This was a new take on this concept. I thought the writing was a bit sluggish but the story was interesting.

The cover is so beautiful i might tear up a little.
But the story was meh for me, i wanted to like it and wanted to be interested but nope.
Sadly no.

A Jewel Bright Sea by Claire O’Dell is the first book in the Mage and Empire fantasy series. This series is an adult adventurous fantasy with romance and magic in a world with pirates. Of course having a love for pirate-y adventures I had to try this series out.

Anna Zhdanov had always had a talent for tracking magic but hadn’t much use for it when she was sold as a bond servant. Now however Anna is getting her chance to use her magic and possibly gain her freedom when she’s asked to find the Emperor’s jewel. Before she knows it though Anna is captive once again, this time by Andreas Koszenmarc, the pirate captain, the is being tracked by the Emperor’s guard.

A Jewel Bright Sea is the type of fantasy series that drops readers right into the action and doesn’t take the time to build up the world in which their joining. While I do love a lot of action over a slower pace just being dropped into the story made for a confusing start. As the book went along I also never felt there was much depth given to the characters to make me care for them or the romance. As much as I love pirates this start to the Mage and Empire fantasy series ended up at just a so-so read for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Anna Zhdanov has to track - and steal back! - a jewel that belongs to the emperor in order to secure her freedom. Sold as a bondservant, she takes this opportunity to get out. Of course, in the process of tracking the gem and uncovering this plot, she and her friend end up kidnapped by pirates. It's a fun engaging fantasy.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

The premise of this book caught me right away. Pirates! Magic!

I had a hard time making progress through the beginning of the book. There was too much I didn't know and I had to keep re-reading. Once I got past the first few chapters though, I couldn't put it down! The intrigues. The double crosses. It was delightful!

I look forward to the next book in the series.

I loved the sound of this one - magic, intrigue, and pirates! But I made it halfway before giving up as I felt it was just too strangely paced. You're thrown into the middle of the plot, with no real sense of what the main character, Anna, is chasing or how she got into this situation, and then things go round in circles for literally half the book, with Anna being captured and escaping a pirate who is after the same person as she is. I never really understood Anna's background, or what the political situation was, and unfortunately, that made it very hard to care about what happened to her. As well as this stasis in the plot, the writing itself is repetitious, and seems to favour giving you information repeatedly over showing you the world in action (Anna keeps stating Maté is her friend, for example, but we see no history between them, nor any actual behaviour that would indicate their friendship, so why keep mentioning it every couple of pages?). Ultimately, I just realised that I didn't care about the characters or the plot.

DNFed at 48%.

This book had a lot to recommend itself….pirates, adventure, magic, romance, fantasy. So many things that made it sound like a fun book to escape into.

I also thought the cover was pretty, though a little on the busy side. But ultimately I thought the promise of adventure and pirates sounded like a winning combo so picking up this one up when the time came, was full of promise for me.

I haven’t read anything by O’dell before but I know she has written a couple of other books that are part of a series, so I was curious to see what her writing style was and how the magic and pirates situation came together in this one!

Summary
It was her talent for tracking magic that got Anna Zhdanov sent to catch a thief. A scholar’s daughter sold as a bond servant, she has no desire to recover the Emperor’s jewel for herself. But a chance to earn her freedom has driven her to the untamed Eddalyon province, awash with warm breezes, lapping waves, and more danger than she could possibly guess.

Within days her cover as an indolent noblewoman is in question, and it’s clear there’s more to Anna’s task than she knows. Soon she’s the captive of the unpredictable pirate captain Andreas Koszenmarc, hunted by the Emperor’s guard, besieged by a brigand queen, and at odds with her only friend. She must trust someone if she is to survive. But when all that’s certain is that everyone is hiding something, it’s no simple thing to choose (summary from Goodreads)

Review
This book had a lot more political intrigue than I expected. Not that it was a bad thing at all. I enjoyed navigating the politics of this world and the characters in it, though at times it could be a little on the confusing side. I did have to pause a few times to recall what was happening and why. I also felt like the reader was told a lot about things rather than being shown so sometimes that made reading a little tedious.

But what I did enjoy was the chemistry between Anna and Andreas, though it was clearly meant to be a secondary plot, I kept reading so I could continue to enjoy their budding romance. It has a slow burn quality to it though I hoped it had a little bit more time to simmer. I know that some readers felt that their romance was a little bland but for me I enjoyed it and the sexual tension was great for a secondary plot as a little something extra.

There is quite a bit of adventure and of course the pirates in this book as promised! I thought that added pizzaz and fun to the whole book. At times it might have felt like the author was trying to incorporate a little too much into this novel, but I didn’t think that it was over done or too over the top. I actually thought it blended together rather well.

Overall this book was ok for me. It was good but needed a little more organization for me to be great. It has all the right ingredients but needs a little more structure to bring everything it wants to do about for the reader. That said I ended up giving it 3 stars since I did enjoy the world, politics, and romance.

Book Info and Rating
Kindle Edition
Published September 3rd 2019 by Rebel Base Books
Free review copy provided by Kensington Books, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 3 stars
Genre: fantasy

This book has two of my favorite things combined together – magic and pirates! Who doesn’t like that?

Anna is on her way to find an important gem that was stolen from the emperor, before falling into the clutches of pirates, who also happen to be looking for the gem. She is forced to join hands with the pirate captain Andreas. She doesn’t trust him but she has no other option. What follows is a journey filled with magic and mayhem.

It took me some time to get into the story. Because we’re dropped into this strange world without any warning. The world building throughout the book left me wanting for more. I wanted to know more about the world, its history, the system, culture, everything. But the author doesn’t really go into the details.

We get introduced to a lot of characters at first and so much is happening right off the bat that I felt like a fish out of the water for the first quarter of the story. I wish the author took some time to absorb us into the world. I had to take a break from the reading because I found it all too much. But thankfully, after a point, I could find myself getting into engrossed.

I love Anna. She’s a fierce and brave protagonist. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. I also liked the secondary characters. Andreas is another interesting character. He’s got this quiet, unpredictable vibe that I enjoyed. But he remains a mysterious character even in the end. Having said that, I’d have liked a little more backstory to more of the characters.

Another qualm I have with this story is the romance. It had this almost slow-burn quality, but didn’t get enough breathing space amidst all the action and adventure, to build upon. And that’s just such a waste.

This was the first book in a series. So we can’t be too disappointed with all our unanswered questions. But at the moment, I’m feeling slightly indifferent about the next book.

🍷🍷🍷 #Review of A Jewel Bright Ses by Claire O'Dell
Crystal's Thoughts:

Claire O'Dell's A Jewel Bright Sea is an adventurous tale brimming with magic, mayhem, pirates, and politics!

Anna Zhdanov had a wonderful life of academia and magic growing up with her father. With his sudden passing though, Anna learns of the mountain of debt he kept hidden from her. Her only hope of paying off all of the creditors pounding at her door is to sell herself as bond servant to her father's friend, who she thought was a good man. Now she is given the chance to be free of her servitude. All she has to do is recover the Emperor’s stolen jewel. But she isn't the only one after this treasure...

While I enjoyed the exceptional adventure of A Jewel Bright Sea, you're very much thrown into the middle of things right from the start of the book without any explanation. The plot was extremely confusing at first. I wasn't sure who these characters were, what their parts in the story were, or what kind of world I had stepped into. It took some time for me to sort it all out and become absorbed with the story. Anna travels to new lands with her two household companions. One who she believes she can trust, and the other who she know's she cannot. When it comes out that they are just one of many groups searching for this missing gem, it's hard to know just who to trust period. The plot is full of twist and turns, and once you start to feel good about someone there is suddenly a surprise betrayal. The story-line kept me on my toes and Claire O'Dell has weaved an interesting world to be sure in this new series.

One of my main issues with this title was that there was more telling than showing. I never felt any deep emotions from these characters. They just skimmed the surface. I didn't feel the attraction between Anna and Andreas, though it was an obvious set up from the start, and I didn't understand a lot of this couple's actions. There were numerous unfinished sentences from Andreas, and I think that if his character could have been expanded on more he would have had that much-needed depth for the romantic sub-plot. While I liked these characters, I found myself wanting to like them more and just not being able to with the material given. I was also frustrated that I couldn't picture the main characters in my head. I can't recall if their looks weren't touched upon in the story, of if it wasn't touched upon well enough.

That being said, I finished the book, and enjoyed it in all. The plot moved steadily, with never a lull, and the world that Claire O'Dell has created here is unique. While I think that the characters and romance lacked substance, I am interested to read more. I am also curious about Anna's dreams or visions. Are they a glimpse of the past, or a warning for the future?

'A Jewel Bright Sea' is the first book in the 'Mage and Empire' series by Claire O'Dell is a creative and intriguing story about pirates, magic, lies and politics.

I really enjoyed 'A Jewel Bright Sea' although i found it a bit slow to start, I was eventually swept up in the intrigue and adventure right along with Anna and Andreas and the rest of the characters.

I loved the vibrant world Claire O'Dell created and can't wait to explore it some more as the series continues.

If you love getting immersed into a world of magic, politics, and danger this book would be for you.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Pirates? Distant lands? Forbidden jewels? This checked all my boxes.

I loved it! Well, I thought the ending was abrupt, but learning that there is more in the adventures made it make more sense. I loved the slow burn nature of the romance, but what really grabbed me was the use of magic to learn about people and their habits. The world was interesting, and I would love to learn more about it. The supporting characters were great as well. The pirate captain even had women as leaders in his group which were awesome to read.

This was a really fun read! I loved the characters and the world Claire O'Dell created. It was a fast-paced book that kept me interested from start to finish. I didn't know what to expect when I started, but I'm so glad I gave this book a chance. It did not disappoint!

I really appreciated each character stayed true to their own personality and motivations. When they changed their minds or did something different, I feel like I understood why they made that choice. It didn't feel like a random action to keep the story going. And they all had such great personalities!

I'm really intrigued by the world O'Dell built! There is still so much more I want to learn, but I feel like I have a pretty solid grasp of how things work and what this world looks like.

If you like action-packed fantasy books with strong characters, I would highly suggest giving this book a read! I'm excited to see where this story goes next.

I’ll be honest – I did check a couple of times to make sure that I was reading the first book as O’Dell tips us in the middle of this adventure and for a variety of reasons, I do think this one would have been even more effective if we’d seen at first hand Anna’s life with the unpleasant man who she finds herself in bondage to. However, once I sorted out exactly who was doing what to whom, I thoroughly enjoyed being swept up into the swashbuckling adventure and various twists and turns of this story. It’s always a challenge to keep the characterisation suitably three-dimensional when so much is going on, but overall O’Dell rose to that challenge and I really liked Anna in all her guises.

O’Dell’s writing works particularly during the magical scenes where her prose nocks up a notch to vividly portray what is happening to Anna, so that we are kept in touch with her as she is confronted with a powerful magic capable of ripping her away from her soul and killing her. I also like the fact that we, the reader, realise the extent of her abuse in a way that Anna isn’t fully able to process – it’s nicely done. And while it arouses our sympathy, it means that our heroine doesn’t come across as too much of a victim.

I also liked the variety of people she met and in amongst the violence and double-dealing, I enjoyed the fact that she also met a number of kindly folks who are prepared to help her. Most of these characters worked well, but I have to say, this book would have had another mark if I had been wholly convinced by a certain captain. Sadly, I wasn’t. I’m not sure why – but I’ll admit to my heart sinking a bit when he and Anna became more than friends.

However there is so much going for this entertaining, action-packed fantasy sea adventure that it wasn’t the dealbreaker it could have been and I’ll happily read the next book to find out what happens next to Anna. With a bit of luck, a sea monster will make away with that wretched captain… Recommended for fans of sea-going fantasy adventure tales. The ebook arc copy of A Jewel Bright Sea was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book.
8/10

A Jewel Bright Sea, by author Claire O'Dell, is the first installment in the authors Mage and Empire series. A talent for tracking magic gets Anna Zhdanov sent to catch a thief. A scholar’s daughter sold as a bond servant, she has no desire to recover the Emperor’s jewel for herself. But a chance to earn her freedom has driven her to the untamed Eddalyon province, awash with warm breezes, lapping waves, and more danger than she could possibly guess.

After 3 months of searching for the slippery thief Aldo Sarresz who stole from the Emperor, her cover as an indolent noblewoman named Lady Vrou Ijana is in question. It’s clear there’s more to Anna’s task than she knows. Soon she’s the captive of the unpredictable pirate captain Andreas Koszenmarc, hunted by the Emperor’s guard, besieged by a brigand queen, and at odds with her only friend. She must trust someone if she is to survive. But when all that’s certain is that everyone is hiding something, it’s no simple thing to choose . .

Koszenmarc is the second son of a Duke who turned his back on all that royalty is supposed to come with. He put together a fleet of ships, a group of pirates who are loyal to him, and a twisted relationship with a woman named Isana Druss who calls herself a Queen of Eddelyon. As a reader, you have to start asking questions almost immediately. Why didn't Anna and Mate have proper documents? Why all the secrecy? Why did Lord Brun insist that Anna play Vrou Ijana? Is Mate really her friend and ally, or another counter to thwart her in every way?

Interesting story filled with magic, pirates, action & adventure, and a bit of romance. The sequel to this book is called The Empire's Edge. The book will be released June 9th 2020 by Rebel Base Books. Will be interesting to see what happens next to Anna.

Unfortunately the best thing about this title was the cover. The story opened pretty well however, it went down hill from there. The writing style was fine as was the pacing. But, this character driven story just didn't do it for me. I never really connected with the characters all and the romance just didn't click with me at all because it just didn't have enough page time to blossom.

The world building was amazing though. I really felt like this wasn't a finished title. It felt more like it was a title that was still looking for editing. And in the end at least for this reader. I wished more care would have been taken with the plot and the characters.

Title: A Jewel Bright Sea
Author: Claire O’Dell
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Anna Zhdanov is the daughter of a scholar. She’s also a bond servant. So when someone steals a jewel from the Emperor, her master tasks her with recovering it—and earning her freedom. But the wilds of Eddalyon are an island paradise, filled with enemies, pirates, and magic.

Soon Anna’s status as indolent noblewoman is called into question, and she finds herself held captive by the notorious pirate caption Andreas Koszenmarc, who’s also searching for the missing jewel. With the Emperor’s guard and another brigand at their heels, Anna must decide if she can trust Andreas—before both of them lose the jewel and their promised rewards.

I enjoyed A Jewel Bright Sea. Pirates and magic? I am definitely there for that. There was so much going on behind the scenes in this novel, and that sense of a bigger picture gave a lot of depth to the story. The reader just knew that there was an explanation for everything—even if they couldn’t figure out what that was just yet. Anna has lived a tough life, and she trusts no one, so deciding whether to trust Andreas is a big deal for her. I loved the worldbuilding here as well, as that made the story truly shine.

Claire O’Dell is an award-winning author. A Jewel Bright Sea is her newest novel, the first in the Mage and Empire series.

(Galley courtesy of Kensington Books/Rebel Base Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I have some mixed feelings on this one. It is extremely slow at the beginning, as fantasy series starters can be, but there were times where the details got in the way of the story at times. There's some decent world building, wrapped around a bit of a swash buckling fantasy. I did enjoy the lead character in Anna, as she is smart, and capable, but does make some interesting mistakes, so it doesn't feel like she is preternaturally competent. It can be a bit of a problem with fantasy novels that the lead is just too good at what they do, so dire situations don't feel too risky. Here there are some sticky situations that she gets herself into, but she does have to work hard to get herself out of them.

This is an okay start for what could be a really fun fantasy adventure. People will enjoy the tension between our leading lady and the rouge pirate, Andreas, even though I was a little frustrated by how quickly the pair fall into bed with each other. I could see it coming from a mile away, but it still felt forced, like just another added bit of drama. But then again, the writing style just flows, and O'Dell rights some really fun action pieces. I just am more on the pleasantly satisfied end of things with the book. I will read the next book, but hoping for some meatier character moments.

A Jewel Bright Sea by Claire O’Dell
Mage & Empire #1

Anna Zhadanov is impersonating a wealthy woman as she hurries to finish a quest that could mean her freedom. Her “owner” has sent her to find a precious jewel stolen from t he emperor and if she finds it and hands it over in the specified time then her debt will be paid and she will be free...in more ways than one. With two capable men at her side she has chased the thief for a LONG time and her time is in short supply when the story begins. She will be captured by a pirate, threatened by another pirate, be accused of murder, use magic, learn more about magic, escape, be saved, save others, heal...and a whole lot more. She also might just find herself liking someone enough to spend more time with him in book two of the series.

What I liked:
* The world this book takes place in
* Anna’s strength of purpose, willingness to help and a lot more
* Andreas’s poker face, tenacity and derring-do
* Anna’s friend in servitude
* The belief system of the people in the story
* The magic and how it was used and explained
* The plot
* The writing
* The secondary characters
* The fact the book ended without a cliffhanger but left me wanting to see what will happen next

What I didn’t like:
* What happened to the gem – am hoping that it will find its way to a safe place eventually
* The evil people and what they did – wasn’t supposed to like them so the author did well to make me dislike them

Would have liked more about:
* Backstories of some of the characters - BUT with more books to look forward to am wondering if some of the characters will tag along and I will learn what I want to know then.
* The empire and its history, the ruling family, etc
* The religious beliefs, customs, class system of people, etc – again, this may come out more in future books of the series...world building is the term I was looking for

Did I enjoy this book? Yes (and I am not a fan of fantasy)
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Rebel Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars