Actual rating: 3.8 stars

I only gave it this high a rating because the writing itself was good and the story, though not particularly interesting, did manage to hold my attention until the end and made me want to at least finish it. Not sure if I’m going to continue the series.

The biggest pro for me was the MC, Amaya. I appreciated how she stayed true to herself and her goal. Although she did have to deceive people for her mission, she was still honest and told the truth in the end. Also, hooray for LGBTQIA+ rep in this book (especially published by Disney?!). I also appreciated how Amaya is portrayed as demisexual and focused on her goal instead of throwing everything away “for love.”

I loved this book so much I really liked that it was a gender bent retelling on The Count of Monte Cristo since I love the original story and I love the books by the author of that book. I really loved the characters so much the ones that I loved most were Amaya and Cayo. I really liked just how Amaya could both be very strong and vulnerable at the same time. I really liked Cayo for his sense of justice and his love for his sister whom he would do anything for. I liked how the relationship between Amaya and Cayo moved along not too fast or too slow I hope by the next book they will be where they can overcome certain things so their romance can move forward. I really loved the plot it was like the original tale but with many more elements that made it different and a very interesting story at the same time. It started out as your typical revenge story but it became so much more by the end I loved everything about this book. So I am really looking forward to the end of this tale with the next book.

Fans of Fable, and Shadow and Bone, how did you not tell me about this book sooner?! A queer, gender-bent, racially diverse, retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is EVERYTHING I never knew I needed! <3 And it's MASTERFULLY written, the art in the word choices, and metaphors painted, twinkling in the text like brilliant little diamonds; I just want to hold onto every one! Tara Sim doesn't use the original Dumas story as a crutch. If anything, the changes improve the original story, elevating the tale of deception and bloody revenge to one of teen self-discovery, where emotions, inhibitions and flawed perspectives can make or break a whole young-person's world.
I love this book, and this author's voice, and I am dying to get my hands on the sequel. Tell. Your. Friends! Read this book!!

Silverfish is a child working aboard a ship, the Brackish. She was sold for her parents debt. Just shy of working off the debt, she sees a man overboard. She jumps in to save him, only to earn her more weeks of work. When she finally gets off the boat, she must find a way home. With the help of the man she saved, she finds it, at a price of her help that can be mutually beneficial.
Back home in Moray, a new countess has arrived. A merchants son needs to endear himself to her in order to save the family. His sister is sick and he has gambled and drank away the family money.
These two stories slowly come together.
This is a charming story about love, loss and survival. I was enraptured with the plot and was a bit disappointing with the ending. I am hoping it was left open to allow for a second book. I believe this will become a favorite amongst my students.
Thank you netgalley.com for providing an ARC of this book.

I've always loved the Count of Monte Christo and this reimagining is very interesting

I was *obsessed* with The Count of Monte Cristo film that released in the early 2000s (helloooo young Henry Cavill), so when I saw this is a gender swapped retelling of that story, I knew it had to check it out! I quite enjoyed this spin on the original story, and while it stuck closely to the original story in terms of direction of the story, it still felt like something new and fresh.

I love a good revenge plot and this one does some good work to get there! I would have liked to see the world building fleshed out so more—it felt as though some of the broader elements of the world were barely brushed over. However, some of the closer world building was done well! I especially enjoyed the way the merchant classes are portrayed, especially the ruthlessness of the different characters and factions. That said, Cayo is a complete cinnamon roll, you can’t convince me otherwise.

Now, I did get two of the characters mixed up for like half the book, because I was listening to the audiobook and their names sound very similar (oops

I really wanted to love this book, as I love Tara Sim's Timekeeper trilogy, but it was just okay. This is probably a case of me not being the correct reader for the book than any fault on Sim's part. I also haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo, of which this is a gender-swapped retelling, so I don't know if that would've made me like it better. As is, you don't need any knowledge of the source material to read or enjoy this book.

The pacing was slow and a little off in sections. I am an impatient reader, so pacing is almost always one of my complaints. I liked the POV characters well enough (Amaya was complex enough to hold my attention, and I love characters like Cayo who are trying to recover after screwing everything up), but it was missing that spark for me to make it extra special.

Even though this wrapped up and resolved the major conflicts of it, it all feels like set-up for the sequel where most of the action will happen. This is definitely a character driven novel, not plot driven.

The writing was solid, and I loved seeing the bisexual rep in Cayo's character and the book showing his attraction to both, and it wasn't a big deal for anyone. It just was. We're seeing more and more YA books like that, and I hope it continues. I really, really, really loved that the romance subplot didn't take over the entire novel. even though it easily could have.

Hand this to readers who like stories of revenge, casual queer rep, false identities, and retellings.

*3.5

Needless to say this book was entertaining. However the climax felt more like a plot twist and happened within the last 80 pages of the book. There was great diversity and representation and the romance wasn't the main focus which was refreshing.

Struggled to care. Mildly curious about Cayo's story though and Romara a little bit. Felt like not enough world building. If I continue, will only be through the library.