mchoy004's review
I really, REALLY, enjoyed this book. Which I was slightly surprised by, given that it was a free book on Kindle unlimited, and I have not had that much success with finding good books on there.
I loved all the mystery and intrigue woven into this story, and you have this sensation that "we are all being lied to" throughout this story, and among the Elowen people. I thought this book was an interesting take on the trope of "boy is saved by girl after washing ashore" (lil mermaid vibes), and "arranged marriage", and thought the world building was really well-done.
I felt a bit let down by the explanation of "no touch rule" and the general lies told to the Elowen people but other than that, I thought this book was pretty great.
Plot aside, the romance was SO cute and I was constantly rooting for Kirwyn and Zaria. If you enjoy spunky, somewhat enemies-to-lovers, BANTER couples, this book is for you.
I loved all the mystery and intrigue woven into this story, and you have this sensation that "we are all being lied to" throughout this story, and among the Elowen people. I thought this book was an interesting take on the trope of "boy is saved by girl after washing ashore" (lil mermaid vibes), and "arranged marriage", and thought the world building was really well-done.
I felt a bit let down by the explanation of "no touch rule" and the general lies told to the Elowen people but other than that, I thought this book was pretty great.
Plot aside, the romance was SO cute and I was constantly rooting for Kirwyn and Zaria. If you enjoy spunky, somewhat enemies-to-lovers, BANTER couples, this book is for you.
abilyssa's review
5.0
Don't be discouraged by the 2012-esque cover- this book is pretty great for true YA lovers.
Everyone who's giving a bad review seems to be attributing their poor opinion of the book to the fact that the main character, Zaria, is naive throughout this novel.
I don't think this story would make sense if Zaria wasn't at least a bit naive. I mean, she's been told, along with her entire island, lies all her life. It's literally in the blurb. She acts juvenile because she is quite literally a teenager. It's part of her growth as a character for her to realize how much she's taken for granted. I'm halfway through the second book in this series as I write this, and I can say that she doesn't stay naive. Her growth takes a natural pace, and she has a lot of learning to do, but it's realistic. How many of us would just know everything and be good at everything without first making mistakes? Especially as teenagers?
Idk. I feel this way because there's this other book I'm reading (not by this author) in which the main character is basically perfect, can't do anything wrong, everyone is constantly in awe of her, and it's just...weird. I can't get into it. So this series is so refreshing. I want to read about characters who have serious faults but grow from them, and this series delivers.
Now, I can see how this book might not appeal to those who don't genuinely enjoy YA stories, or who only tolerate reading upper-YA books. This book is so YA that even the kissing scenes are fade-to-black...so yeah, I get it, but I also don't think this book ever pretends to be anything other than YA. As Zaria matures, so do her experiences, which -as far as I can tell- will be reflected gradually over the series as each book handles more mature topics. Book 2, for instance, is already much darker than Book 1, but also handles in more detail adult topics. So I think this series is most suitable for readers who enjoy everything from YA to upper NA-Adult, and who enjoy the slow-burn in every sense. Personally, so far, I'm loving it.
This book in particular gave me heavy Little Mermaid vibes. Just like Ariel, Zaria has to learn to become less trusting and more of an independent thinker- luckily she has the courage and the heart to take a chance and break the mold in order to get there.
I'm also intrigued by the dystopia/fantasy setting. Though it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, the story gives off more of a fantasy vibe in the sense that it doesn't feel like the world these characters live in is anything much like our own. There's some modern technology (so far) but it's pretty low-key.
It's worth noting that the plot moves pretty slowly in book 1 and is heavily romance-focused.
Overall, this first installment sets up a good foundation for the rest of the series, which gradually gets more plot-heavy and mature. I'd recommend not to be dissuaded by low-star reviews and read it for yourself, if you enjoy YA and watching character growth over the course of multiple books.
Everyone who's giving a bad review seems to be attributing their poor opinion of the book to the fact that the main character, Zaria, is naive throughout this novel.
I don't think this story would make sense if Zaria wasn't at least a bit naive. I mean, she's been told, along with her entire island, lies all her life. It's literally in the blurb. She acts juvenile because she is quite literally a teenager. It's part of her growth as a character for her to realize how much she's taken for granted. I'm halfway through the second book in this series as I write this, and I can say that she doesn't stay naive. Her growth takes a natural pace, and she has a lot of learning to do, but it's realistic. How many of us would just know everything and be good at everything without first making mistakes? Especially as teenagers?
Idk. I feel this way because there's this other book I'm reading (not by this author) in which the main character is basically perfect, can't do anything wrong, everyone is constantly in awe of her, and it's just...weird. I can't get into it. So this series is so refreshing. I want to read about characters who have serious faults but grow from them, and this series delivers.
Now, I can see how this book might not appeal to those who don't genuinely enjoy YA stories, or who only tolerate reading upper-YA books. This book is so YA that even the kissing scenes are fade-to-black...so yeah, I get it, but I also don't think this book ever pretends to be anything other than YA. As Zaria matures, so do her experiences, which -as far as I can tell- will be reflected gradually over the series as each book handles more mature topics. Book 2, for instance, is already much darker than Book 1, but also handles in more detail adult topics. So I think this series is most suitable for readers who enjoy everything from YA to upper NA-Adult, and who enjoy the slow-burn in every sense. Personally, so far, I'm loving it.
This book in particular gave me heavy Little Mermaid vibes. Just like Ariel, Zaria has to learn to become less trusting and more of an independent thinker- luckily she has the courage and the heart to take a chance and break the mold in order to get there.
I'm also intrigued by the dystopia/fantasy setting. Though it takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, the story gives off more of a fantasy vibe in the sense that it doesn't feel like the world these characters live in is anything much like our own. There's some modern technology (so far) but it's pretty low-key.
It's worth noting that the plot moves pretty slowly in book 1 and is heavily romance-focused.
Overall, this first installment sets up a good foundation for the rest of the series, which gradually gets more plot-heavy and mature. I'd recommend not to be dissuaded by low-star reviews and read it for yourself, if you enjoy YA and watching character growth over the course of multiple books.
sunflowerbookwyrm's review
4.0
I’ll be honest this was hard to get into , but once the mystery of the truth started to unfold I couldn’t put It down. Once I did I really did enjoy this book.
More...