Scan barcode
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
teeclecticreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
Thank you so much to Angela Montoya for sending me a copy of this eARC. Rosalinda, her friend Juana and other Magestics — young women gifted with tremendous powers — are inhabitants of the Sinner’s Isle, where they are made to feel that they are wretches and sinners by the church and must pay for their abominable abilities. Rosalinda is constantly thinking of a plan to escape, as she is the most powerful Magestic of all and doesn’t want this to be her fate. Along the way, there is action, humour, friendship and love. But don’t get it twisted, this was such a powerful story of feminine strength, which is always a trope I can get 100% behind.
I love Angela’s writing style. She made sure to include her Spanish heritage in some of the words used, but it didn’t feel like I was completely lost. Though it was written in third person, there was dual POV and I felt every single emotion of the characters. The protagonists were likeable and the antagonists I absolutely despised. One thing with Angela? She sure can write a villain.
The pacing was pretty good too. I found myself lost in their world and devoured this book in one sitting. I was kept on my toes in anticipation to see if Rosa would actually be victorious. Also the world building?? Oh my goossshhh. I was in awe. Everything was so elegantly described. I feel like I could see the Magestics at work, weaving all these beautiful things.
This book is to be released on October 31, 2023. I definitely recommend you all preorder and get your hands on this great book 🤗
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Self harm