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After spending years working on a debtor ship, Amaya is looking forward to finally being free. She was sold to the ship as a child after her father was accused of serious crimes and executed. But when she saves a drowning man, Amaya fears more time will be added to her sentence and she may never escape the hell of the Brackish and be able to take revenge against those who wronged her family..
Thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. I haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo, but it's one of those books that has always intrigued me and I keep thinking maybe one day I'll be brave enough to tackle it. But a year or so ago, when I heard that a YA gender-swapped retelling was being released, I knew I had to snap this book up. I think the original is such an iconic story of revenge that any book that was influenced by that, was gonna be great. And it was!
I loved the little twists and turns this story took, although it did seem a little convenient at the end when things were happening and being revealed, but I'm soooo eager for the next book. I need to know what happens next!!
Thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. I haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo, but it's one of those books that has always intrigued me and I keep thinking maybe one day I'll be brave enough to tackle it. But a year or so ago, when I heard that a YA gender-swapped retelling was being released, I knew I had to snap this book up. I think the original is such an iconic story of revenge that any book that was influenced by that, was gonna be great. And it was!
I loved the little twists and turns this story took, although it did seem a little convenient at the end when things were happening and being revealed, but I'm soooo eager for the next book. I need to know what happens next!!
DNF. I wanted to like this book, but it was really slow and felt like there were two different mega plots going on at the same time that took away from enjoying it. It felt like I was reading two different books at once. It has a good premise, but isn’t for me, which is why I gave it two stars instead of one.
Scavenge the Stars is a pleasantly surprising, gender-swap retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. I enjoyed watching the two protagonists grapple with antagonizing desperation and desire for revenge under the guise of powerful characters.
Tara Sim’s debut TIMEKEEPER was a book I read and liked, but didn’t make me super eager to read more. However, the difference between SCAVENGE THE STARS and her debut is immense. It’s really interesting to see her growth as a writer and how deeply she went with the worldbuilding in this YA Fantasy based loosely on Monte Cristo. Every time I put this book down, I wanted to immediately pick it up again. I adored both our main characters, Amaya and Cayo, and became invested in both their stories.
Amaya’s revenge plotline after spending her childhood on a debtor ship was ready well done, and I loved that Sim didn’t just throw in a “tough” main character without direct emotional consequences for their actions. Cayo, a gambling addict desperate to save his sister as their family status crumbles, reminded me a lot of Jesper from SIX OF CROWS or Jac from The Shadow Game series by Amanda Foody—two characters I LOVE—but at the same time remained entirely his own. The worldbuilding involved was intricate and impressive, making me feel as if it was more historical fantasy than high fantasy. I give Sim major props for setting up a world I never wanted to leave, even with all its cruelty.
CW: gambling addiction, physical violence, child abuse/death, murder, drinking, parents abandoning their children.
Thanks to Edelweiss for providing an e-Arc!
Amaya’s revenge plotline after spending her childhood on a debtor ship was ready well done, and I loved that Sim didn’t just throw in a “tough” main character without direct emotional consequences for their actions. Cayo, a gambling addict desperate to save his sister as their family status crumbles, reminded me a lot of Jesper from SIX OF CROWS or Jac from The Shadow Game series by Amanda Foody—two characters I LOVE—but at the same time remained entirely his own. The worldbuilding involved was intricate and impressive, making me feel as if it was more historical fantasy than high fantasy. I give Sim major props for setting up a world I never wanted to leave, even with all its cruelty.
CW: gambling addiction, physical violence, child abuse/death, murder, drinking, parents abandoning their children.
Thanks to Edelweiss for providing an e-Arc!
This wasn't bad, but it wasn't too good either. Everything felt too conveniently connected and tied up in a pretty bow. Pretty sure Boon is Amaya's dad, too, but we probably won't find that out until the second book.
2.5. it was just the type of action i wanted to read at the moment but i thought the political system to be poorly explained — there were only a few nations involved but was still so confusing.
I was really excited to read this book, but realized early on that it wasn’t going to work out. I found the whole thing rather emotionless and painfully boring. I made it through to the end, but definitely won’t be reading the sequel. :(
Vey well written, great representation. Inspired by The Count of Monte-Cristo, with fantasy and LGBTQ* elements. Excited for the sequel!
This was a really interesting story. I've never read the thing that it's a retelling of, but I liked the set up and the two points of view. It developed quite well and both of our main characters were really well developed. I was caught off guard by the ash fever thing, but I liked all the other parts of it and how the pieces came together.