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abby_can_read's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I had a great time reading this book. I loved the worldbuilding and the magic system. The storm magic was awesome. I liked the fighting and action scenes, both on the ships/in the ocean and on land. The characters were great. I liked how Mary developed.
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery, and Kidnapping
Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, and War
persephonefoxx's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, and War
Minor: Sexual assault and Vomit
lizziaha's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, and Murder
jenpen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Funny thing is, there really isn’t much of a plot - I struggled to figure out any character’s motivation for what they were doing. It was the weakest part of the book overall, but by far the strongest would be the world building. The magic and history of the world were extremely well thought out, and the snippets of lore between chapters help immerse you and explain details that would have been unnatural to fit into the main story itself.
The characters were loveable (and I especially loved all the funny lines), but again, not much development going on there since not much happens plot-wise. I hated how Mary seemed to fall in love with every single male character she met, and even the main romance didn’t make sense. As such a heavily character-driven story, this actually makes me more excited to read the sequel to see what happens with the characters from here on, even though this reads as a satisfying standalone. Overall, I found the book immersive, creative, and very fun. Who doesn’t love a good pirate story!
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction
katievallin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Suicide, Torture, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
miraileah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
The magic system in this book was very unclear to me for most of the story (and much of it still is), but I imagine it’ll be clarified in book two, and it was likely an intentional choice. Not sure if this is something I’ll read and reread over and over, but I really enjoyed it and I will definitely be continuing with the series.
Graphic: Gun violence, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Gore, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment
readwithria's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I went into this book blind with only two things in my head about it.
1. There are pirates
2. There is magic
I was right about both of those things, but I don’t think I actually learned much about how the magic works. Our main POV characters are both mostly untrained, and they didn’t learn a lot about their magic throughout the book. It feels like that might be where book two is going, but in this book it wasn’t as fleshed out as I would have liked.
I also don’t love that our main characters’ choices weren’t what was pushing the plot. The plot was happening to them, and they made choices in reaction to that, but it didn’t feel very active to me.
That said, I did find the world intriguing. I think the pacing was good, and the hint of romance was well done. I also really liked the different cultures, and learning about the ghistings (spelling? I read the audiobook).
I’m not sure that audio was the right format for me to read this book. I might have preferred it in print, as it was easy to get distracted or space out while I was listening.
If the second book were already out I would probably read it, but I don’t know if this has hooked me enough to come back to. 3.5 stars.
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content
takarakei's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Negatives: pretty much everything else unfortunately. The characters were lacking in complexity and interest. Mary is just kind of along for the ride, rather than driving the story which is boring as a main character. The relationship between Mary and Samuel, which I've heard has been described as slow burn, is nonexistent until the end and as they spent most of the book apart, really what is this romance based on?
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery, and Kidnapping
brynalexa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Graphic: Confinement, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery, and Kidnapping