3.5 Stars

When a book leaves you shaking it, hoping that the next one falls out from its pages, you know it's good.

3.5 ms Tara sim plz make bas and Cayo endgame some how

HI WOW I LOVED THIS A LOT????

I'll be honest. I didn't expect to. The Count of Monte Christo is cool and all, and yay for genderswapped retellings, but revenge stories, while fun, are not my normal wheelhouse. Also, it was such a break from Tara's last books, the Timekeeper trilogy, which I fell utterly and hopelessly in love with. Amaya is so far at the other end of the spectrum from soft boys Colton and Danny that I can't even comprehend it.

That said, I had to give it a chance, given how much I loved Tara's past work, and I am SO GLAD that I did. I would die for Amaya and Cayo without question, okay, they are wonderful and YES Amaya could kill you where you stood but also PROTECT HER OMG.

Anyway. I loved this a lot and I am SUPER READY for book 2. *STARES AT AUTHOR* Yes? Soon? PLEASE????

An excellent start to a new duology. Fans of SIX OF CROWS will love the seedy underbelly of the setting and the revenge narrative, whereas existing fans of Tara Sim's work will have a happy return to the warmth and vibrance of her characters and her ability to balance high stakes with interpersonal stakes in the plot.

3.5

I thought the characters were interesting, but it was very simple -- it could have pushed harder but was ultimately pulp. I think I wanted way more from this.

Oh, Cayo & his textiles. Parties & politic. Some really nice blades and worlds unfolding by the seashore. Reading this felt like a seaside getaway swallowed by the breeze of an oncoming storm; light humor, dead-set on vengeance, full of bite & blight.

dnf @ 35%

just nothing drawing me in, not worth continuing to me

this is going to be a divisive one but i had such a good time

quick thoughts:

• I just loved Cayo & Amaya with my entire body and soul
• Stabby revenge stories? Please and thank you
• Characters struggling to be Good & True when the world keeps throwing them curveballs and forcing them to make difficult choices are my favourite
• No you're crying
• Yes, the scs were a tad underdeveloped but hopefully, we'll get to explore them in the sequel??
• The world-building was also a little meh but *fingers crossed* it's more of a focus in the sequel too
• You know how sometimes you just read the right book at the right time? I needed this book


➸ Trigger warnings for

classism, indentured servitude (of children) discussed in-depth, sexual assault (op), child abuse, forced arranged marriage, gambling addiction recovery & relapse (central theme), suicide mentioned, alcohol consumption, alcohol abuse recounted & discussed, drugging w/o consent, blood & gore depiction, dead bodies & body parts, needles, physical injuries, eyeball trauma & gouging, emesis, terminal illness (plague-like) recounted & op, depiction of starvation, cannibalism mentioned, grief depiction, death of a mother & father recounted, death of children (op), murder, attempted murder, knife violence & stabbing, torture recounted, whipping recounted, hanging mentioned, kidnapping, captivity, blackmail, death by a fall recounted, near-drowning incident, war themes discussed, and poverty themes & debt collection (central theme)

.

▷ Representation: Amaya (mc) is Desi & demisexual; Cayo (mc) is bisexual & East Asian; Roach (sc) is asexual; Avi (sc) is a trans boy; POC and queer scs.

◯ Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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