Reviews

Waters of Salt and Sin by Alisha Klapheke

shilo1364's review

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I started out listening to the audiobook and really had a hard time, so I switched to the ebook on kindle unlimited. It was easier to read than to listen to, but I still ended up dnf-ing it a 25%

The story was unique and very interesting, and normally I would have continued it but it definitely needs editing and by 25% the writing overwhelmed the story for me and I couldn't make myself continue.

The audiobook narrator wasn't my favorite but she also wasn't terrible. Her voice combined with the writing style just made it difficult for me to listen.

Story: 4 stars
Writing style: 2 stars
Audiobook narrator: 3 stars
Overall: 3 stars

I was provided a copy of this audiobook by the author and am voluntarily leaving a review

fafabookcorner's review

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3.0

Review posted on Fafa's Book Corner!

Beware spoilers ahead!

Disclaimer: I received an E-ARC via the author. Apart of the street team. This review is based on the final version.

I heard about Waters of Salt and Sin on twitter. The author's twitter post about her book came up along with the prequel. I read and thoroughly enjoyed the prequel. Naturally I the next installment. I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!

I read Waters of Salt and Sin so long ago that I don't really remember the beginning too well. During a job Kinneret takes a huge risk to get some money. This actually results in her sister being taken as a slave. An old family friend tells Kinneret about the treasure and gives her the information to go and get it. In order to get her Avi back, Kinneret makes a deal with their queen in exchange for Avi's safe return.

Waters of Salt and Sin really surprised me! It is narrated in first person in Kinneret's point of view. The world was vivid and the magic system unique! I've never read about Salt witches before. The Caste system was explained in a lot of detail. A very brutal and cold world. It was easy to imagine myself amongst the characters.

The characters were fantastic! My favourite was Oron. I loved the relationship between the sisters! It was well written and relatable. When Avi is taken as a slave Kinneret doesn't stop until she can find her. It was realistic. The treasure hunt was a lot of fun to read about! There were obstacles, monsters, and a lot of plan changing.

Kinneret and Calev's relationship was great! I loved how well the forbidden romance was done. They went through a lot together and supported each other all the way. Especially when Calev killed their queen (he was taken over by a ghost). I was pretty happy when they were able to remain together.

The last part of Waters of Salt and Sin was so intense! I was on the edge hoping for a happy ending. Luckily enough it came and there was a really sweet ending.

My only problem was that there were times when things came easy to the characters. Despite their struggles and living in a cruel world that's what it felt like here and there.

Overall I enjoyed Waters of Salt and Sin! Highly recommend.  

cpark2005's review

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3.0

Alisha Klapheke has given us a really interesting world with a unique magic in Waters of Salt and Sin. I particularly enjoyed the caste system and sailing aspects of this book as these are elements—especially the sailing—that we don’t often see a lot of in fantasy novels.

One thing that will absolutely stand out to readers of Waters of Salt and Sin is the engaging main character. Kinneret is determined. Determined to change her life, to save her sister, to succeed where others have failed. This determination is balanced nicely by a good helping of self-blame for anything and everything that goes wrong. The interplay of those two things made it fun to be in Kinneret’s head, though also slightly frustrating at times. Klapheke has also given us an interesting world that revolves around a caste system. Individuals are locked into a particular caste—indicated by a number of bells displayed on their clothing. Movement between the castes is possible if one is successful enough to buy one’s way upward, indicated by paying silver to remove a bell (or bells) from one’s clothing. It’s a fresh take on something that we’ve seen many times before and I thought Klapheke executed well. The magic system was a little soft for my tastes, but still fresh and interesting.

By “soft” I mean I would have preferred more explanation to the magic system, especially in a few instances where magic played a role in a plot point or at other points where it felt like maybe magic could have been helpful but it wasn’t used. It was frustrating to think, “hey, why don’t they use magic to solve that problem?” but then never have explained why they didn’t just magic themselves out of a particular jam. This wasn’t only an issue with the magic system, however. There were multiple times during the book when I felt a bit confused about why a character had made a specific decision, or why they didn’t try something that seemed (to me) an obvious alternative. At times it felt like the plot movement was slightly predictable and those times were especially disappointing because this is a really intriguing world that has a great deal of potential. Perhaps most frustrating for me in my reading is that, while I found Kinneret’s perspective very fun to read, I never felt much emotional connection—especially during scenes that were supposed to be emotional. For me many of those scenes fell flat. I imagine that’s probably down to some sub-conscious preferences on my part, so your mileage will probably vary.

All in all, Waters of Salt and Sin is a fun romp in a unique world. If you’re looking for something a bit fresh, and don’t mind some lack of explanation from time to time, consider giving this one a go. 3.2/5 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

tahernandez's review

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4.0

Waters of Salt and Sin is an exciting adventure set in a unique fantasy world that isn't based on medieval Europe, castles, and knights in shining armor, which was hugely refreshing. One of the things I loved best about this book was the world-building and social structure. One of my favorite elements of this was the whole idea of caste status being made evident in the number of bells a person has to wear, and it played into the conflict nicely as we see characters buy their way into a higher status by having bells removed, which is what heroine Kinneret wants to do to raise herself and her younger sister from their low-caste status. She is also motivated by her romantic feelings for childhood friend Calev - a relationship that is forbidden because of Kinneret's social status. Kinneret sets out to seek a legendary island of silver, but her quest is complicated when her sister is captured and made a slave.

The book started off a little slow, and there wasn't much happening in the first few chapters. However, it didn't feel like it dragged, and I appreciated being slowly introduced to the world the author had created and coming to understand the role of the caste system, salt magic, and salt wraiths in this society. The salt wraiths were especially interesting. I loved that whole concept and seeing how they were integrated into the plot as more than just obstacles for the characters to overcome in their travels.

The story is well-written, and Klapheke does an excellent job of showing us the world through Kinneret's eyes. I'm not always a fan of first-person point of view, but I thought it was handled very well here. I connected with Kinneret almost immediately, which made me become more immersed in the story and more invested in what was happening to her and the people she cared about. Oron was another favorite character, and Berker made for a good - if somewhat one-dimensional - antagonist. I had mixed feelings about the constant banter between the main cast of characters. It was spot-on in some places and made me laugh out loud a few times, but there's a lot of it, and it started to feel forced and wear thin in some places.

The relationship between Kinneret and Calev was predictable and rather formulaic, but for the most part well-written and touching. I was rooting for them to get together by the end, even if I could see it coming from the first few chapters. My biggest complaint about the romance arc was Kinneret's attitude toward Miriam, the woman Calev is Intended to marry. It felt like Kinneret was being a little petty and even contradicted herself throughout the story, wanting to be with Calev and hating Miriam while also expressing a desire for Calev to be happy and not be Outcasted (which would be the result of a relationship with someone low-caste like Kinneret). I guess that's human nature, but it did grate on me a little that Kinneret hated Miriam so much for no reason other than that she's Calev's Intended. We don't see Miriam do anything to earn this hatred; she seems like a nice enough person, right up until the end of the story when we find out that she's not such a nice person after all, apparently. But we're just told this in passing, and it felt like kind of a forced way to show that Kinneret was justified in hating Miriam all along. I don't know; I guess I don't like seeing girls hating other girls in stories just because of a boy, especially when they don't even know the other girl that well.

The ending also felt just a little contrived for me, but it was still satisfying. Overall, I enjoyed the story and the author's writing style. I loved escaping into Kinneret's world and will probably read something else by this author in the future.

evangelinegiaconia's review

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5.0

Waters of Salt and Sin plunges the reader into a rich world of love, rebellion, and an oppressive caste system. Klapheke’s world is immersively crafted, populated with complex, engaging protagonists—especially Kinneret, main character and complete badass. She balances deep love for both her sister and her taboo love interest while refusing to compromise her dignity and aspirations. Like Kinneret, the narrative is at its best on the sea: the intricacies of sailing and seafaring are riveting, transporting the reader to a dangerous yet beautiful world of wraiths, witchcraft, and wonder.

catgv's review

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4.0

*I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Let’s start with the positive sides! The writing is engaging and the author uses the five senses, which adds to the reader’s experience. She also writes detailed descriptions of the settings and events, and uses a good vocabulary (mostly linked to sailing, which makes it even more interesting). This story is intriguing, full of magic, adventure, and a realistic caste system! It is exotic with all the names, the caste system, the food, and the description of objects and titles. Moreover, the plot is interesting. There is drama, much conflict, and a sense of urgency. It is not a boring read due to its being action-packed! I felt as though I were in the story with Kinneret and her crew. Speaking of Kinneret, she is a strong main character – she makes decisions and gives her all to accomplish her goals, and her motives are clear. It was quite enjoyable. As for the characters in general, they are interesting; we care for Kinneret and Avi, and the rest are pleasant to read.

I find Kinneret headstrong and inspiring. Plus, she has a good dream: becoming a ship kaptan instead of the usual dream of piracy! The forbidden romance between Kinneret and Calev, her high-caste childhood friend, is bittersweet and well-done. It was quite fun to read. The story’s introduction was good and I’d just like to point out a thing that I liked: the author mentioned a woman’s bleed, which is rarely done in novels. Klapheke’s world-building is fantastic and exotic! It feels real because the people inhabiting her world live by their traditions, conventions, and social classes (mostly represented by the caste system). It feels both out-of-this-world and familiar. I greatly enjoyed her world-building skills!

Now, let’s talk about the negative sides. The dialogue is a bit too revealing and unrealistic. The characters disclose too much information and/or the sentences are too long. It could definitely be stronger and have more subtext. The action could use more description to make it even more engaging. The emotions could be more detailed. I could not identify them easily except for shame, anger, and love. Otherwise, it’s more telling than showing. The other characters (other than Kinneret) lack goals and motives or they’re not clear enough or too weak. Most of them just seem to fall in line behind Kinneret and whatever she does.

For all these reasons, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5. I enjoyed spending time with Kinneret and her crew, living all those adventures at sea to rescue her sister, Avigail. Klapheke’s world is brilliant and exotic – a pleasure to read and travel to. However, the lack of showing the emotions instead of telling and the fact that nearly everyone goes Kinneret’s way are tiresome and unbelievable. This being said, I still recommend this book to those who love adventure-packed novels! One doesn’t grow bored with this novel! I will read the rest of Klapheke’s upcoming and past books about Kinneret and her crew and the Uncommon World.

camilleareads's review

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5.0

When I pick up a fantasy book it’s not often that I choose a seafaring adventure. The only book I’ve read, I think, that consists of pirates and treasure is The Count of Monte Cristo. Stories about the ocean, pirates, and hidden treasures with a majority of the setting taking place on a ship or a boat wasn’t intriguing enough for me. Perhaps it was simply a lack of exposure to the trope.

I first came across Waters of Salt and Sin in a newsletter; I really liked the cover art for it and decided to give it a look. The words “salt witch” and “sisters” stood out for me. I really wanted to read it but was unsure whether I would enjoy it. So I left it on my TBR thinking, perhaps, I’ll get back to it. Which I didn’t, at least not until, I saw that the prequel claimed was available for free! It was around 30 pages or so. Anyways, I thought since it was free I’d give this a shot and if I liked it, I’d go ahead with the novel.

**

Very few books can make me fall in love with an entire set of characters. Protagonists, antagonists, and even side characters were well rounded for a book told from a first point of view. Young Kinneret Raza has made her way into my list of favorite female characters; she’s a young girl of sixteen from a low caste who practices Salt Magic and dreams of being kaptan of her own ship someday. A natural born leader, she is as sharp as whiplash but also very hard on herself. The family she brought together for herself – Avigail, Oron, and Calev – are so different from each other and yet there’s this bond between them that you, as a reader, will enjoy.

I loved the way the love interest was portrayed in this novel. I’m tired of the possessive bad boys that YA romances have become so filled with. Calev is protective but he is also respectful of Kinneret’s independence. He does not overstep his boundaries as a friend or impinge upon her role as kaptan even though he may be of a higher caste.

I really liked Oron who is more than just the funny side character; he’s witty, supportive, and the most vivacious of the lot. He isn’t as brave as the rest of them which, in comparison to Kinneret who is brave but not fearless, puts him as the “voice of reason” for the group.

My heart went out to Avigail’s capture and while I wished to know more about her side of the story in this tale, I also didn’t want to..?

The novel’s plot can be predictable at times but the author does really well with taking twists so as to keep readers on their toes. Even though you know Kinneret is going to get that treasure, and save her sister, and end up with Calev, Klapheke’s writes with a thrilling edge. She brings up a lot of obstacles for our characters that makes you wonder, “what more?”

The Uncommon World setting was very fascinating for me; from caste systems where you could buy your way out of, to a religion that centred on Holy Fire, to the political system, to the Salt Wraiths, to the prejudice of Salt Witches. The author does well in highlighting the latter, especially in a particular scene where she writes about Calev’s mistake of giving into it. I thought that was quite interesting to write in, rather than a perfect high caste boy. We read of each character’s struggles and mistakes, and sympathize with them. Each of them are so different yet relatable.

Alisha Klapheke’s has a beautiful style of writing – it is gripping, it is not very flowery but when it is, it hits straight home, and she has a way of bringing the Uncommon World surroundings to life with her words. The novel, through Kinneret, gives readers glimpses of her relationship with her family and friends. I don’t think I can stop right here with the Uncommon World series as there is so much more of the world left to be discovered!

For more bookish adventures follow me atCamillea Reads and on IG: @biblio.khaleesi

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