This is one of those times where I wish I could add on half stars in the ratings. I liked this book. There were some highs and lows for me, moments where I didn't want to stop reading and a few moments scattered in when I found myself skimming a little bit to get to more interesting parts, but all in all, it was solid. I never read The Count of Monte Christo so I don't have anything to compare this gender-swapped retelling to, but that's not a big deal to me. Let's dive in!

Amaya has been spending her life indentured on a debtor ship she was sold to as a young girl. When she rescues a stranger from the ocean, her actions have set her onto an unimaginable path, where she must disguise herself in her quest for revenge from the man who had destroyed her family and life as she knew it all those years ago. But revenge isn't what she expected and Amaya finds herself tangled in a dangerous game of deception as she grapples with the truth of her past amid the perilous streets of Moray.

I would say I had two issues with this. The first was that in the beginning, the timing between the two point of views didn't seem to line up, where one was ahead of the other, but within a couple chapters that got resolved to where they were both at the same time, so no harm, no foul really. My second issue was that I found myself bored in some places. A lack of proper plot pacing and motivation made parts drag a bit, however, there were plenty of parts that got me excited to keep reading, so it pretty much balanced out.

One of my favorite things about this book was the two main characters, Amaya and Cayo. I felt that their chemistry was fantastic. It's no secret I enjoy a slow burn and that whole enemies to lovers trope and I though this one was done very well. Both Amaya and Cayo felt really flushed out and real. I sympathized with them, I rooted for them, and I wanted each of their happiness. I definitely cared about these two. I can't really say the same for many of the other characters yet (Except perhaps Beetle!) but Amaya and Cayo are both very successful as characters and BRAVO for that!

I'd also like to mention that Tara's style of writing is fantastic. Her words seemed to move across the page with a flourish- artistic, with a smooth and graceful flow that made it easy to envision the bustling streets and crowded docks of Moray. She definitely has a distinct style that I look forward to seeing more from.

There are a lot of pressures on both of our characters and you can tell that this is a first installment setting up for a much bigger collision in additional books. The world building is not complete but I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more as the other books so that didn't bother me so much. And as I said before, when the plot was moving, it was moving! It was exciting and page-turning.

If you like stories of revenge and romance and twists, you will enjoy Scavenge the Stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Hyperion for providing this e-arc free for an honest review!

Sold to a debtor's ship as a small child, Amaya--called Silverfish aboard the "Brackish"--yearns for her home in Moray and her mother. Right before her debt is fully paid off, a mysterious, well-dressed stranger is spotted in the ocean. Amaya saves him, believing him to owe her a favor in return. What she gets is much much more: She gets an opportunity for revenge on all who have wronged her.

Cayo Mercado is in trouble. A lot of trouble. Too much time in the Vice Sector has earned his father's disdain and drained his coffers. But Cayo has changed his ways, determined to do better for his sister, Soria. When Soria is afflicted with Ash Fever, and all hopes of restoring the family fortune through a marriage are dashed, Cayo has to find a way to save his family. Perhaps that could involve catching the eye of the rich, mysterious, enchanting Lady Yamaa....

Cayo and Amaya are thrown on a collision course of high society, mystery, and betrayals. Who do they trust? And will they ever truly be free?

A brilliant beginning to this duology by Tara Sim, "Scavenge the Stars" is a gender-bent "Count of Monte Cristo" retelling that will have readers on the edge of their seats and pages turning, desperate to find out what will happen next.

This one has such a beautiful cover but I didn’t get into it as much as I would have liked. However, there was beautiful writing and great descriptions! And it was interesting being in the characters’ heads!

This had the potential to be a wonderful book but for me it fell kind of flat. The world building was just not helpful and lackluster. There were so many place we get introduced too but know nothing about or how to compare anything too. I liked the characters enough, but overall they were blah with the author almost trying too hard. It was difficult to get behind it all because only a couple years had passed, people probably would've been able to put it all together(unlike the original monte cristo). It was an ok read, maybe the next one will bring it all together, but this was one of the most anticipated books for 2020 and it really wasn't a great read. It had it's elements that were ok, but not enough to be something I was excited to keep reading.

Not what I expected, but an absolute fun book to read. Plot twist I need not see coming, characters that were a pleasure to get to know, and a story line I look forward to reading more about.

This book was wonderful. This story was wonderful. I very much enjoyed Tara’s use of swear words in this book considering there were many sailors and captains and such that we encounter. It felt very real to the story.

The plot was fast-paced, full of betrayal, and gambling and intrigue and I was here for all of it.

Onto the spoilery bits.

I enjoyed Amaya. It’s been a while since I’ve actually cared about a protagonist, but she really spoke to me. Her situation with being on a debt collectors ship, having to work to be free, losing her family, it caused me to be sympathetic to her situation. I definitely rooted for her.

Cayo caught my attention more immediately. I love that he’s bi and that he was this boy born to someone of position and power. He was a gambler and had made a dozen mistakes, and I enjoyed that. He wasn’t perfect—far from it. He was the one who destroyed his family—until we realize it wasn’t entirely his fault. But overall I just enjoyed Cayo as a character.

The two together was a wonderful paring. It didn’t feel rushed, didn’t feel instant, it played out perfectly and I rooted for them immediately.

The plot was definitely fun. Amaya saves a man named Boon and book helps her get revenge on the people who killed her father and ruined her life, landing her on the debt collectors ship. Meanwhile Cayo is trying to clean up the mess he created causing his family to go broke and to get his sister—who is dying—the medicine she needs because she is sick with ash fever, which results in death. I liked the connection. I liked that Cayo’s father was the one who screwed Amaya and landed her on the ship. I like that she had to go out and try to use Cayo to get to his father. All of it made for a edge-of-your-seat kind of ride. I was here for the entire thing.

The plot twists were great. Turned out Boon killed her dad, Boon was in on all of it, and Boon was the one who got Cayo’s sister sick. Both of their fathers also played huge roles in the scheme to get counterfeit money out into the world. Counterfeit money that also causes Ash-fever *gasp* that got me.

I cannot wait for the second book, and I am highly anticipating it’s release.

This book is perfect for readers who enjoy both classic fiction and YA fantasy. It's a niche reader that enjoys these two separate genres but I happen to be one of them. Since this is a gender-swapped rendering of "The Count of Monte Cristo," it helps to have read the original classic story. It's not necessary to do so, but it added to my appreciation of the story. It's fascinating to go through and see where Tara Sim references the original work. Like the count, Amaya is determined to get justice for her forced servitude. Amaya is a complex character that not only wants revenge for herself, but for her family. She is just as complicated a character as the count from the original story, especially where their motivations are concerned.

This story reminded me strongly of two other young adult books, "Sea Witch" and "To Kill a Kingdom." Amaya's character is similar to Lira, someone who is also drawn to the sea. In both books, everything goes back to the sea. Even in "Scavenge the Stars," some characters are referred to as landless, similar to how characters in "To Kill a Kingdom" either reside on land or in the sea. However, there's one line of the text that made the similarities between Amaya and Lira apparent: "The feeling of Cayo Mercado's heart under her hand. If only she had reached in and squeezed it to pulp." Just as Lira wants to crush the heart of her prince, the one she can't help but love, so does Amaya want to crush her love's heart.

In "Sea Witch," there's also ill-timed romance and a marvelous cast of characters. Half the story takes place under the sea, which reminded me of the scene in "Scavenge the Stars" when Amaya goes underwater with Boon.

If a reader is searching for a fantasy adventure story with excellent pacing and astonishing, cerebral imagery, then this book should be next on their to be read list, Not only does it give off exciting Pirates of the Caribbean vibes, but there's just enough reality to it that it makes the reader question magic itself. What's equally impressive is the inclusion of lgbt characters in the book. It's just another way the story feels realistic and true to itself.

Thank you to NetGalley for the E-arc copy of Scavenge the Stars.
Where to begin...I love The Count of Monte Cristo so when I saw the synopsis of this book I was so excited. Tara Sim is a young adult author that I have read before so I sort of had an idea of what the writing style would be. She delves deep into her characters in creating this story. At times it is very detailed with deep character reflection and the story slows in places. It is a different take on the Count of Monte Cristo, I think that has a lot to do with her building the back story and world building. It is a first in a duology from Disney Hyperion. I think it will appeal across the board for all teens.
#NetGalley
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This book was received as an ARC from Disney Book Group - Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am familiar with Tara Sim's work and have read a lot of her books and this one was definitely a winner. A twisted story with so much drama that it will leave your eyes glued to the pages that you will read it in one sitting. A rescue mission turned opportunity for a new life and clearing of your name so you can go on your quest to seek vengeance of the man that ruined your family. Then not only does she run in with the son she is trying to take down but she develops a trust and friendship with him that will be hard for her to break. So packed with drama that made it more enticing by the minute. Edge of your seat thrill ride that you'll want to read again and again. I can't wait to share this title with our teen book club and I know they will love it just as I do.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Rating: 3.5
Title: Scavenge the Stars
Author: Tara Sim

Synopsis:
When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…
Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.

Initial thoughts:
I am a major fan of Tara Sim’s work so when I heard that this book was coming out I was so excited! I am probably going to be destroyed for saying this, but I have never read the Count of Monte Cristo so I was going into the book with a blank slate when it came to the comparisons (trust me I will pick it up eventually). I have been blessed with getting a copy of this book early. The cover is stunning and I love the idea of what this book is going to be about. I wonder how many changes are going to be made over the course of the next few months before it is released, but I am excited to see them in the copy that I purchase and add to the library.

Plot:
What I liked:
The amount of diversity in this book is astounding. I enjoyed the character development very much as well as the split narration between Cayo and Amaya. The description of gambling addiction was sad and yet beautifully explained showing the dangers that they can bring. I also loved the way Tara always seems to design characters that have ulterior motives than what we originally see. This allowed me to guess as to where the progression will go, but also keep me kind of in the dark. Assumptions can always be wrong.

What I didn't like:
Honestly, I will admit that there is some world building issues that I would love to see resolved. This is just the first book though and there is definitely room for growth in the world, but even so there didn’t seem to be a lot of description throughout this book. I really had to guess about certain things and it made it hard for me to actually see the world in my mind's eye. I also wish that I could have learned more about the history between the different empires a little bit more.

Overall:
Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable read and I cannot wait to see where the second book goes! This story also has me grabbing for the book it was based on. I loved the tale of revenge and I am certainly invested in the characters and how they will be affected now that some major plots have been revealed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My reviews are spoiler-free and unaffected by the free copy.

I was so excited when I saw the description of this. A gender-swap of Count of Monte Cristo? Yes, please! The start of it was really good, too. I liked how cut-throat and vicious the child slave ship was. But then things unraveled very quickly. I guess because I was expecting it to follow Monte Cristo a lot closer than it's actually doing.

The whole idea behind the Count's story is that he's taking revenge against these people who wronged him years ago. Enough time has passed that those people have moved on with their lives and changed. He's changed, too, and is a skilled actor. None of that stuff transfers over to this version. True time has passed for Silverfish, but she doesn't even get the idea to seek vengeance on the man who was enslaving her for years until after she learns he kept her mother's fate from her. Even then, her reason is because he kept it from her instead of the enslavement. On top of that, another character has to point her to someone else for her to kill. So right off the bat we get a character who is motivated to seek vengeance over something that seems petty in the grand scheme of the world, and then has to be told to set her sights elsewhere by someone else.

I personally do not want to read that kind of story. I want a character whose motivations to kill are driven by herself and her alone, not someone else telling her where to point the knife. I want her victims to have nuance and who might actually be decent people, not obviously bad and thus saving her the moral dilemma. I know I'm throwing in the towel early but just from this much, it feels like the story is taking some inspiration from Count of Monte Cristo but taking out all the complexity.

Teenagers deserve better than that. I'm going to just re-read the original, thanks.

This was a fun, fast read for me and I really enjoyed the way the author recreated the Count of Monte Christo though the story of Amaya. Living on the seas, Amaya (Silverfish) is counting the days till her debt is paid. As the time comes closer, circumstances negatively impact her plan for escape and she finds herself in a battle to survive. But, as is the case in all good stories, things aren't exactly what they seem as she moves forward in her plot for revenge. With her survival comes an opportunity for revenge on those who have wronged her and put her into her situation. This story has passion, intrigue, revenge, mystery, strong characters and a plot that left me waiting for more of these characters. I really enjoyed the world that Tara Sim created and I can't wait to see what is in store for Amaya, Cayo and the rest of these characters! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I Loved Loved Loved this book! I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint at all! it was such a page turner that i could not stop reading it. I will be recommend this book to everyone i know!