Unfortunately this book was a miss for me. The writing was great but I felt the story fell flat. It was fast paced but I had a hard time grasping what was going on. Going to give this one a 3 star rating.

"But the truth is this - I am so angry. All the time. I'm filled with a deep, black rage, and I don't even know why."

This book had been on my TBR list since I'd heard about it and I was thrilled at the opportunity to finally get a chance to read it. I loved the premise and thought that the setting and history was so unique! The differences between the above world and the Sunken City were night and day and it was interesting to read Amare's reactions as she experienced these new things. I really enjoyed the concept of this "Atlantian-like" underwater world being so much more advanced than that world above water. The poor girl though can't catch a break and you can definitely tell that there are some more sinister cards at play for the future.

This was a really solid 4 star read and I can't wait to read the second book!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I thought the cover looked beautiful and the summary sounded like such an adventure! I know a lot of people have loved this book but unfortunately, I was not a fan.

The grammatical errors were abundant in my draft. Since it's been published, I really hope those were parsed out before printing. The biggest issue I had was with the structure and voicing. The book would be in a "live" scene and then flashback to pirate history or world-building. This can be done and be supportive for the story but it was not done well here. I often felt like i'd just gotten off a rickety rollercoaster. The voicing of the pirates dialogue was not consistent. One minute they would be speaking in pirate lingo and the next it was written as a normal English speaker. It felt disconnected.

The pirate story as well did not give us a lot of new but of something refurbished by many authors. I was hopeful this story would be wonderful but I did not come to that conclusion in the end.

Amare was raised on a pirate ship, cut off from everyone by her Uncle Omar, who became captain of the ship after her parents died when she was young, in an effort to protect her from the world. But Amare dreams of more. When strange voices start to haunt her she finds her escape in the sea. One day, during a violent storm, Amare is sucked under the waves but this time she isn't in control and she feels certain that her time has come. But upon awakening she finds herself in a strange underwater realm called The Sunken City, and things become even more strange when she discovers that she is the princess of this so called realm! How can Amare possibly learn to fit into this new life which is so alien to anything that she has ever known?

This one was a mixed bag for me but I'll start with what I liked. The plot was so cool! Coming from a Pirates of the Caribbean fan, I really enjoy books about pirates, and then she falls into this amazing underwater world? I was so here for that! I have to say the world-building was a tad strange and a little inconsistent at times but if you didn't think too much on the nitty-gritty, it was fun to imagine! I also loved the pacing, every time I put it down, I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen next.

And now, the reason I gave this book 3 stars. The characters, specifically Amare. I wouldn't say that I disliked her from the start, I think it was when she entered the Sunken City that I found my opinion of her plummeting into the depths (get it, because she fell into the sea, kinda like the depths, okay I'll stop XD). From the moment she met Finn she had this unexplained prejudice towards him and was a total jerk, even when she discovers she 'loves' him, it's only when it benefits her the most. Does she eventually recognize what a pain in the butt she was and apologize to him you might be thinking? No! Because guess what, brother #2 is introduced. Enter, the love triangle. After that, I honestly could not care less about these characters. Even Finn, because I am so tired of guys pining after girls who do not deserve them. I did end up finishing the book because by that point I had already come so far and as I said above, the plot was very engaging, sadly though I just couldn't get past the characters.

Not sure if I'll be continuing with the series. I'm semi-intrigued by where we left off but not sure if I want to put myself through with these characters again. We'll see! Happy Reading :)

This book reads on the younger side of young adult, which doesn’t work well for my personal taste unfortunately. I also don’t think I want to invest the time for the rest of the series.

This was such a cute rom-com that had a semi-meet-cute 🥸, a slow-burn/friends-to-lovers scenario❤️‍🔥, and lots of characters from Sophie Sullivan’s other novels 📚

If you’ve been here since the start of my bookstagram you’ll remember that I’ve read her other novels about the Jansen brothers and LOVED them 😍

Wes and Hailey’s banter as best friends was so entertaining and adorable 😊🗣, I was rooting for them to get out of the ⚠️ friend zone ⚠️every step of the way.

⭐️ My favorite part of this novel was exploring how Wes and Hailey both came from homes that had their fair share of dysfunction growing up 💔 and seeing how they met each challenge as they figured out their Guide to Being Just Friends ❤️‍🩹 It was such a fun and heart-wrenching experience 🥹

📖: This book officially publishes on January 17, 2023! I can’t wait to hear what you all think of it 💕💕

💭 : Which book has your favorite meet-cute?!

I loved this book. It was the perfect mix of fantasy and whimsy. I loved reading this book, every minute of it

Amare, orphaned as a baby, has been raised by pirates. Taught to raid, plunder, and yield daggers from a young age, she dreams of one day being the Captain of the Moonshadow. That is until her beckoning to the water finally overtakes her and she wakes up to find herself in an underwater city. An underwater city in which she is the Princess, in fact.
To top it all off, she discovers that her entire life has been part of one big, possibly world-shattering, prophecy. With twists and turns around every corner of this new life, Amare must find out the hard way who she can trust and who will betray her.

I unexpectedly loved this book. At first Amare’s POV seemed chaotic and scattered but I chalked it up to being the voice of a teenage girl and once I got into the rhythm of her thinking, I couldn’t put it down.

The storyline- which includes pirates, magic, and self-discovery- is intriguing and was what drew me in to read the book in the first place. The characters intentions are ambiguous, making me want to know more. The world-building is enough to visualize but not so complex as to be scratching your head (as I do with many fantasy novels).
I will definitely be reading the next in the series!

*Thank you NetGalley and Emily V. R. Noyes for this ARC.*

📚 The Sunken City ~ Emma V R Noyes 📚

Firstly thank you to NetGalley & Emma V. R. Noyes for the opportunity to read and review this e-Advanced Reader Copy ❤️

💛 "You deserve someone who will love every part of you - the good, the dark, the angry, the broken" 💛

Sunken City centres around Amare Bellamy who was orphaned as a child & raised on a pirate ship by some of the most dangerous men in the Caribbean. She's lived her whole life as a pirate, and pirates hate magic. Until one fateful storm plunges her to the depths of the ocean... when she wakes up she finds herself in a strange new world: an underwater kingdom where magic is real but it is strictly forbidden by the King - a man who claims to be her father!

Whilst struggling to adapt herself to her new role as Princess of the Sunken City, she finds herself being forced to come accustomed with her abilities as they manifest within her...

What I loved 😍
1️⃣ I loved her complex back story & how beautifully woven it was!
2️⃣ Amare's personality was just fab! And the way her narrative was written made you feel as if you were right there with her.
3️⃣ Her interactions with her love interest, her dad and her friends were a combination of hilarious and gut-wrenching.
4️⃣ The fantasy storyline was gripping, fast-paced & woven really cleverly 💛

I struggled slightly with it but I think that's primarily because I'm used to slower-paced fantasy books. But that won't put me off giving book 2 a read!

💭 Overall, if you enjoy fantasy, enemies to loves, found family, pirates, magic & looming prophecies & secrets then I'd definitely recommend giving this one a go! It's available to purchase now!

Rating ~ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5

🏷 #TheSunkenCity #fantasy #EnemiesToLovers #FoundFamily #magic #bookish #BookNerd #BookRecommendation #BookReview #booksta #bookstagramner #bookstagram #literaryadventueswithgabby

Oh my goodness, I am SO INTO this story. I have been loving pirate stories lately, and this one gave pirates, magic, undersea kingdoms, and all sorts of dark twisties.

Amare is a young orphan woman on a pirate ship-and women are famously witches and bad luck according to pirates-and she is getting on just fine. Though she never gets to help raid or get off the ship at all anymore. Until she accidentally touches a treasure that awakens something within her, and then peaces out from her pirate crew into the water during a storm. When she comes to after this, she's in an underwater world where the Sunken City holds a community of creatures that are kept safe from magic and witches. There is SO much Amare doesn't know, though, and the fact that the king of the Sunken City is calling himself her dad, and calling her the lost princess, isn't helping her understand things any faster.

This was just a wild ride. The world building was so unique and fun, and the characters are interesting! I want to spend way more time in this world, and this is only the first in a trilogy, so looks like I'll get my wish! My only complaint is I wasn't sure what time period we were in until midway through the book. My brain pictured Pirates of the Caribbean, and then once we hit the Sunken City, it was a little more now-a-days. Which is cool-I just didn't realize it!

Recommended for you if you like pirate or mermaid stories, witches, evils that have been kicked out, but are definitely coming back, betrayals, love triangles, and fun stories in general. This could be a good reading slump-buster, I think!

Thanks to Netgalley and Emma V.R Noyes for the e-ARC!

When I first joined bookstagram, The Sunken City had just released and I remember seeing several posts recommending it. I loved the cover and the summary sounded so interesting.

I'm glad I finally had the chance to read it. It exceeded my expectations. There was great world-building and I found life in the Sunken City to be fascinating, especially the juxtaposition between old world pirate society and what is the more modern world below.

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of love triangles with brothers. Luckily, the rest of the plot was so good that I could ignore it.

I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to the author and @NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an easy five stars! It had me reacting out loud—multiple times.

Amare is a young women raised on a pirate ship, where the dangers are women, witches (women), and other pirates. Amare discovers her call to the ocean is actually because of her secret identity as the lost princess of an underwater kingdom, the Sunken City. She has to question who she can trust, and unlearn a lot of what she knows about herself, Magic, and being a woman.

This was amazing! It started off great, the plot picks up quickly and Amare’s life on the ship is fun to read about. Then you go underwater and wow, the world building is quick and beautiful. The characters are great; I especially love Amare. She’s angry and vicious but scared and she’s doing her best. The female friendships were maybe my favorite additions. And the ROMANCE! Y’all I don’t know which team I am on, and I don’t love a love triangle, but it was so so so cute. So I’ll get over the love triangle.

The internalized misogyny was an interesting dynamic that was kind of explored, but there’s room for more. I really hope to see Amare dissect this misogyny (from above and below the sea) in the next book.

It ends on a mean cliffhanger, and the romance is very YA and clean. 10/10, 5 stars, go read this.

I got an ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Thank you!

If Treasure Planet was written about Atlantis, thrown together with all things aquatic magic...

Pirates, royalty, underwater city, morally grey... villains? Morally grey characters in general, which I was 100% ok with and would love to see more of.

This book was honestly just so well written that I would have given it a 10 star rating. It's hard to find a book that flows this nicely while incorporating so much action and intrigue. Characters, world-building, romance, fantasy, secrecy... This book seriously has it all in spades and will be a highlight on my shelf if I am ever lucky enough to find a copy of it that I can display.

The romance is YA, so don't expect this to hold it's own in the smut category. But what it lacks in the spice it makes up for with fantastic characters that you instantly connect with. The fantasy aspect is out of this world imaginative, and would be amazing as a movie if the right company were to inquire about said project. *wink wink, nudge nudge*

Amare Bellamy is a pirate through and through. Orphaned when the ocean waves took her parents, her biggest dream is to one day Captain the ship she grew up on, the Moonshadow. Destiny had other plans. Amare finds herself in an underwater world where she is actually the Lost Princess.

This imagery in this book was so well done. I really enjoyed the premise of the story and the characters. The only issues I had were the pacing and the world building. The pacing kept going back and forth from right on track to lightning speed to slower than a snail. I felt like I was stopping and starting a lot. The world building was chaotic, imagery wise it was gorgeous, but I feel like a lot of holes were left throughout.

All in all this was a very good book. I adored Shoa and Lukas the absolute most. I will definitely be finishing the trilogy!

3.5 i liked this a lot more than i thought i would. there were some parts that weren't my thing (the overdone orphan tropes, the love triangle with 2 brothers, etc.) but for the most part i did like this book. i felt the worldbuilding was pretty good for just the first novel and the dialogue was great, the only thing i rly had to complain about was the pacing of the romance LOL

The world building was done very well. I really enjoyed learning about mchawi and sereia. This books adds a twist to your typical mermaid and pirates story, which keeps things interesting. From the beginning of the book I couldn’t put it down and loved all the action. It felt like there was never a slow moment for Amare. I’m curious to see where this brother love triangle goes. I also can’t wait to see Amare start kicking some doors down with all her new powers. I’ll be starting the next book immediately!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚: Fantasy series (book 1)
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩: Physical book
𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: 4.23

𝙁𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙤𝙩𝙚:
“And that’s just it, isn’t it? I was never going to be quiet and meek. I was always going to pick up that shell. I was always going to chase after the mystery of my own existence. I was always going to heed the ocean’s call.”

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙:
Beautiful, immersive writing
Reimagining of Atlantis
Morally gray characters
Swoony romance
Loved it so much that I already ordered book 2!

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
This book is so well written, from the world building to the pacing to the characters to the romance, and I honestly will be recommending it nonstop to EVERYONE who loves fantasy romance. I love that it mixes a more modern and updated reimagining of Atlantis with a classic pirates tale.

Amare is a likeable, headstrong, stabby MC who has to face some of her dark inner struggles, all while balancing life in a new role and in a new world. Finn is a swoony golden boy who just says ALL the right things, while his brother Lukas is troubled, mysterious, possibly evil, and yet still so alluring. I’m honestly still undecided on #teamfinn versus #teamlukas and I can’t wait to see where it goes in book 2.

This is such a great balance of wonderful characters, turbulent romance, political intrigue, modern influences and classic tales, all set in an immersive ocean setting with beautiful writing. You absolutely HAVE to add this to your TBR!

To be perfectly honest, fantasy is not my genre of choice. But as a teacher, I like to read widely to be able to help direct my students to books THEY may like.

That being said, I really was surprised by The Sunken City. Amare is a great character and the plot has wonderful twists and turns. The author does a great job of presenting the story in a way to keep the reader thoroughly engaged. I was angry and disappointed when I realized this was the first book in a series and it ends on a cliffhanger, because I wanted to know NOW what happens!

Looking forward to the next book in the series and would absolutely recommend to my high school students.

Thanks, Netgalley, and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
Once again I love stories that explore the mysteries of the deep and the magical nature of the seas. Great main character, great supporting crew, but may be not enough detail and imaginative strike when it comes to the underwater city. I just needed something unique that will make it special and different than what we've seen in contemporary movies for example. I'm nit sure the love triangle is my thing, but......let's see what happens in the second installment.

The Sunken city follows a pirate raised girl Amare who is the heir to an underwater kingdom.

Writing style:
I found this book easy to get into from the very beginning. The pacing was fast and there was constant action to keep the plot moving. For some reason, my favourite part of the book was the very beginning. In fact, I think it was the strongest part of the book. Amare's life as a pirate was exciting and I loved her found family dynamic with the Moonshadow crew.
But once Amare entered the sunken city, I started to lose a bit of interest in the writing. Some parts of the book made me feel like I was reading a contemporary book of fantasy. In particular, the clubbing scenes in the sunken city just read like a party scene in a contemporary book. To be fair, the sunken city is described as modern and high tech but I just couldn't reconcile the technological and cultural differences above and below the sea.
Luckily by the end of the book, there were more fantasy elements in the story.

Characters:
I really enjoyed Amare's tenacity and determination to live freely. At times she did make rash, impulsive decisions but thats basically most YA protagonists out there so I won't hold it against Amare. She eventually grew on me as i continued reading.

The Mason brothers made an interesting duo. Finn is supposedly the sweet nice guy and Lukas the enigmatic guy with a traumatic past. Some readers may not enjoy the love triangle but I found both Finn and Lukas worthy love interests. At this point, I'm not sure whether I should be rooting for Finn or Lukas but according to the YA love triangle formula, Amare is bound to end up with Lukas at the end (let's just hope that neither Finn or Lukas dies). I did prefer Finn's sincere character but it seemed like Lukas had better chemistry with Amare.

Shoa and Cora were fun supporting characters but at times I mixed them up because they had very similar personalities.

Omar and the Moonshadow crew were great. The crew members close to Amare were interesting secondary characters and I wish they had more appearances in the book.

Overall thoughts:
The premise of this story was quite alluring and I think this book is a good starter to a series. Based off the cover and the synopsis, I was expecting this book to be heavier on the fantasy elements. But that being said, I think this book would be great for readers who want to get into the fantasy genre. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy light fantasy books and love triangles.


I received an ARC copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.