A slow, tense, luxurious romantasy.

This book is a must read if you like: Poetic descriptions, angst, pirates, and pride and prejudice

My Thoughts

If I had to describe this book in one word it would be: “longing”. I can’t quite describe how the perspective, time jumps, and detailed descriptions left me waiting and waiting for what I wanted to have happen. But it was masterfully done.

I don’t like romance. I don’t like slow burn. I don’t enjoy love triangles. But I really liked this book, which has all of that. I LOVE women coming into their power. I love FMCs that are not 19. I love a good morally Grey character. And this book served all of it up liberally.

The most unique thing about this book is the two times that converge on each other. It dances around what a normal pirate romance would be. You know that book happened, but this is the lead up and fall out to a tradition fantasy romance.

Here are a few quotes to give you a taste of the tone of the book.

Cat knew. No amount of soap or acid or flame could burn away what he left. Deeper than skin, muscle or bone. He was braided in her and there was no undoing the knot.

The church preached of hell, a place of eternal damnation, of torture, a red place filled with burning flames. By now, Cat knew those preachings were false. Hell was not red. It was verdant green and tropical blue. But it certainly still burned. The air shimmered with heat. Though Dawn had only just broken over Rosby, storm season waned but would linger for a month still.

“You don’t have a good nature!” He snapped back. Cat laughed openly, turning to face the ship’s wake. “I did once,” she muttered, her voice nearly lost with the wind, “I am glad to be rid of it.”

She watched the jungle sharply. She hardly wished to flee the noose to walk into a waiting set of jaws. But there was no predator she feared so much as man. Which man above all, Osprin, Fell, or Valerian Cain, she could not say.

“You have only made it a few yards up.” Cat wanted to taunt them, but decided not to make matters worse. Men responded so poorly when confronted with their flaws.

The audiobook narrator did a masterful job as distinguishing the age gap of the two perspectives without allowing it to become obtuse or farcical. The nuance was impressive and helped keep the time frames clear.

If you like robust stories focusing on characters, pain, growth, finding your place in a world you don’t fit, check this book out.

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