with 2 or more perspectives. Since Bandele has his own audiobook company I thought it might be something worth mentioning.
Also They fixed the blurb so I put that under spoilers.
The narrator was amusing. He sounded like quite a few different Phil LaMarr characters.
The book was ok. I enjoyed it well enough. I got through it quickly. It was fast paced in a way due to the action although I couldn't always follow along with what was happening.
I don't mind the main two characters. They are not meant to be sympathetic for the most part and I am okay with that. They are pirates after all. I more so was worried for the people around them since they often made destructive decisions.
I think the main issue for me with this book is that I am indifferent to it. I think that's because not much happened. I listened to the end where the author says that he had too much to put in one book but I'm not sure I agree with that.
Spoiler
The blurb states that She is on a mission to rescue her husband and become a sky pirate. The first chapter was set up like he was about to be captured but he wasn't. And he doesn't get taken till halfway through the book. It kind of makes the pacing odd and I think they should try to rewrite that blurb and add in that the is a second perspective. Which other readers might be interested in.I am open to finishing this trilogy but I can't say I will be on the lookout.
I am giving it 3 stars for the world-building and all the fight scenes.
Edit 01/29/21: I do think the next book should add a female voice actor to read Zalas part. Most books do that nowadays with 2 or more perspectives. Since Bandele has his own audiobook company I thought it might be something worth mentioning.
Also They fixed the blurb so I put that under spoilers.
ariel_reads's review
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. A solid pirate story, By Sea & Sky takes the reader through pirate battles, betting schemes, and maneuvers for power. While the characters themselves could use a little more depth, I found myself glad that I read this book. I loved the original world and the different fantasy races, and would enjoy diving into this universe again.
mswocreader's review
4.0
I really enjoyed just sitting back and listening to Zala and Karim's tale. And I liked that the story immediately opens with some action. I immediately felt like I was on the ship in the middle of battle. In the audio version it's easy to picture what's happening because you hear the crowd yelling and swords clashing. Pirate novels usually aren't my things but this was very entertaining. The world building was pretty strong. There's a lot of African/Caribbean mythology that's weaved in effortlessly.
I received an arc from the author in exchange for an honest review.
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/06/by-sea-sky-by-antoine-bandele.html
I received an arc from the author in exchange for an honest review.
https://womenofcolorreadtoo.blogspot.com/2020/06/by-sea-sky-by-antoine-bandele.html
becks_books's review
3.0
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an audiobook ARC
Unfortunately I don't really have much to say about this one. I felt like I enjoyed it as I was reading it but ultimately it hasn't left much of an impression on me. It's a fun adventure story though and the West Indies and Swahili Coast inspiration works really well.
It felt like a lot of the worldbuilding happened off page and like I was meant to know about things that weren't explained in the text with regards to the magic etc, I wish we'd got more of that on the page because it seems interesting but sometimes it was confusing because I didn't feel like there was enough information.
The story is told from 2 different povs and I much preferred the POV of Zala the pirate, than the man from the empire trying to rise in the ranks, I'm just not sure his POV was necessary.
Overall I'd recommend this if you want a fun pirate adventure, but I wouldn't say it's a must read for fantasy lovers.
Unfortunately I don't really have much to say about this one. I felt like I enjoyed it as I was reading it but ultimately it hasn't left much of an impression on me. It's a fun adventure story though and the West Indies and Swahili Coast inspiration works really well.
It felt like a lot of the worldbuilding happened off page and like I was meant to know about things that weren't explained in the text with regards to the magic etc, I wish we'd got more of that on the page because it seems interesting but sometimes it was confusing because I didn't feel like there was enough information.
The story is told from 2 different povs and I much preferred the POV of Zala the pirate, than the man from the empire trying to rise in the ranks, I'm just not sure his POV was necessary.
Overall I'd recommend this if you want a fun pirate adventure, but I wouldn't say it's a must read for fantasy lovers.
irasobrietate's review
4.0
This was a fun high-seas adventure following the first airship in Esowon and the pirate crew who are its first targets. I absolutely loved Zala. She was fierce, intelligent, a little socially incompetent, emotionally closed off, and rabidly loyal to those few she choose to give her heart to. I definitely can't wait to see how she pulls herself and her remaining crew out of the hole they've dug for themselves. I found Karim more off-putting; I'm just not super interested in overly ambitious dudes who shit on outlawed religions because they're not "enlightened" enough for the modern age or whatever. But the audiobook as a whole was well-done. John Rogers does a good job at making each character distinct and I appreciated the sound effects at the beginning of each chapter that set the stage for each chapter. I'll definitely be looking for the sequel when it comes out.
shereadsontrains's review against another edition
3.0
The story was hard to get into for me with not enough backstory of the characters to make me care deeply about them. The action grows and we get to learn more about their motivations but I found the side characters much more interesting than the main. I want a book about the pukka and Fon!
I did enjoy the weaving in of different mythology from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
I received a review copy, all opinions are my own.
I did enjoy the weaving in of different mythology from Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
I received a review copy, all opinions are my own.
gregg's review against another edition
3.0
A good enough story I think and I don't really like pirate stories. The world seemed interesting enough but could have used a little info about the various nations and different type of people living in the world. The magic system is one of those I don't care for either where using magic actually can lead to the users death. Needed to talk more about that as well though. The characters were not great but they weren't bad either. I could sort hear the different accents while reading at points. Reading a story with the world gets inspiration from these different cultures was different from the usual euro centric fantasy stories too. So a two and three stars for me and just rounded up to three stars. Yes I would be interested in reading the next in the series and hope to the story gets even better.
omarickman's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book starts off great going between the perspectives of Zala and Karim. I was interested in both view points and was eager to learn more about the characters. The storyline was exciting and full of action! I also got the sense that the world was so much bigger and complicated than what was shown in this book--which I loved.
Unfortunatley, Zala's motivations throughout the novel were surface deep, while I got the sense that Karim's motivations were much deeper. I would have liked to have seen some deeper motivations for Zala. The real disappointment, however, was the ending. This book was steamrolling into my favorites category until the last couple chapters. I won't spoil anything, but I was disappointed and frustrated. I am still interested in Zala and Karim's stories and will be looking to read the next book in the series.
Unfortunatley, Zala's motivations throughout the novel were surface deep, while I got the sense that Karim's motivations were much deeper. I would have liked to have seen some deeper motivations for Zala. The real disappointment, however, was the ending. This book was steamrolling into my favorites category until the last couple chapters. I won't spoil anything, but I was disappointed and frustrated. I am still interested in Zala and Karim's stories and will be looking to read the next book in the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Kidnapping
brinley's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It does mess with your expectations a bit, considering that the blurb leads us to believe that Zala will be a captain, which she technically isn't, but it was still a great read. The representation in this was great, all of our main characters are POC, which isn't something you see often
Worldbuilding
The worldbuilding is where this book is slightly lacking. It takes quite a while to figure out what exactly stone-skins are, especially because it is presented as a disease and in other books it is almost presented as a superpower. We also don't fully understand all of the rivalries and wars that are mentioned, but those will likely get explained in the rest of this trilogy.
Characters
I really liked all of the characters in this, even Karim, who is set up to become the "villain" in the rest of the books. My personal favorite was Shomari, his flirting with Fon was so cute, and what is there not ro love about a killer cat? Zala is an interesting character, and I hope to see her rise to captain in the later books, as she can grow a lot more. I do wish we had seen a bit more of the relationship between her and Jelani so that we could understand her drive to save him, but it wasn't a huge thing,
Plot
The plot in this wasn't exactly fast moving, but I was entertained the entire time. It does take a long time for the events mentioned in the blurb to happen, Jelani wasn't kidnapped until 50%, but it was just as interesting before that. It left off in a good place to start a second book from, but wasn't s college cliffhanger.
Overall
I've been enjoying pirate books lately, and this met the standard of any of the others I've read. It was entertaining, had good representation, and interesting characters. I would definitely recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Worldbuilding
The worldbuilding is where this book is slightly lacking. It takes quite a while to figure out what exactly stone-skins are, especially because it is presented as a disease and in other books it is almost presented as a superpower. We also don't fully understand all of the rivalries and wars that are mentioned, but those will likely get explained in the rest of this trilogy.
Characters
I really liked all of the characters in this, even Karim, who is set up to become the "villain" in the rest of the books. My personal favorite was Shomari, his flirting with Fon was so cute, and what is there not ro love about a killer cat? Zala is an interesting character, and I hope to see her rise to captain in the later books, as she can grow a lot more. I do wish we had seen a bit more of the relationship between her and Jelani so that we could understand her drive to save him, but it wasn't a huge thing,
Plot
The plot in this wasn't exactly fast moving, but I was entertained the entire time. It does take a long time for the events mentioned in the blurb to happen, Jelani wasn't kidnapped until 50%, but it was just as interesting before that. It left off in a good place to start a second book from, but wasn't s college cliffhanger.
Overall
I've been enjoying pirate books lately, and this met the standard of any of the others I've read. It was entertaining, had good representation, and interesting characters. I would definitely recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review