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sophiareads_ 's review for:
The Isle in the Silver Sea
by Tasha Suri
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In a Britain which is built on and maintained by cycles of ever-repeating stories, Vina and Simran are the most recent incarnations of the Knight and the Witch, fated to fall in love and die together time after time.
This book was so unique and creative. I loved the complexities of the world building - particularly the magic of tales and stories, which was so folkloric and atmospheric. It's also a book that executes its themes very well. The way change is explored, and specifically the necessity of change and new stories and ideas was wonderful. I also love good use of epigraphs at the beginning of chapters, so it was great to see them used to highlight the themes of propaganda and censorship within the story. I loved Simran and Vina as characters (Vina reminded me frequently of Gideon Nav, which is a very serious compliment), and I just generally thought that all the relationships explored here - be they romantic, platonic, or familial - were really compelling and sweet, no matter how complicated they often were. My one complaint here was with the pacing (I feel like I've been having pacing issues with so many standalones I've read recently!). I wished the book was longer and slower paced - there were times where plot points and obstacles were overcome so quickly it ended up feeling pretty anti-climactic, which was a huge shame, because I did really enjoy all of those myriad little adventure-like plot points! That being said, I'd still definitely recommend this one! Tasha Suri does not know how to write a bad book, but we knew that already.
Huge thank you to Orbit UK for sending me an ARC!
This book was so unique and creative. I loved the complexities of the world building - particularly the magic of tales and stories, which was so folkloric and atmospheric. It's also a book that executes its themes very well. The way change is explored, and specifically the necessity of change and new stories and ideas was wonderful. I also love good use of epigraphs at the beginning of chapters, so it was great to see them used to highlight the themes of propaganda and censorship within the story. I loved Simran and Vina as characters (Vina reminded me frequently of Gideon Nav, which is a very serious compliment), and I just generally thought that all the relationships explored here - be they romantic, platonic, or familial - were really compelling and sweet, no matter how complicated they often were. My one complaint here was with the pacing (I feel like I've been having pacing issues with so many standalones I've read recently!). I wished the book was longer and slower paced - there were times where plot points and obstacles were overcome so quickly it ended up feeling pretty anti-climactic, which was a huge shame, because I did really enjoy all of those myriad little adventure-like plot points! That being said, I'd still definitely recommend this one! Tasha Suri does not know how to write a bad book, but we knew that already.
Huge thank you to Orbit UK for sending me an ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Racism