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A review by taylors_escapism
Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
(This review features quotations from the story, so if you would wish to avoid those skip over the parentheses.)
Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw is perfect for readers looking for a fast paced, addictive, sea adventure with lyrical writing. I really enjoyed the messages Rachel infused throughout her book. Like when she says, “It’s what we choose to do in this world that turns us into monsters.”, and how she represents the LGBTQ+ community in a way that normalized our relationships instead of making them a big deal. There’s no shock factor to it, it just is, which I found to be lovely as someone from the community. Another thing I enjoyed was the enemies to lovers romance featured in the book. I thought some of her most whimsical writing came from the romance parts of the story. For example, “We are a slow crashing wave falling forever, never quite reaching the shore.” I think there’s many things that can be taken away from reading this gripping sea exploration novel. Specifically themes around found family, kinship, trust, betrayals, love, and preservation. As her strong female main character states, “They say we aren’t human. That we thirst and plunder and kill. And yes, it’s true what they say. But I call it survival.” I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed To kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo and any of Adrienne Young’s work.
Thank you, Net Galley, and the publishers, for granting me access to an arc of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.
Compass and Blade by Rachel Greenlaw is perfect for readers looking for a fast paced, addictive, sea adventure with lyrical writing. I really enjoyed the messages Rachel infused throughout her book. Like when she says, “It’s what we choose to do in this world that turns us into monsters.”, and how she represents the LGBTQ+ community in a way that normalized our relationships instead of making them a big deal. There’s no shock factor to it, it just is, which I found to be lovely as someone from the community. Another thing I enjoyed was the enemies to lovers romance featured in the book. I thought some of her most whimsical writing came from the romance parts of the story. For example, “We are a slow crashing wave falling forever, never quite reaching the shore.” I think there’s many things that can be taken away from reading this gripping sea exploration novel. Specifically themes around found family, kinship, trust, betrayals, love, and preservation. As her strong female main character states, “They say we aren’t human. That we thirst and plunder and kill. And yes, it’s true what they say. But I call it survival.” I highly recommend this book if you enjoyed To kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo and any of Adrienne Young’s work.
Thank you, Net Galley, and the publishers, for granting me access to an arc of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.