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breanasprinkle's review
5.0
Here I am with another great read of 2023 that I recommend.
This story was everything.
It was adventurous, emotional, unique, and a surging wave of salted astonishment.
Everything from the relationships within the book characters was was so descriptive and complex. So detailed in every way.
It is no secret that I was drawn into the world and into the character's personal problems along with their problems in relation to the Sea as well as with the magic.
So few reeds actually immerse you into this ston a level that this one has. For me, I am selective of read books when I feel like they are something that I would enjoy so the majority of my reads tend to be ones that inevitably reads that draw me in.
I by no means loop this in with any of those as this was something special and unique. As of this review currently, It is one of the best books I've read this year. It will remain in my thoughts for quite some time to come and I will eventually acquire a physical copy.
I highly recommend you read this book if you enjoy adventure, determined characters, characters that challenge one another, enemies to allies, unique powers, beautifully described worlds, the Fantasy genre, magic, sirens, pirates, and found family.
In accordance with the rules of certain reviews, Yes I was an ARC reader and I would still have purchased the book anyway.
In fact if I had a physical book I would want a signed copy.
This story was everything.
It was adventurous, emotional, unique, and a surging wave of salted astonishment.
Everything from the relationships within the book characters was was so descriptive and complex. So detailed in every way.
It is no secret that I was drawn into the world and into the character's personal problems along with their problems in relation to the Sea as well as with the magic.
So few reeds actually immerse you into this ston a level that this one has. For me, I am selective of read books when I feel like they are something that I would enjoy so the majority of my reads tend to be ones that inevitably reads that draw me in.
I by no means loop this in with any of those as this was something special and unique. As of this review currently, It is one of the best books I've read this year. It will remain in my thoughts for quite some time to come and I will eventually acquire a physical copy.
I highly recommend you read this book if you enjoy adventure, determined characters, characters that challenge one another, enemies to allies, unique powers, beautifully described worlds, the Fantasy genre, magic, sirens, pirates, and found family.
In accordance with the rules of certain reviews, Yes I was an ARC reader and I would still have purchased the book anyway.
In fact if I had a physical book I would want a signed copy.
hannuhreads's review
I really tried to push through but unfortunately I couldn’t get into the story. You’re dropped into the middle of action with little to no backstory- and you get info dumps randomly and flashbacks. There’s also memories or long thought processes in the middle of conversations - which are giving context for what’s happening. But this type of style of writing just confused me a lot and I couldn’t understand fully what was even happening.
achobbsauthor's review
adventurous
inspiring
medium-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? N/A
5.0
Moriah Chavis is a new young author to watch!!
reaganshoe's review
2.0
I love myself a good pirate book but this book struggled with both the writing and the characters. The author's talent is clearly there but there's a lot of room for improvement.
Pros:
- Issa and Cyrus have awesome powers that drew me in.
- Controlling water as a super power is literally my dream and severely underutilized in fiction.
- Many descriptions in scenes were beautifully written. The author definitely has talent.
Cons:
- Writing issues: Fight scenes were ridiculous, dialogue was rough, continuity struggled, plot points were ridiculously convoluted, and the characters were 2D and lacked variety.
- Everything in the first 15% of the book could have been very obviously and easily handled with a polite conversation rather than resorting to pointless violence and schemes.
- Characters did a lot of stupid things like randomly (and dangerously) changing their minds on major decisions mid-adventure. Example:
- Commodore Norrington's quote kept coming to mind as I read: “you are without a doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of”.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to get an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pros:
- Issa and Cyrus have awesome powers that drew me in.
- Controlling water as a super power is literally my dream and severely underutilized in fiction.
- Many descriptions in scenes were beautifully written. The author definitely has talent.
Cons:
- Writing issues: Fight scenes were ridiculous, dialogue was rough, continuity struggled, plot points were ridiculously convoluted, and the characters were 2D and lacked variety.
- Everything in the first 15% of the book could have been very obviously and easily handled with a polite conversation rather than resorting to pointless violence and schemes.
- Characters did a lot of stupid things like randomly (and dangerously) changing their minds on major decisions mid-adventure. Example:
Spoiler
Cyrus wears magic sand on his ears to protect himself from sirens. They land on the siren island and he soon decides that the magic sand is inconvenient for their task and he would rather take his chance with the sirens and jeopardize the whole mission. Why? Why not just refuse the sand in the first place? Why wear it for the least dangerous part of the trip just to take it off just when things get dicey? Sounds like a waste of magic sand to me.- Commodore Norrington's quote kept coming to mind as I read: “you are without a doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of”.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to get an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
jdtpreads's review
3.0
I was very impressed with the scene-building throughout this book, everything felt very real. I would have loved some more character-building to help round out the realness.
I did struggle with keeping up with the plot and the time shifts every 4 chapters or so.
I did struggle with keeping up with the plot and the time shifts every 4 chapters or so.
jeaninetaniece's review
4.0
Unless you been living under a rock the last few months, you’ve probably seen this gorgeous book being marketed. I mean look at how beautiful that cover is, how could you pass it up? I want to give props to @moriah.chavis for her self-promotion, social media presence, and her accomplishment of this terrific novel. You definitely influenced me to add this book to my tbr months ago. And it lived up to hype you created!
Heart of the Sea is a YA fantasy with some magic, enemies to more, slow burn, and Light vs. Darkness battle. It focuses on character development, relationships, backstories, and is light on world building, which is something I much prefer.
Nerissa is a female character you will admire and root for. She is steadfast, determined, and strong. Risking everything to find her sister and defeat the Darkness.
Cyrus is an intriguing pirate (and puppet on a string with a cruel puppet master) who has a hidden agenda and very unusual friends.
A journey is embarked upon, unlikely friends are made, closest friends are betrayed, losses are high, and hope and love are everlasting.
If you like pirate tales and lore, fast-paced stories filled with action, battles between good and evil, or fated love with clean, slow burn romance then you need to read this one! A great read for teens and adults alike.
Heart of the Sea is a YA fantasy with some magic, enemies to more, slow burn, and Light vs. Darkness battle. It focuses on character development, relationships, backstories, and is light on world building, which is something I much prefer.
Nerissa is a female character you will admire and root for. She is steadfast, determined, and strong. Risking everything to find her sister and defeat the Darkness.
Cyrus is an intriguing pirate (and puppet on a string with a cruel puppet master) who has a hidden agenda and very unusual friends.
A journey is embarked upon, unlikely friends are made, closest friends are betrayed, losses are high, and hope and love are everlasting.
If you like pirate tales and lore, fast-paced stories filled with action, battles between good and evil, or fated love with clean, slow burn romance then you need to read this one! A great read for teens and adults alike.
allbettesareoff's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
2.5
Heart of the Sea is a heartfelt pirate adventure story with themes of family, forgiveness, and never giving up. Follow Nerissa across the ocean as she races to rescue her sister Lucia from a terrible fate while exploring her connection to the heart of the sea, and the journey Cyrus Crow takes with her, fighting against the betrayal he must carry out. Action-packed and swashbuckling, this novel’s plot is just as a pirate fantasy should be.
However memorable the overall story, the execution of this book leaves something to be desired. As Chavis’ debut novel, Heart of the Sea falls into a few amateur traps that make it less enjoyable than it could be. The biggest detractor is the way Chavis lays out the mini-mysteries along the journey; the overarching mysteries are wonderful and compelling, but as Nerissa goes from destination to destination, Chavis leaves the purpose of each stop unknown until the task is finished. Not only is there no foreshadowing for the objects Nerissa must collect (making the reveals nearly meaningless), but the lack of a clear goal for each stop works against the agency Nerissa has.
Nerissa’s motivation is clear from the start: save her sister. But each objective along the way to Lucia’s salvation is as muddy as the waters of a swamp. The reader knows the end goal, but these steps Nerissa must take make no sense until they’re completed, making the reader feel like less of a companion on the journey and more of a seasickness-addled stowaway. It is clearly intentional that Nerissa doesn’t know what she’s after until she finds it at each of these places, but these small mysteries do more harm than good to the story.
Yet there is a compelling mystery here. Chavis’ nonlinear depiction of time is an intriguing one, weaving flashbacks within flashbacks and revealing the past slowly as the present progresses. The reader knows from page one that Lucia is missing, but we don’t know what happened to her. The events that led up to her disappearance unfold parallel to the events leading to her rescue. This uncommon storytelling technique is reminiscent of Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House and is executed well.
The final third of the book is by far the most enjoyable section, ramping up the stakes, discarding the confusing mini-mysteries, and getting to the heart of the worldbuilding that has been a weak spot up until this point. Akin to a Brandon Sanderson’s “Sanderlanches,” the last several chapters of Heart of the Sea are wickedly engrossing and wildly satisfying. Highlighting the importance of forgiveness as well as punishment and a person’s ability to change, the resolution is sad but heartwarming.
Overall, the story is good, but the reading of it, not so much. I wish I could have gotten my hands on this manuscript before its publication because it would have been a truly great novel if not for the minor problems. On their own these could be overlooked, but there were just one too many. Most of this is not the fault of the author, but a set of beta readers and editors who didn’t have the heart to rip off all the Band-Aids so the story’s scars could begin to heal.
Since Chavis is a new author with a small audience, it may be likely she reads this review, so I am going to take the time to say this: Moriah, you have massive potential as a fantasy writer, and I will certainly continue to read your work. If you ever need a beta reader who will tell it to you straight, I’ll be here. Keep writing, and keep fighting the good fight. I may be a critic, but I’m also a friend.
Heart of the Sea is at its heart about salvation and kindness. This is the book for the next time you long to feel salt on your cheeks and wind in your hair, and the story is worth the read if you’re willing to overlook a few missed opportunities.
arjayebrewerforestfern's review
4.0
This was such a great book!!! It was packed with action from the start of the book that grows as the book goes on. I hadn’t expected it to be so full of action in a good way though.
A story about love, family, forgiveness, hope, trust adventures and friendships.
The ending just wow, hadn’t expected it to end this way.
A story about love, family, forgiveness, hope, trust adventures and friendships.
The ending just wow, hadn’t expected it to end this way.
sonshinelibrarian's review
3.5
I received an eARC of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I read this several months ago, but felt so conflicted in my response to the book and unsure exactly how to articulate my thoughts. I set it aside and, realizing that the book had officially launched, reread it to get my review down as I agreed to when requesting the advance copy.
I definitely enjoyed the book more on the second read. I like the characters and thought the magic was interesting, though I wish there was just a little bit more explanation around it. There is a good connection between the two main characters and some solid secondary characters. The one betrayal is handled particularly well.
However, I did feel like this needed one more strong edit. The first time I read it, I really struggled with the first half of the book. The sense I got was that the author wanted to hold back certain information from the reader, but the characters obviously know their own backstories. This meant that some of their inner dialogue and even conversations felt oddly restrained as they talked around things they knew so the reader wouldn't learn it too soon. On my second read, knowing everything, I found this less noticeable. There are also several places where, even on the reread, I found myself going over a passage several times because I felt like I had missed something. For example, a character getting up after I thought they were already standing.
I really liked the flashbacks that filled in the information around Nerissa and her sister, and I really wish they had started much earlier in the book. I think it would have helped with the sense of frustration I had with information being "withheld."
There is great adventure, interesting characters and magic, and an interesting world. It just needed a touch more refining.
I read this several months ago, but felt so conflicted in my response to the book and unsure exactly how to articulate my thoughts. I set it aside and, realizing that the book had officially launched, reread it to get my review down as I agreed to when requesting the advance copy.
I definitely enjoyed the book more on the second read. I like the characters and thought the magic was interesting, though I wish there was just a little bit more explanation around it. There is a good connection between the two main characters and some solid secondary characters. The one betrayal is handled particularly well.
However, I did feel like this needed one more strong edit. The first time I read it, I really struggled with the first half of the book. The sense I got was that the author wanted to hold back certain information from the reader, but the characters obviously know their own backstories. This meant that some of their inner dialogue and even conversations felt oddly restrained as they talked around things they knew so the reader wouldn't learn it too soon. On my second read, knowing everything, I found this less noticeable. There are also several places where, even on the reread, I found myself going over a passage several times because I felt like I had missed something. For example, a character getting up after I thought they were already standing.
I really liked the flashbacks that filled in the information around Nerissa and her sister, and I really wish they had started much earlier in the book. I think it would have helped with the sense of frustration I had with information being "withheld."
There is great adventure, interesting characters and magic, and an interesting world. It just needed a touch more refining.