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shereadstales 's review for:
Scavenge the Stars
by Tara Sim
Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the early galley of the first book in the new series by the author of Timekeeper.
“Children are the victims of their parent’s crimes.”
Amaya, or Silverfish as she’s been known in the last seven years aboard a debtor’s ship, is days away from freedom. Seven years away from her mother and her home for the supposed sins of her deceased father. When she sees a man in the sea who’ll drown without intervention, he looks rich, and that could benefit her. So, she pulls him up despite the warnings of her captain, and adds another month to her sentence. When she escapes, she only wants revenge on those who wronged her (and other children aboard the ship). With the help of the rescued man, she’ll con the family she believes responsible for her misery. But getting to know the son of her enemy teaches her that not everything in the world is as black and white as she’d like to believe.
I’ve never read any of the Timekeeper books, and this book wasn’t what I expected, but I couldn’t put it down. I started it on Friday night and was done by Saturday at noon. The alternating chapters keep the story moving forward at, what seemed to me, to be a breakneck pace. I kept thinking I’d just read one more chapter before bed, and I did that for about two hours.
Though I hope for more development with minor characters over the next 1-2(?) books, particularly Cayo’s sister Soria, I loved getting to know all of them. Amaya is such a rich character full of conflicting emotions, and even though her course is at the mercy of those around her, she constantly takes charge and never loses sight of her own objectives. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes her.
The romance aspect of the book isn’t particularly heavy in this book, and I really appreciated that. While I enjoyed Amaya and Cayo getting below the surface of who they are supposed to be and finding depths of character, I wasn’t super into a romance between them. It’s there, but it’s not the primary focus, but I’m sure it will develop further in subsequent books. For me, it was more about the adventure, the revenge, and the plot twists.
The representation here is subtle, but strongly present. There is an ace character, many characters seem fluid, and some have only same-sex partners. There is a brief mention of a non-binary character, and I am hoping for more variety and focus on some of these characters as we progress through this series.
Though I skimmed a few parts in the second half of the book, overall I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a new adventure and don’t mind sticking with a series in real time, rather than being able to binge several books all at once. Though it leaves you with a few questions and wanting more, I applaud Sim’s ability to wrap it up nicely rather than leaving us with huge cliffhangers. The wait for this one is short (it’s out Tuesday), but book two doesn’t have a release date yet, so that part will be an impatient wait.
“Children are the victims of their parent’s crimes.”
Amaya, or Silverfish as she’s been known in the last seven years aboard a debtor’s ship, is days away from freedom. Seven years away from her mother and her home for the supposed sins of her deceased father. When she sees a man in the sea who’ll drown without intervention, he looks rich, and that could benefit her. So, she pulls him up despite the warnings of her captain, and adds another month to her sentence. When she escapes, she only wants revenge on those who wronged her (and other children aboard the ship). With the help of the rescued man, she’ll con the family she believes responsible for her misery. But getting to know the son of her enemy teaches her that not everything in the world is as black and white as she’d like to believe.
I’ve never read any of the Timekeeper books, and this book wasn’t what I expected, but I couldn’t put it down. I started it on Friday night and was done by Saturday at noon. The alternating chapters keep the story moving forward at, what seemed to me, to be a breakneck pace. I kept thinking I’d just read one more chapter before bed, and I did that for about two hours.
Though I hope for more development with minor characters over the next 1-2(?) books, particularly Cayo’s sister Soria, I loved getting to know all of them. Amaya is such a rich character full of conflicting emotions, and even though her course is at the mercy of those around her, she constantly takes charge and never loses sight of her own objectives. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes her.
The romance aspect of the book isn’t particularly heavy in this book, and I really appreciated that. While I enjoyed Amaya and Cayo getting below the surface of who they are supposed to be and finding depths of character, I wasn’t super into a romance between them. It’s there, but it’s not the primary focus, but I’m sure it will develop further in subsequent books. For me, it was more about the adventure, the revenge, and the plot twists.
The representation here is subtle, but strongly present. There is an ace character, many characters seem fluid, and some have only same-sex partners. There is a brief mention of a non-binary character, and I am hoping for more variety and focus on some of these characters as we progress through this series.
Though I skimmed a few parts in the second half of the book, overall I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a new adventure and don’t mind sticking with a series in real time, rather than being able to binge several books all at once. Though it leaves you with a few questions and wanting more, I applaud Sim’s ability to wrap it up nicely rather than leaving us with huge cliffhangers. The wait for this one is short (it’s out Tuesday), but book two doesn’t have a release date yet, so that part will be an impatient wait.