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nixwolfwood's review against another edition
2.0
There were a few characters that I really liked, especially Zala, and so that had me staying with the book despite my issues with it. It isn't that the story is bad, because the concept behind it is pretty fascinating actually, I love myself a good sky pirate story. But it was written in a way that made everything drag on, even the scenes that were supposed to be exciting. I'm over here, trying to sympathize with a character but at the same time I'm falling asleep because the story is drawing out and just not keeping my attention.
You can read more of my review here:
https://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/by-sea-sky-by-antoine-bandele
You can read more of my review here:
https://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/by-sea-sky-by-antoine-bandele
emilythesmelly's review
3.0
So, shame on me, but I went into this thinking it was a standalone, and that assumption influenced the way I experienced all of the pacing of this book, and not for the better. I feel like having POV characters from two opposing sides its a gamble in the best of times and it just... didn't really work on this one, on top of the fact that the only character I really really liked was Shomari. There was some kind of story there, but I don't know if it was enough.
marufahoque's review
2.0
I took a while reading this since I got distracted playing pirates online (the old Disney game that fans brought back), but I finally finished this book!
Please note: this is not YA - it's for adults due to language and violence.
Pros:
~Diversity (finally we get non-white main characters in a pirate story, most of which are Black-yay!)
~Unique humanoid creatures like cat-men and fairies (Shomari was my favorite char)
~The MC is married! Therefore we didn't have unnecessary pining or romantic tensions or the dreaded lust-triangles/insta-lust!
~Plenty of swashbuckling action and familiar piratey feeling (such as attacking ships and boarding them, collecting loot, voting captain)
Cons (AKA Constructive Feedback):
~Worldbuilding needs work (the only idea I had of this world was there were islands and most of the book was on ships); there didn't seem to be any distinctions between the islands and empires besides what the characters mentioned (for example, when you think of the Bahamas it's different from Cuba or Bali and all three are islands - the point is I wanted to "see" these differences)
~Fantasy language: I love a good fantasy language but I didn't like having modern swears thrown in. If you can invent a language, you can surely invent swears (there was an insult used by the pirates (dikala), but it wasn't modern, it was invented, and that's what I was looking for, or use something interesting like 'son of a kongamato')
~Fantasy language pt2: the Vaaj Empire was based on the Middle East, but I got Pakistan/India feels (mostly because there is no 'v' or 'p' sounds in Arabic, but there is in Urdu/Hindi); I'm not directly attacking the author, but most people lump Pakistan with the Middle East when the country is in a completely different region with their own cultures (the only thing in common would be religion, but that's about it), and speaking of letters, El-Sayed is Karim's last name, so why is it mentioned that his mail was being sorted under 'S' or 'E' which connotates that this empire uses the English language (but I thought this book was set in a fantasy world and not in ours so why would they have that bit mentioned? In Arabic, they wouldn't have this problem since the article 'El' wouldn't be distinguished from the last name, 'Sayed' and therefore Karim would get his mail delivered under 'S' - just some things that stuck out to me while reading)
~The MC, Zala, just wasn't an interesting enough character to root for since we don't see how close she is with her husband enough for her to warrant his rescue (him running out of time due to his malady it's a strong enough reason, IMO - and I felt the same way with Karim and his goals)
~The myriad of religions was hard to keep track of (especially in polytheism-like how many deities are there when there are no real distinctions between them???) or when some characters seemed to have a two-faced belief in them; I think sticking to just two or three religions would suffice in this small corner of this fantasy world.
If you enjoy a diverse cast with pirate action and aren't bothered by the cons I listed above, this book may be for you.
Calm seas and fair winds, mate!
Please note: this is not YA - it's for adults due to language and violence.
Pros:
~Diversity (finally we get non-white main characters in a pirate story, most of which are Black-yay!)
~Unique humanoid creatures like cat-men and fairies (Shomari was my favorite char)
~The MC is married! Therefore we didn't have unnecessary pining or romantic tensions or the dreaded lust-triangles/insta-lust!
~Plenty of swashbuckling action and familiar piratey feeling (such as attacking ships and boarding them, collecting loot, voting captain)
Cons (AKA Constructive Feedback):
~Worldbuilding needs work (the only idea I had of this world was there were islands and most of the book was on ships); there didn't seem to be any distinctions between the islands and empires besides what the characters mentioned (for example, when you think of the Bahamas it's different from Cuba or Bali and all three are islands - the point is I wanted to "see" these differences)
~Fantasy language: I love a good fantasy language but I didn't like having modern swears thrown in. If you can invent a language, you can surely invent swears (there was an insult used by the pirates (dikala), but it wasn't modern, it was invented, and that's what I was looking for, or use something interesting like 'son of a kongamato')
~Fantasy language pt2: the Vaaj Empire was based on the Middle East, but I got Pakistan/India feels (mostly because there is no 'v' or 'p' sounds in Arabic, but there is in Urdu/Hindi); I'm not directly attacking the author, but most people lump Pakistan with the Middle East when the country is in a completely different region with their own cultures (the only thing in common would be religion, but that's about it), and speaking of letters, El-Sayed is Karim's last name, so why is it mentioned that his mail was being sorted under 'S' or 'E' which connotates that this empire uses the English language (but I thought this book was set in a fantasy world and not in ours so why would they have that bit mentioned? In Arabic, they wouldn't have this problem since the article 'El' wouldn't be distinguished from the last name, 'Sayed' and therefore Karim would get his mail delivered under 'S' - just some things that stuck out to me while reading)
~The MC, Zala, just wasn't an interesting enough character to root for since we don't see how close she is with her husband enough for her to warrant his rescue (him running out of time due to his malady it's a strong enough reason, IMO - and I felt the same way with Karim and his goals)
~The myriad of religions was hard to keep track of (especially in polytheism-like how many deities are there when there are no real distinctions between them???) or when some characters seemed to have a two-faced belief in them; I think sticking to just two or three religions would suffice in this small corner of this fantasy world.
If you enjoy a diverse cast with pirate action and aren't bothered by the cons I listed above, this book may be for you.
Calm seas and fair winds, mate!
popthebutterfly's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received an e-book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: By Sea & Sky
Author: Antoine Bandele
Book Series: The Sky Pirate Chronicles Book 1
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: pirates, romance, rescue, revenge
Publication Date: June 19, 2020
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, gore, kidnapping TW, romance)
Publisher: Bandele Books
Pages: 414
Synopsis: With no magic, no brawn, and no pirate crew, Zala seeks to steal back the one treasure that matters to her most: her husband.
To succeed she needs a ship—and not just any ship, but the latest, secret invention by the Vaaji Empire. An airship.
Zala will have to use her wits to overcome scoundrels and nobles alike on her journey through the clouds.
But if she's smart enough, she may just have what it takes to save her husband—and go down in history as the first sky pirate.
Delve into a pirate fantasy inspired by the West Indies, The Swahili Coast, and Arabia, where Zala will encounter ruthless raiders, arrogant aristocrats, and imperial secrets.
Review: Overall, this was a great read! The book had some great character development and I really liked how Karim was set up in this book. The book had an intriguing plot as well and the book was amazing for people, like me, who crave more pirate books!
However, I thought that the world building could have been built up a little bit more and that the plot could have been built up better. The plot and pacing made the book really slow and I think it could have been done a bit better if things happened sooner in the novel.
Verdict: A great pirate read!
Book: By Sea & Sky
Author: Antoine Bandele
Book Series: The Sky Pirate Chronicles Book 1
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: pirates, romance, rescue, revenge
Publication Date: June 19, 2020
Genre: Fantasy
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, gore, kidnapping TW, romance)
Publisher: Bandele Books
Pages: 414
Synopsis: With no magic, no brawn, and no pirate crew, Zala seeks to steal back the one treasure that matters to her most: her husband.
To succeed she needs a ship—and not just any ship, but the latest, secret invention by the Vaaji Empire. An airship.
Zala will have to use her wits to overcome scoundrels and nobles alike on her journey through the clouds.
But if she's smart enough, she may just have what it takes to save her husband—and go down in history as the first sky pirate.
Delve into a pirate fantasy inspired by the West Indies, The Swahili Coast, and Arabia, where Zala will encounter ruthless raiders, arrogant aristocrats, and imperial secrets.
Review: Overall, this was a great read! The book had some great character development and I really liked how Karim was set up in this book. The book had an intriguing plot as well and the book was amazing for people, like me, who crave more pirate books!
However, I thought that the world building could have been built up a little bit more and that the plot could have been built up better. The plot and pacing made the book really slow and I think it could have been done a bit better if things happened sooner in the novel.
Verdict: A great pirate read!
cinnasbooks's review
1.0
DNF. Was struggling through it.
I enjoyed the diverse accents and characters and the setting was interesting but I listened to a few hours, did not enjoy and felt like it was going no where.
I enjoyed the diverse accents and characters and the setting was interesting but I listened to a few hours, did not enjoy and felt like it was going no where.
page_by_page's review against another edition
3.0
I got this as audio book as a fan of fantasy. The story is of a strong woman that will do anything to save her husband. Generally I liked the plot and the idea of pirates and raids make it a fun read. But I have two objections on this book. As I read it as an audio book, I found that the narrator did not really gave justice to the book. There were times that I couldn’t distinguish the characters as they sounded so similar and I had to pause to think who am I listening to. Secondly, I believe that the world building is not adequate for the reader to understand the environment the book is based on. Maybe in the physical copy there is a map but if you listen to it, it is a bit confusing. Would prefer it maybe a bit more plain but eventually clearer. Would read the sequence though.
rowena_m_andrews's review
4.0
This book had been on my radar for a while, so I leapt at the chance to try out the audiobook through netgalley and I'm glad that I did as I felt that the narrator really brought the story to life.
The book is fantastic, I was sold as soon as Pirates were mentioned and this is one of the most entertaining pirate romps that I've read in a while. That this book draws it's inspiration from West Indie/Swahili/Arabian, and that makes for a new, refreshing world, and I adored the world-building here and was instantly absorbed an would have happily spent many more hours in this world. The characters weren't quite as developed I felt, although Zala was incredible and I love books with strong female characters, and she stood out not just for her presence and personality, but because she was so wonderfully real and human. She made mistakes, had setbacks and kept going, was swayed by her emotions and her head, and I just couldn't get enough of her as a character.
This was a fun book that kept me on my toes, and had a wonderful blend of action and quieter moments, and I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a non-western based fantasy, and anyone who loves Pirates and wants an entertaining, refreshing take on them. I will certainly be checking out the author's other work.
The book is fantastic, I was sold as soon as Pirates were mentioned and this is one of the most entertaining pirate romps that I've read in a while. That this book draws it's inspiration from West Indie/Swahili/Arabian, and that makes for a new, refreshing world, and I adored the world-building here and was instantly absorbed an would have happily spent many more hours in this world. The characters weren't quite as developed I felt, although Zala was incredible and I love books with strong female characters, and she stood out not just for her presence and personality, but because she was so wonderfully real and human. She made mistakes, had setbacks and kept going, was swayed by her emotions and her head, and I just couldn't get enough of her as a character.
This was a fun book that kept me on my toes, and had a wonderful blend of action and quieter moments, and I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a non-western based fantasy, and anyone who loves Pirates and wants an entertaining, refreshing take on them. I will certainly be checking out the author's other work.
cpark2005's review
4.0
I first heard about Antoine Bandele when his book, The Kishi, started getting some positive reviews among bloggers I follow. I’m always looking for unique and especially non-western settings (either creative secondary worlds or worlds inspired by non-western real world places and peoples), and it seemed like Bandele was an author working to provide those sorts of worlds. I haven’t managed to read The Kishi yet, but I knew I wanted to make sure Bandele was on my reading list for Self-Published Fantasy Month.
When I picked up By Sea & Sky I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew it was going to feature pirates. That was about it. But as the story progressed I was introduced to a wonderful, quirky cast of characters. The world itself was also interesting and engaging. But I also ended up finding interesting characters where I least expected them.
I love strong worldbuilding in my fantasy. I want to feel like the world the characters live in is active and changing. I want to have a sense that what I’m seeing is merely one story among many playing out in this world. The world itself needs to be deep and immersive. By Sea & Sky delivers on all those points. It feels immersive. There is a larger world behind what the characters are experiencing. There are histories to be explored, religions that come into play, and a strong feeling that this is very much a living canvas. I loved this aspect of the book. I also enjoyed not only the characters but how Bandele excels at character perspective. There are two main viewpoint characters, Zala, a somewhat reluctant pirate and Karim, an up-and-coming officer in the Vaaji navy. When we’re in Zala’s viewpoints, her side of the story makes perfect sense and you cheer for her. Yet the exact some thing is true when we’re seeing things from Karim’s perspective. Other authors try to achieve this same thing, but I don’t know that many succeed to the same extent that Bandele does. The best example of this sort of character perspective is probably the Elder Empire series by Will Wight, and he achieves this by writing two separate books. Regardless of who else does it well, if you enjoy books that show you multiple perspectives of a conflict, and it feels like both sides are right, then you’re going to find a lot to like in By Sea & Sky. To round out all of this, Bandele’s writing is often sharp and concise. This is a well written novel and the prose helps to keep the action moving along. The finale of the novel was tense and compelling.
While there was plenty I enjoyed in the novel, a few things took my out of the action from time to time. The first is simply that, while I loved the multiple character perspectives, I tended to find Karim’s story much more interesting than Zala’s. This isn’t a criticism so much as my own preferences. Yet in many ways the book feels like it wants to be Zala’s story, and so I found myself wondering if I was supposed to prefer Karim, or if I was missing something about the novel. Perhaps the most frustrating element of this was that I often found myself putting the novel down when the viewpoint switched from Karim to Zala. This meant that I ended up reading the novel in fits and starts. I’m not prepared to say that Zala as a character didn’t work for me, because I feel like she’s still a very well crafted character. I think it’s more that Karim has a tantalizing backstory that we aren’t given much information on. I feel like he’s in some way supposed to be the antagonist of the novel, but to me his story just feels more mysterious and interesting.
Even though I was much more engaged with one side of the story than the other, By Sea & Sky was an enjoyable read. You may have quite a different experience with the characters than I did, so I’d say this one is worth your time. This is especially true if you enjoy deep worldbuilding and non-western settings.
7/10
3.5/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
When I picked up By Sea & Sky I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I knew it was going to feature pirates. That was about it. But as the story progressed I was introduced to a wonderful, quirky cast of characters. The world itself was also interesting and engaging. But I also ended up finding interesting characters where I least expected them.
I love strong worldbuilding in my fantasy. I want to feel like the world the characters live in is active and changing. I want to have a sense that what I’m seeing is merely one story among many playing out in this world. The world itself needs to be deep and immersive. By Sea & Sky delivers on all those points. It feels immersive. There is a larger world behind what the characters are experiencing. There are histories to be explored, religions that come into play, and a strong feeling that this is very much a living canvas. I loved this aspect of the book. I also enjoyed not only the characters but how Bandele excels at character perspective. There are two main viewpoint characters, Zala, a somewhat reluctant pirate and Karim, an up-and-coming officer in the Vaaji navy. When we’re in Zala’s viewpoints, her side of the story makes perfect sense and you cheer for her. Yet the exact some thing is true when we’re seeing things from Karim’s perspective. Other authors try to achieve this same thing, but I don’t know that many succeed to the same extent that Bandele does. The best example of this sort of character perspective is probably the Elder Empire series by Will Wight, and he achieves this by writing two separate books. Regardless of who else does it well, if you enjoy books that show you multiple perspectives of a conflict, and it feels like both sides are right, then you’re going to find a lot to like in By Sea & Sky. To round out all of this, Bandele’s writing is often sharp and concise. This is a well written novel and the prose helps to keep the action moving along. The finale of the novel was tense and compelling.
While there was plenty I enjoyed in the novel, a few things took my out of the action from time to time. The first is simply that, while I loved the multiple character perspectives, I tended to find Karim’s story much more interesting than Zala’s. This isn’t a criticism so much as my own preferences. Yet in many ways the book feels like it wants to be Zala’s story, and so I found myself wondering if I was supposed to prefer Karim, or if I was missing something about the novel. Perhaps the most frustrating element of this was that I often found myself putting the novel down when the viewpoint switched from Karim to Zala. This meant that I ended up reading the novel in fits and starts. I’m not prepared to say that Zala as a character didn’t work for me, because I feel like she’s still a very well crafted character. I think it’s more that Karim has a tantalizing backstory that we aren’t given much information on. I feel like he’s in some way supposed to be the antagonist of the novel, but to me his story just feels more mysterious and interesting.
Even though I was much more engaged with one side of the story than the other, By Sea & Sky was an enjoyable read. You may have quite a different experience with the characters than I did, so I’d say this one is worth your time. This is especially true if you enjoy deep worldbuilding and non-western settings.
7/10
3.5/5 stars.
5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing
margaretadelle's review against another edition
5.0
I originally read another book by the author (The Kishi) and I was thrilled when he offered me a copy of this one for review.
This tale is full of everything it promises. There are pirate battles on sea and in the air. There is a cast of characters filled with supernatural beings that feel embedded into the world. There are real connections between the characters that make you feel for them and a loyalty among the crew that is heart-warming.
Probably the most intriguing part of this story is how it made me empathize with both Zala and Karim. They're on opposing sides that are functionally at war with each other. And yet I couldn't figure out who I actually wanted to come out on top. They both suffer under captains that don't understand how to lead and show their own leadership skills. They both make mistakes and have to deal with the fallout.
The ending pirate vs. navy battle (because of course it had to end that way) made me genuinely nervous. I couldn't tell who would survive, or if they would survive intact. Major things happened with major consequences that gave everything weight. If they said "let's do this big magic thing" that big magic thing could have major negative outcomes for the wielder. It made every decision important and necessary.
The mix of cultures are also there. The lands are fantasy versions, but the inspirations are obvious. While I'm in no place to gauge the accuracy of the rep, I definitely felt transported to another place.
For anyone looking for pirate books, fantasy books, or pirate fantasy books, this is a great pick!!
This tale is full of everything it promises. There are pirate battles on sea and in the air. There is a cast of characters filled with supernatural beings that feel embedded into the world. There are real connections between the characters that make you feel for them and a loyalty among the crew that is heart-warming.
Probably the most intriguing part of this story is how it made me empathize with both Zala and Karim. They're on opposing sides that are functionally at war with each other. And yet I couldn't figure out who I actually wanted to come out on top. They both suffer under captains that don't understand how to lead and show their own leadership skills. They both make mistakes and have to deal with the fallout.
The ending pirate vs. navy battle (because of course it had to end that way) made me genuinely nervous. I couldn't tell who would survive, or if they would survive intact. Major things happened with major consequences that gave everything weight. If they said "let's do this big magic thing" that big magic thing could have major negative outcomes for the wielder. It made every decision important and necessary.
The mix of cultures are also there. The lands are fantasy versions, but the inspirations are obvious. While I'm in no place to gauge the accuracy of the rep, I definitely felt transported to another place.
For anyone looking for pirate books, fantasy books, or pirate fantasy books, this is a great pick!!