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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
maybe 3.5 stars!
i love princes, sailing quests, and magic and this had all 3. but while i loved 2 of the povs, and 1 was enjoyable, the other 3 just bored me. i also liked the parts of the book that were travelling from place to place much more than the actual plot, villains, etc. lol.
i love princes, sailing quests, and magic and this had all 3. but while i loved 2 of the povs, and 1 was enjoyable, the other 3 just bored me. i also liked the parts of the book that were travelling from place to place much more than the actual plot, villains, etc. lol.
Hm okay, so I think I would've enjoyed this more if I read it with my brain turned off. It was definitely made for an audience younger than me. I just found everything very predictable. I don't think anything came as a surprise or was unexpected. Don't get me wrong, being predictable isn't always a bad thing (there's only so many story lines you can come up with), but it's nice sometimes when something catches you a little off guard.
It didn't feel like Selly and her love interest had any chemistry. If anything, the prince had chemistry with everyone except her. They seemed like good friends and that's it.
The use of "champagne" annoyed me. As far as we know we are in a completely different—not Earth—world which means that there is no place called champagne so you can't name the drink after it. If she wanted to include it, she could have just called it "a sparkling drink" or "bubbles" and people will still know what you're talking about.
Also, idk if I'm just stupid, but I spent the entire time being confused about the time period. At first I was like 1800s-ish because of the pirate vibes and car mentions. But when they go to the foreign port, there are mentions of disco balls and flashing lights which would suggest it to be much more modern.
Okay read. Probably won't bother with the second one though.
It didn't feel like Selly and her love interest had any chemistry. If anything, the prince had chemistry with everyone except her. They seemed like good friends and that's it.
The use of "champagne" annoyed me. As far as we know we are in a completely different—not Earth—world which means that there is no place called champagne so you can't name the drink after it. If she wanted to include it, she could have just called it "a sparkling drink" or "bubbles" and people will still know what you're talking about.
Also, idk if I'm just stupid, but I spent the entire time being confused about the time period. At first I was like 1800s-ish because of the pirate vibes and car mentions. But when they go to the foreign port, there are mentions of disco balls and flashing lights which would suggest it to be much more modern.
Okay read. Probably won't bother with the second one though.
I put this off for a while because of the beginning, which I felt was really slow and it took a while for me to understand the lore. It didn't help that the characters also started off pretty annoying, but I am glad that I finished this. I felt like this story had a lot of heart and the characters seemed realistic in their motivations, it is also interesting to see perspectives from both sides of the war. I really liked the characters arcs of the Alinorish group, which all felt linked in the way they all learned to see past themselves in their own ways. A large theme of this book was sacrifice and I think it was utilised very well and really helped with character growth and story development. Overall a great read, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the series has to offer!
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
After a bit of a learning curve to understand the lore, this book had me HOOKED. A dastardly seafaring adventure on the escape from a brutal villain while finding one's own unwillingly chosen crew and growing as both individuals and a family. This book was just perfection.
I've read Kaufman's other co-written works and adored the ragtag ragamuffin groups of main characters, and this was even better than I expected. The stubborn and proud Selly with a legacy to uphold and something to prove, the quiet and underestimated scholar Keegan, and the pompous prince Leander with a secret heart of gold make a fantastic main trio. And when I say their villain is brutal, I mean it. Nothing is held back and stakes are constantly high throughout this journey, and I haven't felt such genuine fear at a young female villain in a long while.
The magic and mythos of this book is also very fun to explore throughout. The religious system built off the prior battles between now-resting Gods and our protagonists' attempts to prevent them from awakening and bringing on war and conflict was complex and elaborate in a way that was genuinely interesting without being info-dumping or tedious.
There were definitely some unexpected turns this book took, which made it all the more entertaining and enthralling to read. Extra kudos to the queernormative world and the fleshed-out personalities and backstories of each POV character and others who I wasn't expecting to have such an impact on the narrative. There was a perfect balance of focusing on the main characters while still giving heart to every name and face featured.
Overall, I loved this a lot. Absolutely will be picking up the sequel immediately.
I've read Kaufman's other co-written works and adored the ragtag ragamuffin groups of main characters, and this was even better than I expected. The stubborn and proud Selly with a legacy to uphold and something to prove, the quiet and underestimated scholar Keegan, and the pompous prince Leander with a secret heart of gold make a fantastic main trio. And when I say their villain is brutal, I mean it. Nothing is held back and stakes are constantly high throughout this journey, and I haven't felt such genuine fear at a young female villain in a long while.
The magic and mythos of this book is also very fun to explore throughout. The religious system built off the prior battles between now-resting Gods and our protagonists' attempts to prevent them from awakening and bringing on war and conflict was complex and elaborate in a way that was genuinely interesting without being info-dumping or tedious.
There were definitely some unexpected turns this book took, which made it all the more entertaining and enthralling to read. Extra kudos to the queernormative world and the fleshed-out personalities and backstories of each POV character and others who I wasn't expecting to have such an impact on the narrative. There was a perfect balance of focusing on the main characters while still giving heart to every name and face featured.
Overall, I loved this a lot. Absolutely will be picking up the sequel immediately.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Adventurous, piratey, magical, and with warring gods?? Loved it all. I cared about the characters and they had great development. I’ll definitely read the next one.
adventurous
mysterious
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