Hey there! Name's Emily. 24 she/her. Panro-Ace. Writer, reader, and photographer. My inbox is always open. Feel free to send me anything your heart desires. :) Currently Reading: Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim 2020 Reading Challenge Emily (ofpagesandink) has read 0 books toward her goal of 25 books. hide 0 of 25 (0%) view books
Summary: When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.
Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…
Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo. (Via Goodreads)
My Review: This story has a strong beginning. A girl trapped on a debtorship, terrified of her captain. The opportunity for revenge the only thing keeping her going after she escapes. She has such a strong personality from the beginning, I’m not sure she ever goes through character development, however, watching her go through her plan and the danger it places her and the other Water Bugs into, is fascinating.
Cayo’s history comes in handy when his family finds themselves broke, but it could mean giving himself up to the very family that led to his undoing. Honestly, between the two main characters, Cayo is more interesting. However, I do find myself wishing I was a little more like Amaya. She’s so brave, she’s nearly fearless. Nearly, as her fear and grief are the faults that leave her struggling throughout the story.
One thing I enjoy about this story is the presence of the LGBTQ+ community in such a way that it doesn’t draw too much attention to it. It isn’t like “Hey look! Here’s a bi guy! Look here’s a pan girl! Here’s a non-binary individual!” It plays it as if it’s a social norm, which, in the story, it likely is. I like that there are markers so that people know what they prefer so they aren’t referenced in the wrong gender. Something that would be interesting in our society, but the implementation of which would probably cause the wrong reaction. It would be another label, or marker, that someone is different. So maybe I take it back but moving on.
Honestly, I feel like this story needs a map. I need a clear representation of this world. Especially as the story continues because they’re traveling to a different land.
I enjoy the lore, the religion, and the excerpts from documentation and stories that exist in the world of the story. It gives it a level of reality that some stories lack.
I like the discussion of addiction in the sense of not only alcohol, but also gambling and the difficulty that comes with quitting. I think it was interesting when Cayo found himself under that influence again and the fact that there are repercussions of his actions.
I look forward to the continuation of the story and I’m excited to see where the author takes it.
Date Read: Jan 17th-Jan 25th, 2020
Recommended: yes.
Where to buy: AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, BOOKS-A-MILLION, BOOK DEPOSITORY, THRIFT BOOKS
fully forgot that frodo is the one who calls boromir out for throwing the stone into the lake outside moria tho. frodo’s like WHY would you do that! quit it!! & then like 5 minutes later the tentacle beast tries to eat him. boromir’s just there, sweating
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#allthebooksof2016 day 3: new favorite authors
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AARED is my favorite but all of Morgan Matson’s books are fun, summery reads. Hopefully they’ll get me through another winter. ❄️
“The streets of Prague were a fantasia scarcely touched by the twenty-first century - or the twentieth or the nineteenth, for that matter. It was a city of alchemists and dreamers, its medieval cobbles once trod by golems, mystics, invading armies. The wind carried the memory of magic.” || Prague, 2018
Victor Frankenstein: I’ve created life but I refuse to put any effort into helping that life develop. I won’t teach him, love him, or defend him even though I forced him into existence with a fully operational adult brain lol. Peace, bitch.
An ironic parallel considering the idea of “tough love” parenting that plenty of boomers like to use. If they buy into the idea that their kids just have to toughen up and face the real world without guidance or emotional support, I’m sure it does scare them to read a story where someone who wasn’t given any support began to resent their creator and turn on them.
it’s like that post that’s like ‘knowledge is knowing that frankenstein is the doctor; wisdom is knowing that frankenstein is the monster’. like the whole point of the post is that frankenstein’s monster is a victim of viktor frankenstein’s own monstrosity.
mary shelley did not lose her virginity on her mother’s grave just for people to misunderstand her best known work over a century later.
