Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc to review!

Scavenge the Stars is a gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Which, incidentally, I have never read. But I think most people at least know the premise of the story, and you really don't need any knowledge of it to read this book.

Amaya, or Silverfish, has spent seven long years indentured on a debtor ship. Captained by the cruel Captain Zharo, the Brackish is a debtor ship where children are forced to work off their family's debts. Approaching her freedom, Amaya makes the split second decision to rescue a mysterious stranger floating in the sea. This angers Zharo, leading to Amaya and the mystery man forced to escape overboard. Amaya finds herself stuck with mystery man Boon. Boon promises her revenge on the cruel Captain Zharo, if she also helps him take down his own enemy, Kamon Mercado. Through Boon's plotting and seemingly endless riches, Amaya finds herself taking on a new identity, worming her way into the heart of Moray's noble circle.
Our other point of view is from Cayo Mercado, a semi-reformed gambling playboy, and son of Kamon Mercado. Cayo's gambling addiction has lead to the draining of his family's coffers. When Cayo's beloved sister Soria comes down with deadly Ash Fever, Cayo will do everything in his power to get the money for the medicine that can save her. Soon Amaya finds her path entangled with Cayo's. But Amaya is quickly learning that what she's believed about her past may not be the whole story, and she must discover the truth before it's too late.

Can you tell it's a bit hard to write a concise summary of this book? Anyway, I really enjoyed this one! It starts a bit slow, and I was a bit confused at the start with the jump between POVs. But it quickly grabbed me and held me captive. I liked having both POVs of Amaya and Cayo. They're both well fleshed out characters and I cared about them both. I liked their chemistry and the slow burn romance. But don't think this book is romance heavy, because it's not. It's much more focused on the adventure and revenge plot. Also, we're definitely setting up for some big drama and climax in the next book. Which I am for sure excited to read. The writing style is really good. You get such a feel of the characters and their world. I could picture the city streets or docks very easily. I think the world will be more fleshed out and understandable in the next book too.

Another thing I enjoyed was the casual diversity in this book! It didn't seem shoved in there just to be in there; it was just part of the world. We had a bisexual (although it's never explicitly stated, it is implied) male MC, which is rare. And we got some small non-binary rep too! And it was just presented in a really casual and normal way, and shown to be accepted in their society. I would like to see more of that in book two.

Overall, if you're a fan of high stakes adventure and a good fantasy retelling, this book is a great choice. It's slow to start, but will hook you in and get action packed quickly. There's lots of twists and layers of deception, and a little side of romance. It's a good first book in a series, and I think book two will be even better.