A review by lea_talisa
Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I love this so much. 
Historical fiction isn’t something I read a lot but let me tell you it was just that good. This is like Pirates of the Caribbean with kind of a love triangle and way more explicit scenes (sexual as well as torturing ones). So please check the trigger warnings on this one !

At 8% of the story (attempted) rape made me reconsider continuing but I pushed through and I was absolutely captured by the book.

After the first half I was very very conflicted about this story. I love the setting and everything. But it hurt my heart to read some of those sex or rather rape scenes. 
As problematic as this is for me, the story was still captivating and fortunately I continued reading.

I like Bennett’s character. She’s a strong and intelligent but savage female main character. She earned her respect and has everything it takes to lead but she also has a vulnerable side. 

Some quotes:
„I’d never been a woman who depended on a man to save her. This wasn’t their fight. It was mine.“

„I forgave the two men I loved, completely and unconditionally. Not for their sakes. I did it for me. A final gift to myself“ 

I couldn’t put this book down. Some parts made my heart ache and my stomach sick but it just felt so real and then there were the happy scenes full of hope, trust and love. This book broke my heart quite a few times but never failed to put it back together.

At about 75% I knew this book is going to be a highlight of mine. I just didn’t want this story to end and loved everything about it.

This book isn’t for the lighthearted or for those who are triggered by mostly rape but a lot of other points to. So this time really check the trigger warnings and be sure going into the book that it isn’t going to be pretty. 
For everybody who can handle all the featured triggers you’re in for a ride and I hope with my whole heart that you will love this book as much as I did by the end.

Some more quotes:
„And we shall be blinded by our love for life and beyond the ends of the sea.“

„Love had hunted me, captured me, bred madness, and yes, it left a sea of ruin in its wake“

„I was a pirate captain, a rebel queen of the sea, fighting against the conformities of society and the oppressive laws of man.“
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