Title Scavenge the Stars

Author Tara Sim

Release Date January 7, 2020

Description from Amazon

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception-and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down-the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one?

Initial Thoughts

Five words. COUNT

I enjoyed certain parts of the book but also saw myself skimming other parts. I enjoyed the way the connection between Cayo and Amaya was built up. It was an okay book to me, the world building was there but I wish there was more back ground on the culture. The ending didn't leave me wanting more, just glad I could move on another book.

I really debated between a 3 or 4 rating for this book but ultimately settled on 4 because I deeply enjoy Tara Sim's writing and her characters.

I would not say this is a Monte Cristo retelling, but more of a re-imagining using similar themes that spread across the main cast. It's an enjoyable read, but if you're hoping for the depth and complexity of Dumas's story and a very driven revenge-based narrative, this may feel a bit too hollow.

However, what you will find is a story that builds itself around the very human emotions of grief and anger and what it means to attempt to rise from the ashes. Amaya and Cayo are flawed. They are always growing. One of the reasons I enjoyed this as much as I did was that Sim allows her characters to breathe. Her characters make dumb, human decisions that aren't founded in rational thought and are driven by emotions, and they must face the consequences. And when they do make calculated decisions, it comes with weight and responsibility in a way that makes you invested in the outcome.

The plot was a bit too plain for me to ever feel the stakes were high enough, and so my emotional response was lacking in some scenes that should have landed harder. I do believe, however, that this will be rewarded in the second book. While Scavenge the Stars feels, to me, like it hangs too much on exposition, I also feel from Sim's other works that the build up will lead to a beautiful climax.

Overall, this was a fun read with a great cast and I highly recommend it.

This was a fun read. I think it did really well with being it's own thing and paying homage to The Count of Monte Cristo. Silverfish is a decent character, I think I liked her a little better in the middle parts than at the end. I don't know I'm very up in the air about her. Boon, was an interesting character. I enjoyed him. He's sassy, smart, kinda smarmy..... Cayo was a decent character, I think he had a bit more depth to him than Amaya. It was enjoyable, pretty quick read, but nothing really blew me away.

As soon as I heard that this was a gender-swapped re-telling of The Count of Monte Cristo I knew I had to read it. I grew up watching the film with my mum and found myself intrigued to see what elements Tara Sim would include. I'm also a sucker for re-tellings!

This book was thoroughly enjoyable! I found myself captivated in this world that Tara Sim has created and being able to read the story from the perspectives of both Amaya and Cayo made the story more intense and addictive. I found myself loving Amaya, her story and her development throughout this whole book. She was an incredibly fierce and strong character who at times lets her heart over right her mission but that just makes her more realistic and relatable as a main character.

Cayo was also an interesting character who definitely grew on me throughout the book. He made a lot of tough decisions in this book and I cannot wait to see how his character develops in the next book!

I think Tara Sim did an excellent job and I found myself loving her writing style. The book flowed beautifully and gracefully and it was incredibly easy to imagine the dark and busy streets of Moray.

I honestly loved this re-telling and the whole premise of the book, along with it's nod to the original. It's also influenced me to read The Count of Monte Cristo which I'm hoping to do very soon! I'm also really excited to read the next book in this series and see where it takes Amaya!

Full of twists and turns, corruption seedy characters and high-adventure this book is a brilliant YA fantasy novel.

Well, I thought this was going to be fantasy. It wasn't really, was more historical fiction/adventure/alt world. It did have some mention of alchemy. I thought it was fun--I saw this one at the library and jumped at the description likening it to Monte Cristo. It was a revenge story, set amongst a backdrop of the sea and gambling dens. But I felt the world building was a bit shallow, and the romance was meh. The characters were quite diverse, but I didn't get a sense of who they really were most of the time. A fun, quick read, though. Don't know if I'd continue on with the series.

i liked this.. sue me. revenge? rage? sign me up

I skimmed.

Blargh.

This isn't sci-fi and I have no idea why the title is what it is.

Ummm...

Content?

No real story to speak of?

Help.