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betweentheshelves's review
adventurous
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
3.0
For me, this book is a lesson in actually reading the summary before picking up a book. I thought this was about sapphic pirates and it definitely is not. But that doesn't mean it's bad! It's just different than what I was expecting.
I will say, this book has one of my least favorite tropes (basically insta love), so that kind of took me out of the story a bit. I don't believe someone call fall in love in like 5 days. I just don't. But! The themes about power and who is controlling the power and taking the power back for yourself were great. Especially from Rosa's POVs. Overall, I liked her as a character more than I liked Mariano.
By the end, there are some great twists and turns in the plot that kept me reading. Overall, it is pretty fast paced, keeping the reader engaged the entire time. All in all, this wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
I will say, this book has one of my least favorite tropes (basically insta love), so that kind of took me out of the story a bit. I don't believe someone call fall in love in like 5 days. I just don't. But! The themes about power and who is controlling the power and taking the power back for yourself were great. Especially from Rosa's POVs. Overall, I liked her as a character more than I liked Mariano.
By the end, there are some great twists and turns in the plot that kept me reading. Overall, it is pretty fast paced, keeping the reader engaged the entire time. All in all, this wasn't quite what I was expecting, but it was entertaining nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Sexism, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Self harm, and Kidnapping
bookishmillennial's review
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
This was a fun debut from Angela Montoya!! It was the young adult Latine pirate romantasy I didn't know I needed! It is dual-third-person-limited POV of the two leads, an oppressed Majestic, Rosalina and the Prince of Pirates, Mariano. When Majestics come of age, they participate in the annual Offering, where the king and noblemen visit Sinner's Isle to ritually bind with a Majestic, and Rosa is pretty much promised to King Sebastian. All of the payments for the Majestics goes towards the religious organizations.
I loved the worldbuilding - the magic (though, I would love to know more about why certain Majestics have certain magical abilities), history of Majestics, and the politics of the present society. Rosa fought hard to get her autonomy back, for a life worth living, and against the master narrative. I deeply enjoyed her character arc & how incredibly brave & adventurous she was.
I adored Rosalina and Mariano's chemistry and swoon-worthy love story. I would argue this was almost insta-love mixed with enemies-to-lovers. They were seemingly attracted to the other from the start, but absolutely not comrades to begin with lol. Regardless, it was easy to root for them! Besides their connection, I also had so much fun with the friendships and found family.
Since this is young adult, it is fade-to-black (duh).
cw: physical abuse, violence, blood, death, sexism, self-harm, kidnapping
This was a fun debut from Angela Montoya!! It was the young adult Latine pirate romantasy I didn't know I needed! It is dual-third-person-limited POV of the two leads, an oppressed Majestic, Rosalina and the Prince of Pirates, Mariano. When Majestics come of age, they participate in the annual Offering, where the king and noblemen visit Sinner's Isle to ritually bind with a Majestic, and Rosa is pretty much promised to King Sebastian. All of the payments for the Majestics goes towards the religious organizations.
I loved the worldbuilding - the magic (though, I would love to know more about why certain Majestics have certain magical abilities), history of Majestics, and the politics of the present society. Rosa fought hard to get her autonomy back, for a life worth living, and against the master narrative. I deeply enjoyed her character arc & how incredibly brave & adventurous she was.
I adored Rosalina and Mariano's chemistry and swoon-worthy love story. I would argue this was almost insta-love mixed with enemies-to-lovers. They were seemingly attracted to the other from the start, but absolutely not comrades to begin with lol. Regardless, it was easy to root for them! Besides their connection, I also had so much fun with the friendships and found family.
Since this is young adult, it is fade-to-black (duh).
cw: physical abuse, violence, blood, death, sexism, self-harm, kidnapping
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Sexism, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm and Kidnapping
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