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This book had me at 'gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo' (which is one of my all-time favourite books!) and only momentarily lost me at the end. Having gone into the story thinking this is a standalone novel, I was a bit let down by the ending, but my disappointment was short-lived, and I was pleased to discover it's a series.
From the very start, The Count of Monte Cristo vibes are strong, but much like the original story, not everything is as it seems. As Amaya digs deeper and deeper into the past, the facts get more muddled up and her motivations reshape. Our protagonist starts off as incredibly salty and stabby, which I absolutely love, and she's so inept and awkward as the Countess, which is great comic relief.
If you like neatly tied narratives with consistent characterisation and a satisfying resolution, this story might miss the mark. But if you're here for a wild YA fantasy ride across the fictional seas and all over an unidentified island populated with a mix of truly horrible people and lovable gays, hop on board.
Read full review: https://pollyan8.wixsite.com/already-booked/post/scavenge-the-stars-and-the-countess-of-gender-bending
From the very start, The Count of Monte Cristo vibes are strong, but much like the original story, not everything is as it seems. As Amaya digs deeper and deeper into the past, the facts get more muddled up and her motivations reshape. Our protagonist starts off as incredibly salty and stabby, which I absolutely love, and she's so inept and awkward as the Countess, which is great comic relief.
If you like neatly tied narratives with consistent characterisation and a satisfying resolution, this story might miss the mark. But if you're here for a wild YA fantasy ride across the fictional seas and all over an unidentified island populated with a mix of truly horrible people and lovable gays, hop on board.
Read full review: https://pollyan8.wixsite.com/already-booked/post/scavenge-the-stars-and-the-countess-of-gender-bending
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eh this is like a 3.5 star for me. The beginning and end didn’t really do it for me but I enjoyed the middle.
Liked the plot and setting, Didn't enjoy the characters as much and found the ending lackluster overall
3.75/5
I picked this up because I love "The Count of Monte Cristo" and this is a retelling of that classic. I switched between reading the physical book & listening to the audiobook. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will most likely pick-up the sequel.
I picked this up because I love "The Count of Monte Cristo" and this is a retelling of that classic. I switched between reading the physical book & listening to the audiobook. Overall, I enjoyed this story and will most likely pick-up the sequel.
I absolutely loved this book! The story took some twists and turns that I didn't expect, and that made it so much better. AND I'm so excited that it's only the first book, because wow do I need more.
With the opening chapters, I wasn't sure what to think about the book, but once the character's stories connected I devoured it! The characters were so interesting, their individual backgrounds creating such a great tapestry that I couldn't wait to see what happened next.
Silverfish--Amaya--was a really great, complex character. I love seeing characters grapple with morality as their lives change and the person they thought they are changes as well. Cayo is a great foil for her, and their alternating chapters really showcases that.
I'm a bug fan of dual POV, and I really liked how each chapter began with a snippet of a story or myth from the world Sim created. This really helped, not only to set up the chapter coming, but also made the world really come to life and become concrete to readers.
As much as I loved it, there were some things that made me give it 4 stars instead of 5. The ending felt quite rushed, and a lot of information was dumped on us in a short amount of time. It answered a lot of questions, but also introduced some more things that I think would have been just as good being introduced in the next book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this debut and can't wait for the next one!
With the opening chapters, I wasn't sure what to think about the book, but once the character's stories connected I devoured it! The characters were so interesting, their individual backgrounds creating such a great tapestry that I couldn't wait to see what happened next.
Silverfish--Amaya--was a really great, complex character. I love seeing characters grapple with morality as their lives change and the person they thought they are changes as well. Cayo is a great foil for her, and their alternating chapters really showcases that.
I'm a bug fan of dual POV, and I really liked how each chapter began with a snippet of a story or myth from the world Sim created. This really helped, not only to set up the chapter coming, but also made the world really come to life and become concrete to readers.
As much as I loved it, there were some things that made me give it 4 stars instead of 5. The ending felt quite rushed, and a lot of information was dumped on us in a short amount of time. It answered a lot of questions, but also introduced some more things that I think would have been just as good being introduced in the next book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this debut and can't wait for the next one!
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This had the potential to be a wonderful book but for me it fell kind of flat. The world building was just not helpful and lackluster. There were so many place we get introduced too but know nothing about or how to compare anything too. I liked the characters enough, but overall they were blah with the author almost trying too hard. It was difficult to get behind it all because only a couple years had passed, people probably would've been able to put it all together(unlike the original monte cristo). It was an ok read, maybe the next one will bring it all together, but this was one of the most anticipated books for 2020 and it really wasn't a great read. It had it's elements that were ok, but not enough to be something I was excited to keep reading.
This book was such a let down. It was slow, boring, had barely any story, and ended with absolutely nothing. There is supposed to be a sequel, which I won't be reading. I don't even remember what happened at the end already. I should have just dnf'd this honestly. This book was definitely not for me, but may be for you. This is hyped up to be a great revenge story and it was so far from it.