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ctara2123's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Violence, Death, Grief, and Gun violence
Moderate: War, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Death of parent
aseel_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The audiobook really made this book great. Such a good cast + good writing. The story itself was fine, nothing too amazing but the voice actors made it feel so real and vivid, excited to see what comes next
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, and Classism
ashlynndr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Suicide, Gore, and Cursing
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, and Body horror
lawbooks600's review against another edition
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
3.75
Representation: Possible implied minor Black, Asian, Latino/a and multiracial characters
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Before I begin, let me tell you something, it's been so long since I read a book from Amie Kaufman, since the last one I read was Aurora Rising, which I enjoyed, and that was months ago, so when I heard my library got this I put it off for a while, but now I finally read it. When I finished it, I felt it was so different from the preceding book I read from the author, but that isn't a bad thing, and I enjoyed reading it. The next book is next year, and it might be as good or even better than the first. It starts with one of the main characters, Selly Walker, or Selly for short, living in a town called Kirkpool in a country called Alinor, oh, and there's a map before the narrative starts showing where everything is, which was a nice touch from the author. The worldbuilding was excellent, but to summarise, think of what happens when a historical fantasy crosses with an urban fantasy, and initially I thought it wouldn't work. However, the author subverted my expectations by creating a world that's so unique and memorable, and perfectly blends the 20th century feel with touches of magic. Wow. When I think about it, it's almost as good as the world-building in Aurora Rising, since both immerse me into their stories.
Now with that out of the way, another significant character, Leander, joins Selly's crew as she sets off somewhere, but there was a navy battle (trust me, it's action-packed) which cost some minor characters and left them stranded, and here is where the book slows its pace (that didn't ruin my enjoyment, as that allowed me to explore the characters and their dynamics) but the romance was alright, and it was likely that it was added as an afterthought. Or it's me. I didn't feel like they had any chemistry. The second half was slow, but I got to see a city which felt like New York but set 100 years ago, which was intriguing, but eventually, Selly and the others set off again to somewhere. The ending quickened the book's pace, where a few pages later I saw The Isles of The Gods, hence the title, more action scenes, and a cliff-hanger! Wow! I can't wait to read the next one.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
Before I begin, let me tell you something, it's been so long since I read a book from Amie Kaufman, since the last one I read was Aurora Rising, which I enjoyed, and that was months ago, so when I heard my library got this I put it off for a while, but now I finally read it. When I finished it, I felt it was so different from the preceding book I read from the author, but that isn't a bad thing, and I enjoyed reading it. The next book is next year, and it might be as good or even better than the first. It starts with one of the main characters, Selly Walker, or Selly for short, living in a town called Kirkpool in a country called Alinor, oh, and there's a map before the narrative starts showing where everything is, which was a nice touch from the author. The worldbuilding was excellent, but to summarise, think of what happens when a historical fantasy crosses with an urban fantasy, and initially I thought it wouldn't work. However, the author subverted my expectations by creating a world that's so unique and memorable, and perfectly blends the 20th century feel with touches of magic. Wow. When I think about it, it's almost as good as the world-building in Aurora Rising, since both immerse me into their stories.
Now with that out of the way, another significant character, Leander, joins Selly's crew as she sets off somewhere, but there was a navy battle (trust me, it's action-packed) which cost some minor characters and left them stranded, and here is where the book slows its pace (that didn't ruin my enjoyment, as that allowed me to explore the characters and their dynamics) but the romance was alright, and it was likely that it was added as an afterthought. Or it's me. I didn't feel like they had any chemistry. The second half was slow, but I got to see a city which felt like New York but set 100 years ago, which was intriguing, but eventually, Selly and the others set off again to somewhere. The ending quickened the book's pace, where a few pages later I saw The Isles of The Gods, hence the title, more action scenes, and a cliff-hanger! Wow! I can't wait to read the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Full trigger warnings: Death of people from gun violence and a fire, shipwreck, military violence and war themes, explosions, blood depictionbetweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was pretty good! The magic system was really interesting and intricate, with pretty strong core cast of characters. It's bit like a pirate adventure, with magic. The plot did seem a little YA cookie cutter, but that's not always a bad thing. Of course, we end on a cliffhanger, so be warned if you do pick this one up!
There was a lot of detail put into the magic system, but I wish there was a little more detail put into the actual world building. At times, it was difficult to really place where all the countries were and what was happening with them. Maybe a map would have been helpful! Perhaps a hazard of listening to the audiobook.
Anyway, despite that, still such a fun read overall!
There was a lot of detail put into the magic system, but I wish there was a little more detail put into the actual world building. At times, it was difficult to really place where all the countries were and what was happening with them. Maybe a map would have been helpful! Perhaps a hazard of listening to the audiobook.
Anyway, despite that, still such a fun read overall!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Gun violence, Death of parent, and War
guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Blood, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
taryn_g's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: War, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Gorgeously detailed and thoroughly enchanting, the first book in Amie Kaufman’s new epic fantasy series is a masterfully immersive, high stakes adventure story that I can guarantee will have you on the edge of your seats.
Ten years in the making, Kaufman’s character driven solo title follows the seafaring Selly and fun loving Prince, Leander who Selly is duty bound to escort (secretly) to the sacred Isles of The Gods, in order to complete a ritual that will strengthen their realm’s goddess and protect them from a slumbering (and war mongering) enemy God who seeks to destroy them all.
With magic, warring gods and a high octane, life or death adventure for three unlikely (and incredibly reluctant) heroes, The Isles of The Gods is a masterfully written and unforgettable read with lush world building that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I loved the merging of magic with a 1920s style world on the precipice of technological advancement also made for an intriguing exploration into social class and economic tensions and how they (much like the tensions that preceded WW1) can lead to something as destructive as war with only slightest of nudges.
The prose too, was absolutely stunning and I loved how free flowing and easy to read it was, making for some really smooth transitions between each of the alternating POVs (there were five in total) and really conveyed the complexities and nuances of the world without becoming info dumpy.
Selly, Leander and Keegan, our rag-tag trio were all really well written, relatable characters that I felt were full to bursting with nuance and emotional depth that I really enjoyed. We also really get to delve into each character’s insecurities and explore the motivations behind their decisions—which really helped me to understand them a little more, especially when it came to Selly, Leander and Laskia.
Speaking of Laskia (the younger sister of a crime Lord determined to bring back her country’s slumbering god), despite being quite an obvious antagonist I really loved the glimpse into her relationship with her sister and the power imbalance that stops her sister from taking her seriously.
It’s not often I despise and sympathise with a character in equal measure so kudos to Kaufman for making me question my own morals when it came to Laskia and her very poor decision making skills.
The pacing was a little slow to start (particularly in the first 100 pages) but once the action starts, it takes on a fairly swift speed that didn’t let up. And the action was utterly phenomenal, I honestly hadn’t expected it to hit soo hard or be quite as shockingly brutal as it was (though it’s definitely the kind of action you don’t want to tear yourself away from.) I’d also suggest looking up the TWs beforehand just to be on the safe side.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable,YA fantasy that fans of Lynette Noni, swashbuckling adventure and swoon-worthy romances are going to adore.
And Amie, if you’re reading this… it was definitely worth the wait—I absolutely loved it!
Also, a huge thank you to Nina Douglas and Rock The Boat/ Oneworld Publications for the finished copy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Gun violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Blood
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