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zoe_larrimer's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book was fast-paced and I finished it in a single sitting. It deals with complex themes of oppression, injustice, and the struggle of placing loyalty to one’s family over oneself despite having personal dreams and goals. The FMC, Koral, was someone I was both deeply rooting for and deeply irritated with at different times and I loved that. The maristags are such insteresting creatures and really captivated me with their descriptions. The storyline was fairly predictable (although the twists were still fun to read). Overall, I would highly recommend reading this book for an intriguing and thought-provoking read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, and Blood
Moderate: Xenophobia, Murder, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death and Domestic abuse
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Animal death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Mental illness, Police brutality, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, Deportation, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
stardust_heidi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.5
It started off a bit slow and I almost put it down a few times…..but holeeeeeeeeeee shit. It got raw and brutal real quick. By the last quarter, I was devouring the book to see what happens.
Definitely not one to read if you want fluffy fantasy.
Definitely not one to read if you want fluffy fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Gore, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
hobbithopeful's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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? No
4.25
A fantastic read that had me turning the pages eager to see what happened next! Listen it started off kind of slow and rocky and I was worried I wouldn't like it (A bit heavy on the prose in the beginning) But WOW did this book pick up! If it wasn't for the somewhat awk start I would have given it 4.5 stars, but either way this is a must read book for sure! It's like Hunger Games, very dystopian and with the one class being very powerful and rich as opposed to "Renters" who struggle to survive. So yes Hunger Games but more diverse and with creatures! By the end of the novel I was reading as fast I could, my heart pounding wondering if Koral (the main charater) would survive or not. (May I just say I also *love* the book cover!) This is the debut novel for the author, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Blood
marleywrites's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
5 ⭐️, no doubt.
I was screaming about this book to my friend the whole time I was reading it. I could not put this book down once I got into it. I read the first six chapters on NetGalley and then immediately ran to the library and checked this book out. I couldn’t finish it fast enough.
This book was not what I expected. I was expecting an interesting race with cool creatures, with a predictable ending, maybe a dash of romance. In a way, it was that, but it was also so much more. This book had rebels, betrayal, politics, class structure upheaval. It went in a direction that I personally didn’t see coming, which I loved. Especially the last ten pages. Oh my god. I was so wrapped up in the book, and was so invested.
General premise of the book: Koral was the underdog the whole time, and boy, do I love a good underdog story. She cheats her way into a very important race. Political chaos ensues.
What I really appreciated about this book is that it tackled the class structure differences in a very stark way that easily showed the difference between the Renters and the Landers. The subtle and not so subtle differences became more and more clear as the book progressed. The way classism was so prevalent was disheartening but crucial to the story.
Another aspect I loved about this story was that the rebel cause was a complex character in the story. The Arkers are seen in small doses throughout the book but have a biiiiig impact, especially on Koral’s life.
Pick up this book only if you’re prepared for an ambiguous ending— this is a stand alone book.
In this next section, I will gush some more, but with spoilers. So beware.
First of all, I’m glad the situationship with Dorian was left in the past. He made his decision— twice! Goodbye, loser boy. Although I did appreciate him trying to warn Koral not to continue the race, he could have been a lot more specific and direct about it, especially when she wasn’t responsive to him for the third time. 🙄 Like clearly his method wasn’t working. So maybe switch it up?
Koral’s parents bothered me. Her dad, screw him. Her mom? I don’t know how to feel. With abusive relationships like theirs it’s hard to have a clear feeling about anything and anyone involved sometimes. She didn’t deserve to die.
I wish we had more time with Emrik. I wish we could have seen more of an Emrik not riddled with pain or worry.
The ending. The. Ending. The ending?
I feel so bamboozled. I felt like the story was building up all this hope that Koral had the whole time, even if it was mixed with desperation. Then the ending just…. It deflated it entirely but then at the last minute, tried to revive it. I wish I were clearer on the message that was being sent.
For example, the message I heard was that rising up against the privileged class will result in abuse and failure, so maybe don’t join the rebel cause. I know Koral technically got away, but her life was destroyed in the process. She did get her freedom back, but at what cost?
Despite the complicated meaning and ambiguous ending, I loved this book because it was different than what I’ve read before, and because it didn’t end with everything tied up nicely with a bow. Koral was the underdog, and remained the underdog the whole way through this story. I kind of like not knowing what happened after they escaped.
I will definitely be reading more by this author!
I was screaming about this book to my friend the whole time I was reading it. I could not put this book down once I got into it. I read the first six chapters on NetGalley and then immediately ran to the library and checked this book out. I couldn’t finish it fast enough.
This book was not what I expected. I was expecting an interesting race with cool creatures, with a predictable ending, maybe a dash of romance. In a way, it was that, but it was also so much more. This book had rebels, betrayal, politics, class structure upheaval. It went in a direction that I personally didn’t see coming, which I loved. Especially the last ten pages. Oh my god. I was so wrapped up in the book, and was so invested.
General premise of the book: Koral was the underdog the whole time, and boy, do I love a good underdog story. She cheats her way into a very important race. Political chaos ensues.
What I really appreciated about this book is that it tackled the class structure differences in a very stark way that easily showed the difference between the Renters and the Landers. The subtle and not so subtle differences became more and more clear as the book progressed. The way classism was so prevalent was disheartening but crucial to the story.
Another aspect I loved about this story was that the rebel cause was a complex character in the story. The Arkers are seen in small doses throughout the book but have a biiiiig impact, especially on Koral’s life.
Pick up this book only if you’re prepared for an ambiguous ending— this is a stand alone book.
In this next section, I will gush some more, but with spoilers. So beware.
Koral’s parents bothered me. Her dad, screw him. Her mom? I don’t know how to feel. With abusive relationships like theirs it’s hard to have a clear feeling about anything and anyone involved sometimes. She didn’t deserve to die.
I wish we had more time with Emrik. I wish we could have seen more of an Emrik not riddled with pain or worry.
The ending. The. Ending. The ending?
I feel so bamboozled. I felt like the story was building up all this hope that Koral had the whole time, even if it was mixed with desperation. Then the ending just…. It deflated it entirely but then at the last minute, tried to revive it. I wish I were clearer on the message that was being sent.
For example, the message I heard was that rising up against the privileged class will result in abuse and failure, so maybe don’t join the rebel cause. I know Koral technically got away, but her life was destroyed in the process. She did get her freedom back, but at what cost?
Despite the complicated meaning and ambiguous ending, I loved this book because it was different than what I’ve read before, and because it didn’t end with everything tied up nicely with a bow. Koral was the underdog, and remained the underdog the whole way through this story. I kind of like not knowing what happened after they escaped.
I will definitely be reading more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Racism, and Blood
Moderate: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Animal death, and Torture
Minor: Chronic illness, Medical content, and Alcohol
youarethelibrarian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
I struggled with this one. I loved the premise, but I had a really hard time with the descriptions - I wasn’t able to form a picture in my mind for many of the sea creatures, or for the structures that the Landers use.
On top of that, these characters were very hard to get to know, because Koral didn’t know her own motivations for much of the book. I felt like we could have gotten so much deeper with her, Dorian, and Crane, but we only scratched the surface of who they are, and we really don’t even know what they want. I basically skimmed through the last trial and the end of the book, which was pretty predictable.
Apparently there’s going to be a second book, and I think that one would be more interesting than this one, now that Koral knows how the world around her really works.
On top of that, these characters were very hard to get to know, because Koral didn’t know her own motivations for much of the book. I felt like we could have gotten so much deeper with her, Dorian, and Crane, but we only scratched the surface of who they are, and we really don’t even know what they want. I basically skimmed through the last trial and the end of the book, which was pretty predictable.
Apparently there’s going to be a second book, and I think that one would be more interesting than this one, now that Koral knows how the world around her really works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Violence, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Gore, and Classism
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book feels like a combination of The Hunger Games, a tri-wizard tournament, and The Scorpio Races, but in the way that it doesn't really know what it wants to be? There is a lot going on in this book, and that makes the overall plot a little difficult to follow. It would have benefited from narrowing some of the conflicts and maybe just focusing on the races and the reason that Koral is entering the races.
The plot itself drags a bit, and it ends like it might have a sequel coming? But it also kind of reads like a standalone, so I'm not sure. A few of the main characters were fleshed out, but most of the characters kind of blended into the background. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, honestly! It mostly felt like a lot of the YA fantasy you can find out there.
The plot itself drags a bit, and it ends like it might have a sequel coming? But it also kind of reads like a standalone, so I'm not sure. A few of the main characters were fleshed out, but most of the characters kind of blended into the background. I wanted to like this a lot more than I did, honestly! It mostly felt like a lot of the YA fantasy you can find out there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Chronic illness, Animal death, and Racism
lizgriffinwords's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A powerful novel for fans of The Hunger Games and The Scorpio Races. Koral must overcome familial criticism, cutthroat sea creatures, and a caste system that seeks to obliterate her. There’s a delightful friends to enemies to maybe more (with a knife to the throat scene), but romance never takes over the story, which I greatly appreciated. The writing is punchy and alive, and the peril kept me glued to the page!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Violence
Minor: Chronic illness
booksthatburn's review against another edition
Don’t like the style.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
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