I love new magical lands with new mythologies and it is always helpful if there is a darker side. Add a pirate, a quest, and love triangle and I’m there! All the Stars and Teeth seemed to be right up my alley, and for the most part, it was, however, I felt it needed just a little more to really make its mark.

The characters throughout the novel were pretty well rounded. Amora and Bastian had great banter between them and clear goals in mind. Ferrick plays a wonderful background character that fills in the gaps and is used when necessary and appropriately absent when not. The growth of characters is pretty clear and helps the story move along.

The plot lines were incredibly basic. The fall, the rescue, the quest, and the resolution were spot on and highly predictable. There isn’t anything really wrong with this, but if you expecting something new and shocking, you won’t find it here.

The mythology and world building was great. Although the magical rules and disciplines were explained, I would have liked to see more. Grace does a good job creating a rich world with different territories and cultures.

All in all, this is a fun read with a pretty quick pace and enjoyable characters, but doesn’t bring anything special to the table that would set it apart from others like it. Will recommend to my avid fantasy and adventure readers.

I adore books about the sea, adventures, and of course, strong female characters. I was hooked on this page turner within the first few pages, and before I knew it, it was over!
I had planned to add this to my collection because of the cover art but ended up receiving it in my Owlcrate! It is absolutely gorgeous and currently on display among my shelves.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The world building and magic system blew me out of the water. I loved the way that Adalyn Grace wove together all the threads of the different islands and different forms of magic to make an overarching plot. Her characters were dynamic and each suffered from their own demons. But they didn't feel overdone and modeled after classic YA tropes. I think Grace really delivered on this book.

Rate: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

Recommend: Yes

Review:
The Feline Familiars: Meh, there was too much water. Hoomans and their stupid water. And no cats! Why do you hoomans not appreciate our magnificence? Stupid hoomans. 

The Bibliophile: *Sigh* I'm sorry guys, I have no control over these demonic furballs. They honestly just do what they want and I try to survive it.

Anyway! Let's get on with this review! So, I received an advanced reading copy of this interesting book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and while I know a lot of people love this book, it was pretty meh for me. Don't get me wrong! I love the cover, the mermaids, and the magic, but at no point did I find myself in love with it or unable to put it down. Don't ask me why, I just couldn't find myself falling into this story.

This book didn't do anything wrong! And I did enjoy the characters, the plot, and I'm looking forward to the sequel. But I'm not engrossed or dying for the sequel either. Maybe with Covid-19 happening, I just couldn't properly give this book the attention it deserved, but I don't know.


The Plot: 

So basically Amora goes on an adventure to right some wrongs in her kingdom with a pirate with secrets and her fiancee. Her kingdom has magic, but people are supposed to only use one type instead of multiple, and she has been raised to believe that she contains a monster that gives her her magic in order to keep the balance.

Sounds cool, right? Well, it is! I loved learning about the different types of magic in the world and how they can be stronger depending on people. I enjoyed the details and Amora's character and her sense of duty and wanting the best for her people. However, I did find multiple parts predictable.

The romance? Called it. The deaths? Knew it would happen. The plot twist about Amora? Figured it out early. Don't misunderstand! I have nothing against tropes! I think they work and I have a few I will die for. I just hate reading a story and not being surprised. Give me some shock! Let me gasp and hurry to read more because I just can't believe it! I need wow! Even the ending was predictable to me, and who wants an ending they call? 


The Characters:

Amora: Even though she was raised super sheltered and as a "spoiled" princess, one should never underestimate a woman just because she wears a dress. This girl is fierce, determined, and refuses to give up. She wants to do right by her people, by her kingdom, and she will die doing so. I truly like Amora as a character. She is beautiful, she likes pretty things along with sharp things. She is kind, smart, loyal, and she will do anything to protect those she loves and right the wrongs of the past.


Bastian: Ahh, the pirate. He is sassy, handsome, and too cunning for anyone's safety. But he is not out to line his pockets and take from everyone. No, Bastian is actually a very kind, very generous man who only wants to help his people and stop the evil that is festering in the kingdom. But he does have a secret...Well, a couple secrets. Is he to be trusted?


Ferrick: He's Amora's intended. They have basically been betrothed since they were children, though neither is in love with the other. To be honest, at the beginning I didn't give a flying noodle about Ferrick. I found him boring, pompous, and too protective of Amora. However, as the story went on, I started to like him. He's not a bad guy or anything, but he's very cautious and wants to protect Amora from everything.


Vataea: I love this girl. She's a mermaid. She's bloodthirsty. She's kind. She is beautiful. She makes no apologies for who she is, what she's done, or what she plans to do. She wants revenge against those who have wronged her, but she also wants to experience life on land. At first I didn't think I could trust her, but as the story progressed I started to love her.


Zale: He's the bad guy, which is not a spoiler since he is revealed to be the bad guy within the first three chapters. But, he is a bad guy who makes sense? Like, yeah, his way of "healing the kingdom" are terrible, but his reasons make sense? Honestly, he's the type of villain I love because he is handsome and his evil scheme has a weight of truth in it. 



Final Thoughts: Like I said, I don't hate or dislike this book! I did enjoy reading it! I like the world, the characters, and the plot. I honestly think this is a good book and understand why so many people love it. I am also looking forward to reading the sequel. 

But again, I never found myself falling into this book. I never found myself unable to put it down or dying to know what happens next. 


That's all I've got for you guys this week! I hope you are all being safe, quarantining, and reading lots of books with happy familiars keeping you company! 


-The Bibliophile

All the Stars and Teeth gave me massive Mad Max meets Pirates of the Caribbean vibes! I haven't come across many pirate books that do well for me personally, but this one absolutely blew me away. Adalyn Grace built a world that I want to live in and gave me a character that I wanted to root for more than anything else. I can't wait for the sequel!

3/5 Stars

I received an e-ARC of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

When Princess Amora is imprisoned after losing control of her magic, she is forced to flee the home she’s known. She enlists the help of a mysterious pirate, Bastian, to help her prove that she is fit to rule her kingdom. But a danger lurks beneath the sea and she’ll need to face things she never expected in order to regain her crown.

I have some slightly mixed feelings on this one… this one was absolutely fantastic at times and then confusing at others. I had a hard time getting into the story originally but it did take off eventually.

What I liked:
The characters! I thought they were all really well-written and distinct from one another. I especially loved Bastian (I mean who wouldn’t love a hunky pirate). I did have a harder time relating to Amora initially but she grew on me as the story progressed. I also thought the writing was beautifully done and it was an overall fun plot.

What I didn’t like:
The world building was a little dense at times and the mythology seemed to get away from me. I ended up having to write some notes for myself in order to sort everything out. I think this might be why I struggled getting into the story originally. I would have also liked a little more development of the romance between Amora and Bastian but that’s just my preference.

Overall, I think this is a solid debut novel that’s got a lot of action, fantasy and a little bit of gore mixed in. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a good pirate adventure.

4.5 stars ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book and all the magic. There were so many twist and turns I had no idea how it was going to end. I do feel like the pacing was a little off. It was mostly even until the end where it literally felt like you I couldn’t breath. I think the author forgot she had to finish the book or something because the ending was in my face before I knew it. Amora (the main character) can be annoying at times but overall her strong mindedness was refreshing. She needs to do something and no matter what she will do it. I do wish the villain had more page time but when he showed up he showed out.

Overall great book and I highly recommend. Now I have to buy a finished copy thanks to netgalley for the arc.

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was beyond hyped! A princess with soul magic, a pirate, MERMAIDS?? Sign me up right? Well I still don't truly know what feeling i'm left with after reading it. While I did enjoy it, and am curious about book two, I feel it was a bit slow for me.

It starts off with a demonstration of Amora's magic but it all goes wrong and so we then follow Amora on an adventure of fighting for her crown.
We get a group of characters Bastian, Ferrick, and many more. I really had a blast with the character's witty and banter between them. Something else that popped out at me was the magic styles and the history of the world; I found it so cool to know about how it all happens and unfold; it really does play a huge part in this world-building, make it feel so much richer.  
My favorite part of this book was seeing what Amora would do how her actions would affect the outcome. I enjoy stories where something happens that's surprising and you get to see how that unfolds.
Adalyn Grace's writing style for a debut is amazing! I had no problems with her style at all, it's very enjoyable to read.
It does have that classic YA fantasy about a girl who's going to inherit her kingdom and then something happens and now she has to save it, but the world and its history that Adalyn has developed makes for a wonderful read. If you want swoons, action with strong world-building this is the book for you! Banter, swoons, and world-building that will take you on an adventure.    




Blog Review Post Coming Soon.

The magic system is interesting. I'm intrigued by the history of the islands and how thee magic comes to be divided among them.

What didn't work for me:

1) I couldn't connect with the MC (Amora). Her heart seems to be in the right place, but while we get a lot of her thoughts, but I didn't feel like we get the soul of her character or any other defining traits that set her apart from everyone else out there.

2) The beginning has a lot of info dumping, which added to my difficulties connecting with Amora early on. We do learn some pretty neat information about the world and magic system, but as far as I read, they don't come into play much afterwards (other than setting up the backstory for Amora's quest).

Amora runs into obstacles that she must, and does, overcome, and complications do arise that force her to question what she knows. But it feels like her character was set up from the beginning to change the social order. I want to see a character get pushed to the breaking point and go through a real change before they get their happy ending.

3) The romance seems, as far as I read, to be a typical love triangle: the "bad boy" gets all the chemistry and good stuff; the fiancé gets thrown to side and, though he tries to do the right thing, fails to impress.

DNFed @37%

There's nothing particularly wrong with this book, I think a lot of people will love it, I'm just not clicking with any of it. It's fairly predictable with characters who don't seem all that unique. I'm also not feeling a lot of chemistry between anyone. Normally I would try to push through a book like this because usually at some point I get hooked, but I just can't force myself to do that right now. If you love YA fantasy with a strong focus on adventure, check it out.

This book was a bit slow on the uptake: I personally didn’t really become interested until maybe the 40% mark or so. That’s not to say it wasn’t a good read, because it was, I think the beginning was very exposition heavy and very “inner monologue”-y, and I’ve discovered spot myself that I’m more of a fan of a third-person omniscient view.

———————————————————————————

Thank you so much to Ms. Grace & the publisher for granting me this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Amora is a definite kick-butt heroine in this book. I was nervous that she may fall back on a romance with Bastian or be a typical demure princess, but the author goes out of her way to make sure the read knows how awesome and unafraid Amora presents herself in the face of turbulence and lies among her kingdom and within her family.
Also, Vataea has become one of my favorite characters in YA fiction.

I cannot tell you how excited I was for this book, and it lived up to my expectations. A story of love, mystery and danger. I was looking forward to a book with sea monsters and pirates and magic; and you get all of that in here. With typical YA fashion there is some love sprinkled in as well. What originally grabbed me was pirates and mermaids, but this book is so much more than that. There is psychological war fair, intrigue and lush description that make the world feel so real. As I was reading I could hear the waves in the background. Imagine the voice of the sirens and mermaids. I could hear sword clashing. This book is one of the most vivid YA books to date.

I'm going to do this review a little bit differently today. While I was reading this book, I kept getting so many Little Mermaid vibes. Yes, this book has mermaids, but it wasn't just that - there are so many themes that correlate, and I think people that enjoy The Little Mermaid will definitely enjoy some elements in this one. Since this is BPR, we just had to take a peek at all the ways that this book relates to The Little Mermaid complete with mermaid emojis and a few strategic gifs.

Amora and Ariel both struggle with their place in their world. Amora is a princess locked on land, whose true desire is to explore the sea and captain her own ship. Ariel is a princess locked into the sea, whose true desire is to explore the land and find her prince. While their dreams are literally opposite, they are still the same in their strong desires for a new life and desiring for things that they are forbidden from having. They reminded me so much of each other with the strength of their longing for new, different lives.

Amora and Ariel also struggle with identity within themselves. When Ariel makes a bargain with Ursula, she has to figure out who she is without her voice. When Amora has something go drastically wrong with her "dark" powers and she is considered a monster, she has to go on the run, giving up her title for the moment. Without the constrictions of being a princess, she has to figure out who she is within the kingdom and with her powers that are now seen as evil. As Amora goes along with the story, she realizes just how ignorant she was to the plight of her kingdom around here and really how bad things are - along with coming to grips to with what her powers really meant to her.

Amora's dad is King Triton 200% - fight me on it, but I'mma win. While Amora's dad is king of magical dark powers and not a shirtless, bearded merman, they are totally one and the same. Amora's dad (whose name I'm literally blanking on so hard) has the same struggle as King T. He wants more than anything for his daughter to be happy, but he has a very particular thought of how she should be happy - including making sure that she is nothing but safe.

(Also, since I jokingly say that I'm King Triton with my grumpy judgement of questionable choices, I am also now King Amora's Dad???? Omg, so many identities for one girl who still can't decide what she wants to eat for dinner.)

Amora and Ariel both face a dark, powerful evil. Amora is fighting against an evil man that is destroying land and magic. Ariel faces a sassy sea witch that does a killer makeup look. It's very clear that Ariel has a better villain, but alas, they are both fearsome, very powerful beings that provide great foils for our leading ladies.

Amora and Ariel both live in magical lands. The one thing that I really enjoyed about All the Stars and Teeth was the worldbuilding. Grace put in a lot of time and effort into creating this world, and she did a wonderful job with it. Each magic system was so intriguing and creative. Her powers themselves were wholly unique. Ariel's world is far less complex, but it's still a very cool world with singing animals and a whole kingdom under the sea.

And yes - there are mermaids. But these mermaids are more apt to eat a man than save one or hide from one like the one in Ariel's world.

ACTUAL REVIEW PART:
Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC courtesy of Imprint. I am grateful for the opportunity to review an ARC for my readers, but this will not influence my final rating. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and based solely on the book.

As you can see, there is much to enjoy about this read. However, there were a few rough waves that I had in this read that came me from loving it.

The biggest issue that I had with this book was the use of classic fantasy tropes. Yes, I'm more than happy to handle a few. However, I was unprepared for the onslaught of all the fantasy tropes. Name one, and it was probably in here. Here's just a few that this book dipped its toe in: love triangle, roguish pirate with secrets, Girl Wonder (only she can save the World), morally gray women sidekicks that embody strength, princess doesn't want her princess role, and more. I just felt like everything was falling into the classic tropes and instead of trying to subvert them or expand on them, it just made it feel old and unoriginal. I felt like I had read this story a lot of times, and therefore, I was able to pinpoint a lot of plot points that were coming.

With that point of the novel, I got quite a bit underwhelmed, and I ended up enjoying this book less, which began a struggle with the pacing. I got bored and then it was a bit harder to keep going with it.

Overall, I did enjoy all of The Little Mermaid vibes, but I struggled with the pacing and all of the uses of tropes to further along the plot.

rating: Cinderella
representation: characters of different races (different world)
content warnings: gore, blood magic, dismemberment, mentions of attempted sexual assault, being held against will
read this if you: clearly, if you love the Little Mermaid and enjoy the classic fantasy tropes

All the Stars and Teeth is a lush and immersive fantasy about a princess who wields dark soul magic trying to save her kingdom from ruin, her swoony romance with a pirate under a mysterious curse, and and her allies (a mermaid, her ex-fiancé who can regrow limbs) who help her in her quest to uncover the mysteries of the magical curses on her people. The magic system is well-developed, the politics complex and nuanced, and the fight scenes action-packed and gory.

⭐⭐⭐ 3 stars | If I could make one request to publishers about their book descriptions, it would be: please don't makes comparisons to Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series! That plus the mention of mermaids is what peaked my interest in All the Stars and Teeth in the first place but while the book was enjoyable, it wasn't exactly memorable. Amora Montara is the princess of Visidia and has trained to be the Higher Animancer, the master of souls, her entire life to secure her place as heir to the throne. What I found interesting about their magical system is that individuals can choose their type of magic and are only allowed to have one. But for Amora, she has no choice by to master the dangerous soul magic if she is to be queen one day. Then on the day she demonstrates her powers to the kingdom, circumstances force her to run but not without help. Specifically from Bastian, a pirate, who will help her prove she can rule if she can help him regain his stolen magic. Being on this journey with him (and other characters I can't name) was my favorite part. But I'm also a sucker for a good quest! Through these travels, Amora learns more about herself, her kingdom and her family than she ever expected and it's all about the tough decisions she'll have to make for Visidia once she uncovers the truth.

Do I recommend? It wasn't a standout fantasy by any means and I most likely won't continue further. I'd say this is more of a borrow than a buy now.

This has been one of my favorite YA releases so far this year (I know we're only three months in, but still). Many well-loved YA tropes are included (magic! pirates! mermaids!) but are all executed with a fine precision that is often lacking in this genre.
Royal Amora is forced to flee her own kingdom after magic gone terribly wrong, fleeing with alluring pirate Bastian, who has more than his own fair share of secrets. Her intended, Ferrick, forces his way aboard as well, despite knowing almost instantly that he's now in for way more than he bargained for. The three then go on a fast-paced series of adventures while on their quest.
I fell in love with all three of the main characters as well as the fourth crew member who arrives later on. The magic and world-building in this book was top-notch, with real danger lurking on every page, secrets galore, and an ending that leaves you hungering for the sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a complimentary advance copy. This had no impact on my review.

4/5 Stars

Author: Adalyn Grace

Publisher/Imprint: Imprint (by Macmillan)

Edition: Hardcover, 368 Pages

Publication Date: February 04, 2020

A Spine that Shines? Very well!

*Thank you to the publisher for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley. All quotes used in this review have been checked against the finished hardcover edition. These are my honest opinions. Thank you.*

‘Fear is part of life; all that matters is what we do with it.’
-Adalyn Grace, All the Stars and Teeth

Initial Thoughts:

Here are some aspects I wanted to point out about the book:

The story didn’t quite suck me in immediately. But once the mermaid showed up, things became more interesting! I love finding mermaids in books!
I loved the action in the second half of the novel, and there is a great showdown at the end!
If you’re looking for vicious, legendary monsters, you’ll find them in this book!
You’ll also find a magic ship called Keel Haul!
The enchanted settings and various clothing styles were very imaginative! In that respect, the book did remind me of Caraval.
The magic system is very interesting and complex. Initially, it was a lot of information to absorb, and it took me a while to keep all of the different types of magic straight in my head. But visiting several of the islands during the journey helped with that.
There are some good twists concerning magical powers and curses!

‘My blood and my heart belong to Visidia, and they always will.’
-Adalyn Grace, All the Stars and Teeth

Characters & Romance:

Here is a brief overview of the characters and romance:

At first, I wasn’t absolutely in love with the characters, but they did grow on me as the story progressed.
Amora Montara is the Princess of Visidia. She practices “curse magic,” which allows her to see inside a person’s soul. It also gives her the power to tear people apart using their own blood. I liked Amora’s fierceness and determination to protect her kingdom. When something goes horribly wrong, she is forced to leave her kingdom and team up with a pirate in order to save Visidia. Along the way, all her notions of her family and her powers will be severely challenged.
Bastian is the pirate character. He was not as “pirate-y” as I had expected him to be, but he’s still a good addition to the crew. He’s charming and witty, but also keeps a secret that he is afraid to share with anyone.
Ferrick is essentially betrothed to Amora, but she doesn’t love him. I initially found him to be slightly irritating, but he comes through in the end. He has “restoration magic,” which gives him the power to help heal others and himself. It’s pretty awesome!
Vataea is the mermaid character. Of course, she has fantastic mermaid powers. She can manipulate water and charm people using her voice. She’s been through a lot, but somehow comes to find a place among the crew of Keel Haul.
The romance in this book between two of the characters is sweet and doesn’t overwhelm the story. I’m curious to see how the relationship develops in the sequel.

I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.
-Adalyn Grace, All the Stars and Teeth

Final Thoughts

For some reason, this book was a bit more violent than I had anticipated. There is lots of blood that is drawn in very painful ways using magical powers, plus dismemberment and your typical action fighting. Just putting that out there in case some readers may be sensitive to this type of thing.

I also don’t quite understand how a particular curse remains in effect at the end of the novel – even though the person who cast it is killed. But I do think the situation created by this particular curse will make things very interesting in the sequel!

Overall, I enjoyed this debut quite a lot! I would recommend it if you’re looking for a fun, magical adventure! Happy reading :)

*Content Warnings: Lots of blood; one type of magic allows the user to tear people apart using bones, blood, and fire; a female character was held captive and abused for several years; battle wounds; dismemberment; action violence; some passionate kissing; etc.*

There has been a lot of hype for this book and I love anything that is mermaid/pirate themed, so I was super excited to get this ARC. And let me say, I enjoyed every second of it. This was such a quick, gripping read and an overall very good debut. It started off kind of like any other fantasy lately, Princess on the run because of reasons but then went to high sea adventure and I was here for it. It's compulsively readable and action packed, so it's something that keeps you turning the pages. The world-building can be a bit shallow in spots and it can be a bit predictable if you are familiar with the genre, but it's an enjoyable read and that's all I ask for sometimes.