Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.
She will reign.
As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer — the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.
When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.
But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder — and more peril — than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.
I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.
Source | Format | Pages | Publisher | Genre | Publication Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Netgalley | eARC | 416 | Titan Books | YA/Fantasy | July 7th, 2020 |
[insert all the hearteyes here] – All the Stars and Teeth is magnificent! Best thing about it? Not. A. Single. Moment. of. Cringe. But banter, charisma and wondrous adventure is plentiful. And the writing…
Oh, the writing! Sublime. I swallowed every word of description, dialogue and backstory. I mean, something as mundane as sailing with a ship was described so well, I wanted to set sail, ahoy!
But even our idols—even those we want to love and trust more than anything—can let us down.
On top of a complicated and dangerous magical system, we have some royalty having to face the music of decisions past. Yes, the premise revolves around royalty but it’s anything but simple, rinse-repeat court drama- it’s a breathtaking adventure on sea, a quest to clear a name, save a people and win a rightful place. All the while there are some mega kick-ass feels bouncing off the page, driven by solid characters.
Yes, there is nothing complicated in the entirety of the book and yet the magic system is intriguing, unique and poses an interesting conflict. There is after all, beauty and cleverness to be found in simplicity. But, I can’t help and say I felt entirely excited throughout the whole story. It simply is fresh and utterly enjoyable. Some books simply have that magic. You can’t quite put your finger on it, what makes it so brilliant, but there it is, all-consuming!
It’s not too late for us; we are not the mistakes of our family.
If at the end of the book there were words ‘mic drop’ instead of ‘The End’ then they would be completely justified. All the Stars and Teeth is positively engrossing with the princess, the pirate, the mermaid… For me, it is 2020’s biggest YA fantasy and I cannot wait to read what happens next…
I’ve been seeing this around a lot, but I didn’t pay much attention because I am still off YA Fantasy for the moment. I’m happy to hear it wasn’t cheese ball. I might have a look at it when my magical YA aversion wears off. Ha ha. It’s nice to have you reviewing some YA hear and there because I trust your opinion more than most others. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 👏👏👏✨
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