Buddy read with Michelle! ❤

I received a review copy from Netgalley. This does not affect my rating or opinions.

This book has basically everything I want: an independent-minded, ambitious, and witty protagonist (I have a weird personal bias against describing heroines as "strong" and "sassy," but that's what Rhen is!); an estranged childhood friend (who, as a bonus, got hot and has "anatomically perfect lips"); magic, including mythical creatures like sirens and ghouls, and a bit of mystery; intriguing riddles/puzzles that the reader can try to solve alongside the heroes; and even lots of creative cursing.

The writing itself is also beautiful; while I'm not generally a fan of big epiphanies about society / humanity / one's self, or of cheesy romantic declarations, they're used judiciously and balanced with enough action and character development to balance out. I laughed at so many brilliantly executed lines, and the tension between a certain pairing just sizzles. (Which is saying a lot, coming from me, the eternal cynic!)

Rhen Tellur, the heroine, is far and away my favorite part of this story. She's got a bit of a temper, but she's also determined to pursue science and cure diseases. Her cousin is an Upper (i.e., Seleni's family is rich and disowned Rhen's mother for marrying her poor scientist father) but Rhen lives near and is friends with many people from the poorer part of town: so she kind of has a foot in both worlds, giving her some advantages and limitations of each, and making her a really nuanced and sympathetic character. In a society that would like her to be quiet and defer to her future husband, she flouts convention to stand up for herself and her friends.

The rest of the cast is varied as far as family background and personal goals, and all are either really lovable or lots of fun to hate — though, as far as I'm aware, there's no explicit PoC or LGBT+ representation. I do wish the author had included some, because I think it fits with all the social issues being addressed and could have been as simple as a mention in passing or a very minor sidestory. (This is a big part of where I deducted half a star from my rating, because intersectionality is really important to me.)

I will add that I personally don't think The Scorpio Races is a good comp title — beyond a number of surface similarities (a girl enters the annual traditional competition traditionally meant for boys/men, special cakes to celebrate the occasion, and a love interest who loves the ocean and loves the protagonist because she is "untamable" like the ocean) they just feel like completely different stories to me, with very different moods; that said, this is of course an entirely subjective opinion. And to be clear, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing, either! Just that I noticed the blurb and don't think it's entirely accurate.

A final note: It is a testament to this book's merits that I loved it so much despite Adobe Digital Editions freezing up every few pages — of course in an ideal world it wouldn't make a difference since technical difficulties have nothing to do with the actual story, but were this story less compelling I would certainly not have persevered to the end.