3.5 stars.

An enjoyable, original twist on The Count of Monte Cristo.

Amaya is only a girl when she is sold into slavery aboard a debtor ship captained by the villainous Captain Zharo. For seven years, she has only one rule for herself: survive.

Years later, she has built a new identity for herself, and her mission has changed to a different word: revenge. Her opportunity comes when she finds herself returning to her home port city of Moray. In another part of that city, Cayo Mercado, a wealthy merchant’s son, is also trying to create a new life. Reeling from his mother’s death and outrunning a gambling, society boy past, he is desperate to find a cure for his very ill sister. In his search, he unravels a web of conspiracy surrounding his father, and becomes caught up in the city’s dark and dangerous underbelly.

This isn’t a fast-paced read, and my advice would be to sit and enjoy it. There is a lot to like. The writing is detailed and the setting is beautiful; the tropical city of Moray, set against the glittering sea, makes for the perfect summer book. Amaya and Cayo are great characters, with depth and drive, and it’s great fun to know that their paths are fated to cross but not know how it will happen. The plot is really strong: it builds on itself, slowly and continuously, twisting and turning, and I do love it when I can’t guess what will happen next!

The separate pieces of this are impressive: the writing, the twisting and thickening plot, the diverse cast of layered characters, and the world building. I found the unfolding of Scavenge the Stars to be a little bit too slow for my taste, but the pieces do add up to form a satisfying, absorbing adventure.

Cita-cita Silverfish itu simple, pulang ke Moray dan ngerayain ultha bersama mamanya. Maklum aja sudah 7 th dia ada di kapal Brackish, berburu mutiara untuk membayar hutang keluarga. Tapi gara-gara menolong pria yang hampir tenggelam, dia kena amuk Kapten Zharo yang super kejam. Belum lagi planning mudik jadi terhambat, utang bertambah dan dapat ugly truth yang bikin hati berdarah-darah.
Rencana hidup terpaksa berubah haluan. Sekarang fokus Silverfish adalah membalas dendam pada klan Mercado yang menyengsarakan keluarganya.

Selain dibilang sekilas tentang setting Moray disebuah kawasan kepulauan dengan kota hore-hore di pelabuhan, tidak ada penjelasan lain. World buildingnya juga tipis banget penjelasannya. Seharusnya buku tema balas dendam itu sangat juicy kan? Mengusung label retelling gender swap dari Count of Monte Cristo, buku ini kerasa hambar dan minus aksi fantasy. Timelinenya juga bolong-bolong tanpa filler cerita yang menarik.

Silverfish aka Amaya terlalu sempit konteks balas dendamnya, dan dari sisi intrik dan mind games masih jauh kalau dibandingkan dengan cerita Count of Monte Cristo. Cato Mercado si hero jelas kalah garang dengan Amaya. Dia juga terlalu sweet untuk seleraku. Romancenya juga tipis-tipis aja. So far belum tergugah untuk lanjut ke buku 2.

It was good. I enjoyed it. I liked the mystery-betrayal aspect of it.

I wish there had been a map. And I wish the dialogue hadn't been so cringey (at parts).

The cover of this book is stellar, it's what first drew me into this book. The plot as a clever retelling of [b:The Count of Monte Cristo|7126|The Count of Monte Cristo|Alexandre Dumas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611834134l/7126._SY75_.jpg|391568] is what kept me reading. It's been a few years since I first read the original, so I just remember vague plot points (shame on me, I know), but this worked for me. I remember rushing through, so I'm glad this version is split into a duology. Since the plot is so complex, appropriately so, the retelling can take a lot of details and twists. However, I'll probably have to reread this before diving into the sequel.