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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Oh to be a woman, a pirate AND a witch!!! This is a great adventure and it deserves your read. I can wait to dive into book 2!!
I really enjoyed the beginning and end of this book. The middle was okay, but it did seem to drag a little. Overall, though, a good and entertaining read.
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
This book is everything my pirate-loving heart wanted in a fantasy!
Ever since I was a child, I was a huge fan of tales like Pirates of the Caribbean and Sinbad, and I carried this love through my adulthood. As far as books go, I’ve found some stories that I liked, but didn’t love—until this book. The Sunken City immediately immersed me into that seafaring/pirate-y atmosphere I love thanks to the author’s beautiful writing and the characters that were so vivid in my mind, as if they were alive on the page. I was a few chapters in and I turned to my sister saying, “This book is so good!”
Amare is a wonderful main character. She’s a girl who had to learn fast how to live in a world of men. She’s strong and fierce, resourceful and curious, yet there were also moments where her vulnerability and empathy shone through. Seeing life aboard a pirate ship through her eyes made me feel as if I’d been on a ship all my life, but at the same time, everything felt so vibrant and new. Once the focus shifts to the Sunken City, life under the sea was not what I was expecting. I was expecting mermaids, instead I was surprised by an original world that resembles our own in terms of advancement—with some clever variations to fit the underwater life.
The book’s strengths are many. The writing, I’ve already mentioned, but there’s also an amazing cast of characters to support Amare. There’s a point while Amare is in the Sunken City, away from her pirate family, that I felt like the plot slowed down a little, which is normal in a book. I missed the pirate side of the story, but the arrival of a particular character—*cough* Lukas *cough*—and the return of pirates made everything pick up again. As far as the romance goes, there’s a love triangle, and while I like both brothers, I love only one and have chosen my side. (Have you ever watched The Vampire Diaries? I was Team Damon. That’s clue enough.)
I seriously need the sequel tomorrow!
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.
This book is everything my pirate-loving heart wanted in a fantasy!
Ever since I was a child, I was a huge fan of tales like Pirates of the Caribbean and Sinbad, and I carried this love through my adulthood. As far as books go, I’ve found some stories that I liked, but didn’t love—until this book. The Sunken City immediately immersed me into that seafaring/pirate-y atmosphere I love thanks to the author’s beautiful writing and the characters that were so vivid in my mind, as if they were alive on the page. I was a few chapters in and I turned to my sister saying, “This book is so good!”
Amare is a wonderful main character. She’s a girl who had to learn fast how to live in a world of men. She’s strong and fierce, resourceful and curious, yet there were also moments where her vulnerability and empathy shone through. Seeing life aboard a pirate ship through her eyes made me feel as if I’d been on a ship all my life, but at the same time, everything felt so vibrant and new. Once the focus shifts to the Sunken City, life under the sea was not what I was expecting. I was expecting mermaids, instead I was surprised by an original world that resembles our own in terms of advancement—with some clever variations to fit the underwater life.
The book’s strengths are many. The writing, I’ve already mentioned, but there’s also an amazing cast of characters to support Amare. There’s a point while Amare is in the Sunken City, away from her pirate family, that I felt like the plot slowed down a little, which is normal in a book. I missed the pirate side of the story, but the arrival of a particular character—*cough* Lukas *cough*—and the return of pirates made everything pick up again. As far as the romance goes, there’s a love triangle, and while I like both brothers, I love only one and have chosen my side. (Have you ever watched The Vampire Diaries? I was Team Damon. That’s clue enough.)
I seriously need the sequel tomorrow!
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. Opinions are my own.
Actual rating: 4.5/5 stars
THE SUNKEN CITY is everything I look for in a book set at sea: pirates, adventure, morally gray characters. I adored the pirate element in the first part of the book. The author did an amazing job creating the correct atmosphere around them, even with little details such as ship parts and the pirate slang, but especially with the sense of family and camaraderie aboard the ship. Amare, the main character, fit perfectly within this frame. I loved her strong sense of independence and her sass! A true pirate at heart, so I didn’t miss the pirates too much when the setting turned to the underwater kingdom.
I thoroughly enjoyed the world building of this book, especially once we moved to the underwater kingdom. T the whole concept of it was completely different from what I expected, and very original! There was a lot to learn about the world and the magic, but the information was peppered throughout rather than being info-dumped on the reader. We got sea creatures, witches, court intrigues. It was fantastic!
And finally, the characters. I already mentioned that I loved Amare, but I also really appreciated the supporting cast. There’s a lot of female empowerment and women supporting women in this book, and I’m here for it! Maoke was probably one of my biggest surprises. She embodies a morally gray, misunderstood badass so well! Strangely, I also enjoyed the love triangle between Amare and the brothers, Finn and Lukas. Maybe it’s because I don’t think it’s a real triangle at this point. I think there are plenty of signs that point to the real endgame, and it’s the brother I choose! Hint: tall, dark, dangerous. It was a losing battle to resist.
In short, this new-adult novel is the perfect read for fans of adventures set above and below sea level. It has action, romance, magic, and BETRAYAL. I seriously cannot wait for the next book already because the last 50 pages had me reeling!
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.
THE SUNKEN CITY is everything I look for in a book set at sea: pirates, adventure, morally gray characters. I adored the pirate element in the first part of the book. The author did an amazing job creating the correct atmosphere around them, even with little details such as ship parts and the pirate slang, but especially with the sense of family and camaraderie aboard the ship. Amare, the main character, fit perfectly within this frame. I loved her strong sense of independence and her sass! A true pirate at heart, so I didn’t miss the pirates too much when the setting turned to the underwater kingdom.
I thoroughly enjoyed the world building of this book, especially once we moved to the underwater kingdom. T the whole concept of it was completely different from what I expected, and very original! There was a lot to learn about the world and the magic, but the information was peppered throughout rather than being info-dumped on the reader. We got sea creatures, witches, court intrigues. It was fantastic!
And finally, the characters. I already mentioned that I loved Amare, but I also really appreciated the supporting cast. There’s a lot of female empowerment and women supporting women in this book, and I’m here for it! Maoke was probably one of my biggest surprises. She embodies a morally gray, misunderstood badass so well! Strangely, I also enjoyed the love triangle between Amare and the brothers, Finn and Lukas. Maybe it’s because I don’t think it’s a real triangle at this point. I think there are plenty of signs that point to the real endgame, and it’s the brother I choose! Hint: tall, dark, dangerous. It was a losing battle to resist.
In short, this new-adult novel is the perfect read for fans of adventures set above and below sea level. It has action, romance, magic, and BETRAYAL. I seriously cannot wait for the next book already because the last 50 pages had me reeling!
Thank you to the author for gifting me a copy. All opinions are my own.
adventurous
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:
N/A
The Sunken City freaking rocked my whole world!! 100% in love with this world and its incredible cast of characters. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you’re like me and you’ve made it a life goal to never get over your Pirates of the Caribbean obsession!! There are SO MANY delightful, obscure references to the Pirates franchise everywhere, including but not limited to: Port Royal, "curiosity", ship=freedom--they're riddled throughout and I caught every single one and couldn't get enough!
I haven't been swept away and fully engrossed by a YA fantasy in forever, but this one totally stole my heart. I'm in love with Amare and obsessed with the love triangle romance she's got going on between two brothers. I'm a sucker for the trope and after much deliberation I am team Lukas, but Finn is so freaking wonderful as well. Such an altogether phenomenal debut novel from Emma Noyes!
Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed above are entirely my own.
I haven't been swept away and fully engrossed by a YA fantasy in forever, but this one totally stole my heart. I'm in love with Amare and obsessed with the love triangle romance she's got going on between two brothers. I'm a sucker for the trope and after much deliberation I am team Lukas, but Finn is so freaking wonderful as well. Such an altogether phenomenal debut novel from Emma Noyes!
Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed above are entirely my own.
“What I find: Finn a mask of concern, Lukas smiling as widely as if I’d offered him a fistful of candy. Great. I’ve pleased the psychotic one. “Don’t listen to my brother, love,” Lukas says. “By all means—continue.”
My best explanation of this book is pirates of the caribbean meets reverse little mermaid lol. But add two brothers who both like the main character and one is a little morally grey lol. (team lukas <3)
The whole premise of this book is so interesting, I was really excited to read it. And I definitely liked it, but I had just finished an adult book and going from that to a very YA book was a little difficult lol.
There were a few things that were hard for me to get used to at first. In the beginning of the book, when Amare still lives on the pirate ship, I assumed it was the 1700-1800s, but once she got to the Sunken City they had fake ids, a “breathing age” and rock and roll. It makes sense since they are more advanced than the humans but reading “fake id” after reading about treasure chests and pirate raids threw me for a loop for a second.
I am really excited to read the rest of the series!!
My best explanation of this book is pirates of the caribbean meets reverse little mermaid lol. But add two brothers who both like the main character and one is a little morally grey lol. (team lukas <3)
The whole premise of this book is so interesting, I was really excited to read it. And I definitely liked it, but I had just finished an adult book and going from that to a very YA book was a little difficult lol.
There were a few things that were hard for me to get used to at first. In the beginning of the book, when Amare still lives on the pirate ship, I assumed it was the 1700-1800s, but once she got to the Sunken City they had fake ids, a “breathing age” and rock and roll. It makes sense since they are more advanced than the humans but reading “fake id” after reading about treasure chests and pirate raids threw me for a loop for a second.
I am really excited to read the rest of the series!!
I struggled to get through this book. The premise was enticing and the books concept has a lot of potential but that's where the positives end for this book.
As a whole, The Sunken City was underdeveloped and and everything seemed very surface level.
The main character gave off major 'pick me' vibes and everything felt so impersonal, from the relationships of the characters, to the interactions with the Sunken City world. The main characters felt very distant and not at all fleshed out and the world building was very surface level.
Noyes writing also came across as very juvenile. An example of this can be seen in the (lack of) relationship development. Most relationships just *appeared* and we saw little growth from that point on. Yes, this is YA but there is a lot of fantastic YA work out there and young adults are more than capable of reading something more developed.
However, as I said earlier, this is an intriguing idea and with development, could produce a fantastic book. Noyes is only young and with more attention paid to technique and development, has a bright future ahead.
As a whole, The Sunken City was underdeveloped and and everything seemed very surface level.
The main character gave off major 'pick me' vibes and everything felt so impersonal, from the relationships of the characters, to the interactions with the Sunken City world. The main characters felt very distant and not at all fleshed out and the world building was very surface level.
Noyes writing also came across as very juvenile. An example of this can be seen in the (lack of) relationship development. Most relationships just *appeared* and we saw little growth from that point on. Yes, this is YA but there is a lot of fantastic YA work out there and young adults are more than capable of reading something more developed.
However, as I said earlier, this is an intriguing idea and with development, could produce a fantastic book. Noyes is only young and with more attention paid to technique and development, has a bright future ahead.
I read this in a course of 5ish hours. I know the book was inspired by The Vampire Diaries, but I think I had different expectations coming into this. Some ads that I watched, for this book, compared Amare to Katherine, but she more so resembled Elena in many aspects. I think I was hoping more for the Katherine aspect.
Regardless - it was a good read. I had some troubles staying focused in parts of the book. But I enjoyed it overall. I really wished she would have went more in depth about Mira.
I suppose now I will have to buy the next two books to read.
Regardless - it was a good read. I had some troubles staying focused in parts of the book. But I enjoyed it overall. I really wished she would have went more in depth about Mira.
I suppose now I will have to buy the next two books to read.