An incredible fantasy with underwater kingdom, pirates, an epic world building, incredible characters and an even swoonier romance.

I loved every word of this book. You can’t help but root for Amare. She is a wonderful character with so much spirit. I finished this book and immediately started the second book. A great read.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc, all views are my own.

This is a great fantasy read. I love a pirate tale and the mixture of that and fantasy was amazing. The writing is excellent, I felt fully immersed in the world below the water that she created. The twists, mystery, romance and friendships captivated me. Amare is a great MC to follow, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

This book started off rough. It had too many Pirates of the Caribbean vibes, as if the author only watched those movies and called it pirate research. But the writing was fun and whimsical so I stuck around and didn't DNF the book. As the story progressed I started to enjoy myself. I still skimmed bits of the story in the middle because it couldn't quite hold my attention. Towards the end I was incredibly curious where the author was going with this story. And then it was over... This book felt more like a really long introduction than a full book. But I did enjoy plenty parts of this so it's getting three stars from me.

wow, this book was amazing. Once you start reading it, you can't put it down.
I really loved the writing style of the author. She described the world of the story perfectly and It felt like I was there myself.
I liked the concept of this book, an underwater city and the author did not disappoint with it! Let's be honest, an underwater city sounds amazing, right?
I think the main character is beautifully written and I really liked her. There is also a morally grey character, what more do you need?
My only criticism is that the story may be a bit slow towards the middle, but that didn't really bother me.
Overall I think this book is amazing and I'm looking forward to the sequel! I need it right now because the ending shocked me!

The blurb sounded very promising, with its pirate component and fairy-tale-infused ambiance. At first, I was pleasantly surprised by the style (the author clearly put in some effort) and the quirky atmosphere, giving the plot extra points for its obvious originality. But I was quickly put off by the overall tone, certain dialogues had too much rawness, and some passages felt too modern and lacked the necessary magic to keep me interested. I wasn’t expecting the lead character to speak in a way that reminded me too much of a real life modern teenage girl, especially in such an otherwordly universe.

Absolutely loved the opening of this book. Full of interesting characters and drama that really pulled me into the story. I felt like it waned a bit toward the middle, and I began losing interest until the action picked back up. I wanted to see what might happen next and skimmed over some of the bits that were less interesting to me. I am curious to see where the characters might go from here, and the writing style is a perfect balance with detailed descriptions that reeled me into the story and characters who I wanted to see succeed. I have to say that Finn is probably my favorite overall.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Amare is an orphan who grew up on a pirate ship. When she finds sunken treasure that emits a thunderous sound heard far and wide, she begins to change. After, Amare is drawn in to the world of sereia as she learns more about her heritage.

Y'all, I loved this novel! I have always loved pirates, which this has a plethora of. Add to the underwater pirates and I was instantly sold! Amare is such an interesting character. I loved her rough and tumble nature and how she sticks to her values.

Honestly, every character is intriguing and multi faceted. Readers get an enemies to friends to potential lovers storyline where you feel for each person. We dive into this world of sereia with technology and foods much like ours (but a few hundred years ahead of humans in the novel).

The concept of magic and the mchawi was unique and well thought out. There's still a hint of mystery as Amare slowly learns about everything.

The ending keeps me invested. We get some rumors about Amare's mother and father that gripped me. So now I need the sequel!

I didn’t enjoy this book. But I’m sure lots of people will.
As someone who prefers adult fantasy, the dialogue in this was too childish for me. It felt like I was watching a teen movie with lots of adult themes. It seemed to me like the author was trying for a more New Adult feel but the dialogue just didn’t quite make it over the line of the younger side of Young Adult.
I also felt like nothing really happened during the entire middle of this book. The start was brilliant. The end was mostly enjoyable. But the middle was almost unbearable. In my opinion, this book works best when it’s characters are on a ship.
I think the ideas in the book are really fun. A sunken city, two brothers and one girl (very Damon and Stephan from the Vampire Diaries) our MFC “sinking”. But it feels like the author didn’t fully want to commit to those ideas. Having a city under the water comes with lots of questions. None of them get answered in a satisfying way in this book in my opinion. How are there trees and food being grown so far down under the water? How is this city so modern compared to the world above the water? How is there electricity? The author creates answers to these problems that make little sense, even in a fantasy setting. It feels more like she wanted the thrill of an underwater city, the thrill of Georgian era pirates, but also the fun of a modern world, the ease of characters existing as if they’re above water. Her creation of ‘thin’ and ‘thick’ water was so frustrating that it became hard to enjoy the fantasy world she created. The same can be said of the modern world that Amare finds under the water.
If you’re willing to look past some childish dialogue, some editing inconsistencies and a fantasy world that feels more urban contemporary, then you might enjoy this book. At times it was very enjoyable. The chemistry between one of the MMC’s was enjoyable and it ended on a cliffhanger that, if I had enjoyed the book a bit more, would have me racing to the next book. As I said. I didn’t enjoy this book. But I think many people will.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Thank you to Net galley for a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a tough one for me. I like the concept of the story a lot, and I could see myself raving about this book if it were executed better. However, the writing just felt off and disjointed. It would jump randomly from place to place at times, seemingly for no reason. Amare is a complex character but she is one that is hard to really love - I liked the Amare on the ship at the beginning, but the Amare that woke up in the Sunken City seemed like a different girl. I think her dialogue was meant to be witty but it just came across as rude and crass. I love Finn, but I have a strong feeling that he is not going to end up with Amare- although he deserves better! Lukas is annoying as anything - I'm all for a complex character but this dude changes his tune like my dad trying to find a radio station in the middle of nowhere. So that live triangle is annoyingly awful. The abrupt change between colonial times above the water to nightclubs and electricity (under water?!?) at the Sunken City is just unnecessary and confusing.

Again, the story kept me reading this book, but its execution was way off. I had a sense that the author self published, which seems to be confirmed by goodreads, and I think the book would've really benefited from a through editing eye and a professional proofreader. All in all, I haven't decided yet if I will pick up the next two books in the series, just to see how the story ends.

I loved this fantasy novel! Magical mermaids are a perfect topic to rad about in summer, can’t wait for part 2!

Sunken City was such a fun read!! I’m not much of a fantasy girl, but Amare’s story is captivating from the very first page. Everyday I looked forward to coming home and digging in to this one, and to me that is everything you should want in a book. Emma is incredibly talented and delicately balances a novel that is an equal parts coming-of-age, romance, and family story. Soooo looking forward to the sequel!!!

The Sunken City is such an incredible book. Pirates have always been one of my favorite things - take that, magic, battles, great friends, and a dark, trauma filled boy, and my recipe for an ideal book is complete.

The world that the author built for this series is unlike any other I’ve seen. I love how there is an “above” world and a “below” world, and how the main character is so clueless about both of them.

My favorite things about this book, though, are definitely the characters. They are all amazing, even the “bad guys.” There are certain people I started off hating, but by the end of the book I found myself starting to like them. The opposite is true as well.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

When I started to read this, I was pulled in by the world and the main character Amare. The pirate ships, the side characters and the magic that is later revealed.

Then when she got to the Sunken City, it just went downhill for me from there.

When Amare got to the city, she changed into a totally different person. On the pirate ship with her uncle, she was respectful, hardworking and mature. Then when she got to the Sunken City, she suddenly is unnecessarily rude, sarcastic and an immature person. It was a totally different vibe you got from Amare than when it started in the book.

Another thing that irked me a bit. So, this book started in the 1700's basically. Cool era and I was ready to go with it. When Amare gets to the Sunken City, that is tossed out of the window. Now there is miniskirts and tank tops, clubs, fake ids and so on and so forth. Such a totally whip lash and such a total turn off. There was no solid transition into that type of world that to me it didn't feel believable.

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I am a big fan of Pirates of the Caribbean; I am not, however, a big fan of this book. I almost abandoned it, but I felt obligated to finish it because I received it as an ARC and kept thinking/hoping it would improve. As my husband pointed out last night, though, "How many books have you read that actually got better after you made it halfway through without enjoying them?" I'm trying to recall if I've ever had that happen.

Anyway.

This book sounded interesting--pirates and magic and all that. But I found myself hurrying to finish reading it so that I could move on to something more enjoyable.

I did not like Amare (17) at all. She's selfish, crass, rude, and reckless. Nothing is important unless it matters to her personally. I'm not sure how anyone fell in love with her, let alone two characters (supposedly). Finn (17) is more likable after a while, but he's obviously an idiot because he admires Amare so much. Still, I much prefer him to Amare. Lukas (20) is a bit more complicated, but I don't want to give anything away. I'll just say that I could have liked him but don't.

Which brings me to the dreaded love triangle. I am not a fan of love triangles, but there are a few that I can understand and accept (Jem/Tessa/Will in The Infernal Devices, for example). This one, however, was there simply to cause problems. It felt very contrived and forced. I could have gotten behind Amare/Finn or Amare/Lukas (not both) if it hadn't been a triangle (and other issues). Since, however, it was a love triangle for the sake of a love triangle, I just found myself annoyed. Let's be honest, here: the timing is extremely inconvenient and suspicious, and it brings serious doubt to the sincerity of Amare's feelings towards Finn. And it's yet another reason I cannot bring myself to like her.

The story was so-so. Again, pirates and magic and underwater kingdoms sound like the makings of a great adventure story, do they not? But somehow it just didn't work for me. Plus the time setting was very, very strange. I started out reading this book thinking that it took place in roughly the same time period as Pirates of the Caribbean because that's what it felt like. And then once Amare is in the Sunken City, the book suddenly feel like it's fast-forwarded to modern time and just transplanted Amare into it. The explanation is that the sereia are far more advanced than humans, etc. But it just felt weird.

So I will not be continuing this series. Should anyone who comes across this review finish any subsequent books, please message me so that you can spoil them for me. (I don't care enough to read them, but I still would like to know.)

Note: Really dumb love triangle. Language, including probably 10+ f words.

Thank you to NetGalley and Emma V. R. Noyes for the opportunity to read a free digital copy of this book for an honest review. (Published: January 29, 2022)
Rating = 3.5 / 5 stars (rounded up to 4 for NetGalley)

Description: Amare Bellamy is not a witch. Orphaned as a child and raised on a ship by the most dangerous men in the Caribbean, Amare is one thing and one thing alone: a pirate. And pirates hate magic.

“The Sunken City” by Emma V. R. Noyes immediately caught my attention with its gorgeous underwater cover art. The artwork reminded me of “The Little Mermaid” (which happens to be one of my favorite Disney movies), and when I read the summary about the plot centering on a pirate lass who becomes Princess of the Sunken City, I was all in!

Part One of this book is all about Amare’s amazing life growing up aboard a pirate ship called the Moonshadow. I found this section of the book to be fantastically well written and really showcased Amare as a fierce 17-year-old who could hold her own on a ship full of men. The author’s descriptive writing style took my breath away and quickly transported me to 18th century pirate life in the Caribbean.

Parts Two and Three are where the story takes a sharp turn and everything that was amazing about the previous section begins unraveling. Amare is now 267 feet below sea level in the Sunken City. All of previous characters are now gone and a new cast emerges. According to the timeline the author provides the reader, Amare was a newborn in 1717 when her parents were lost at sea. Amare is 17 years old when this story takes place, which would make the year 1734. In the Sunken City, while the water-breathing folk proclaim they’re much more advanced than human society, I found it hard to believe that they were all using modern language (including modern curse words – which really irked me) and that Amare was wearing miniskirts, going to bars and concerts, and eating modern food underwater in 1734. I just couldn’t buy into this without a better explanation. I also thought Amare’s character changed drastically from a smart, skilled pirate into a whiny, spoiled princess. Sadly, I found myself disliking her more and more as the story went on. Fortunately, the writing was consistently good and there were some very likable sub characters that helped me stay interested through the rest of the story.

Overall, I found the story line to be unique and was completely entranced by the first part of the book. It had so much potential but fell a little short in the world-building, believability, and character development. I certainly wouldn’t call it a bad book – it’s worth reading if you fancy pirates, are intrigued by underwater cities, and like a good rags-to-riches plot with a love triangle twist. Oh, and dash in some witches for good measure. Since this book is part of a trilogy, I’m hoping that the next two books will redeem this one for me. I’m looking forward to reading them!

"There is darkness in everyone, Amare," he says at last. "Most of us run from it, hide from it, push it into a box they hope it will never escape. Others accept it. And fewer still, well... they embrace it."

Amare Bellamy is a pirate and life aboard the "Moonshadow" is all she's ever known. So, when she is plunged into the sea and finds herself in the middle of an underwater city, where magic is omnipresent but strictly prohibited, she has to rethink everything she's ever known. Especially since she turns out to be the city's lost princess and that isn't even the most life-changing revelation she has to come to terms with...

"The Sunken City" is one of the most entertaing YA fantasies I've read in a long time.
Pirates, sereia (merpeople), mchawi (witches) - this book has them all. Also, the author has included ALL the tropes - prophecies, found family, a love triangle, arranged marriage, marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers - and I'm pretty sure I'm still missing some.
This novel has a lot going on and I thoroughly enjoyed all of it. I loved the story, the characters, Amare's journey of self-discovery, the twists and the way this story also has some elements of time travel to it since it takes place in the early 1700s, but the underwater folk are way ahead of their human counterparts in terms of technology, their understanding of propriety etc.
The only drawback is that some things don't make a whole lot of sense to me, especially when it comes to the anatomy of the sereia and the way gravity works in the sunken city, but I'm hopeful all of that'll make more sense in the sequels.

"The Sunken City" is the perfect read for everyone who enjoys books about prophecies, quests and self-discovery. Also, witchcraft and pirates - need I say more?

Amare Bellamy has grown up on her uncle’s pirate ship, the only girl onboard since her parents perished when she was just a newborn. The sailors think her presence is a curse, her gender linking her to the witches they’re so afraid of. – never mind that Amare is as terrified of magic as they are. But when a find on a treasure hunt leads to Amare accidentally awakening an unknown something, she finds herself whisked away to a city under the sea, a kingdom whose king declares himself her long-lost father. Amare must reconcile who she thought she was with her new identity of princess of the Sunken City – and stay safe from the dark powers she feels steadily growing inside of her.

This book was an interesting mashup of classic pirate fantasy with wholly modern language and lifestyle/activities. I was expecting the former, and did get a taste, but the majority of the story is the latter. The worldbuilding is solid but a part of it does feel like a cheat, underwater beings declaring themselves light years ahead of humans as far as progress, and the human world is your classic 1600s/1700s vibe while the Sunken City is a mirror image of our actual reality in the 21st century. And I mean exact, iPads and raves and technology galore, all underwater somehow. But it kind of works?

Amare’s narration was fun and innately readable, not to mention understandable given the situation she finds herself in. I got behind her perspective in every way save for the romantic aspect; the love triangle was entirely predictable and decently annoying to watch unfold. I’m personally not a fan of back and forth and wishy-washy, not-able-to-make-up-your-mindedness, which is the main portion of what we were given here. I may also be biased because one side of the triangle has a clear advantage over the other, despite what Amare’s heart/mind/body might be telling here.

Overall, it was a quick, entertaining read that will likely appeal to the younger side of YA. The modern language paired with the fantasy aspect lightens the stakes so no conflict ever feels so dire it’s inescapable. I’ll likely continue with the series to see how the story continues to unfold.

Content warning: a quick mention of bulimia-adjacent activities that might be triggering to those recovering from eating disorders; attempted sexual assault.

Amare has spent her entire life on a pirate ship and her life has followed a fairly expected pattern (as much as a pirate can follow a pattern). When a magical chest is found within the depths of the ocean, all of that changes. After Amare opens the chest, she learns that she is more than a normal girl and has access to magical abilities. These abilities lead to her jumping into the ocean during a storm and finding herself in a world beyond her imagination. In this underwater world filled with beauty, magic, and for the first time ever, friends, Amare must do what she can to protect her new life from threats she never saw coming.

If there is one thing that I have learned about myself since I first started reviewing books, it’s that I love books about pirates. So, when I saw this book, I got really excited. Not only does it have pirates, but there is an entire city underwater. Guess what? That’s something else I’ve learned that I love. Add these two things together and I was destined to love this book.

The Sunken City takes two of my favorite settings and winds a plot so carefully throughout them that it was impossible not to get sucked right in. From the very beginning, the story was creative and fun to read. I enjoyed the fact that I was able to jump from one fun setting to the next. The world building was thorough enough to be immersive, but there was still enough left unknown that the story will have a great opportunity to grow during the other books in the series.

While the world of Sunken City was fascinating, our MC could be whiney or annoying at times and that made it hard for me to truly root for her throughout the books conflicts. The supporting cast made up for what I felt Amare was lacking. Her best friend and both of the boys in her life were interesting enough that they balanced the times when Amare was struggling. I think part of why I felt disconnected from Amare was simply the faster pacing. There was so much going on and so many characters, that it lacked a little fluidity.

Overall, this was a quick, fun read and I was left wanting to know what happens next! I will absolutely be starting the next book in the series as soon as I possibly can!

⅘ stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Emma V. R. Noyes for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

There are parts I absolutely LOVE in this book. and parts that annoy the crap out of me. Noyes’s writing is an acquired taste, and it took some getting used to in the first two parts. Later in the book, I felt like the main character fell in love a little too quickly, but I suppose with the isolated environment she was raised in, it makes sense. I will say that Lukas is by far the best character, not just because of WHO he is, but because his character has depth and is so understanding of Amare’s inner battle. “You deserve someone who won’t try to change you. Won’t try to shape you into the mold he desires. You deserve someone who will love every part of you-the good, the dark, the angry, the broken…” Tell me more, Lukas… Tell me more.. (there is a second book, so I’m definitely going to be picking that up soon).