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.

“Revenge. It was a word that pumped through her blood and set the stars on fire.”

Poetic prose as sharp as knives. Captivating characters that weave together, plot points ebbing and flowing, unfolding in escalating waves. Oh. And don’t forget the stabby girls. All the stabby, stabby girls. These are just a few of the reasons Scavenge The Stars is one of my favorite reads of the year.

Alternating between the two perspectives of Amaya and Cayo, we get a sweeping range of the country Moray. Decadent yet tarnished, I love how we see both the spectrum of the upper class and the seedy underbelly through Cayo. But really, that’s how we see all the characters. Through various lenses that allows each of them to become a fully developed, three-dimensional person. They glimmer while showing their tarnished edges, just like we all do.

“All he saw was a girl without a mask to hide behind, flawed and fierce and beautiful.”

Another one of my favorite things is how Sim plays with our senses. She features gambling as a major component of Cayo’s character. But she uses the same tricks in her own writing, dazzling us with what we think we know while blindsiding us with a card we never saw being played. It’s this talent with words that makes each character fit in with their scenery, giving the reader extra flavor to expand the world beyond the pages.

To say I enjoyed this book is a massive understatement. And in a cruel twist of fate, or maybe in a move giving me exactly what I want, the book ends by only promising more. The first in an epic duology, Scavenge The Stars will keep fantasy readers turning pages late into the night. It’s stabby and full of revenge but is also full of unexpected heart and gut-punching twists.

Huge thank you to Rockstar Book Tours and Disney-Hyperion for including me on this blog tour and sending me a copy!

This was not for me.

what. what was this?

I have loved the Count of Monte Cristo for many years and was so excited and a little trepidatious about it. I really enjoyed this one! All the political intrigue! I love Roach y’all