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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-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 ⭐️
A sea of pirates and a secret underwater world?! Love it. I really enjoyed Amare’s background on the Moonshadow and I felt a connection to her cadre and uncle aboard the ship, I kind of missed them throughout the rest of the book.
The story, for me, starts to take a slower turn once Amare’s in Skullhaven, not for any particular character because I really enjoyed meeting Amare’s friends, even came around to liking Finn. I just anticipated Amare being more mature (should also state I didn’t know this was YA when I bought it). Once she arrived to Skullhaven, she didn’t really care to question the King’s whereabouts or anything, she seemingly was along for the ride but continued to say how much she missed the Moonshadow. Ultimately, she was kind of annoying.
BUT then the Winter Rose appears and I’m back to devouring the story! Trying to avoid spoilers - but I LOVE the Winter Rose captain and being back on the pirate themed side of the story. Sometimes it felt like I was reading two completely different books. Where were introduced to a lifestyle of pirate ships and the 1700’s (?) then were thrown into electric guitars and night clubs? Idk the timeline in Skullhaven just didn’t pique my interest as much.
There were some inconsistencies in the timeline (like when Cora says “you fought them (imilui- I can’t remember what they’re called) last night” but a few pages before that were told it was two nights ago. Also, the time between when Amare spotted Lucas at the docks, it didn’t add to their ages.
Another thing, I don’t mind a love triangle, but I’m not a fan when it’s done between brothers.
Overall, I’m looking forward to the second book and giving it a fair shot.
A sea of pirates and a secret underwater world?! Love it. I really enjoyed Amare’s background on the Moonshadow and I felt a connection to her cadre and uncle aboard the ship, I kind of missed them throughout the rest of the book.
The story, for me, starts to take a slower turn once Amare’s in Skullhaven, not for any particular character because I really enjoyed meeting Amare’s friends, even came around to liking Finn. I just anticipated Amare being more mature (should also state I didn’t know this was YA when I bought it). Once she arrived to Skullhaven, she didn’t really care to question the King’s whereabouts or anything, she seemingly was along for the ride but continued to say how much she missed the Moonshadow. Ultimately, she was kind of annoying.
BUT then the Winter Rose appears and I’m back to devouring the story! Trying to avoid spoilers - but I LOVE the Winter Rose captain and being back on the pirate themed side of the story. Sometimes it felt like I was reading two completely different books. Where were introduced to a lifestyle of pirate ships and the 1700’s (?) then were thrown into electric guitars and night clubs? Idk the timeline in Skullhaven just didn’t pique my interest as much.
There were some inconsistencies in the timeline (like when Cora says “you fought them (imilui- I can’t remember what they’re called) last night” but a few pages before that were told it was two nights ago. Also, the time between when Amare spotted Lucas at the docks, it didn’t add to their ages.
Another thing, I don’t mind a love triangle, but I’m not a fan when it’s done between brothers.
Overall, I’m looking forward to the second book and giving it a fair shot.
I really thought I would be into this book. I made it a little more than 25,% but I just couldn't get into it.
Reading The Sunken City is entering into a world that is a mishmash of historical piracy, Atlantis, royalty, magic and witches, and... nightlife? What started as a unique new world took one too many turns for me to fully enjoy it. There were a lot of different elements, but not always consistent or thoughtful explanations.
The first section of the book was the most straightforward - Amare is living on a pirate ship and trying to pursue her ambitions despite society's "rules" for her as a woman. Has it been done before? Sure. But a good old pirate story is always fun, so I was hooked anyway. As a bonus, there's frequent mentions of "witches" and Amare's guardian acting strangely - enough to keep me invested in how things would turn out.
However, once Amare enters into a world that is much more modern (2000s vibes vs the pirate-y 1700s), the story began to lose me. Don't get me wrong - I can respect when an author takes unexpected turns and adds in a little dystopian vibe or mashes together two genres or timelines that aren't frequently mixed. I can appreciate uniqueness, even if it's weird. What happened here is that things weren't explained as we went along. Sure, I know what all these things are, as a modern reader. But Amare??? She would be out of her mind with how different things were - and that transition was not well done.
And I'll be honest, I found the multitude of nightclub scenes and heavy drinking to be tedious and a useless addition to the plot. (especially for a YA book!)
My other struggles were as follow: 1.) Amare acts SO young, and is generally rude and overly harsh. 2.) There is indeed a love triangle, and technically Amare is officially involved with one boy when she falls for the other (yuck). 3.) Oh also, when she falls for the first boy it is WAY quick. 4.) The plot jumps quickly and jaggedly in the last half of the book.
Was this a fast read? Yes. Are there some very unique and interesting elements in this book (the witches, magic, secrets about what happened, etc.)? YES. Is there a certain lighter-on-the-worldbuilding element that reminds me of the dystopian books I devoured in the 2010s as a teen? Sure. Would 15-year-olds today eat this up? Maybe. (special question mark for the nightclub elements, but in general, probably!)
I will not be continuing the series, but I would recommend this to certain audiences looking for a particular story atmosphere.
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**content notes: death of parents referenced (and once in a flashback - things are heard, not seen). genocide mentioned. violence & combat. kidnapping. dark witches & magic. the "shadow self" - (darker side of oneself) is introspected on frequently. nightclubs, fake IDs, underage drinking.
**romance notes: light innuendos, one heavy kissing scene & other kisses. mentions of one character being a lesbian.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the gifted ebook copy. All opinions and thoughts are fully and genuinely my own.
The first section of the book was the most straightforward - Amare is living on a pirate ship and trying to pursue her ambitions despite society's "rules" for her as a woman. Has it been done before? Sure. But a good old pirate story is always fun, so I was hooked anyway. As a bonus, there's frequent mentions of "witches" and Amare's guardian acting strangely - enough to keep me invested in how things would turn out.
However, once Amare enters into a world that is much more modern (2000s vibes vs the pirate-y 1700s), the story began to lose me. Don't get me wrong - I can respect when an author takes unexpected turns and adds in a little dystopian vibe or mashes together two genres or timelines that aren't frequently mixed. I can appreciate uniqueness, even if it's weird. What happened here is that things weren't explained as we went along. Sure, I know what all these things are, as a modern reader. But Amare??? She would be out of her mind with how different things were - and that transition was not well done.
And I'll be honest, I found the multitude of nightclub scenes and heavy drinking to be tedious and a useless addition to the plot. (especially for a YA book!)
My other struggles were as follow: 1.) Amare acts SO young, and is generally rude and overly harsh. 2.) There is indeed a love triangle, and technically Amare is officially involved with one boy when she falls for the other (yuck). 3.) Oh also, when she falls for the first boy it is WAY quick. 4.) The plot jumps quickly and jaggedly in the last half of the book.
Was this a fast read? Yes. Are there some very unique and interesting elements in this book (the witches, magic, secrets about what happened, etc.)? YES. Is there a certain lighter-on-the-worldbuilding element that reminds me of the dystopian books I devoured in the 2010s as a teen? Sure. Would 15-year-olds today eat this up? Maybe. (special question mark for the nightclub elements, but in general, probably!)
I will not be continuing the series, but I would recommend this to certain audiences looking for a particular story atmosphere.
.
.
.
.
**content notes: death of parents referenced (and once in a flashback - things are heard, not seen). genocide mentioned. violence & combat. kidnapping. dark witches & magic. the "shadow self" - (darker side of oneself) is introspected on frequently. nightclubs, fake IDs, underage drinking.
**romance notes: light innuendos, one heavy kissing scene & other kisses. mentions of one character being a lesbian.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the gifted ebook copy. All opinions and thoughts are fully and genuinely my own.
Such a fun pirate/sea adventure!! Amare starts off as an orphaned sea captains daughter raised by her now captain uncle on a pirate ship. She loves the pirate life and dreams of being captain someday… at least until she finds out she’s a long lost princess to a sunken city. Now she must choose between the safe sweet brother or the dark bad boy brother. Can’t wait to continue this adventure! This was fast paced and hard to put down!
This book had me hooked! The concept was nothing like I had read before and left me wanting more. I feel like I have so many questions and need so many answers!
Amare was as normal as a girl could be on a pirate ship in the 1700s. That is, until the sea started calling to her. Whispering her name. Amare starts to feel like the ship is suffocating her and she is only at peace in the sea. But how can she survive in the water when she’s known nothing but the pirates life her entire life.
- It shakes me, how closely love resembles anger. That ache in my chest – it hurts, and the pain is dangerously to fury’s familiar squeeze. Both emotions swim within me: love and hatred, love and hatred.
Amare was as normal as a girl could be on a pirate ship in the 1700s. That is, until the sea started calling to her. Whispering her name. Amare starts to feel like the ship is suffocating her and she is only at peace in the sea. But how can she survive in the water when she’s known nothing but the pirates life her entire life.
- It shakes me, how closely love resembles anger. That ache in my chest – it hurts, and the pain is dangerously to fury’s familiar squeeze. Both emotions swim within me: love and hatred, love and hatred.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
371 pages
I liked this book a lot. I liked the plot and the adventures that happen in it. I love the setting of her life above water and below water. What I didn’t love was how annoying amare could be?? Anyway it was a good book and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!
I liked this book a lot. I liked the plot and the adventures that happen in it. I love the setting of her life above water and below water. What I didn’t love was how annoying amare could be?? Anyway it was a good book and I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!
4.1/5⭐️
“Ever the polite young woman, I scream in his face”
“I don’t give a rats ass about the throne.
What’s a rat?”
“Great. I’ve pleased the psychotic one”
“You deserve someone who will love every part of you- the good, the dark, the angry, the broken.”
This was so great. Amare is such a relatable character because of her inner monologue, it’s hilarious. The two MMCs have me losing my mind, and I adore her banter with both. Is this a little predictable? Of course. But I enjoyed reading it nonetheless, it was just a fun read.
luckas
“Ever the polite young woman, I scream in his face”
“I don’t give a rats ass about the throne.
What’s a rat?”
“Great. I’ve pleased the psychotic one”
“You deserve someone who will love every part of you- the good, the dark, the angry, the broken.”
This was so great. Amare is such a relatable character because of her inner monologue, it’s hilarious. The two MMCs have me losing my mind, and I adore her banter with both. Is this a little predictable? Of course. But I enjoyed reading it nonetheless, it was just a fun read.
luckas
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated