In general, this was pretty good. I was interested in the plot and it kept me hooked. There were a ton of plot twists that I wasn’t expecting throughout. I really liked the world created and all the representation. 

However, this is definitely not a retelling. It’s influenced by The Count of Monte Christo (which is my absolute favorite classic of all time) but I wouldn’t call it a retelling. It took influence from the classic, but it didn’t really have a lot of the same elements as the first. I think that let me down a bit because I love the original so much. The stand in character, Boon, for Abbé Faria bothered me the most because we see the main character Amaya acting mostly on his revenge instead of hers and he’s not the mentor that he was in the original. 

Once I let go of my expectations, I did enjoy the book. I really like the romance between the characters that developed slowly. Amaya’s character was very complex and it was interesting to see her develop. Cayo lacked a little development but I hope to see it in the next book.