I have been trying to figure out a way to share all these books I read with you but still include other non-review posts on the blog. One method I have come up with was to share the reviews for an entire series (or pair) of books in one post. I will do my absolute best to keep spoilers out of these posts in case you plan to read the books, but there is a slight chance that even the synopsis of a book can give away the result of the previous book. So if you don't want to know anything at all about the later books in a series that might giveaway something in the first book STOP READING NOW!
I came across this series on Kindle Unlimited when looking for some pirate books, it looked like a fun, short romance series, just what I was looking for.
Synopsis: "Seven towns. Seven seas. The seven council. The seven words every person lives by.
The sea is lost, pirates are death.
Cassandra should have been killed at birth, like all the other children who have powers like her.
The changed ones.
The ones who started the war, lost the seas and killed millions with their gifts.
Lucky for Cassandra, her father is on the council. One of the seven rulers of her large town and has kept her hidden her entire life.
When she is seen for the first time, she has no choice but to run and the only place she can go is to the sea.
To the pirates and a certain death.
At least that is what she thinks. When she meets six handsome pirates and they take her on board their ship, she learns about a whole new world.
If only she can protect her heart when they all desire to own it.
This is a reverse harem trilogy."
My Review: I saw this one available on Kindle Unlimited and thought it would be perfect for my pirate month. I didn't realize that this was the first in the series but luckily the rest of the books were available as well. I also did not realize that this was more of an YA/NA crossover book as opposed the the adult reverse harem book I was expecting. I did really enjoy the unique world that is being built in this story, I am looking forward to learning more as the series continues. I did however feel like it was a little rushed and I didn't really get to know the characters all that well. I couldn't tell you who was who of the pirates or what makes them unique. The story line was a little slow to build, especially considering how short this book is, but it did get really exciting near the end and it has made me want to continue with the series.
My Rating: This has a really interesting world and magic system, even though the writing isn't great, I am still really intrigued. I give it a rating of Two Paws and Stump Wag.
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Synopsis: "Can love save you from pain?
Cassandra’s life has never been simple because of her mark, but for a second she believed she had everything, she had her pirates. When she is kidnapped and ripped away from everything she loves, she has no choice but to fight to survive. Cassandra is taken to the King, and secrets she never could have expected come out.
When the King does something impossible and pain is all that is left, will her pirates be able to save her?
Will the Sea God, who whispers promises, be able to help her? "
My Review: After reading the first book I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. Originally I had expected an adult fantasy romance with reverse harem, but the first book was super clean and read really young. This one took a leap off the deep end, the steam went from just on the stove to a full boil by halfway through this one. With that said, the romance was a bit awkward and out of place, it was disjointed at weird times when focus should have been on the more life threatening matters at hand. While I am still intrigued by the world and magic system, I did find this book to be under developed and a little lackluster. I will continue with the series since there is only one more full length book.
My Rating: I am still really intrigued by the world and magic system, but the interactions between the characters and lack of connection with the characters is a little disappointing. I give it a rating of Two Paws.
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Synopsis: "Love. Death. Power. When all these words are marked on Cassandra’s soul, can she really save anyone?
Cassandra has finally escaped the king, only to find herself in the middle of the rebels and a war that she is meant to be the leader of. When the changed ones of the mountains go to war, Cassandra and her pirates have to travel across the seas to the mermaids who are the only ones that can help.
But what is the price of the mermaid’s help?
War is whispered, much like the Sea god whispers to Cassandra, but no one speaks the ending. Can death be the only winner? "
My Review: As with the previous books in this series, I really like the world that has been created and the magic system; however, the story is very disjointed. I also found that I didn't connect with a single character, we didn't get to know them very well and were constantly hopping between the pirates so didn't get time to really find what distinguishes each of them. The story was so start and stop because of the awkward romantic interludes at times when there were urgent matters to attend. I also found it rather unbelievable that the naive and sheltered girl can suddenly step into a leadership role, she is also suddenly able to seduce with confidence and ease. The supposed twists and surprises were rather predictable. All in all, if some of the romance had been left out and we just stuck with a strictly fantasy story I would have enjoyed this so much more, that or it needed a whole lot more fleshing out to allow for the romance.
My Rating: I am so disappointed, I really hoped that as the series went on and the books got a little longer the characters would be more developed and the story would get more intricate, but it didn't. Also it became very predictable, and the ending was left very open to connect to a companion series. I give it a rating of One Paw and a Stump Wag.
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Full Series Review: I am so bummed with this series, it had such potential but it really seemed like the author was trying to appeal to a wide audience but in reality needed to pick a genre and audience. The writing was clearly for a YA audience and it would have worked at first, if it had remained clean it could have been but it devolved into a clear adult book but with the same writing. Also, if it had been more focused on the fantasy elements and plot development it could have been great but the awkward character interactions really broke up the story, and not in a good way. If they were going for a romance, then more time needed to be spent developing the characters and smoothing their interactions. I can only give this series a rating of One Paw and a Stump Wag.
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