Scan barcode
A review by bookishmillennial
Sinner's Isle by Angela Montoya
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
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death, Sexism, and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm and Kidnapping