The first section of this novel was INCREDIBLE, the detail and emotion and recollection of major life events as lived on a ship of men was vivid and powerful. But then the main character goes to Magic Land and....it fell apart, the writing was cliche, full of over used tropes, characters seemed to make decisions based solely on furthering the plot. For such a fantastic premise and great start (she's clearly a brilliant writer!) it was a let down

I recommend this book to a teenage audience. The main character is young and fairly self absorbed. At times she acts like a reasonable teenager; at others like a spoiled, petulant child. She finds out that her life is nothing like she thought it was and has the typical teenage reaction of throwing a fit over it. Her new surroundings under the sea are described well and its easy to picture them. I thought that the characters seem well thought out, but it was hard to wrap my head around people living underwater and walking around fully dressed as if they were on land. Not a bad book, but not a favorite either.

What a surprise this one was! I had recently been in a pretty large reading slump before picking this one up and I didn't have many high hopes considering my last YA novel didn't live up to the hype.
Emma V.R. Noyes definitely delivered on this book. There were so many things to love, the main character Amare, the world building, and the romance. It's been a while since I read a book with a strong female main character that is not too overdone. Amare is headstrong, but she is vigilant and intelligent. She doesn't make rash decisions and is more careful which I really appreciated seeing.
I've always loved stories about mer folk, pirates, and the sea and I ate this one up. The world was mesmerizing and it was one that I enjoyed escaping to. The romance was 'chef's kiss' and the enemies to lovers aspect was done very well. I highly recommend this high stakes adventure on the sea for all fantasy lovers!

Pirates, magic, and a city on the bottom of the ocean. This story has a lot going for it.
Amare Bellamy grew up as the lone girl on a pirate ship. She dreams of freedom and adventure, but her Captain does everything he can to keep her safe on board. One day, her curiosity gets the better of her, and within days everything she thought she knew about the world is turned upside down. IN a new world, surrounded by secrets and magic, will she find her place?

I loved the beginning of this book. The time on the ship with Amare explaining to us through her memories and experiences what it was like to be a girl in a man's world was fascinating. I'm a sucker for a book that acknowledges that women have periods so I especially liked that part. I did not love most of what happened once we got to The Sunken City.

So how did this book earn 4 stars if I didn't love most of it? It's really closer to 3.5 but ratings don't work that way here. The best thing about this book is the friendships Amare makes in The Sunken City. Cora and Shoa are fast but loyal friends. They support her while having her back. And when the chips are down, Shoa puts herself in danger for her new best friend. The building of Amare's relationships with the 2 love interests both felt organic and natural, not forced. I'm not a big fan of the love triangle trope, especially when the love interests are related, but I can overlook that. Overall, this author seems to really understand her characters and what motivates them, and characters are my favorite parts of stories.

The worst thing about this book was the worldbuilding. If you can suspend disbelief and don't know much about the ocean, then you might be fine. I however had a very hard time with the "science" of this city that is 267 feet underwater. There's a decent amount of telling, not showing, and what is explained often didn't make sense to me. It seems like there's a lot of magic involved in this city where magic is looked down upon.

This is where I'm gonna really confuse you. I liked the plot. The constant adventure and changing location of this book held my interest. The ever-changing cast of characters helped too. However, I am not a fan of the fact that Amare felt like she was constantly just being dragged along in this book. Hopefully, she gets to have some agency and make her own choices in the next book.

Overall, this is a good YA story about a girl finding the truth of who she really is. It's an interesting world and the characters were multifaceted with their own wants and desires. I just wish Amare got to make choices sometimes.

After her parents died when she was just a baby, Amare was raised on a pirate ship. Her father had been the captain and he and Amare's mother were washed overboard in a terrible storm, and her father's first mate, Omar, became the new captain, and Amare's surrogate uncle. Amare learned early that "the only thing pirates fear more than the Royal Navy's noose is magic aboard their vessel." Women on ships are considered very bad luck, so Amare does everything she can to make herself appear boyish. When she finds a hidden treasure chest buried under the sea and opens it up, her life is changed forever, and she really doesn't know if she likes that or not.

I loved everything about this book! Amare was a strong female lead who was so used to hiding her true self from those around her, she kept everybody at arm's length. It was nice to see her slowly open herself up and make friends, as well as fall in love with two different guys who are polar opposites. The supporting characters were well written and likeable, and the pacing was even and made this a quick read. That leaves us with the world building, which was extremely well done, from the descriptions of life on a pirate ship to the glittering underworld city. Throw in some magic and a prophecy, and this book literally had it all!

I enjoyed this book so much and can't wait to see where the author goes with this story in book 2.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank NetGalley and Emma V. R. Noyes for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This could be a good book but I could not get into it. It was just another teenager growing up book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but the story and worldbuilding could have been executed better.
The concept of the book is so unique, and I absolutely loved the setup.
A girl, raised by pirates feels the call of the deep sea, jumps in, and awakes in a magical underwater city, where she learns that the father she believed to be dead is actually a king, and she is a princess.
I also think that the overall storyline was really cool, even though the plot was a bit slow at times, especially in the time after she arrives in the Sunken City.

The romance was sweet, and I enjoyed the love triangle. It was a tiny bit rushed because the characters fell in love rather quickly, but other than that, I think the romance was executed well.

However, let me talk about what I believe is the biggest 'downfall' of the book: The worldbuilding.
This was a big case of telling instead of showing. And I mean literal telling, because most of the worldbuilding was done through dialogue and info-dumping.
Amare, the FMC, arrives in the Sunken City, meets her father, and he tells her A LOT about the world.
And the weird thing is – Amare isn't even too shocked or surprised?
Listen, if I got dumped into a city underwater that my long-lost father resides over, I would LOSE MY MIND, meanwhile Amare asks such poignant questions about the world that sound as if she immediately understands everything that is happening. That felt VERY unnatural to me, especially because I myself was confused with the explanations.

There were also some minor details that were just not correct and didn't make any sense. The book takes place in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy, and it starts almost as historical fiction and then turns into high fantasy. The FMC was basically born a pirate, and it is said that she has barely ever left the ship she grew up on.
Yet when she gets to the Sunken City and sees how big it is, she compares it to London. How on earth would she know what London looks like if she has never been there? There was also a mention of Thailand, which did not exist in the 18th century, as it was still Siam back then.

I love worldbuilding and it is always an element that can either make or break a story for me, and in this case, it broke it a bit for me. I did like the book and will read the sequel, but I just wish the worldbuilding had been stronger and less info-dumpy, because the setting itself is absolutely magical and stunning.

I didn´t know what to expect when I decided to read this book, but I´m glad I did because it was such a nice read. Loved seeing Amare share her stories about living among pirates as a girl, loved seeing her discover new fates and most of all, loved her development as a person throughout the book. Regarding the relationships in the book, I´m completely torn between who i think would be a better fit for Amare. Also, Kora was a mood the entire book. One thing that I must say, is that there was a little lack of research regarding some outside references. Not everyone catches up on those, but me being Portuguese, some things left me a little bit confused. Apart from that, it´s a really nice book and I can´t wait to read the sequel after that cliffhanger. Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Intrigue - magic - mystery - romance - adventure - all under the sea! Imaginative and addictive adventure with a good thread of romance and secrets - and yes, pirates too. A definite fun winner!

Pirates. A prophecy. Magic. A love triangle between a princess and two handsome brothers. All of the ingredients to a fun and adventurous read. The Sunken City was a delightful and surprising story and I am looking forward to reading the next book.

I am very conflicted about this book. Give me pirates and royalty and underwater kingdoms and I am THERE for the ride! The book began really strong, with a good premise, well fleshed out characters, and a solid writing style. Unfortunately, as we began to reach the halfway-ish point, the tone changed so drastically that I felt like another author had jumped in.

When Amari finds herself unexpectedly in a land she didn't know existed, surrounded by elements that must be part of a dream, she realizes that not only can life never be the same, but that the is no going back. Amari will explore a world of wonder and horrors trying to find the truth about the past. The secrets she uncovers point Amari to a future that could make her Queen of Atlantis or Queen of the damned. Noyes take on mythical water creatures and tales of Atlantis are refreshingly new and adventurous. Her characters are multilayered and discovering each new secret with Amari is exciting. I can't wait to find out what happens next!

DNF'ed at 25%.

Part One of this book was absolutely adventurous and entertaining. I loved the prose and the characters. Amare's narration felt so conversational and gave a level of kinship with the reader right off the bat allowing for the reader to feel close to her. The lore and superstition was also a major plus. I found Amare's relationship with her Uncle Omar endearing and could've read an entire book of the adventures with the crew of the Moonshadow.

Unfortunately as soon as Part Two begun I felt the tone of the book change drastically. I felt as if I went from reading a clever young adult novel to a very cliché juvenile book. The dialogue between Amare, Finn, and Shoa was cringeworthy and read incredibly young with a lot of "ohhhhhs" and run on sentences (while I understand that is suppose to show us the character's personality it feels very out of place in a book). The banter went from clever to middle school.

I desperately wanted to enjoy this book and contemplated pushing through, but ultimately the dialogue really was too off putting. It just wasn't for me.

Raised among pirates Amare never knew what it was to have freedom and when she goes through the Sinking - becoming someone who can breathe and thrive underwater - her hopes for freedom are realized... until they aren't. Being "The Lost Princess" comes with some strings attached, strings that are starting to feel more like the bars of a prison cell.
Noyes creates a stunning new world to get lost in with strong, confident female characters and of course the morally grey characters we all come to root for. I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of this series.

The Sunken City

The book revolves around Amare Bellamy, who's orphaned as a child and raised on a ship by the most dangerous pirates in the Caribbean.

One day after a storm plunges her into the depths of the ocean, Amare wakes up in a magical underwater kingdom. The Sunken City.

She then finds out that her father is the king, and she's his only heir. How is she going to fit in as the princess of a place, she has never heard of?

Along her journey she meets a lot of people. Among them are:
● a seer
● two brothers. One is good, and one isn't.
● And more

My opinion
There's a lot of hype about this book as it's described as a book that's perfect for Pirates of the Caribbean fans.
I didn't feel like the hype of the book met my expectations. When I see people's reviews on Goodreads, there's only five star reviews... Did we read the same book?

I feel like it's an average book. I loved the idea, but the execution lacked multiple things.

First of all the Pirates of the Caribbean vibe was only present in the first 8 chapters. The rest of the book takes place in the underwater kingdom. This leads me to my next point, which is the difference between the society on land vs the society under water.

The society above water is old fashioned and Georgian like, whereas the society underwater is very modern. This shift between the old fashioned words to modern slang words was weird, but it wasn't what brought down my assessment.

The big issue was the amount of clichés and the lack of depth in the characters.

● Suddenly a Princess of a whole kingdom (I know it's a fantasy book, but what are the chances that her father is the king?)
● Pirate queen (every time they said it, I cringed so hard)
● The plot twist was predictable to (a cliché revelation - if you know, then you know)
● Two brothers and a love triangle (what is this, the Vampire Diaries? No offense I like the show, but come on. If it was written better then I could jump onboard the train, but no. It honestly felt rushed and towards the end Amare become more and more like Elena.)

Furthermore the lack of depth of characters like Shoa and Finn made it hard for me to care about them at all. We got to know a little more about Lukas and Amare but I still couldn't find it in me to relate to them at all.

Despite my critique the book isn't awful. It's alright, and as I said before, I did like the concept of the book. The mix of magic, pirates, merfolk (the sereia) and the human world are unique
All in all, it's an okay book, and I give it 3 stars. The cover is gorgeous, the idea is interesting, but the execution felt a little weak.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. Remember that opinions can vary, so you may like this book more than I did

First, I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I devoured this book! It was a light, easy read that was fast paced and kept me interested the entire time.

Yes, it has some cliches like, (spoiler) she falls in love with the first boy she meets, she is the "chosen one" of their prophecies, etc. and there were some things I had issues with when it came to pacing. She made BFFs instantly, she goes from pirate to fish to fish pirate within a few pages practically. . .

but. It was still fun to read. I honestly liked the characters, though their depth was never too too deep. especially the best friends. They never get much character development. I do, however, like Lukas. He is the typical "bad " love interest option which, of course, means he is the one meant for her. Again, there are several cliches and typical of this genre occurrences.

I liked the setting but would have loved to explore it more. They mention other cities and other kingdoms but you never hear much more about them. They also do not explore much of the underwater kingdom. Only the teen hangout spots really. Also, it was weird to go from an older setting out of water to a modern one in water. I feel like it would have been better to either. . have it in the same time setting or.. . just make things much different since it is a magical underwater kingdom.


overall, I really did enjoy it for a light read. I even grabbed book two and read it in one sitting. lol

I will never say no to a book about an underwater city. Plus this cover just pulled me right in and drowned me. The writing is gorgeous and lyrical, and the world building is breathtaking. I was also pleasantly surprised to pick up this YA fantasy and discover a romance plotline as well (enemies to lovers AND an arranged marriage trope? yes please!) I can't wait for the next book in the series, The Fallen Witch.

I enjoyed this book so much is was such a fun read and I had to order it right away its absolutely gorgeous

I absolutely loved every bit of this story. Pirate stories are becoming closer and closer to being my favorite types of stories and now we mix it in with a little but of magical lost princess? Count me in! I need the rest of the story now

I said this was going to be my next 5 star read and I was right! After reading the ebook from net galley I HAD to get the physical copy because I loved this read and the cover is just stunning.

genre: YA
pages: 371
rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5
spice rating: 1.5/5

The Sunken City is a YA fantasy series involving pirates, an underwater world, magic, and prophecies. This was one of those reads where I couldn’t wait to see what happened but at the same time didn’t want it to end; it ended on a cliffhanger so I had to get the newest book in the trilogy (The Fallen Witch) right away! The storytelling in this was just 🤌🏼💋 *chefs kiss*. The prose is simply breathtaking and vivid and I found it so easy to fall into this world and devour it. For being YA, I was surprised this book had the steamy moments that it did and I would consider raising the rating from 12 years old, as it felt a bit more mature than that. The storyline was very unique and I loved how she tied in the setting of being in the Caribbean to the names and terms she uses throughout the book. You can tell that the author appreciates the culture (and pirate tales), and a glossary with pronunciations would be really helpful for this book, like I saw there was in The Fallen Witch. The character development in this series is a slow burn but I can’t wait to read the 3rd of the trilogy to see just how much Amare has grown into herself and become the badass woman and leader that she’s set up to be in spite of her inner turmoil and anxiety, rage, self-confidence, and depression.

Read this if you like: found family, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, strong female lead, mental health awareness, pirates and undersea kingdoms, treasure hunts and quests, magic, and plenty of banter.