Scan barcode
islapol's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It started fairly slowly, but the pace started to pick up as the book progressed, allowing one to remained entertained! It is a very interesting story into a fantasy world and concept of a different kind of sea. I really enjoyed the concept, but some parts of the book were difficult to remain engrossed in. Nevertheless, I would still recommend this book as it had a nice mix of fun characters, romance, and adventure.
cupiscent's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
There were so many things that I really liked about this. The world is absolutely wondrous, full of interlocking big damn ideas--tall ships sailing prairie-grass seas, buoyed up by musically and magically manipulated fires burning bone, and the dark deeps beneath. And the characters are big and bold, and our main viewpoint character has a magnificent arc of self-awareness and (very relatable) despair with the state of the world.
However, in so many niggly little ways, I didn't quite vibe with it. The pace was measured, with lots of description that sometimes dragged for me, and the plot was demanding, with every single thing Kindred did seeming to turn things worse - it got rather draining at times. The story moved ever onwards through the world, not lingering to dig deeper, though it did circle back into some interesting closure in the last gasp. But it never really built a sense of momentum, just plodding along until it ended. That ending was satisfying, but still not quite enough in ways I can't quite grasp - possibly it's that it feels more like the big twist midpoint than an ending, which given that this is the first of at least two, may be so.
Anyway, WOW ideas, complex characters, perfectly charming in the telling, definitely worth a try!
However, in so many niggly little ways, I didn't quite vibe with it. The pace was measured, with lots of description that sometimes dragged for me, and the plot was demanding, with every single thing Kindred did seeming to turn things worse - it got rather draining at times. The story moved ever onwards through the world, not lingering to dig deeper, though it did circle back into some interesting closure in the last gasp. But it never really built a sense of momentum, just plodding along until it ended. That ending was satisfying, but still not quite enough in ways I can't quite grasp - possibly it's that it feels more like the big twist midpoint than an ending, which given that this is the first of at least two, may be so.
Anyway, WOW ideas, complex characters, perfectly charming in the telling, definitely worth a try!
cookiecat73's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stacyaj's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- 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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Body horror, and Confinement
wormys_queue's review against another edition
4.0
Great debut novel, that manages to translate our current climate crisis into a fantastic setting, where the name giving sea basically is an ocean made up from plants, that is not only the main mean of transport but also the main ressource people live from. What seems like an idyllic scenery though is threatened by the Grey, a mysterious disease that has befallen the plant live and thereby poses an immediate threat for humanity's existance. Only that like in the real world, humanity has better things to do than to save themselves. Power mongering, Greed and sheer desperation lead different factions to fight against each other, hellbent on saving themselves even at the cost of other peoples' life.
Ships sailing on that sea are powered by hearthfires, magical fires kept going and controlled by the hearthfire keepers. Kindred Greyreach is such a keeper that is hellbent on finding her legendary grandmother, the Marchess, that apparently commited suicide by stepping out into the sea. But a note she leaves to Kindred suggests that there might be more to this and that the Marchess might still be a live. On her journey to find her grandmother, Kindred has to constantly decide whom to trust, whom to be loyal too and whom to fight against. Only to find out that in the end, the squabbles she gets involved in mean nothing and that there's much more at stake than just who comes out victorious of the human-made chaos.
I really loved reading that book even if it took my a while because I got distracted by other shing things. The setting is fantastic, the characters memorable and even with all the action going on, the book has what I might describe best as a melancholic, poetic undertone, that I really love in my readings. Not everything is perfect though. Especially in the beginning, Kindred herself is a bit too reckless for my taste, constantly putting other peoples' life at risk without even thinking of asking them first. And when that earns her the enmity of other people, it's suddenly those that are despicted as irresponsible in their wrath, and even if they find peace in the end, it kinda feels to me that this could have been handled a bit more carefully throughout the course of the book.
But to be honest, that's minor nitpicking. I can't wait for [b:The Endless Song|60224574|The Endless Song (The Forever Sea, #2)|Joshua Phillip Johnson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643295100l/60224574._SY75_.jpg|94970538], the second part of this saga (announced for october), and I'll certainly keep an eye out for what Johnson does in the future.
Ships sailing on that sea are powered by hearthfires, magical fires kept going and controlled by the hearthfire keepers. Kindred Greyreach is such a keeper that is hellbent on finding her legendary grandmother, the Marchess, that apparently commited suicide by stepping out into the sea. But a note she leaves to Kindred suggests that there might be more to this and that the Marchess might still be a live. On her journey to find her grandmother, Kindred has to constantly decide whom to trust, whom to be loyal too and whom to fight against. Only to find out that in the end, the squabbles she gets involved in mean nothing and that there's much more at stake than just who comes out victorious of the human-made chaos.
I really loved reading that book even if it took my a while because I got distracted by other shing things. The setting is fantastic, the characters memorable and even with all the action going on, the book has what I might describe best as a melancholic, poetic undertone, that I really love in my readings. Not everything is perfect though. Especially in the beginning, Kindred herself is a bit too reckless for my taste, constantly putting other peoples' life at risk without even thinking of asking them first. And when that earns her the enmity of other people, it's suddenly those that are despicted as irresponsible in their wrath, and even if they find peace in the end, it kinda feels to me that this could have been handled a bit more carefully throughout the course of the book.
But to be honest, that's minor nitpicking. I can't wait for [b:The Endless Song|60224574|The Endless Song (The Forever Sea, #2)|Joshua Phillip Johnson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643295100l/60224574._SY75_.jpg|94970538], the second part of this saga (announced for october), and I'll certainly keep an eye out for what Johnson does in the future.
syllareads's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tortue's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
marikabarth's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A surprisingly delightful nautical fantasy adventure read. The environmentalism messaging is a bit heavy handed, but the characters are likeable, the world building is interesting, and the plot is fun and decently fast-paced.