kspear22's review against another edition
2.0
Okay. I said it in all my updates and I’ll repeat it here. I really enjoyed this, but I’m still baffled by what time period this is supposed to be taking place in. I mean, it seems historical—think 1800s—with travel by horse and ship. Yet there’s technology like radio and the talk of sports.
And this is far more of a romance than anything else. It has sort of a Bachelorette feel to be honest. Again, not a bad thing. I enjoyed getting to know some of Selah’s suitors. It was just surprising as I didn’t expect it to be told this way.
There is a lot of political happenings taking place too. A lot of things Selah isn’t privy to knowing. Things being hinted at that we are trying to guess while also being concerned with her love life.
I loved the England stop. It was fun and I loved Bear. That whole aspect was wonderfully done. However, I was disappointed how it ended. I knew she had to complete her tour, but her reaction at the end was a bit off-putting. Especially considering she hadn’t been 100% honest either. I found Selah and Bear’s chemistry to burn hot and will be disappointed if it doesn’t end well. (Which at this point, I don’t think it will, based on this book’s ending.)
Asgard was a totally different trip. I enjoyed it, but I honestly found it hard to keep some of the brothers straight. I wasn’t as invested in Selah’s relationship with Torden. I think it’s because I typically fall hard for the first guy in any story. My heart had already been stolen...regardless of what happened after the two weeks. Don’t get me wrong, Torden was great. It just seemed odd that she could fall so quickly after the Bear incident.
Once we finally get a hint of what else is going on, I became more invested in the story all-around. No longer was it just a romance in disguise. It was finally more. And I’m glad Selah found her voice and backbone. She seems ready to take on her stepmother and the world. I’m super excited for what’s going to happen next! (Also, am I the only one who totally thought she was gonna fall for Lang? Lol)
This has shades of Cinderella and the Odyssey...along with the aforementioned Bachelorette. It’s a fast-paced read and I think it’ll be enjoyable for anyone who enjoys contemporary with some added drama.
And this is far more of a romance than anything else. It has sort of a Bachelorette feel to be honest. Again, not a bad thing. I enjoyed getting to know some of Selah’s suitors. It was just surprising as I didn’t expect it to be told this way.
There is a lot of political happenings taking place too. A lot of things Selah isn’t privy to knowing. Things being hinted at that we are trying to guess while also being concerned with her love life.
I loved the England stop. It was fun and I loved Bear. That whole aspect was wonderfully done. However, I was disappointed how it ended. I knew she had to complete her tour, but her reaction at the end was a bit off-putting. Especially considering she hadn’t been 100% honest either. I found Selah and Bear’s chemistry to burn hot and will be disappointed if it doesn’t end well. (Which at this point, I don’t think it will, based on this book’s ending.)
Asgard was a totally different trip. I enjoyed it, but I honestly found it hard to keep some of the brothers straight. I wasn’t as invested in Selah’s relationship with Torden. I think it’s because I typically fall hard for the first guy in any story. My heart had already been stolen...regardless of what happened after the two weeks. Don’t get me wrong, Torden was great. It just seemed odd that she could fall so quickly after the Bear incident.
Once we finally get a hint of what else is going on, I became more invested in the story all-around. No longer was it just a romance in disguise. It was finally more. And I’m glad Selah found her voice and backbone. She seems ready to take on her stepmother and the world. I’m super excited for what’s going to happen next! (Also, am I the only one who totally thought she was gonna fall for Lang? Lol)
This has shades of Cinderella and the Odyssey...along with the aforementioned Bachelorette. It’s a fast-paced read and I think it’ll be enjoyable for anyone who enjoys contemporary with some added drama.
frangipanini's review against another edition
3.0
Solide 3 Sterne + 1 (imaginärer Ehren)Stern für den Nebensatz mit den "unshaved knees" weil JA
kaitykat's review against another edition
3.0
I really loved the first half of this book! Selah and Bear, eee!! Once Selah went to Norge, I got a bit confused. I liked the blending of fairytales and mythology but the rules of the world weren’t clear nor was the era… I was imagining a fairytale-esque 1700s but then a radio appeared. Confusion aside, I did enjoy this story and the pacing was great! I’m curious as to where it’ll lead so I do want to read the next one!
august_reader's review against another edition
3.0
2.75*
This was just not my cup of tea. I just didn’t like the main female character at all.
Also, I am just in general bored of stories based in and around the sea ( there might be exceptions). But this one felt too draggy.
This was just not my cup of tea. I just didn’t like the main female character at all.
Also, I am just in general bored of stories based in and around the sea ( there might be exceptions). But this one felt too draggy.
aliciareadsit's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 STARS
From the description alone, I kind of expected this debut to be similar to The Selection, and in certain ways it was. This books tells the story of a girl named Selah, the only daughter to the Seneschal of their country Potomac. As Seneschal-elect, she has a duty to find her perfect match and she believes that Peter, her longtime crush and childhood friend, is just that. Selah proposes through official channels (their fathers) and it is announced publicly. When Peter's father rejects the proposal, Selah is left embarassed and heartbroken. Afterward, her stepmother proposes a plan and sends her on a journey across the sea to find a suitor, and is only to return once she's engaged.
The first hundred or so pages are quite info-dumpy, and honestly? Kind of confusing. This first part of the book holds 90% of our world-building, and most of it left me very confused about the setting and time period. Basically, this book is set in our world, but with fictional countries and a fictional history, and I believe it is set in a different century? It was a bit weird truth be told, and a map would have been very helpful. I definitely struggled with this first part of the book, but i persisted. After this hard hump to get over in the beginning though, the writing flowed very nicely, and was a very fast and fun read.
About 100 pages in, once Selah is aboard the Beholder, things really start to pick up in the book. There was a whole lot of fun, but also some serious notes. Heartbreak, intrigue, and heartwarming romance. I truly loved this story once the plot really took off.
Romance is obviously a main focus of this book, and I definitely enjoyed meeting the few guys we were introduced to. Fairly quickly into the story, I decided that I was clever and had already figured out the ending. I was quite shook though once we were introduced to Selah's first suitor and I immediately questioned everything I thought I knew. It didn't even stop there! Her relationship with her second suitor was EVEN BETTER! I honestly was surprised so. many. times. and I eventually decided to stop trying to figure out where it was headed.
As far as MC's go, Selah herself is an ok female lead. She is kind, and sweet, a little nieve and a tad bit overdramatic at times. This was one other reason I knocked off 1 star--she was very much just going through the motions, and we didn't see her personality shine through for a good chunk of the book. When you read it though, I believe Anna Bright did this on purpose. The last hundred pages or so, we see that Selah really comes out of her shell and takes control of her story and her life. But if you have issues with a pushover female MC, then the fist 2/3 of the book may disappoint you quite a bit. I found myself wanting to yell at her at certain points in the book to stick up for herself! But the way she acted and her personality towards the end of this book has me very excited about the sequel.
Overall, this is a very fun read and I enjoyed it immensely! Like I said, it did take me a bit to get invested, so stick with it and I promise it will get better! Even though this was a light and fun read, it did take a more serious turn at the very end, and it has me VERY excited for the next book in this duology to see how it ends! If you like a good YA Romance with a bit of adventure, you are sure to like this one!
4 STARS
From the description alone, I kind of expected this debut to be similar to The Selection, and in certain ways it was. This books tells the story of a girl named Selah, the only daughter to the Seneschal of their country Potomac. As Seneschal-elect, she has a duty to find her perfect match and she believes that Peter, her longtime crush and childhood friend, is just that. Selah proposes through official channels (their fathers) and it is announced publicly. When Peter's father rejects the proposal, Selah is left embarassed and heartbroken. Afterward, her stepmother proposes a plan and sends her on a journey across the sea to find a suitor, and is only to return once she's engaged.
The first hundred or so pages are quite info-dumpy, and honestly? Kind of confusing. This first part of the book holds 90% of our world-building, and most of it left me very confused about the setting and time period. Basically, this book is set in our world, but with fictional countries and a fictional history, and I believe it is set in a different century? It was a bit weird truth be told, and a map would have been very helpful. I definitely struggled with this first part of the book, but i persisted. After this hard hump to get over in the beginning though, the writing flowed very nicely, and was a very fast and fun read.
About 100 pages in, once Selah is aboard the Beholder, things really start to pick up in the book. There was a whole lot of fun, but also some serious notes. Heartbreak, intrigue, and heartwarming romance. I truly loved this story once the plot really took off.
Romance is obviously a main focus of this book, and I definitely enjoyed meeting the few guys we were introduced to. Fairly quickly into the story, I decided that I was clever and had already figured out the ending. I was quite shook though once we were introduced to Selah's first suitor and I immediately questioned everything I thought I knew. It didn't even stop there! Her relationship with her second suitor was EVEN BETTER! I honestly was surprised so. many. times. and I eventually decided to stop trying to figure out where it was headed.
As far as MC's go, Selah herself is an ok female lead. She is kind, and sweet, a little nieve and a tad bit overdramatic at times. This was one other reason I knocked off 1 star--she was very much just going through the motions, and we didn't see her personality shine through for a good chunk of the book. When you read it though, I believe Anna Bright did this on purpose. The last hundred pages or so, we see that Selah really comes out of her shell and takes control of her story and her life. But if you have issues with a pushover female MC, then the fist 2/3 of the book may disappoint you quite a bit. I found myself wanting to yell at her at certain points in the book to stick up for herself! But the way she acted and her personality towards the end of this book has me very excited about the sequel.
Overall, this is a very fun read and I enjoyed it immensely! Like I said, it did take me a bit to get invested, so stick with it and I promise it will get better! Even though this was a light and fun read, it did take a more serious turn at the very end, and it has me VERY excited for the next book in this duology to see how it ends! If you like a good YA Romance with a bit of adventure, you are sure to like this one!
themoodreader's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, and Death
angelicasreads's review against another edition
3.0
Ok, but first of all, can we appreciate this book's cover? Take a moment to scroll back up to it, I'll wait here. Did you see it? Were you impressed? Yes? Good, because I was, and still am, hella impressed by that beautiful cover.
Now let's move on to this review.
Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Anna Bright at a Stephanie Garber book signing in Washington D.C. She seemed nice and was super excited about her upcoming novel and it made me super excited about it as well. So, you can only imagine my excitement when I was granted the opportunity to read an ARC.
Then you can only imagine my disappointment when this book did not live up to the expectations raised by that beautiful cover and that interesting synopsis. This book was advertised as a mix between The Odyssey and Cinderella.
So, before you get too excited, let me just say that this supposedly The Odyssey retelling, ain't got nothing to do with The Odyssey. There's a ship, there's a guy named Homer, and Selah has a dream about Penelope.
This book is also nothing at all like Cinderella. There's an evil stepmother (but isn't there always), a godmother, and Selah loses a shoe at one point.
That's about it.
But false advertising wasn't really my main problems with the book.
My main issue with this book was Selah. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her naive, childish ways. She's 18 years old and the next ruler of Potomac. She is the one that is supposed to lead her people into the future and keep the peace. She is also the least qualified person to do this. Her kingdom would probably thrive more without her so maybe I don't totally blame the stepmother for trying to send her away.
Selah is the kind of person who trusts people based on their looks and falls in love days after meeting a guy. She's the kind of person who storms out of rooms when things don't go her way and who sits by and sort of just lets the plot happen to her. She's supposed to be the next leader of her people but instead of spending her time learning to lead she spends it reading fairytales and gardening.
I'm so tired of YA trying to push the idea that all you need to be a leader is to be a nice person. Or that being noble and humble makes you qualified for anything. Because as nice as she may be, this girl would undoubtedly lead her nation to ruin due to her naivety and general weak will.
Then there was the world building. I was so confused. This book takes place in a world that is geographically like our own. The continents are all there, but they are also all different, arranged in different ways and given different names. There are different histories and myths and all of it is shaped in a different way. And I didn't understand any of it.
There were moments where I thought I knew what was happening, and then moments where I had no idea where we were or what was going on.
Maybe I'm just dumb, I can't rule that out. But maybe this book did a bad job at world building. The world may never know.
In the end, I didn't love this book. I wanted to, but no matter how beautiful this cover might be, I just couldn't fall into it the way I wanted. And yet, I was actually entertained while reading, hence my rating.
I think this book had amazing potential and think that there will be many that like it. That said, go into it at your own risk and after taking all of this into account. I hope you all have better luck with it.
**ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
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Now let's move on to this review.
Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting Anna Bright at a Stephanie Garber book signing in Washington D.C. She seemed nice and was super excited about her upcoming novel and it made me super excited about it as well. So, you can only imagine my excitement when I was granted the opportunity to read an ARC.
Then you can only imagine my disappointment when this book did not live up to the expectations raised by that beautiful cover and that interesting synopsis. This book was advertised as a mix between The Odyssey and Cinderella.
So, before you get too excited, let me just say that this supposedly The Odyssey retelling, ain't got nothing to do with The Odyssey. There's a ship, there's a guy named Homer, and Selah has a dream about Penelope.
This book is also nothing at all like Cinderella. There's an evil stepmother (but isn't there always), a godmother, and Selah loses a shoe at one point.
That's about it.
But false advertising wasn't really my main problems with the book.
My main issue with this book was Selah. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her naive, childish ways. She's 18 years old and the next ruler of Potomac. She is the one that is supposed to lead her people into the future and keep the peace. She is also the least qualified person to do this. Her kingdom would probably thrive more without her so maybe I don't totally blame the stepmother for trying to send her away.
Selah is the kind of person who trusts people based on their looks and falls in love days after meeting a guy. She's the kind of person who storms out of rooms when things don't go her way and who sits by and sort of just lets the plot happen to her. She's supposed to be the next leader of her people but instead of spending her time learning to lead she spends it reading fairytales and gardening.
I'm so tired of YA trying to push the idea that all you need to be a leader is to be a nice person. Or that being noble and humble makes you qualified for anything. Because as nice as she may be, this girl would undoubtedly lead her nation to ruin due to her naivety and general weak will.
Then there was the world building. I was so confused. This book takes place in a world that is geographically like our own. The continents are all there, but they are also all different, arranged in different ways and given different names. There are different histories and myths and all of it is shaped in a different way. And I didn't understand any of it.
There were moments where I thought I knew what was happening, and then moments where I had no idea where we were or what was going on.
Maybe I'm just dumb, I can't rule that out. But maybe this book did a bad job at world building. The world may never know.
In the end, I didn't love this book. I wanted to, but no matter how beautiful this cover might be, I just couldn't fall into it the way I wanted. And yet, I was actually entertained while reading, hence my rating.
I think this book had amazing potential and think that there will be many that like it. That said, go into it at your own risk and after taking all of this into account. I hope you all have better luck with it.
**ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**
Follow Me Here Too: My Blog || Twitter || Bloglovin' || Instagram || Tumblr
timelordash92's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mfl's review against another edition
4.0
4.5*
Wow.
I don't even know where to start.
I loved it.
I'm hooked.
Amazing ships (pun intended;)
The ending:
I’m a little disappointed.
I really want to see where this story goes in the next book.
Wow.
I don't even know where to start.
I loved it.
I'm hooked.
Amazing ships (pun intended;)
The ending:
I’m a little disappointed.
I really want to see where this story goes in the next book.