What do you think?
Rate this book
Dark Depths #1
Heirs of Bone and Sea
Fall in love with a powerful princess and feisty young queen masquerading as a pirate captain as they form an uneasy alliance to end the war between their kingdoms.
Climb the tower. Kill the princess .
Evhen, princess—no, queen—of Vodaeard, is on a revenge mission. After witnessing her parents' brutal murder by the king of Marama and the horror of his undead army, she's vowed to kill his daughter. It'll be poetic justice and also take away his supernatural edge in the war. But when she realizes the princess might be an ignorant pawn, she changes course and hides her royal identity—after all, she can't trust an enemy, no matter how beautiful she is.
Stay alive. Break the curse.
Princess Kalei of Marama is moon-blessed, allowing her to resurrect her kingdom's loyal subjects. But when she's attacked in her safe lighthouse by a fiery pirate, her worldview is shattered once she learns what her power is really being used for. Determined to prove her innocence and willingness to stop her father, she has no choice but to trust her would-be killer to safely deliver her to the Vodaeardean princess. But who can she trust in when it seems Captain Evhen is not the only one who wants her dead?
Climb the tower. Kill the princess .
Evhen, princess—no, queen—of Vodaeard, is on a revenge mission. After witnessing her parents' brutal murder by the king of Marama and the horror of his undead army, she's vowed to kill his daughter. It'll be poetic justice and also take away his supernatural edge in the war. But when she realizes the princess might be an ignorant pawn, she changes course and hides her royal identity—after all, she can't trust an enemy, no matter how beautiful she is.
Stay alive. Break the curse.
Princess Kalei of Marama is moon-blessed, allowing her to resurrect her kingdom's loyal subjects. But when she's attacked in her safe lighthouse by a fiery pirate, her worldview is shattered once she learns what her power is really being used for. Determined to prove her innocence and willingness to stop her father, she has no choice but to trust her would-be killer to safely deliver her to the Vodaeardean princess. But who can she trust in when it seems Captain Evhen is not the only one who wants her dead?
288 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 2024
About the author
Kay Adams
2 books13 followersKay Adams is a fantasy author living in big-city Ontario surrounded by a massive TBR pile and an equally massive teapot collection. A graduate of the University of Toronto’s Celtic Studies program, Kay began weaving worlds and creating characters using a mix of folkloric fascination and celestial curiosity. When she isn’t writing, she can be found existing in the same vicinity as her two cats Goose and Ducky or staring at her rainbow library until a book she wants to read magically materializes—except the books she really wants to read are the ones she’s writing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
March 7, 2024
if tangled and moana had a sapphic princess enemy to lovers love child with the intensity turned up by 1000
March 16, 2024
2.75 Stars
Lots of potential...
Princess Evhen of Vodaeard was driven by a deep desire to avenge the tragic death of her beloved parents. She swore to kill the King of Marama. Her journey took an unexpected turn when she unexpectedly crossed paths with Princess Kalei of Marama. At first, Evhen intended to kidnap Kalei as part of her plan to punish the King of Marama for his atrocities. However, she realized that the princess had no knowledge of the king's evil deeds. In a twist of fate, the two princesses decided to join forces and together, they planned to put an end to the King's reign of terror.
I must say, the concept and idea of the story is great. The magical powers of Kalei and the inclusion of sirens is a great touch. However, I believe the execution of the story could have been better. As some other reviewers have also pointed out, the plot seemed stagnant and uninteresting at times. It would have been great if the story had more world-building and character depth and development, as the characters felt somewhat one-dimensional. Overall, I think the story has potential and with some refinement, it could be a great read.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Kay Adams, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
Lots of potential...
Princess Evhen of Vodaeard was driven by a deep desire to avenge the tragic death of her beloved parents. She swore to kill the King of Marama. Her journey took an unexpected turn when she unexpectedly crossed paths with Princess Kalei of Marama. At first, Evhen intended to kidnap Kalei as part of her plan to punish the King of Marama for his atrocities. However, she realized that the princess had no knowledge of the king's evil deeds. In a twist of fate, the two princesses decided to join forces and together, they planned to put an end to the King's reign of terror.
I must say, the concept and idea of the story is great. The magical powers of Kalei and the inclusion of sirens is a great touch. However, I believe the execution of the story could have been better. As some other reviewers have also pointed out, the plot seemed stagnant and uninteresting at times. It would have been great if the story had more world-building and character depth and development, as the characters felt somewhat one-dimensional. Overall, I think the story has potential and with some refinement, it could be a great read.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Kay Adams, and Dreamscape Media for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
April 6, 2024
Gay pirate romance? Enemies to lovers? Necromancy? This book has found it’s target audience. (Me. Hello. I’m the target audience.)
Maybe the concept got my hopes up a little too high but you can’t just lure me in with all my favorite buzzwords and then expect me to be unbiased. This book was, in a word, underwhelming.
⚜ The… Romance
I wanted the romance to be good so bad, man. I’m still a little upset about it. Look, it wasn’t all terrible. There were moment that probably would’ve been really cute. If the romance was well written.
These girls had zero chemistry. For the entire book. The enemies to lovers tension was sort of there in the beginning but even then, it didn’t last long. The entire time the romance just felt so… Empty. As the characters became closer and the romance plot was progressing, the whole time I just kept wondering ‘Why do they even like each other?’
On paper it makes sense. They build trust over the course of the story, right? They get to know and understand each other. Sure. But there was never any romantic chemistry. Their bond felt more like vaguely friendly acquaintances for a majority of the book while acting like far more. Their actions felt so disconnected from the story because their romance just wasn’t that convincing.
⚜ Pacing and Plot
The pacing of the romance was weird and stilted but the rest of the book wasn’t much better. The frequent changes in POVs probably didn’t help. I really felt each chapter, if that makes sense. There was a very clear beginning middle and end to each plot line. It was like I could see the author’s planning document ‘Chapter one: X happens. Chapter two: Aftermath of X. Chapter 3: Y happens.’
While we’re talking about plot- I don’t think the antagonist had a motive. They were just kind of… Evil. I think it was meant to be a ‘power corrupts’ type thing but if it was, it wasn’t done well.
The antagonist was boring. Not much else to say about that.
On a more positive note- I was promised an undead army and hey, spoilers, there was an undead army. Kalei’s magic was pretty sick. Some of the descriptions got a little repetitive but overall- I was having the most fun when Kalei was using her powers.
⚜ The Audiobook
If you’re going to read this book, don’t listen to the audiobook. This is probably the first audiobook I’ve listened to that has made dialogue sound more unnatural than the written dialogue. There were multiple times (Mostly in very serious moments, unfortunately) Where they just miss the tone entirely.
While both narrators had this issue, at least Evhen’s voice actor seemed to fit the role. Kalei’s narrator was just a strange casting choice. Her voice was just too mature for the role and her weak voice acting skills totally killed the more emotional scenes. Sorry, girl.
⚜ Final Words
Again, underwhelming. A sub-par romance lacking in chemistry. Characters with basically no depth. An okay plot. No amount of buzzwords or potential can make up for that in my opinion.
One day I’ll read the lesbian pirate love story of my dreams and it will destroy my life. This one was just too good to be true.
Maybe the concept got my hopes up a little too high but you can’t just lure me in with all my favorite buzzwords and then expect me to be unbiased. This book was, in a word, underwhelming.
⚜ The… Romance
I wanted the romance to be good so bad, man. I’m still a little upset about it. Look, it wasn’t all terrible. There were moment that probably would’ve been really cute. If the romance was well written.
These girls had zero chemistry. For the entire book. The enemies to lovers tension was sort of there in the beginning but even then, it didn’t last long. The entire time the romance just felt so… Empty. As the characters became closer and the romance plot was progressing, the whole time I just kept wondering ‘Why do they even like each other?’
On paper it makes sense. They build trust over the course of the story, right? They get to know and understand each other. Sure. But there was never any romantic chemistry. Their bond felt more like vaguely friendly acquaintances for a majority of the book while acting like far more. Their actions felt so disconnected from the story because their romance just wasn’t that convincing.
⚜ Pacing and Plot
The pacing of the romance was weird and stilted but the rest of the book wasn’t much better. The frequent changes in POVs probably didn’t help. I really felt each chapter, if that makes sense. There was a very clear beginning middle and end to each plot line. It was like I could see the author’s planning document ‘Chapter one: X happens. Chapter two: Aftermath of X. Chapter 3: Y happens.’
While we’re talking about plot- I don’t think the antagonist had a motive. They were just kind of… Evil. I think it was meant to be a ‘power corrupts’ type thing but if it was, it wasn’t done well.
The antagonist was boring. Not much else to say about that.
On a more positive note- I was promised an undead army and hey, spoilers, there was an undead army. Kalei’s magic was pretty sick. Some of the descriptions got a little repetitive but overall- I was having the most fun when Kalei was using her powers.
⚜ The Audiobook
If you’re going to read this book, don’t listen to the audiobook. This is probably the first audiobook I’ve listened to that has made dialogue sound more unnatural than the written dialogue. There were multiple times (Mostly in very serious moments, unfortunately) Where they just miss the tone entirely.
While both narrators had this issue, at least Evhen’s voice actor seemed to fit the role. Kalei’s narrator was just a strange casting choice. Her voice was just too mature for the role and her weak voice acting skills totally killed the more emotional scenes. Sorry, girl.
⚜ Final Words
Again, underwhelming. A sub-par romance lacking in chemistry. Characters with basically no depth. An okay plot. No amount of buzzwords or potential can make up for that in my opinion.
One day I’ll read the lesbian pirate love story of my dreams and it will destroy my life. This one was just too good to be true.
March 14, 2024
4 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Kay Adams for the audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review
-
This book was so good!
From the world building to the characters, I was honestly really impressed. The story was really captivating and i found it hard to not be invested in the plot line.
-
The only thing I didn't like was that it didn't really feel like a sapphic enemies to lovers really, yes we get a few scenes where we know they like each other but it's all pretty vague especially in the end
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Kay Adams for the audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review
-
This book was so good!
From the world building to the characters, I was honestly really impressed. The story was really captivating and i found it hard to not be invested in the plot line.
-
The only thing I didn't like was that it didn't really feel like a sapphic enemies to lovers really, yes we get a few scenes where we know they like each other but it's all pretty vague especially in the end
March 20, 2024
* Super weird to see this book only has a 3 stars overall rating! i loved it!
I absolutely LOVE this book! Magic, Pirates, Young Love! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Narrators Catherine Ho & Hayden Bishop were great for this book!
I listened at 1.5 speed & finished in a day!
Publisher's summary
Climb the tower. Kill the princess. Evhen, princess—no, queen—of Vodaeard, is on a revenge mission. After witnessing her parents' brutal murder by the king of Marama and the horror of his undead army, she's vowed to kill his daughter. It'll be poetic justice and also take away his supernatural edge in the war.
But when she realizes the princess might be an ignorant pawn, she changes course and hides her royal identity—after all, she can't trust an enemy, no matter how beautiful she is. Stay alive. Break the curse.
Princess Kalei of Marama is moon-blessed, allowing her to resurrect her kingdom's loyal subjects. But when she's attacked in her safe lighthouse by a fiery pirate, her worldview is shattered once she learns what her power is really being used for.
Determined to prove her innocence and willingness to stop her father, she has no choice but to trust her would-be killer to safely deliver her to the Vodaeardean princess. But who can she trust in when it seems Captain Evhen is not the only one who wants her dead?
Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC!
Heirs of Bone and Sea
Dark Depths, Book 1
By: Kay Adams
Narrated by: Catherine Ho, Hayden Bishop
Series: Dark Depths, Book 1
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Release date: 03-05-24
I absolutely LOVE this book! Magic, Pirates, Young Love! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Narrators Catherine Ho & Hayden Bishop were great for this book!
I listened at 1.5 speed & finished in a day!
Publisher's summary
Climb the tower. Kill the princess. Evhen, princess—no, queen—of Vodaeard, is on a revenge mission. After witnessing her parents' brutal murder by the king of Marama and the horror of his undead army, she's vowed to kill his daughter. It'll be poetic justice and also take away his supernatural edge in the war.
But when she realizes the princess might be an ignorant pawn, she changes course and hides her royal identity—after all, she can't trust an enemy, no matter how beautiful she is. Stay alive. Break the curse.
Princess Kalei of Marama is moon-blessed, allowing her to resurrect her kingdom's loyal subjects. But when she's attacked in her safe lighthouse by a fiery pirate, her worldview is shattered once she learns what her power is really being used for.
Determined to prove her innocence and willingness to stop her father, she has no choice but to trust her would-be killer to safely deliver her to the Vodaeardean princess. But who can she trust in when it seems Captain Evhen is not the only one who wants her dead?
Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC!
Heirs of Bone and Sea
Dark Depths, Book 1
By: Kay Adams
Narrated by: Catherine Ho, Hayden Bishop
Series: Dark Depths, Book 1
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Release date: 03-05-24
March 15, 2024
I wanted to love this book so much but unfortunately I didn't. It had so muchgoing for it but it didn't deliver in my opinion.
In this book, we follow two young royal women, Queen Evhen and Princess Kalei. Evhen is out to avenge her parents' deaths, which was at the hands of Kalei's father. Evhen sneaks her way to Kalei's kingdom and kidnaps her with intentions of killing her as revenge. Throughout their journey, they develop this enemies-to-lovers relationship, which was very mid and lackluster (but I understand, this isn't a romance book).
Majority of the books seems to be them on a voyage back to Evhen's land, with a lot of "You can trust me, I want to help you" from Kalei. The action doesn't really begin until around 60% through the book, and the action wasn't much of action.
Kalei is considered to be the Princess of Death- she can bring the dead back to life and also heal those who are wounded with the power embedded in her hair (and a stone). It very much gives Disney's Tangled vibes (with pirate vibes as well). Kalei had no idea of her father's true intentions (nor that he wants to kill her to become immortal) until Evhen revealed them to her. Now Kalei is destined to stay alive and stop the war her father has started on the quest for the rest of this magical stone.
Although this book had a great concept, I don't feel it was executed to it's full potential. A lot of the book was just filler, the characters seemed to be stagnant most of the time, and other characters just seemed to pop in and out occasionally, which I found difficult to appreciate (Evhen's crew).
I did get excited when Kalei raised an army of the dead but that fell flat just as quickly as it happened. It was a major disappointment for me. The world-building in this book, however, was great! I appreciate that much. Overall I'd give this one 3 stars, because it was entertaining enough to hold me until he end of the book.
I received this ARC, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.
In this book, we follow two young royal women, Queen Evhen and Princess Kalei. Evhen is out to avenge her parents' deaths, which was at the hands of Kalei's father. Evhen sneaks her way to Kalei's kingdom and kidnaps her with intentions of killing her as revenge. Throughout their journey, they develop this enemies-to-lovers relationship, which was very mid and lackluster (but I understand, this isn't a romance book).
Majority of the books seems to be them on a voyage back to Evhen's land, with a lot of "You can trust me, I want to help you" from Kalei. The action doesn't really begin until around 60% through the book, and the action wasn't much of action.
Kalei is considered to be the Princess of Death- she can bring the dead back to life and also heal those who are wounded with the power embedded in her hair (and a stone). It very much gives Disney's Tangled vibes (with pirate vibes as well). Kalei had no idea of her father's true intentions (nor that he wants to kill her to become immortal) until Evhen revealed them to her. Now Kalei is destined to stay alive and stop the war her father has started on the quest for the rest of this magical stone.
Although this book had a great concept, I don't feel it was executed to it's full potential. A lot of the book was just filler, the characters seemed to be stagnant most of the time, and other characters just seemed to pop in and out occasionally, which I found difficult to appreciate (Evhen's crew).
I did get excited when Kalei raised an army of the dead but that fell flat just as quickly as it happened. It was a major disappointment for me. The world-building in this book, however, was great! I appreciate that much. Overall I'd give this one 3 stars, because it was entertaining enough to hold me until he end of the book.
I received this ARC, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.
April 8, 2024
While I appreciate that this was a young adult sapphic fantasy with princesses, pirates, and even a 'princess of death' (basically a necromancer), this story was kind of dull, and the audiobook honestly made the experience even worse.
Whichever narrator voiced Princess Evhen did a great job, and I felt like it was believable that they were a 17-year-old princess. They also did a wonderful job portraying the wide array of emotions that Evhen goes through during the book. However, whichever narrator voiced Princess Kalei really missed the mark. The narrator voiced Kalei in a whispering tone for the entire book, which I found EXTREMELY irritating. I'm assuming this was done as an attempt to make her sound younger... but it did not translate to the audience. Since they don't mention Kalei's age until further into the book, I thought that she was a proper adult and was really confused how a teenage pirate was capturing her... On top of the irritating whisper tone, the audio mixing was terrible, with a huge volume difference between the narrator's whispering tone and when she would talk in her normal voice to portray literally anyone else who wasn't Kalei...
The book itself had a lot of pitfalls. In general it was just a boring story with a bunch of keywords checked off to make it sound more entertaining than it actually is (which I obviously fell for). I usually like dual POVs... but every chapter swapping back and forth between the 2 POVs was a bit much especially when literally nothing was happening to need to see the next chapter from the other POV.
Honestly, I came really close to DNFing this audiobook around 20% just because of how annoying I found Kalei's narrator... but I ended up just sucking it up and speeding up the audiobook to see how the story panned out. At the end of the day, I wish I would have just DNF'ed it because the story itself didn't really do it for me.
Thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this ALC in exchange for my (obviously) unbiased review.
Whichever narrator voiced Princess Evhen did a great job, and I felt like it was believable that they were a 17-year-old princess. They also did a wonderful job portraying the wide array of emotions that Evhen goes through during the book. However, whichever narrator voiced Princess Kalei really missed the mark. The narrator voiced Kalei in a whispering tone for the entire book, which I found EXTREMELY irritating. I'm assuming this was done as an attempt to make her sound younger... but it did not translate to the audience. Since they don't mention Kalei's age until further into the book, I thought that she was a proper adult and was really confused how a teenage pirate was capturing her... On top of the irritating whisper tone, the audio mixing was terrible, with a huge volume difference between the narrator's whispering tone and when she would talk in her normal voice to portray literally anyone else who wasn't Kalei...
The book itself had a lot of pitfalls. In general it was just a boring story with a bunch of keywords checked off to make it sound more entertaining than it actually is (which I obviously fell for). I usually like dual POVs... but every chapter swapping back and forth between the 2 POVs was a bit much especially when literally nothing was happening to need to see the next chapter from the other POV.
Honestly, I came really close to DNFing this audiobook around 20% just because of how annoying I found Kalei's narrator... but I ended up just sucking it up and speeding up the audiobook to see how the story panned out. At the end of the day, I wish I would have just DNF'ed it because the story itself didn't really do it for me.
Thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing this ALC in exchange for my (obviously) unbiased review.
March 15, 2024
4 stars overall. Ooooh I liked this one. Enemies to lovers with high stakes, complex characters, and legit darkness. I wish it weren't advertised as "pirates" or that the pirate element was a little more played up (it was more a royal acting as a pirate), but otherwise I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this novel. I need more powerful female necromancers in books! The concept of a king desiring immortality is one that is almost hackneyed to this point, but I thought it was uniquely enough done here that I was kept riveted by each of the girls' quests and when those quests became one. I wish their relationship had more development, but this is the first in a duology and I will hold my tongue about that until I see where we go next. Can't wait!
Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC.
Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC.
July 20, 2024
What a wild ride this book was. This book gave me Rapunzel vibes plus all the magic was Amazing and all the sailing, pirates was great. It was very revenge heavy understandably with what happened in the book but it got to be a bit much at times and I feel it messed with the chemistry for the romance part of the story. Overall it was a good book, curious for what the next book brings.
I will say the narrators for the audiobook were ok but I’m not sure they really fit the characters either in voice or acting. The audio book wasn't terrible, just wasn't my favorite.
I will say the narrators for the audiobook were ok but I’m not sure they really fit the characters either in voice or acting. The audio book wasn't terrible, just wasn't my favorite.
August 2, 2024
Before reading, Heirs of Bone and Sea ticked a lot of boxes for me plot-wise (Pirates! Sirens! Moon powers!), but I found its slow pacing to be a bit of a drag. I also felt the world building wasn’t super strong and could have used a bit more atmosphere describing to follow along with the narrative better.
March 27, 2024
Two princesses, warring kingdoms, sacred stones, and a frantic race against time, "Heirs of Bone and Sea" retells the traditional story of "Rapunzel" with heightened stakes and enemies more ruthless than ever.
This book includes:
- a lonely, moon blessed princess with the ability to bring people back to life
- an undead army
- LGBT subplot
- betrayal of the highest order
- a queen terrified of her responsibility and the gravitas of her role
- cliffhanger ending
I really enjoyed "Heirs of Bone and Sea." It was a fresh take on Rapunzel that added so much depth to the classic story. Evhen and Kalei were both dynamic and flawed in ways that made them believable and their struggle for power engaging. Kalei in particular drew me in, and I am eager to read more of her story and hope she gets some much needed reprieve in book 2. Fans of "Red Queen" will really enjoy this book and I hope it reaches a wider audience because I could see it easily becoming a huge hit. There are so many satisfying twists and turns, and a great back and forth where the princesses must choose between themselves and their futures.
I listened on audiobook and I was a massive fan of the narrator who voiced Evhan. They were very emotive and really brought Evhen's terrified rigidity to life in the way that made her so easy to relate to.
I received this ebook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Kay Adams, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...
This book includes:
- a lonely, moon blessed princess with the ability to bring people back to life
- an undead army
- LGBT subplot
- betrayal of the highest order
- a queen terrified of her responsibility and the gravitas of her role
- cliffhanger ending
I really enjoyed "Heirs of Bone and Sea." It was a fresh take on Rapunzel that added so much depth to the classic story. Evhen and Kalei were both dynamic and flawed in ways that made them believable and their struggle for power engaging. Kalei in particular drew me in, and I am eager to read more of her story and hope she gets some much needed reprieve in book 2. Fans of "Red Queen" will really enjoy this book and I hope it reaches a wider audience because I could see it easily becoming a huge hit. There are so many satisfying twists and turns, and a great back and forth where the princesses must choose between themselves and their futures.
I listened on audiobook and I was a massive fan of the narrator who voiced Evhan. They were very emotive and really brought Evhen's terrified rigidity to life in the way that made her so easy to relate to.
I received this ebook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Kay Adams, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads - check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...
March 28, 2024
This is one of my favourite reads of the year so far. I recognise that we are only in March but I am obsessed with this and I mean OBSESSED.
Heirs of Bone and Sea follows Evhen who was once the princess of Vodaeard but is now the queen after the brutal murder of her parents at the hands of King of Matama and his undead army. She’s now on a revenge mission. Kidnap the King’s daughter. Murder the King’s daughter. Should be easy, right? It’s only fair and it will disadvantage his supernatural edge in the war. That’s until she gets to know the princess.
Princess of the Dead x Pirate Queen??? I knew I would eat this up. Like seriously, say no more.
The world-building, the characters… EVERYTHING. This was so fantastic and I have spent the past few days talking about this book to anyone who would listen.
This world is so easy to lose yourself in. I was fortunate to be able to receive the audiobook and I would sit down to listen and not even realise how much time had passed because I was so absorbed with the book.
I am completely and utterly obsessed with this book. Have I said that already? Maybe I need to repeat it.
I can’t wait to read what comes next for these characters. I will be anxiously awaiting for another book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with this audiobook. I received this audiobook for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Heirs of Bone and Sea follows Evhen who was once the princess of Vodaeard but is now the queen after the brutal murder of her parents at the hands of King of Matama and his undead army. She’s now on a revenge mission. Kidnap the King’s daughter. Murder the King’s daughter. Should be easy, right? It’s only fair and it will disadvantage his supernatural edge in the war. That’s until she gets to know the princess.
Princess of the Dead x Pirate Queen??? I knew I would eat this up. Like seriously, say no more.
The world-building, the characters… EVERYTHING. This was so fantastic and I have spent the past few days talking about this book to anyone who would listen.
This world is so easy to lose yourself in. I was fortunate to be able to receive the audiobook and I would sit down to listen and not even realise how much time had passed because I was so absorbed with the book.
I am completely and utterly obsessed with this book. Have I said that already? Maybe I need to repeat it.
I can’t wait to read what comes next for these characters. I will be anxiously awaiting for another book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with this audiobook. I received this audiobook for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 17, 2024
“I wasn’t supposed to be alive, and death was angry.”
What an action-packed, entertaining, and lovely novel by Kay Adams! The world-building was well done and in-depth enough for the first book in a fantasy series and for the reader to grasp what’s happening and why it matters. The two FMCs are fleshed out, appropriately emotional, and romantically fun. I also wasn’t aware they were LGBTQIA+ leads until I started listening, which I loved!
The two narrators were excellent, and they both nailed their characters. I was impressed and exceedingly happy at how much I enjoyed listening to them talk.
I look forward to the next installment in the Dark Depths series because THAT FINAL CHAPTER GOT ME!
What a way to end it!! Well done, Adams. Brava! 👏
It's the perfect ending to keep us wanting more.
Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the ALC of Heirs of Bone and Sea!!
What an action-packed, entertaining, and lovely novel by Kay Adams! The world-building was well done and in-depth enough for the first book in a fantasy series and for the reader to grasp what’s happening and why it matters. The two FMCs are fleshed out, appropriately emotional, and romantically fun. I also wasn’t aware they were LGBTQIA+ leads until I started listening, which I loved!
The two narrators were excellent, and they both nailed their characters. I was impressed and exceedingly happy at how much I enjoyed listening to them talk.
I look forward to the next installment in the Dark Depths series because THAT FINAL CHAPTER GOT ME!
What a way to end it!! Well done, Adams. Brava! 👏
It's the perfect ending to keep us wanting more.
Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, for the ALC of Heirs of Bone and Sea!!
March 12, 2024
Heirs of Bone and Sea follows Queen Evhen and Princess Kalei as Evhen tries to avenge her parents murder by trying to kill Princess Kalei (the daughter of the man who killed her parents). The book is presented as a sapphic pirate/magical/tangled enemies-to-lovers novel.
I liked the narration sometimes? The narrator for Kalei was definitely giving princess of death vibes which I guess is accurate but also not very enjoyable to listen to for the entire book. Definitely confusing when the voice went squeaky like a little kid.
Things I liked
- It’s sapphic. I’ll try to read basically anything as long as it’s gay
- The idea of the book. I think that it’s a really interesting concept for a book but I’m not sure about the delivery. Maybe it’s the narration that was a little off putting but there’s just something about it that I wasn’t sure of.
- Pirates. I like pirates, but again I feel like I wasn’t getting a true pirate experience. Mostly royals cosplaying as pirates lol
Things I didn’t like
- The one narrator was giving too much death creepy vibes where it was kinda hard to root for the couple because the voice creeped me out
- The enemies to lovers dynamic. Like I get that Evhen literally wanted Kalei dead but also the hitting/slapping each other didn’t really do it for me you know. I think I just prefer enemies to lovers where it's banter and not really that much actually wanting each other dead.
- The gore? I don’t really know if it would be called gore but the in depth description of their injuries kinda grossed me out.
- Also I know that they kinda got together in the end but like barely
*I received this ARC from NetGally to read and review in exchange for an honest review.*
I liked the narration sometimes? The narrator for Kalei was definitely giving princess of death vibes which I guess is accurate but also not very enjoyable to listen to for the entire book. Definitely confusing when the voice went squeaky like a little kid.
Things I liked
- It’s sapphic. I’ll try to read basically anything as long as it’s gay
- The idea of the book. I think that it’s a really interesting concept for a book but I’m not sure about the delivery. Maybe it’s the narration that was a little off putting but there’s just something about it that I wasn’t sure of.
- Pirates. I like pirates, but again I feel like I wasn’t getting a true pirate experience. Mostly royals cosplaying as pirates lol
Things I didn’t like
- The one narrator was giving too much death creepy vibes where it was kinda hard to root for the couple because the voice creeped me out
- The enemies to lovers dynamic. Like I get that Evhen literally wanted Kalei dead but also the hitting/slapping each other didn’t really do it for me you know. I think I just prefer enemies to lovers where it's banter and not really that much actually wanting each other dead.
- The gore? I don’t really know if it would be called gore but the in depth description of their injuries kinda grossed me out.
- Also I know that they kinda got together in the end but like barely
*I received this ARC from NetGally to read and review in exchange for an honest review.*
March 12, 2024
sapphic tangled ily
April 16, 2024
Loved reading this book, loved this world and these characters, it was such a great story!
June 26, 2024
I saw a review about this being a Tangled meets Moana enemies to lovers sapphic romance with magic and that exactly what this was! I enjoyed ever minute of it and can't wait for the next one!
March 26, 2024
Two princesses, warring kingdoms, sacred stones, and a frantic race against time, "Heirs of Bone and Sea" retells the traditional story of "Rapunzel" with heightened stakes and enemies more ruthless than ever.
This book includes:
- a lonely, moon blessed princess with the ability to bring people back to life
- an undead army
- LGBT subplot
- betrayal of the highest order
- a queen terrified of her responsibility and the gravitas of her role
- cliffhanger ending
I really enjoyed "Heirs of Bone and Sea." It was a fresh take on Rapunzel that added so much depth to the classic story. Evhen and Kalei were both dynamic and flawed in ways that made them believable and their struggle for power engaging. Kalei in particular drew me in, and I am eager to read more of her story and hope she gets some much-needed reprieve in book 2. Fans of "Red Queen" will really enjoy this book and I hope it reaches a wider audience because I could see it easily becoming a huge hit. There are so many satisfying twists and turns, and a great back and forth where the princesses must choose between themselves and their futures.
I listened on audiobook and I was a massive fan of the narrator who voiced Evhan. They were very emotive and really brought Evhen's terrified rigidity to life in a way that made her so easy to relate to.
I received this ebook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Kay Adams, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book.
This book includes:
- a lonely, moon blessed princess with the ability to bring people back to life
- an undead army
- LGBT subplot
- betrayal of the highest order
- a queen terrified of her responsibility and the gravitas of her role
- cliffhanger ending
I really enjoyed "Heirs of Bone and Sea." It was a fresh take on Rapunzel that added so much depth to the classic story. Evhen and Kalei were both dynamic and flawed in ways that made them believable and their struggle for power engaging. Kalei in particular drew me in, and I am eager to read more of her story and hope she gets some much-needed reprieve in book 2. Fans of "Red Queen" will really enjoy this book and I hope it reaches a wider audience because I could see it easily becoming a huge hit. There are so many satisfying twists and turns, and a great back and forth where the princesses must choose between themselves and their futures.
I listened on audiobook and I was a massive fan of the narrator who voiced Evhan. They were very emotive and really brought Evhen's terrified rigidity to life in a way that made her so easy to relate to.
I received this ebook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Kay Adams, and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this book.
May 24, 2024
3.75 ⭐️
I really loved both of our main characters and the push and pull between them. They take a long time to trust each other and to admit to themselves how they feel. I also really enjoyed the magic system and the lore behind it. I wish we got to explore the consequences of the magic more in depth because it was so fascinating.
While I enjoyed the audiobook a lot, there was times when the narrators would make Kalei sound way younger than a sixteen year old should sound. I understand they were trying to convey the naivety of her character but it left an odd taste in my mouth.
I’m very much looking forward to the sequel because I am dying to know what’s going to happen next.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy of the audiobook.*
I really loved both of our main characters and the push and pull between them. They take a long time to trust each other and to admit to themselves how they feel. I also really enjoyed the magic system and the lore behind it. I wish we got to explore the consequences of the magic more in depth because it was so fascinating.
While I enjoyed the audiobook a lot, there was times when the narrators would make Kalei sound way younger than a sixteen year old should sound. I understand they were trying to convey the naivety of her character but it left an odd taste in my mouth.
I’m very much looking forward to the sequel because I am dying to know what’s going to happen next.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early review copy of the audiobook.*
March 22, 2024
Young adult sapphic story. There’s blood magic, war, a princes or two, pirates, murder plots and so much more. If you are looking for a YA fantasy this is a great one.
# Heirs of Bone and Sea
# 3/21/2024 ~ 3/22/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0
# Heirs of Bone and Sea
# 3/21/2024 ~ 3/22/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0
April 29, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Emerge, Kay Adams, Catherine Ho (narrator), and Hayden Bishop (narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Heirs of Bone and Sea in exchange for an honest review.
While I do not know if Heirs of Bone and Sea is going to be a duology (it feels like it) or a trilogy, or some longer series, it is the first book in the Dark Depths series, and a debut to boot.
The story follows Evhen, no longer a princess, but rather a queen after the murder of her parents. Consider her the heir of sea, as it were, in that she takes one of her parents ships and becomes its captain. In an act of revenge, she plans to kill the Marama king's daughter. When she meets the princess, she keeps her own identity a secret, and the princess might not be as meaningful to her plans as first anticipated.
Never able to leave her tower, let alone her island, Kalei can be referred to as the heir of bone, as it were, for she has been moon-blessed. Her sacred power allows her to revive the dead. Her father wants her power to become immortal, and when she finds out what lengths he will need to go to acquire that, Kalei is more than determined to break what she sees as a curse. There must be some way to remove her power.
Taken captive by Evhen, Kalei does what she can among the vessel and its crew. She wants to help bring her father down from power as well, so she easily complies. What she doesn't expect is to start having feelings for her royal enemy!
It was a bit hard to get into at first because there seems to be a lot of political aspects in the beginning and trying to get a hold on each character's unique voice was hard to differentiate in the beginning. I did end up thoroughly enjoying this novel. There are some interesting romantic aspects and some unexpected twists that make the plot fun. This novel is great for fantasy lovers and pirate-captive LGBTQ romance enthusiasts.
While I do not know if Heirs of Bone and Sea is going to be a duology (it feels like it) or a trilogy, or some longer series, it is the first book in the Dark Depths series, and a debut to boot.
The story follows Evhen, no longer a princess, but rather a queen after the murder of her parents. Consider her the heir of sea, as it were, in that she takes one of her parents ships and becomes its captain. In an act of revenge, she plans to kill the Marama king's daughter. When she meets the princess, she keeps her own identity a secret, and the princess might not be as meaningful to her plans as first anticipated.
Never able to leave her tower, let alone her island, Kalei can be referred to as the heir of bone, as it were, for she has been moon-blessed. Her sacred power allows her to revive the dead. Her father wants her power to become immortal, and when she finds out what lengths he will need to go to acquire that, Kalei is more than determined to break what she sees as a curse. There must be some way to remove her power.
Taken captive by Evhen, Kalei does what she can among the vessel and its crew. She wants to help bring her father down from power as well, so she easily complies. What she doesn't expect is to start having feelings for her royal enemy!
It was a bit hard to get into at first because there seems to be a lot of political aspects in the beginning and trying to get a hold on each character's unique voice was hard to differentiate in the beginning. I did end up thoroughly enjoying this novel. There are some interesting romantic aspects and some unexpected twists that make the plot fun. This novel is great for fantasy lovers and pirate-captive LGBTQ romance enthusiasts.
March 15, 2024
Heirs of Bone and Sea is an enemies-to-lovers, fantasy adventure about a two young royals: one island-bond with the power of resurrection and the other a sea captain recently orphaned at the hands of the other’s father. While Kalie is looking for a way off her island home to figure out her father’s secret political mission, Evhen is approaching the island to kill Kalie’s father in revenge for her parents death. The two meet and strike a bargain (kidnapping) - Kalie will help protect the princess and Evhen will leave her alive. It’s just that Kalie doesn’t know Evhen is the princess and the whole plan (such that it is) quickly spins out of control.
Both girls are too young to have to try to rule and protect their respective kingdoms. Yet they are forced to grow up fast. They face violence and betrayal as they make their way across the realms, meeting daring bar maids and other kingdom’s princes. The action never stops. And occasionally there seemed to be dropped characters in favor of moving the story forward. I could have used a couple of breaks, but someone who loves a propulsive story line will not get bored.
Overall the characters didn’t hit me as overly engaging, both are focused on every little failure. This is a valid reaction to the world calling apart around you, but I found it got old since neither seemed to grow much over the course of their extensive journey. I also found both heroes to be very similar, and I would have liked to have each one have a bit more of a distinct personality, not just different motivations.
But, as I mentioned above, for readers that love a driving plot and political machinations in a fantasy setting, this one might be for you.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
Both girls are too young to have to try to rule and protect their respective kingdoms. Yet they are forced to grow up fast. They face violence and betrayal as they make their way across the realms, meeting daring bar maids and other kingdom’s princes. The action never stops. And occasionally there seemed to be dropped characters in favor of moving the story forward. I could have used a couple of breaks, but someone who loves a propulsive story line will not get bored.
Overall the characters didn’t hit me as overly engaging, both are focused on every little failure. This is a valid reaction to the world calling apart around you, but I found it got old since neither seemed to grow much over the course of their extensive journey. I also found both heroes to be very similar, and I would have liked to have each one have a bit more of a distinct personality, not just different motivations.
But, as I mentioned above, for readers that love a driving plot and political machinations in a fantasy setting, this one might be for you.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
April 24, 2024
Absolutely loved the premise of this story, incorporating myths and legends as well as the kind of tribal, Celtic themes I would have expected from the author. I also really loved the duality of the characters, how they both complimented and clashed. For me, the romantic element was there from the start: the things Ev and Kal noticed about one another, the feelings they engendered. It was very queer-coded in terms of description and interaction: all of which blended into a believable attraction that doesn't make sense but, at the same time, absolutely DOES. I also felt like Kay really teased out the tumultuous age both these girls are at, with a growing sense of uncertainty about everything that's been their bedrock for years. I felt like the familial themes could have been explored a little more but the plot dictated that Ev and Kal be without their parents to leave them alone and vulnerable both with and to one another.
The ending was far too abrupt. I know it probably had to be and that this was a decision on behalf of author and editor but...eeesh, it didn't sit well with me. Not because I want completion (honestly, I'm happy for this story to continue for another two books, at least) but because I wanted to know why and how.
On the topic of editing, one of the things that really shoved me out of the story was the poor proofreading of the issue I had. There were so many misused words, words used in error, sentences that weren't complete or didn't make sense. They weren't overwhelming mistakes, but they WERE enough to make me stop reading and interrupt my flow. Really annoying and something that I absolutely do not want to see in any future books in this series.
The ending was far too abrupt. I know it probably had to be and that this was a decision on behalf of author and editor but...eeesh, it didn't sit well with me. Not because I want completion (honestly, I'm happy for this story to continue for another two books, at least) but because I wanted to know why and how.
On the topic of editing, one of the things that really shoved me out of the story was the poor proofreading of the issue I had. There were so many misused words, words used in error, sentences that weren't complete or didn't make sense. They weren't overwhelming mistakes, but they WERE enough to make me stop reading and interrupt my flow. Really annoying and something that I absolutely do not want to see in any future books in this series.
March 14, 2024
I received an audio ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I wish I liked this more because it does have a LOT going for it. The premise is very good and so is the world-building, and I'm always here for a true enemies-to-lovers romance arc. My main problem with this is that it's SO clearly based off of Tangled (not even Rapunzel as a fairy tale, like Tangled the Disney movie specifically) and it's just becoming more and more clear to me that so many authors think they can just borrow the emotions from movies their books are based on, and you just can't. Even if it wasn't kind of ethically dubious, they're just two completely different mediums and two different kinds of writing, so the things that hit so gorgeously in a movie may not have the same impact written down (or even in audiobook form.)
The best part of this is the blood magic aspect and where it veers into horror (because those are the parts that feel original) so it wasn't like I didn't enjoy anything. I just don't know that I ever really bought into the main relationship or the drama of Kal's parents. I also think the audiobook narrators could have been better directed-- there were quite a few lines that were delivered so strangely and took me out of it entirely, and it created some issues around characterization and relationship-building.
This was still fairly enjoyable and wasn't a waste of time, but I don't know that I'll continue with the series.
I wish I liked this more because it does have a LOT going for it. The premise is very good and so is the world-building, and I'm always here for a true enemies-to-lovers romance arc. My main problem with this is that it's SO clearly based off of Tangled (not even Rapunzel as a fairy tale, like Tangled the Disney movie specifically) and it's just becoming more and more clear to me that so many authors think they can just borrow the emotions from movies their books are based on, and you just can't. Even if it wasn't kind of ethically dubious, they're just two completely different mediums and two different kinds of writing, so the things that hit so gorgeously in a movie may not have the same impact written down (or even in audiobook form.)
The best part of this is the blood magic aspect and where it veers into horror (because those are the parts that feel original) so it wasn't like I didn't enjoy anything. I just don't know that I ever really bought into the main relationship or the drama of Kal's parents. I also think the audiobook narrators could have been better directed-- there were quite a few lines that were delivered so strangely and took me out of it entirely, and it created some issues around characterization and relationship-building.
This was still fairly enjoyable and wasn't a waste of time, but I don't know that I'll continue with the series.
March 20, 2024
I'm writing this review in exchange for receiving a free copy of the audiobook from Dreamscape Media.
Evhen has just seen her parents brutal murders, and is now sailing to the island of Marama to have her revenge. But things go wrong, and Evhen ends up taking Princess Kalei as hostage instead. Kalei is Moon Blessed--she has the power to resurrect souls, if the bodies are within her sight, and she can heal people with her sacred hair, and a mysterious moon stone that she wears around her neck.
What ensues is a race across sea, land, and mountains. Evhen thinking she is going to kill Kalei when she returns to her castle, and Kalei convinced that her father is going to kill her to complete a ritual to unite the other half of the moon stone that will make him immortal.
Neither girl realizes that they are slowly falling in love, until they are found by the King who wants them both dead.
This was a dark fantasy, that was very atmospheric, and it was difficult to distinguish the narrators' voice from character to character at times. Told from Kalei's POV and Evhen's POV from chapter to chapter, you really had to pay attention at the beginning of each to know which POV you were listening to.
Both girls spend a LOT of time whining about their issues, which is what a LOT of authors think that YA is...but GOOD YA does less SAYING, and more showing. I wish this book had done that. It does do a nice job of setting you up for a sequel, though I won't be reading it.
Evhen has just seen her parents brutal murders, and is now sailing to the island of Marama to have her revenge. But things go wrong, and Evhen ends up taking Princess Kalei as hostage instead. Kalei is Moon Blessed--she has the power to resurrect souls, if the bodies are within her sight, and she can heal people with her sacred hair, and a mysterious moon stone that she wears around her neck.
What ensues is a race across sea, land, and mountains. Evhen thinking she is going to kill Kalei when she returns to her castle, and Kalei convinced that her father is going to kill her to complete a ritual to unite the other half of the moon stone that will make him immortal.
Neither girl realizes that they are slowly falling in love, until they are found by the King who wants them both dead.
This was a dark fantasy, that was very atmospheric, and it was difficult to distinguish the narrators' voice from character to character at times. Told from Kalei's POV and Evhen's POV from chapter to chapter, you really had to pay attention at the beginning of each to know which POV you were listening to.
Both girls spend a LOT of time whining about their issues, which is what a LOT of authors think that YA is...but GOOD YA does less SAYING, and more showing. I wish this book had done that. It does do a nice job of setting you up for a sequel, though I won't be reading it.
March 24, 2024
TW/CW: Death, violence, fantasy violence, death of a parent
REVIEW: I received a free audiobook from NetGalley, Emerge Books, and Simon & Schuster and am voluntarily writing an honest review.
STORY: Heirs of Bone and Sea is the sapphic fantasy romance of two princesses on different sides of a bloody war – Evhen and Kalei. Following an enemies to lovers trope, this book was below average to me. I found the writing to be nothing special, and peppered constantly with repetitive phrases. For instance, I think if I heard ‘wine-dark sea’ or ‘death’s dark shores’ one more time I might have screamed. There were also parts where it fell into melodrama and lost my attention. The story itself was vaguely interesting, but held few surprises. It also ends on a cliffhanger, clearly waiting for the sequel to resolve a very large part of the plot.
NARRATION: This audiobook had two narrators. The woman who narrates Ehven was my favorite of the two, although I felt that both of them had issues. The narrator of Kalei spoke in a breathy near-whisper and sounded far too old for the character. While Ehven’s narrator didn’t do this, both narrators had issues with phrasing – seeming sometimes to run out of breath or to finish the phrase at the line break instead of at the end of the phrase. The narration at the ‘exciting’ parts sometimes were also a bit overboard and cringy.
In all, this book was not for me.
REVIEW: I received a free audiobook from NetGalley, Emerge Books, and Simon & Schuster and am voluntarily writing an honest review.
STORY: Heirs of Bone and Sea is the sapphic fantasy romance of two princesses on different sides of a bloody war – Evhen and Kalei. Following an enemies to lovers trope, this book was below average to me. I found the writing to be nothing special, and peppered constantly with repetitive phrases. For instance, I think if I heard ‘wine-dark sea’ or ‘death’s dark shores’ one more time I might have screamed. There were also parts where it fell into melodrama and lost my attention. The story itself was vaguely interesting, but held few surprises. It also ends on a cliffhanger, clearly waiting for the sequel to resolve a very large part of the plot.
NARRATION: This audiobook had two narrators. The woman who narrates Ehven was my favorite of the two, although I felt that both of them had issues. The narrator of Kalei spoke in a breathy near-whisper and sounded far too old for the character. While Ehven’s narrator didn’t do this, both narrators had issues with phrasing – seeming sometimes to run out of breath or to finish the phrase at the line break instead of at the end of the phrase. The narration at the ‘exciting’ parts sometimes were also a bit overboard and cringy.
In all, this book was not for me.
April 16, 2024
A fun book with an interesting premise, at times I enjoyed the banter of the characters and there were a few quotable lines I really enjoyed.
“You can tolerate me, but I will suffer you.”
There were some things I would nitpick that made me enjoy it less.
We were told her people didn’t want her to rule but never truly saw this on page, not in flashbacks or with the character talking about past incidents - we’re just told by Ev that they hate her.
Magic system issues - I can suspend my disbelief but Magic doesn’t seem common in this world so I would’ve liked a “why this character” and “why now?” To be answered since we don’t fully understand why the death princess has her powers (like how she was the one to receive them and what not - I know I’m someone who likes to have a lot of answers and not that far into the book lol)
Insta love with no reason - if you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll know I hate insta-love and this one was waaaaay too far insta-love for me to actually enjoy any romance. One minute they were going to kill each other, the next they’re drooling.
Sometimes the characters sounded similar and it was really hard to distinguish which perspective I was in (even with two different narrators reading). I wish each chapter was labeled with whose POV it was.
And mostly the pacing wasn’t always great and made me lose interest often. I think I wanted more pirates/sea action and we never really got that.
“You can tolerate me, but I will suffer you.”
There were some things I would nitpick that made me enjoy it less.
We were told her people didn’t want her to rule but never truly saw this on page, not in flashbacks or with the character talking about past incidents - we’re just told by Ev that they hate her.
Magic system issues - I can suspend my disbelief but Magic doesn’t seem common in this world so I would’ve liked a “why this character” and “why now?” To be answered since we don’t fully understand why the death princess has her powers (like how she was the one to receive them and what not - I know I’m someone who likes to have a lot of answers and not that far into the book lol)
Insta love with no reason - if you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll know I hate insta-love and this one was waaaaay too far insta-love for me to actually enjoy any romance. One minute they were going to kill each other, the next they’re drooling.
Sometimes the characters sounded similar and it was really hard to distinguish which perspective I was in (even with two different narrators reading). I wish each chapter was labeled with whose POV it was.
And mostly the pacing wasn’t always great and made me lose interest often. I think I wanted more pirates/sea action and we never really got that.
June 21, 2024
This story had a lot of potential, two princesses, pirates, but unfortunately it fell a little flat for me.
The relationship between the two princesses and its progression did not convince me. They start off as enemies then they get to know each other a little, and they seem to have some sympathies for each other and then suddenly they are in love with each other and would die for each other. But actually, there is nothing to back this relationship up. We don’t see intense chemistry, bonding, deep conversations or anything like that. It seems like two introverts (which they are not outside this relationship) having a relationship that no one knows about (maybe not even them). As a result, their relationship dynamic felt more like a friendship or kinship than a romance to me.
The story is told from dual point of view, but the author did not use any advantages of this. In the beginning, each of the characters has slightly different information, and they keep some things from each other, but by the time that was over, it also actually became hard to distinguish the different points of view.
I also did not feel invested in the story outside the romantic relationship. I feel like the reader does not get enough information to be invested in the plot. There was no real suspense, and things just happened like checkmarks.
This was a 2,5-star read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.
The relationship between the two princesses and its progression did not convince me. They start off as enemies then they get to know each other a little, and they seem to have some sympathies for each other and then suddenly they are in love with each other and would die for each other. But actually, there is nothing to back this relationship up. We don’t see intense chemistry, bonding, deep conversations or anything like that. It seems like two introverts (which they are not outside this relationship) having a relationship that no one knows about (maybe not even them). As a result, their relationship dynamic felt more like a friendship or kinship than a romance to me.
The story is told from dual point of view, but the author did not use any advantages of this. In the beginning, each of the characters has slightly different information, and they keep some things from each other, but by the time that was over, it also actually became hard to distinguish the different points of view.
I also did not feel invested in the story outside the romantic relationship. I feel like the reader does not get enough information to be invested in the plot. There was no real suspense, and things just happened like checkmarks.
This was a 2,5-star read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.
March 21, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and Kay Adams for the audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.
Princess Evhen is out for revenge against the chief who killed her parents. She takes his daughter Princess Kalei captive with the intention on killing her. Throughout their journey they go from enemies to lovers with a new common goal, to stop Kalie’s father.
The concepts for the story was really strong I enjoyed the Princesses dynamic and how it grew over the course of the book. What I didn’t love was the hitting of each other I get they were enemies to start out but that seems very childish. Most of the book is about their journey back to Vodaeard it was paced nicely with some action in well timed places. But the story fell flat for me at time which disconnected me from the story.
I enjoyed the narrator who voiced Princess Evhen. I felt she did the Pirate/Princess well. I felt the connect to the character. However I was taken out of it by the narrator for Princess Kalei. The Princess were younger, so her voice didn’t match the image in my head. There were also randomly placed pauses and I felt the reading was very slow! I had to speed it up to make it more bearable. I also picked up on mouth sounds and that became distracting. Over all it could use some fine tuning.
Princess Evhen is out for revenge against the chief who killed her parents. She takes his daughter Princess Kalei captive with the intention on killing her. Throughout their journey they go from enemies to lovers with a new common goal, to stop Kalie’s father.
The concepts for the story was really strong I enjoyed the Princesses dynamic and how it grew over the course of the book. What I didn’t love was the hitting of each other I get they were enemies to start out but that seems very childish. Most of the book is about their journey back to Vodaeard it was paced nicely with some action in well timed places. But the story fell flat for me at time which disconnected me from the story.
I enjoyed the narrator who voiced Princess Evhen. I felt she did the Pirate/Princess well. I felt the connect to the character. However I was taken out of it by the narrator for Princess Kalei. The Princess were younger, so her voice didn’t match the image in my head. There were also randomly placed pauses and I felt the reading was very slow! I had to speed it up to make it more bearable. I also picked up on mouth sounds and that became distracting. Over all it could use some fine tuning.
March 9, 2024
Sadly I didn't like this one as much as I was hoping. It's a sapphic enemies -to-lovers magical pirate story, so I really expected to love it but It was kind of dull. It relied heavily on the naive "I had no idea what they were doing or that the bodies I kept bringing back to life were soldiers" "oh but I thought all those treasures were gifts not spoils of a war I didn't even know was going on" princess trope and it was irritating. Neither of the two girls really stood out to me as a character I could get a feel for.
The pirate ship has weirdly few people on it. The guards on the island are weirdly absent. Everyone is super mysterious all the time.
The audiobook narrators were lackluster. One of them unexpectedly had a bit of a southern twang which felt off. One of them kept pausing. To breathe in. Weird places that really. Threw me off and made it hard to keep track of. What was going on. The voices they chose for the characters were all fairly monotone and impossible to distinguish, but at least one occasionally went really high and squeaky as if on fast forward.
I eventually gave up when the annoying narration outweighed my desire to find out what was happening.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an early copy for review.
The pirate ship has weirdly few people on it. The guards on the island are weirdly absent. Everyone is super mysterious all the time.
The audiobook narrators were lackluster. One of them unexpectedly had a bit of a southern twang which felt off. One of them kept pausing. To breathe in. Weird places that really. Threw me off and made it hard to keep track of. What was going on. The voices they chose for the characters were all fairly monotone and impossible to distinguish, but at least one occasionally went really high and squeaky as if on fast forward.
I eventually gave up when the annoying narration outweighed my desire to find out what was happening.
*Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an early copy for review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews