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Scavenge the Stars takes on The Count of Monte Cristo and turns it on its head. Despite being a retelling, there are numerous twists and turns that are completely Tara Sim's own and that will leave you breathless and on the edge of your seat. Scavenge the Stars is a nail biter if I've ever read one.
The tale follows Amaya Chandra, also known as Silverfish, who is on a hunt for revenge after everything is taken from her and her parents and she's sold to a debtor ship. She bides her time and waits for the perfect opportunity, and stumbles upon it in the form of a man named Boon. Boon offers her exactly what she's been waiting for for seven years: the chance to take down the man responsible for her family's demise. Amaya returns to her home, the city of Moray, with a new identity and a newly formed purpose - destroy Kamon Mercado.
Cayo Mercado has lived a life of completely succumbing to the glitz and glamor of Moray, and promptly plunges his family into debt because of his indulgent gambling habits. But when his sister Soria falls ill with the mysterious ash fever that's plaguing the city, Cayo knows he has to do whatever it takes to get her the medicine their family can no longer afford, even if that means returning to the same districts he lost his fortune to.
Amaya's and Cayo's stories get more and more intertwined as they unravel the secrets of Moray, and the twisted legacies of their parents before them. But as they also become more drawn to each other with each passing encounter, they'll have to figure out what's more important - doing the right thing, or chasing their own desires.
This book sucked me in totally unexpectedly. Amaya and Cayo are different forms of chaos incarnate, and while Cayo is just. plain dumb...Amaya falls prey to the manipulations of people she doesn't even want to trust. There's a hard lesson throughout this book that our parents aren't always what we want to believe them to be, and that sometimes, searching for the truth reveals more secrets than you could have ever bargained for.
The tale follows Amaya Chandra, also known as Silverfish, who is on a hunt for revenge after everything is taken from her and her parents and she's sold to a debtor ship. She bides her time and waits for the perfect opportunity, and stumbles upon it in the form of a man named Boon. Boon offers her exactly what she's been waiting for for seven years: the chance to take down the man responsible for her family's demise. Amaya returns to her home, the city of Moray, with a new identity and a newly formed purpose - destroy Kamon Mercado.
Cayo Mercado has lived a life of completely succumbing to the glitz and glamor of Moray, and promptly plunges his family into debt because of his indulgent gambling habits. But when his sister Soria falls ill with the mysterious ash fever that's plaguing the city, Cayo knows he has to do whatever it takes to get her the medicine their family can no longer afford, even if that means returning to the same districts he lost his fortune to.
Amaya's and Cayo's stories get more and more intertwined as they unravel the secrets of Moray, and the twisted legacies of their parents before them. But as they also become more drawn to each other with each passing encounter, they'll have to figure out what's more important - doing the right thing, or chasing their own desires.
This book sucked me in totally unexpectedly. Amaya and Cayo are different forms of chaos incarnate, and while Cayo is just. plain dumb...Amaya falls prey to the manipulations of people she doesn't even want to trust. There's a hard lesson throughout this book that our parents aren't always what we want to believe them to be, and that sometimes, searching for the truth reveals more secrets than you could have ever bargained for.
I was pretty unimpressed with this book, unfortunately. I did like our main characters most of the time and I think that she has a lot of potential. This one just felt very boring and I did not get the revenge-y vibe that I was expecting. I also found most of the characters to be pretty one-note but I do think that they have a lot of potential. Honestly, the villains were the most interesting aspect of this book.
2.5 stars I don't have a lot to say about this book. I love the story of The Count of Monte Cristo and was really excited when I heard that this was a spin on that book, but I'm not sure if it really embodies that story the way I wanted it to. The COMC elements seemed to be kind of thrown in without a lot of thought and I wanted this to be more about Amaya getting revenge on the people who had wronged her and less about Amaya being suckered into carrying out someone else's vendetta, which is what we got.
I also found several of the plot beats a little contrived. The circumstances surrounding Amaya meeting Boon and the idea that they both have the same enemy is pretty unrealistic. To be fair, the author does bring it back up at the very end of the book, but we don't actually get an answer. I also thought the timing of Amaya's father's vault being opened and her finding out about it were a little too cookie-cutter perfect for me.
As far as the plot...there isn't that much here. There are the makings of a plot with the counterfeit money but that's not really a plot. Amaya's desires for revenge never fully manifest themselves in a way that feels like she is pulling the reins, and in fact she's not. It's more a mystery story with her finding out what happened to her and her family when she was younger, but it doesn't feel proactive. Most of these things just happen to her and people tell her bits and pieces as the plot needs her to know the information in order to move forward. A perfect example is the ring Soria wears that ends up belonging to Amaya's mother. She apparently didn't see it when she and Soria met, and it's only after Soria randomly tells Cayo how she got it and the conversation she managed to overhear and remember from 7 years before (when she was what? 7? 8?) and then Amaya happens to spot Cayo with it and he tells her where it came from and she realizes the truth behind her abduction...it's just a lot of little contrivances that didn't end up feeling organic.
Cayo was a more interesting character, in my opinion. I found his story more interesting and him as a character more developed. I liked the relationship he had with his sister, and the fact that he obviously had vices that he was fighting against.
As far as the dynamic between Cayo and Amaya...it was fine. I liked the scenes between them but I wish there had been more of them. I needed more banter or angst or something to convince me that she would abandon her initial plans to use him as a means of revenge against his father.
The world is a little murky, but I'm thinking it will be fleshed out more in the sequel, now that our characters are on their way out of the city.
As much as it seems like I'm criticizing this, I did enjoy my reading experience, for the most part. It was mostly as I finished up the book that a lot of these issues I had came into focus. I think I probably will read the sequel, which could absolutely have an effect in the long run on how I feel about this book.
Ooh, one more super nitpicky thing...I don't get the title of this book. It doesn't actually seem to have ANYTHING to do with what is inside the book. Before I began reading (I didn't read the synopsis, all I knew is that it was a Count of Monte Cristo retelling) I thought it was a sci-fi set in space or something. I know that sailors use the stars to navigate, and that the first part of Amaya's story takes place on a boat. But it's not something that is a focus at all and I just don't understand what it means.
I also found several of the plot beats a little contrived. The circumstances surrounding Amaya meeting Boon and the idea that they both have the same enemy is pretty unrealistic. To be fair, the author does bring it back up at the very end of the book, but we don't actually get an answer. I also thought the timing of Amaya's father's vault being opened and her finding out about it were a little too cookie-cutter perfect for me.
As far as the plot...there isn't that much here. There are the makings of a plot with the counterfeit money but that's not really a plot. Amaya's desires for revenge never fully manifest themselves in a way that feels like she is pulling the reins, and in fact she's not. It's more a mystery story with her finding out what happened to her and her family when she was younger, but it doesn't feel proactive. Most of these things just happen to her and people tell her bits and pieces as the plot needs her to know the information in order to move forward. A perfect example is the ring Soria wears that ends up belonging to Amaya's mother. She apparently didn't see it when she and Soria met, and it's only after Soria randomly tells Cayo how she got it and the conversation she managed to overhear and remember from 7 years before (when she was what? 7? 8?) and then Amaya happens to spot Cayo with it and he tells her where it came from and she realizes the truth behind her abduction...it's just a lot of little contrivances that didn't end up feeling organic.
Cayo was a more interesting character, in my opinion. I found his story more interesting and him as a character more developed. I liked the relationship he had with his sister, and the fact that he obviously had vices that he was fighting against.
As far as the dynamic between Cayo and Amaya...it was fine. I liked the scenes between them but I wish there had been more of them. I needed more banter or angst or something to convince me that she would abandon her initial plans to use him as a means of revenge against his father.
The world is a little murky, but I'm thinking it will be fleshed out more in the sequel, now that our characters are on their way out of the city.
As much as it seems like I'm criticizing this, I did enjoy my reading experience, for the most part. It was mostly as I finished up the book that a lot of these issues I had came into focus. I think I probably will read the sequel, which could absolutely have an effect in the long run on how I feel about this book.
Ooh, one more super nitpicky thing...I don't get the title of this book. It doesn't actually seem to have ANYTHING to do with what is inside the book. Before I began reading (I didn't read the synopsis, all I knew is that it was a Count of Monte Cristo retelling) I thought it was a sci-fi set in space or something. I know that sailors use the stars to navigate, and that the first part of Amaya's story takes place on a boat. But it's not something that is a focus at all and I just don't understand what it means.
This is a great Count of Monte Cristo retelling and I love the causal queerness of it all. I’m def looking forward to the sequel! I love the complexity of Amaya and Cayo, and all the little things that keep binding them together. A great story of revenge, consequences, and motivations.
Content notes:gambling addiction, relapse, vomiting, pandemic, illness, death, child death, violence, blood, injury, gore
Content notes:
When I got this book I was surprised by how short it was! It’s only just over 300 pages, but the author makes each one count. A retelling of The Count of Monte Christo, this is a tale of pirates, revenge, cons, and betrayal. The world-building could use some fleshing out, but the writing itself is really good. Overall, I’d say this was a good book, but not a great book. I can’t really identify specifically why, but something is missing. The plot was great, the twists were twisty, and the characterization spot on, but for some reason it’s not amazing to me?
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.
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.
