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sashascosyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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
2.5
Thank you HiddenGemsBooks.com for the ARC of this book.
In a world where magic is punished by death by an evil king, Nola, a siren with adoptive human parents, embarks on an adventure to see the Fae Queen and save the dying world. To secure a passage through the seas, she ends up on Captain Lincolns ship and develops feelings for him.
I love pirates. I love elves and sirens and magic and even evil kings (because someone's got to do the job). The story was lovely and the various lands she discovered on the way were enchanting. However the romance element just wasn't it for me. It felt very lukewarm and lacking passion. It read a bit like the author wasn't sure what it actually feels like to be in love.
But even despite that, I enjoyed the story itself, nice fantasy adventure, a bit different than what I've read before.
In a world where magic is punished by death by an evil king, Nola, a siren with adoptive human parents, embarks on an adventure to see the Fae Queen and save the dying world. To secure a passage through the seas, she ends up on Captain Lincolns ship and develops feelings for him.
I love pirates. I love elves and sirens and magic and even evil kings (because someone's got to do the job). The story was lovely and the various lands she discovered on the way were enchanting. However the romance element just wasn't it for me. It felt very lukewarm and lacking passion. It read a bit like the author wasn't sure what it actually feels like to be in love.
But even despite that, I enjoyed the story itself, nice fantasy adventure, a bit different than what I've read before.
chrystalclearwpg's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
4.0
I quite enjoyed this tale. It has a bit of it all, pirates, sirens, fairies, giants, fae and many more mentioned or being seen in small parts throughout the book. It is a story about finding your true self and conquering what you fear.
Nola was raised human but is not and must hide her true self because the king executes anyone who is seen as a magical being. She decides to leave her small village to help her "people" break free of the kings cruel and sadistic ways. This is where her journey begins. She is thrown into a world all new to her and meets Lincoln and the rest of the crew aboard the Sybil Curse.
The slow burn romance does read as a young adult but has adult content thrown. Some of the scenes are over way to easily and could have used some more content but over all I will continue on with the series and continue to join the crew of the Sybil Curse as they journal alone the Sea of Zemira.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Nola was raised human but is not and must hide her true self because the king executes anyone who is seen as a magical being. She decides to leave her small village to help her "people" break free of the kings cruel and sadistic ways. This is where her journey begins. She is thrown into a world all new to her and meets Lincoln and the rest of the crew aboard the Sybil Curse.
The slow burn romance does read as a young adult but has adult content thrown. Some of the scenes are over way to easily and could have used some more content but over all I will continue on with the series and continue to join the crew of the Sybil Curse as they journal alone the Sea of Zemira.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
floofymoosereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Sea of Zemira by DL Blade is the first book of The Zemira Chronicles. This is a pirate fairy tale fantasy with magic and magical creatures, complete with romance and betrayal. King Matthias has outlawed magic and siren Nola has watched this act destroy her kingdom. She leaves her homeland, in search of the fae and elven kingdom she believes can help her, and finds love along her journey. This is a book intended for mature audiences, contain explicit content and other trigger warnings. Tropes include banter, found family and enemies to lovers.
The Lovely: I loved many of the characters, especially those on the pirate crew, and Nola. The relationship between Nola and her love interest was spicy yet sweet and Nola was a fun character, especially when she stepped up to defend those she cared about. I also loved the found family aspect of the crew.
The Mundane: Despite definitely being an adult book (as evidenced by the explicit scenes), the storytelling had a YA feel to it. I think it felt this way because several plot points seemed superficial and simple. For example, there are a LOT of different magical creatures in this book but they’re only explained from a high level and the reader knows next to nothing about them.
The Dreadful: The skipped scenes and inconsistent tensioning of the plot ultimately is what hurt this book for me. There were several points where the story jumped ahead, skipping what happened in between. And these were not minor scenes. I actually thought pages were missing.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Recommendation: I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I did enjoy the story and the ending, as well as the characters. That said, I won’t be reading the sequel right away as it doesn’t appear to involve the characters I loved in this book. I will probably pick up the sequel in the future for the plot and to see what happens next.
kkeele's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Adventurous, Magical, Fantasy book. This fairytale story Follows Nola and her quest to take down the evil king who banished all magic and magical creatures from her home land. There are sirens, pirates, dragons, elves and gnomes, and you are transported into their world. The book is easy to read and very enjoyable.
I received this copy to review voluntarily and honestly.
I received this copy to review voluntarily and honestly.
marlimead's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
crystal_reads22's review against another edition
4.0
If you like pirates fae sirens dragons Elven fairies this is the book for you! A little bit of everything with a touch of
bubblewombat's review
2.0
Before I begin my review, I'd like to say that I read the first edition of this book so some of what you see me mention may be removed/improved by the time you read the second edition. Just keep that in mind.
The Sea of Zemira has too much going on, that's my impression. It has everything from some popular YA book tropes, to an almost but not actually love interest with high cheekbones, black hair and blue eyes and even the infamous breath holding line (x2).
There's mermaids/sirens, fairies, pixies, elves, trolls, gnomes, dragons, pirates...and a wendigo. I definitely missed some like the will-o'the-wisp. This would all be fine if it worked together. But it doesn't.
The storyline, to its credit, isn't hard to follow and the book doesn't feel like 500 pages at all. The problem is that it doesn't connect well together. The natural flow isn't there. A lot of the situations the characters find themselves in are too...simple. Too easy.
The writing was sometimes alright, other times very repetitive. For example, Nola was referred to as "the siren/the siren girl" and Maizy as "the black haired pirate" several times in a single chapter and then again in the next. I completely understand not wanting to just say Nola Nola Nola or Maizy Maizy Maizy (or she she she) but that was too much.
While we're at names, I still don't understand the need to have pirate ones when everyone referred to each other by their real names 99% of the time.
I didn't grow attached to any of the characters, except Elijah which was moderate and didn't start until the second half of the book.
I also wasn't feeling the romance. It was cheesy and not the cute kind.
Now let's talk about some extras.
If you're someone who doesn't like the "I'm not like other girls" trope then this book is definitely not for you. It's obvious from Nola's first meeting with Elijah that it's heading there. The weird thing is, I quite like this trope. So how did it go wrong here? HOW?!
Then we have the descriptions of women's bodies vs men's bodies. And there is a difference. The men in the book come in all shapes and sizes but just about every young woman is curvy and has big breasts and/or perfectly sculpted legs.
I remember one mention of a muscular chest but that was of the love interest so it doesn't count. Please do correct me if there's more than one. For the men it's usually faces that are being focused on.
So that had me thinking, what if Nola was meant to be sapphic all along? That would make a lot of sense why she thinks noting breast size is important. Or maybe I'm just sensitive to such descriptions after the last monthly book for my book club which was similar in that regard, but worse.
I'm not usually one who reads reviews before starting a book because I want to form my own opinion but for this one I took a peek and the four and five star ones got me really excited. Perhaps my expectations were too high. I feel let down.
I'd also note that while I said the book has YA tropes it's not YA. At least not fully. There's some steam in the mix.
BUT. BUT. BUT. You should give this book a chance. Like I mentioned at the beginning edition #2 will undoubtedly be better and you might love it.
*Thank you to Booksirens for providing me with a copy of this book for which I'm leaving a review voluntarily*
The Sea of Zemira has too much going on, that's my impression. It has everything from some popular YA book tropes, to an almost but not actually love interest with high cheekbones, black hair and blue eyes and even the infamous breath holding line (x2).
There's mermaids/sirens, fairies, pixies, elves, trolls, gnomes, dragons, pirates...and a wendigo. I definitely missed some like the will-o'the-wisp. This would all be fine if it worked together. But it doesn't.
The storyline, to its credit, isn't hard to follow and the book doesn't feel like 500 pages at all. The problem is that it doesn't connect well together. The natural flow isn't there. A lot of the situations the characters find themselves in are too...simple. Too easy.
The writing was sometimes alright, other times very repetitive. For example, Nola was referred to as "the siren/the siren girl" and Maizy as "the black haired pirate" several times in a single chapter and then again in the next. I completely understand not wanting to just say Nola Nola Nola or Maizy Maizy Maizy (or she she she) but that was too much.
While we're at names, I still don't understand the need to have pirate ones when everyone referred to each other by their real names 99% of the time.
I didn't grow attached to any of the characters, except Elijah which was moderate and didn't start until the second half of the book.
I also wasn't feeling the romance. It was cheesy and not the cute kind.
Now let's talk about some extras.
If you're someone who doesn't like the "I'm not like other girls" trope then this book is definitely not for you. It's obvious from Nola's first meeting with Elijah that it's heading there. The weird thing is, I quite like this trope. So how did it go wrong here? HOW?!
Then we have the descriptions of women's bodies vs men's bodies. And there is a difference. The men in the book come in all shapes and sizes but just about every young woman is curvy and has big breasts and/or perfectly sculpted legs.
I remember one mention of a muscular chest but that was of the love interest so it doesn't count. Please do correct me if there's more than one. For the men it's usually faces that are being focused on.
So that had me thinking, what if Nola was meant to be sapphic all along? That would make a lot of sense why she thinks noting breast size is important. Or maybe I'm just sensitive to such descriptions after the last monthly book for my book club which was similar in that regard, but worse.
I'm not usually one who reads reviews before starting a book because I want to form my own opinion but for this one I took a peek and the four and five star ones got me really excited. Perhaps my expectations were too high. I feel let down.
I'd also note that while I said the book has YA tropes it's not YA. At least not fully. There's some steam in the mix.
BUT. BUT. BUT. You should give this book a chance. Like I mentioned at the beginning edition #2 will undoubtedly be better and you might love it.
*Thank you to Booksirens for providing me with a copy of this book for which I'm leaving a review voluntarily*
jcone's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
sheswellread's review against another edition
This was such a fun pirate story! I loved the "chosen family" trope and was excited to see it featured in this book. If you like The Daughter of a Pirate King duology and or Fable like myself, I think you will definitely enjoy this! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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