A review by abilyssa
Beyond the God Sea by Elora Morgan, Elora Morgan
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.