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amberinpieces's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, and Vomit
mari1532's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
#TheDiverseBaseline (learn more at: https://thediversebaseline.carrd.co created by @bookish.millennial & @themargherita.s (on instagram))
I listened to this audiobook through my library.
Brief Summary: Rosalinda is trapped due to a magical gift she did not ask for and can barely control. Taken as a child she is now on the cusp of being sold to the highest bidder for her abilities. However, she has a plan to escape. However, her watcher Doña Lucia has other plans. As Rosalinda tries to fight the clock to leave Sinner's Isle before she is bought she has a chance encounter with a pirate, Marino.
Marino is down on his luck because his ship has been captured and he barely escaped with his life. Yet, his quest for revenge is thrown off course when he meets Rosalinda. As Marino navigates his desire for revenge and his confusing feelings for the witch he has to race the clock to ensure that he can get everyone he cares for off Sinner's Isle before it's too late.
Thoughts: I loved this book so much. All of the characters were well-written and entertaining with enough depth that it made them dynamic characters without bogging the story down in backstories. I enjoyed Montoya's writing and I hope that this is just the start of a series, not a stand-alone!
Rosalinda was such a dynamic and complicated character. Her relationship with her powers and how she begins to deal with her trauma of being kidnapped throughout the book was treated with care and helped understand her motivations throughout the book.
I also loved the relationships that Rosalinda has with the other witches on the island. Some of the relationships are straightforward, as with her best friend. And others are more complicated by the pressures of Sinner's Isle. Also, Doña Lucia was a great villain. She was truly awful and the way that Montoya wrote her in such an interesting way because in some ways you see how she is just upholding the system in which she finds herself. After all, she cannot escape, but she does nothing within her power to implement any changes. I really disliked her.
Marino was such a great hero. He was a perfect mix of brooding and quirky. Montoya does an excellent job of writing a love story where both partners are equal in the relationship and have to work together and survive. And there were several scenes where Rosalinda and Marino interacted that made me laugh out loud even though the point in the plot was tense.
My only wish is that there was a little more steam throughout the book. It felt that it was missing a bit throughout the book. It did not need a lot, but just a bit more would have heightened some of the scenes.
This is a great romance book with intrigue and adventure. I would highly recommend it.
I listened to this audiobook through my library.
Brief Summary: Rosalinda is trapped due to a magical gift she did not ask for and can barely control. Taken as a child she is now on the cusp of being sold to the highest bidder for her abilities. However, she has a plan to escape. However, her watcher Doña Lucia has other plans. As Rosalinda tries to fight the clock to leave Sinner's Isle before she is bought she has a chance encounter with a pirate, Marino.
Marino is down on his luck because his ship has been captured and he barely escaped with his life. Yet, his quest for revenge is thrown off course when he meets Rosalinda. As Marino navigates his desire for revenge and his confusing feelings for the witch he has to race the clock to ensure that he can get everyone he cares for off Sinner's Isle before it's too late.
Thoughts: I loved this book so much. All of the characters were well-written and entertaining with enough depth that it made them dynamic characters without bogging the story down in backstories. I enjoyed Montoya's writing and I hope that this is just the start of a series, not a stand-alone!
Rosalinda was such a dynamic and complicated character. Her relationship with her powers and how she begins to deal with her trauma of being kidnapped throughout the book was treated with care and helped understand her motivations throughout the book.
I also loved the relationships that Rosalinda has with the other witches on the island. Some of the relationships are straightforward, as with her best friend. And others are more complicated by the pressures of Sinner's Isle. Also, Doña Lucia was a great villain. She was truly awful and the way that Montoya wrote her in such an interesting way because in some ways you see how she is just upholding the system in which she finds herself. After all, she cannot escape, but she does nothing within her power to implement any changes. I really disliked her.
Marino was such a great hero. He was a perfect mix of brooding and quirky. Montoya does an excellent job of writing a love story where both partners are equal in the relationship and have to work together and survive. And there were several scenes where Rosalinda and Marino interacted that made me laugh out loud even though the point in the plot was tense.
My only wish is that there was a little more steam throughout the book. It felt that it was missing a bit throughout the book. It did not need a lot, but just a bit more would have heightened some of the scenes.
This is a great romance book with intrigue and adventure. I would highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
wabbitrabbit's review against another edition
Maybe I’m too old, but I just can’t stand tell-not-show women’s oppression in my fantasy books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Slavery, and Trafficking
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Rape