“Children are the victims of their parent’s crimes.”

Amaya, or Silverfish as she’s been known in the last seven years aboard a debtor’s ship, is days away from freedom. Seven years away from her mother and her home for the supposed sins of her deceased father. When she sees a man in the sea who’ll drown without intervention, he looks rich, and that could benefit her. So, she pulls him up despite the warnings of her captain, and adds another month to her sentence. When she escapes, she only wants revenge on those who wronged her (and other children aboard the ship). With the help of the rescued man, she’ll con the family she believes responsible for her misery. But getting to know the son of her enemy teaches her that not everything in the world is as black and white as she’d like to believe.

I’ve never read any of the Timekeeper books, and this book wasn’t what I expected, but I couldn’t put it down. I started it on Friday night and was done by Saturday at noon. The alternating chapters keep the story moving forward at, what seemed to me, to be a breakneck pace. I kept thinking I’d just read one more chapter before bed, and I did that for about two hours.

Though I hope for more development with minor characters over the next 1-2(?) books, particularly Cayo’s sister Soria, I loved getting to know all of them. Amaya is such a rich character full of conflicting emotions, and even though her course is at the mercy of those around her, she constantly takes charge and never loses sight of her own objectives. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes her.

The romance aspect of the book isn’t particularly heavy in this book, and I really appreciated that. While I enjoyed Amaya and Cayo getting below the surface of who they are supposed to be and finding depths of character, I wasn’t super into a romance between them. It’s there, but it’s not the primary focus, but I’m sure it will develop further in subsequent books. For me, it was more about the adventure, the revenge, and the plot twists.

The representation here is subtle, but strongly present. There is an ace character, many characters seem fluid, and some have only same-sex partners. There is a brief mention of a non-binary character, and I am hoping for more variety and focus on some of these characters as we progress through this series.

Though I skimmed a few parts in the second half of the book, overall I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a new adventure and don’t mind sticking with a series in real time, rather than being able to binge several books all at once. Though it leaves you with a few questions and wanting more, I applaud Sim’s ability to wrap it up nicely rather than leaving us with huge cliffhangers. The wait for this one is short (it’s out Tuesday), but book two doesn’t have a release date yet, so that part will be an impatient wait.

The following review will be posted at somethingofthebook.com on 1/4/2020.

Bristling with revenge and betrayal, Scavenge the Stars will intrigue readers into the final moments and leave them desperate for more.
Rating: 4.25 Stars

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim is a new addition to the pantheon of YA retellings, but one that stands out among the rest. While technically a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, Scavenge the Stars brings its own intrigue and drama to the story.

Amaya is just days away from paying off her family’s debt through hard labor on a debtor ship, when she rescues a mysterious man floating in the water. When she provides the man the means of escape from the ship’s violent captain, he presents her the opportunity of a lifetime: getting revenge on those who have wronged her and her family. Cayo is trying to pull together the shambles of his privileged, playboy life. Having given up the allure of the gambling dens of Moray, Cayo is focused on saving his family’s name and fortune. But Moray is filled with past betrayals and future plots that entangled Amaya and Cayo together in ways they could never predict.

Amaya is everything I want in a female main character. Strong and soft in equal turns, and loyal to a fault. There are so many layers to her character, and like many people, she has different aspects of herself that she only shows to certain people. Her strength is not just a violent, revenge seeking side, but also in her emotional strength from what she has endured on the debtor ship. She is written with a core of iron, but she has the compassion that balances her out into a character the reader can relate to and root for.

To my unending surprise, Cayo became my favorite character. I was not expecting a subplot of gambling addiction, but it was there, and it was written masterfully. Anyone who has dealt with addiction will feel everything Cayo feels through the story. Sim wrote Cayo’s flaws in a way that neither condemns him nor absolves him for his past mistakes. Cayo is unflinchingly human and that is the kind of characterization I like to see in books.

Though a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, this story stands on its own and has its own twists. The groundwork for the plot twits are subtle, but they are there. The book isn’t necessarily action packed, but I found myself enthralled in watching Amaya and Cayo dancing around each other’s plots. While Scavenge the Stars focuses mostly on Amaya and Cayo, the bones for bigger intrigue and plots are being placed throughout the story. There is a slow burning political side plot that I’m dying to see play out in future books.

My two criticisms fall on parts of the writing. First, Amaya and the crew of children on the debtor ship are renamed as insects, but once off the ship Amaya makes a big deal about calling them by their real names. My issue comes in when she still refers to them by their insect name most of the time. It’s never consistent and that bugged me (oh wow, bad pun not intended, but I’m leaving it in). There is also a bit of time jumping in the writing, but it’s never explicitly structured. You’ll be in the current time and then all of a sudden, we are getting some past scene with Amaya and Boon. Now, I was reading an eARC, so it’s possible that this has been smoothed out in the final book, but I still needed to bring it up.

In Scavenge the Stars, Tara Sim gives us two startlingly real main characters and a story full of strength and intrigue. These are the kind of stories I hope to read more of in 2020.

Ever pick up a new series from an author you LOVE and feel both excited and afraid? You have such high expectations, but what if the new book doesn’t live up to your hopes? What if you’re … gulp … disappointed?

That’s how I felt when I started reading Scavenge the Stars. Fortunately, it took me all of ten pages to fall in love with Amaya and realize I was going to be just as invested in this new series as I was in the last.

I’ll confess that I don’t know the story that the book is derived from, so I can’t comment on how well it works as a Count of Monte Cristo retelling. But I can say that I found myself wrapped up in Amaya’s journey toward revenge right from the start. It’s hard not to root for her once you see how the kids aboard The Brackish are treated. I hoped she would find those responsible and make sure they could never hurt anyone again. Of course, unsurprisingly, that gets… complicated.

Sim’s writing is gorgeous, as always. Her descriptions and worldbuilding are vivid without being overwhelming, and it makes you feel like you could be right there on the ship with Amaya at the beginning of the book. I did feel like I missed a bit of the relationship being built between Amaya and Boon, the man who sets her on her path toward revenge, but her complicated feelings toward him were clear enough. And there were definitely some tropes used in the book (some of them might have come from the original story), but there were plenty of twists and turns too. Every time I thought I knew where the story was headed, something would happen that would make me doubt it (I ended up guessing some of the twists, but definitely not all of them). And the romance between Caro and Amaya felt authentic—I found myself looking forward to their moments together, even when I knew things were bound to eventually go very wrong.

The ending of the book gives us a bit of closure but definitely leaves you eager to find out where the story will go—I, for one, can’t wait for book two to find out!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley and Fantastic Flying Book Club Blog Tours in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

Thank you Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Scavenge the Stars is a "gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo" and if you have read The Count of Monte Cristo, this pretty much tells you everything you need to know. If you haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo:
1. What are you doing with your life? Drop everything and read it immediately. Don't skimp and try to get away with the abridged version either.
2. The Count of Monte Cristo is a long (but worth it) story of ultimate revenge by the good Edmond Dantes who was betrayed by the people he considered his friends.

I liked Scavenge the Stars in the sense that I enjoyed the writing style and I always enjoy a good revenge story. However, it fell a little short in the "The Count of Monte Cristo retelling" department. So far, this is just a story of revenge and is lacking the personal touch. Hopefully, Tara Sim rectifies this in the sequel.

This is a 2.5 star The Count of Monte Cristo retelling for me but it is a 3.75-4 star read in terms of being an enjoyable YA read.

When I reflect on Scavenge the Stars, I think about how I did enjoy a fair majority of the story, but overall, it did not strike me as anything particularly special. The book did keep me company on a few 40 minute train rides, so I am glad that I was able to read Scavenge the Stars. Although the whole point was that Amaya/Silverfish (the protagonist) was released from her hard labor on a debtors ship, I did wish that there was more told about that situation. I wanted to know about the other "Water Bugs" (the children who were sold to these debtors' ships). On the note of wanting to know more about other side characters, my attention was caught by Romara, the Slum King's daughter, who began to form her own alliances with the gambling patrons. I feel like the author teased more depth than what was explored in this novel, so I hope in the next one, Romara plays a bigger role. 

One thing that I definitely liked was the chapter headings where the author created quotes from literature, philosophy, etc from the world she created. I thought that was so cool! Amaya's character was an interesting dichotomy needing to play an elite while maintaining the survival instincts she honed while aboard the debtor's ship. She struggled between her hunger for revenge and listening to her human heart. Scavenge the Stars held my attention, but as I remember it, it was a bit lukewarm with stakes that did not feel intense enough for the reactions that characters were expressing.

...no one left in the world to love her...only the promise of retribution.

On the debtor's ship, The Brackish, young Silverfish, once known as Amaya, spends her days diving for pearls and counting down the moments until she regains her freedom.

Things aboard the ship are not smooth sailing. The Captain is brutal and treats his young prisoners with a cruel and iron fist.

When Amaya rescues a man from drowning, she fears she may be punished by further time added to her sentence.

And although that may be true, she's taken with this mysterious stranger wrangled from the depths. Boon promises her unimaginable riches and the possibility of returning to the city of her birth.

With his help, she'll be able to find out the truth about the cause of the downfall of her family, and in turn, seek revenge of her own.

Through an exciting series of events, Silverfish flees the ship and does indeed return to her hometown of Moray, a port-city with an even mix of old-world opulence and new-world problems.

Set up by Boon, she poses as a wealthy Countess in order to infiltrate polite society and bring down the man Boon feels responsible for his problems.

The man he seeks is Kamon Mercado, a high-society businessman, who has secretly fallen into hard times of his own.

His son, Cayo, once involved heavily in the Vice Sector, gambling, drinking and carousing, is trying to stay clean but definitely played his part in dragging the family name through the mud.

Amaya is directed to befriend Cayo and use him to get access to his father. Once she does however, she finds all may not be as easy as it once seemed.

This story is a gender-flipped retelling of the adventure classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, and I definitely felt the themes of that woven throughout.

I loved the back and forth between Amaya's and Cayo's perspectives, as they both pieced together the darkness and mysteries surrounding their lives.

I enjoyed so much watching their relationship grow and am definitely interested to see where it will go in the second book.

The setting of Moray reminded me quite a bit of New Reynes, from Amanda Foody's, Ace of Shades. So, if you enjoyed those books, you should definitely pick this one up.

The Vice Sector, with it's gambling dens and ruling Slum King, was steeped in danger and underhand dealings. Corruption is a major theme in this book, as is deception and individuals being used as pawns for other's gains.

Additionally, I enjoyed the pacing and felt it was cleverly plotted, although some of the reveals felt a tad convenient. I did ultimately like the way it all came together. The conclusion was an nice set up going into the final portion of this duology.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this and look forward to continuing with the story!!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Book Group, as well as NetGalley, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I appreciate the opportunity to get my hands on it early!

Thank you to @disneybooks & @netgalley for this eARC. All opinions are of my own.

This review has also been posted to my instagram and book blog.. I will be linking my twitter and goodreads accounts as well.

With a 5 star rating, Scavenge the Stars was an unexpected top read for me. Usually a story filled with illness, violence, and drama wouldn’t catch my interest but this is brilliantly written. I read it in 2 nights!

The plot revolves around two separate characters whose stories slowly come together in an exciting twist. The first couple of chapters weren’t super hooking but your attention is grabbed subtly, and next thing you know the book is over. I believe it’s historical fiction due to mentions of deadly illnesses and dowries. While written in a fictional world, you almost feel you’ve always known it. The world building is subtle but abundant. My favorite books focus on characters and plots more than anything, which Tara Sim did excellently. There is a slight romance that feels lighthearted and fun in a time of trouble and tragedy, isn’t too overwhelming, and adds a bit of depth to the story. The ending was smooth and happy but definitely left room for a sequel. Everyone’s involvement in the story tied up nicely, except for one secondary character whose fate was left untold.

The transitions were smooth and easy to understand, the characters had backstories and development, and there were a few different plot twists that left you guessing. I highly recommend adding this book to your 2020 TBR!

“If Amaya were water, always moving, then Cayo was a tree, planted firmly into a patch of soil called home.”

I thought the synopsis of this book sounded rather intriguing, and it did start out with a fast pace and had me compelled to keep reading. As I got farther into the book, I became more or less bored. There wasn’t much action at all and even the big “reveal” at the end was just eh.

I really did enjoy the two main characters Amaya and Cayo. I loved how it was told from both their perspectives and I am a sucker for revenge books. Amaya has had a horrible upbringing and was sold to a debtor ship as a child, and has lost both of her parents. She simply wants sweet revenge on the people who did this to her family. Cayo on the other hand has had everything handed to him growing up, which makes him a spoiled rotten boy. As you read more of his history and what has happened, you realize that he may have been born into a rich family, but being rich doesn’t make you happy. “Because children are the victims of their parents’ crimes.” How their stories weaved together was unique and I was interested to see where it would take them now that they know each other. Nothing really happened though, I thought there would be this huge revelation after they found out who they were to each other, but again the story fell short for me.

While I wanted to love this book, it just didn’t live up to what it could have been. Don’t get me wrong, some aspects were intriguing and made me want more, but all together it was just dull. I wish this story would have had more action; it would have made a world of difference to the plotline.

I tried and I tried but I just couldn't get into this book. The premise is good but it didn't grab me, even after I put it down and picked it up a few separate times.

I absolutely loved this book! The story took some twists and turns that I didn't expect, and that made it so much better. AND I'm so excited that it's only the first book, because wow do I need more.

With the opening chapters, I wasn't sure what to think about the book, but once the character's stories connected I devoured it! The characters were so interesting, their individual backgrounds creating such a great tapestry that I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Silverfish--Amaya--was a really great, complex character. I love seeing characters grapple with morality as their lives change and the person they thought they are changes as well. Cayo is a great foil for her, and their alternating chapters really showcases that.

I'm a bug fan of dual POV, and I really liked how each chapter began with a snippet of a story or myth from the world Sim created. This really helped, not only to set up the chapter coming, but also made the world really come to life and become concrete to readers.

As much as I loved it, there were some things that made me give it 4 stars instead of 5. The ending felt quite rushed, and a lot of information was dumped on us in a short amount of time. It answered a lot of questions, but also introduced some more things that I think would have been just as good being introduced in the next book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this debut and can't wait for the next one!

If you’re in the mood for a good revenge story, then Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim is the book you’re looking for. It’s a gender-bent retelling of the classic novel, The Count of Monte Cristo,, which is also a tale of revenge. Scavenge the Stars follows a young woman named Amaya, who has spent much of her life imprisoned aboard a debtor’s ship, forced to work off her parents’ debt. For seven years, Amaya has known nothing but shame, cruelty, and unfair treatment, and thus has vowed that as soon as she is finally free from her parents’ debt, her first act will be to seek revenge against the man who ruined her family. When the opportunity presents itself, Amaya secures her freedom and sets out to implement her plan of revenge. Amaya unexpectedly finds herself entangled with Cayo, the son of the man she seeks revenge against, and the more she gets to know Cayo, the more she realizes nothing is as it seems and that she has been living a lie for most of her life.

Amaya and Cayo really made the story for me. I loved everything about both characters. Amaya is absolutely fierce. She’s smart, scrappy, and sassy, and she’s ultra-protective of those she cares about. I admired her determination to bring down those who destroyed her life as well as those who are cruel enough to imprison children as payment for debts. Cayo, while the son of a rich man, has spent much of his time in the proverbial dog house, due to an over fondness for gambling. He’s trying to live down past mistakes and prove to his father that he can live a respectable life. Like Amaya, he learns something about his family that turns his world up on its end and makes him question who he really is and what kind of person he is. I really loved the complexity of each of these characters. The story is told from each of their perspectives and there’s just so much inner turmoil for both Amaya and Cayo as they struggle to find their way through the secrets and lies of the past. That struggle makes it easy to feel sympathy for them both.

Scavenge the Stars is an engaging fantasy filled with secrets, lies and betrayals, family drama, political intrigue, and even a hint of potential romance. It’s also a story about not letting mistakes from the past define or control you. Filled with complex, three-dimensional characters, and plenty of action-packed scenes, Scavenge the Stars is sure to please. I highly recommend it to fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas.

Damn. What an action packed, twisty book. I loved all the main characters and the side characters. I finished reading and hours later, kept itching to pick it back up again, because I want to know what happens next.

Silverfish is a child working aboard a ship, the Brackish. She was sold for her parents debt. Just shy of working off the debt, she sees a man overboard. She jumps in to save him, only to earn her more weeks of work. When she finally gets off the boat, she must find a way home. With the help of the man she saved, she finds it, at a price of her help that can be mutually beneficial.
Back home in Moray, a new countess has arrived. A merchants son needs to endear himself to her in order to save the family. His sister is sick and he has gambled and drank away the family money.
These two stories slowly come together.
This is a charming story about love, loss and survival. I was enraptured with the plot and was a bit disappointing with the ending. I am hoping it was left open to allow for a second book. I believe this will become a favorite amongst my students.

Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim was a fun, fast paced story of revenge and betrayal. It is a gender bent retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo and it did not disappoint. I also really enjoyed the diversity of the characters. I can not wait for the next book in the duology.

I have not read The Count if Monte Cristo. So I am not sure if it would lend anything to my experience with this book.

Thank you to Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the plot. I enjoyed the character developments. I enjoyed my journey through Moray.

The characters were really interesting. Amaya was such a step character in spite of every single punch life hit her with. Her compassion and kindness to those who deserved it made her likeable and her anger and make out made me believe her.

Cayo spent a considerable amount of time making me feel sorry for him. Then Frustrated. Then angry. But I could appreciate his personality.

I felt the threads all dove together really nicely and I wasn’t super confused or frustrated at the end.

Although I could hear the Disney soundtrack and end credits rolling in the final pages. This book had enough violence and heartache to balance out the happy feelings.

Can we also talk about this insanely gorgeous cover?!

Looking forward to the next book

Thanks to Netgalley & Disney Hyperion for the ARC.
I have a hard time rating anything less than 5 because I love books so much when I'm immersed in their world and their characters.
This book reminded me of so many I've read, but it did it in a unique way with a unique cast of characters. I enjoyed the world building and the way that the beginning was separate in time from the alternate narration. Things slowly built and it allowed the plot twists to hit harder than I anticipated and many times, I didn't see them coming or thought they would play out differently. After the ending, I'm anxiously anticipating the sequel even though I know it's so far away now, but I'm greatly looking forward to it.

It felt a little unrealistic how much Amaya changed to fit the role she adopted, but I know that most people, when given a chance to play as someone else and someone far above their former status would give anything to do so and she flourishes. Cayo thrives as the conflicted privileged male realizing that things aren't quite like they seem and that he really doesn't want to be that person anymore. Together, they are cautious, but sarcastic and adventure-seeking and it makes for several fascinating and hilarious moments that always end in something much deeper and soul-digging. The cast of side characters they interact with each have fully developer personalities and add so much to the world Tara Sim built. I'm really curious to see where Amaya and Cayo's journey goes and I think most readers will be as well.

If there is any small complaint, it would be that the world doesn't feel wholly unique. It has its own quirks and countries, issues and backstabbing but I also anticipate this changing in the sequel immensely. Now if only we didn't have to wait so long....

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc to review!

Scavenge the Stars is a gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. Which, incidentally, I have never read. But I think most people at least know the premise of the story, and you really don't need any knowledge of it to read this book.

Amaya, or Silverfish, has spent seven long years indentured on a debtor ship. Captained by the cruel Captain Zharo, the Brackish is a debtor ship where children are forced to work off their family's debts. Approaching her freedom, Amaya makes the split second decision to rescue a mysterious stranger floating in the sea. This angers Zharo, leading to Amaya and the mystery man forced to escape overboard. Amaya finds herself stuck with mystery man Boon. Boon promises her revenge on the cruel Captain Zharo, if she also helps him take down his own enemy, Kamon Mercado. Through Boon's plotting and seemingly endless riches, Amaya finds herself taking on a new identity, worming her way into the heart of Moray's noble circle.
Our other point of view is from Cayo Mercado, a semi-reformed gambling playboy, and son of Kamon Mercado. Cayo's gambling addiction has lead to the draining of his family's coffers. When Cayo's beloved sister Soria comes down with deadly Ash Fever, Cayo will do everything in his power to get the money for the medicine that can save her. Soon Amaya finds her path entangled with Cayo's. But Amaya is quickly learning that what she's believed about her past may not be the whole story, and she must discover the truth before it's too late.

Can you tell it's a bit hard to write a concise summary of this book? Anyway, I really enjoyed this one! It starts a bit slow, and I was a bit confused at the start with the jump between POVs. But it quickly grabbed me and held me captive. I liked having both POVs of Amaya and Cayo. They're both well fleshed out characters and I cared about them both. I liked their chemistry and the slow burn romance. But don't think this book is romance heavy, because it's not. It's much more focused on the adventure and revenge plot. Also, we're definitely setting up for some big drama and climax in the next book. Which I am for sure excited to read. The writing style is really good. You get such a feel of the characters and their world. I could picture the city streets or docks very easily. I think the world will be more fleshed out and understandable in the next book too.

Another thing I enjoyed was the casual diversity in this book! It didn't seem shoved in there just to be in there; it was just part of the world. We had a bisexual (although it's never explicitly stated, it is implied) male MC, which is rare. And we got some small non-binary rep too! And it was just presented in a really casual and normal way, and shown to be accepted in their society. I would like to see more of that in book two.

Overall, if you're a fan of high stakes adventure and a good fantasy retelling, this book is a great choice. It's slow to start, but will hook you in and get action packed quickly. There's lots of twists and layers of deception, and a little side of romance. It's a good first book in a series, and I think book two will be even better.

I really wanted to love this book, as I love Tara Sim's Timekeeper trilogy, but it was just okay. This is probably a case of me not being the correct reader for the book than any fault on Sim's part. I also haven't read The Count of Monte Cristo, of which this is a gender-swapped retelling, so I don't know if that would've made me like it better. As is, you don't need any knowledge of the source material to read or enjoy this book.

The pacing was slow and a little off in sections. I am an impatient reader, so pacing is almost always one of my complaints. I liked the POV characters well enough (Amaya was complex enough to hold my attention, and I love characters like Cayo who are trying to recover after screwing everything up), but it was missing that spark for me to make it extra special.

Even though this wrapped up and resolved the major conflicts of it, it all feels like set-up for the sequel where most of the action will happen. This is definitely a character driven novel, not plot driven.

The writing was solid, and I loved seeing the bisexual rep in Cayo's character and the book showing his attraction to both, and it wasn't a big deal for anyone. It just was. We're seeing more and more YA books like that, and I hope it continues. I really, really, really loved that the romance subplot didn't take over the entire novel. even though it easily could have.

Hand this to readers who like stories of revenge, casual queer rep, false identities, and retellings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I was hooked from the very beginning, and I absolutely loved both Silverfish/Amaya and Cayo. I'm a sucker for dual POV stories, especially when romance is involved. And though I have to say I wasn't fully invested in this romance, I liked both main characters enough on their own that I wasn't overly disappointed by that fact. Amaya was a badass who was willing to do whatever it took, and Cayo was a sweet but chaotic mess. I am a sucker for both of these character types. I also loved how much diversity there was. It's clear a lot of the characters are various ethnicities, and there's a bisexual character, a f/f relationship, an asexual character, and a non-binary character. We love to see it!!

In terms of plot, I was certain at the beginning that I was going to give this book 5 stars. I still enjoyed it a lot, but I thought the story started off really strong and then kind of dwindled. I read the first half really quickly and then found myself drifting closer to the end. I think part of it had to do with the fact that there is very clearly going to be a second book, and so a lot of the major issues weren't really as resolved as I would have liked. I guess I just found the ending a little anti-climatic. I also feel like the *revenge* Amaya was seeking was a bit vague in terms of who, exactly, she wanted revenge on - it was just kind of impersonal? I almost felt like her rage was pretty broad. It's hard to explain, but I think it had to do with the fact that she wanted revenge on people who were *responsible* for something that affected her life, even though they didn't have ill will towards her *specifically.* Like, they were crappy people, but they weren't specifically trying to ruin her life. Her life just happened to be ruined in the process.

Cayo's story, though, was better IMO. The combination of trying to solve a mystery and save his sister's life was more pressing and just generally held itself together more coherently. I loved how flawed he was, but how he wanted so badly to be a good guy. His relationship with his father was really complicated though, so I kinda wish we saw more of that. I think it would have made some of the reveals at the end more potent.

Ultimately, I know I've been a bit picky as I try to digest my thoughts, but overall I would recommend this! I read it's loosely based on the Count of Monte Cristo, which I know nothing about, so I wasn't influenced by any comparisons of the two. I don't know what a fan would think. But if you're looking for a relatively gritty fantasy with flawed characters you can still root for, definitely read SCAVENGE THE STARS!

The title, cover, and premise of this fantasy novel was enough to get me very interested in picking it up, and I'm glad I did. Amaya, also known as Silverfish, is a tough, smart protagonist who is the main force driving this story forward — I enjoyed her chapters far more than Cayo's, whose perspective I felt dragged at times.

Though I appreciate certain aspects of the gritty port city/pirate-esque debtor's ship setting, I didn't feel that the worldbuilding was sufficient. I appreciate that the characters and setting are not white or Eurocentric-inspired, but other than that the setting was rather vague, only lightly touching on aspects like the different countries/empire borders, the structure of the Moray underworld, and the geography of basically everything. Because of this, I did not feel particularly absorbed in the novel as a whole and had to push myself to get through the bulk of it.

An interesting first novel, and I might be interested in picking up the sequel.