4.5/5
I love it and I need more of these children

3.5/5

This is a bit of a weird book. The premise is cool and I love me a good revenge plot, but this felt just a bit weird. Because the novel was so short the plot moved quiet fast but I think a little bit more set up would have helped. The plottwists at the end came fast and one after the other.

But I loved the friendship between Amaya and Roach and am definitely looking forward to more of that.

I wavered over what to rate this during the whole book. I probably would have rated it higher if it didn't try to sell itself as a Monte Cristo retelling, or if certain aspects of the adaptation had been clearer from the start. Monte Cristo is probably my favorite book of all time, so it was impossible not to be constantly comparing, especially since this didn't really nail it, and didn't go in the direction I was expecting.

It's a decently-good YA revenge story about rich people and destitute people, comfortably queer and vaguely fantastical without any real fantasy elements. But it takes a while to get started, and I'll bet this duology could have easily fit a single book with tighter writing. I spent almost the entire book struggling to see how this was a Monte Cristo adaption, and not just a generic revenge story.

But let's be honest, I'm gonna buy the second book as soon as it's published. This take on Monte Cristo is interesting and I'm invested enough to see what happens.

Spoiler addition:

About halfway through this book, it became clear that if this WAS supposed to be a Monte Cristo retelling, then Amaya wasn't the Count - but I couldn't figure out who she was supposed to represent. For a while there I thought she might be Haydee, but right at the end there I realized she's Cavalcanti (except not evil - presumably). It was actually a decent 'twist', and one I should have seen earlier, if I hadn't been so caught up in the frustration of the Monte Cristo story not unfolding the way I expected.

I think I would have enjoyed this first book better, though, if that had been clear from the beginning. Changing Cavalcanti to a protagonist wronged by the Count is a really cool take, but I couldn't read the book properly while I was second-guessing the author's intent the whole time. Still, I'm excited and curious to see how the next book will go!

I absolutely adored everything about this book. I'd never read anything by Tara Sim before but after this, I am definitely going to pick up the rest of her books!! If you like girls seeking vengeance and boys trying their best you absolutely need to read this book.

Damn. What an action packed, twisty book. I loved all the main characters and the side characters. I finished reading and hours later, kept itching to pick it back up again, because I want to know what happens next.

Hey Cayo, I like your soul.

Give me more of Roach please!!

2.25/5
- the “follows two storylines that eventually intersect” kind of narrative fails when I’m not invested enough in either of them
- Shaky world building, often uneventful, forced romance with no chemistry
- Selling this as a count of monte christo retelling does this a disservice
- Most likely will not continue

Unexpectedly rescued from her life aboard a debtor's ship, Amara dedicaes her life to vengeance against the man who put her there.

In the city state of Moray, children bear their parent's debts. Amara has been working for years to pay off her father's. An impulsive act of kindness brings her the chance for vengeance.

In Moray, Cayo, the son of the city's leading merchent, is caught in a web as he tries desperately to find a cure for his ill sister. His path keeps intersecting with the mysterious Countess Yamaa, and as he struggles to bring down the evil infecting his city she might be his only hope.


I'll admit, I don't know the original Count of Monte Cristo, other than the general knowledge of it everyone has. This story doesn't need any knowledge of the original to enjoy; it's a fabulous read all on its own.

The first few chapters are temporally uneven; they're not happening when you think they're happening. After a while they even out, though ocasionally the same event will happen from both points of view.

I liked the characters in this. i'll be honest, the double dealing was hard to follow, but the rest of it was very good and I really enjoyed it. It also manages to have some great social commentary:

*They had all been ravaged by the generation that came before them, told to feast on scraps and enjoy it.*

I did wonder if no one was surprised that a seventeen year old girl was on her own - surely she should have had guardians? But maybe that's not considered necessary in their culture.

All in all, a great read, and I hope to get to read the next part when it comes out.

3.5