I loved it! I was in a water book mood with Atlantis and fantasy. And yes this was it. Now i want it as an real book.

Loved the characters and how they develop in the book and the magic just a good book.

I absolutely loved this book! It was such a fun read and I really enjoyed the plot and setting of the book. The author did a great job keeping the story moving which I have to have in a book. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know!

No longer an arc….should probably be taken off! It was a great story that I started and Aww that is was not an arc and the swine booked was published tody.

I was hesitant to start the Sunken City because it takes me time to get into a fantasy world, but once I do get into it, I generally love it. The same happened with Sunken City because, as of now, after finishing the book, I cannot wait for the sequel. As soon as Lukas entered the story, my heart was gone. The world description and character development, everything was just so good. The betrayals and plot twists were a bit cliche, but something I hope builds up the plot for the next book. It is a trend in fantasy books where the second book is often way better than the first one because the author focuses on the world and character buildup rather than the plot in the first one. Since I think the second book will be more focused on the plot, I think I would be able to give it 5 stars.

With the tropes for the next book, like Marriage of Convenience (I'm still confused about which brother I like, lol), yes, I'm super excited. I do want more of Lukas because I know his motives aren't evil. I know he loves Finn more than anything and won't do anything, which causes Finn to suffer. (Elder Brothers who protect their little brothers by becoming the villains>>>>>>>>>>>). I have more questions about this book, but they might act as spoilers, so I'm just going to wait for the second book.

I love a pirate themed book and this one did not disappoint! It follows Amare, a teenage girl who grew up on a pirate ship after losing both of her parents. When she finds herself being called into the sea, she learns that a whole underwater city exists and her supposedly dead father is actually the king, making her the Lost Princess. As she tries to acclimate to her new life underwater, she finds herself in a world full of forbidden magic, witches, demons, prophecies, new friends, and multiple love interests.

I loved the whole underwater city setting and all of the magical elements. I liked Amare as a character and seeing her adjust to a new way of life - she had to suppress her womanhood growing up for her safety and has no idea how to be a teenage girl. I also liked the side characters and the friendships she builds. There’s also a love triangle between her and two brothers - Finn, the kind hearted right hand man of the king, and Lukas, the morally grey villain…I think I know who we’re all rooting for.

I think my only issue was that some of the actions of the characters didn’t always make sense to me. Finn and Amare’s relationship developed in kind of a strange way and Amare’s feelings for him didn’t feel believable. Lukas was also pretty confusing and I’m still not sure how I’m supposed to feel about him. It didn’t take away from the story too much though and I am looking forward to reading the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I read this with my eldest granddaughter and we both loved it. Beautiful immersive settings and a protagonist we would both like to be. Needless to say that we have already pre ordered the next in the series. We can't wait to find out what happens next.

"On the day I ruin my mortal life, I think I've struck gold." Emma V.R. Noyes, The Sunken City.

Amare cannot be a witch, especially since she's been raised on a pirate ship and pirates loathe witches. However, circumstances change as a deadly storm leads Amare to the Sunken City where magic is real but is outlawed by the King, a man who claims to be her father. As she struggles to transition from swashbuckling pirate to a princess of the sea, she finds love from two unlikely places and in order to survive the evil hidden in this underwater kingdom, she must question everything she was previously led to believe.
This story was unlike any I've ever read before. I've read many a pirate book and so I expected that this book would have nothing new to offer me but I'm grateful that I was wrong. The original plot, endearing characters and plot twists that keep you glued to the page had me wishing for the second book as soon as the first one ended. I adored all of the characters but especially Shoa and the members of the pirate crew. I hope that there is more of them in the books to come. As a Caribbean national, I also appreciated the references to the specific Caribbean countries and I also greatly adored the gorgeous book cover.
Unfortunately, there were some aspects of the book that could have been improved. The majority of the book is very dependent on descriptive language and while immersive descriptions can be beneficial, it felt tedious to read through and at times became excessive and repetitive. The writing overall also felt very juvenile and was reminiscent of a young girl's diary instead of a novel. The main character also behaved very childish and immature and so I did not find much enjoyment from her character. I also observed some typos but since I received an ARC that could have been changed pre-publication and wont be judged.
To conclude, I'm rating this book a 4/5 because despite its few flaws it was an entertaining and gripping read. I would recommend this book to those looking for a light, fun, easy read, those who like the Shatter Me series and to younger YA readers.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I chose to read this book and everything stated in this review is my own, honest and unbiased opinions.

Amare Bellamy loves being a pirate. She's grown up on the ocean under the care of her uncle, captain of the Moonshadow. But buried treasure and one storm change her life forever. Amare awakens to a whole new world hundreds of feet below the waves and the claim that she is the Lost Princess. Trapped in a new world so very different from her own and between two very different brothers, Amare must come to terms with who she is, a role that has been thrust upon her, and who she will choose to become. Pirate, princess, or just a lost girl?

This book was an incredibly fun read that hooked me in from the first sentence. There were so many twists and turns that keep you guessing throughout the whole novel. The world of The Sunken City was so much fun to discover and I cannot wait to see other lands and underwater cities explored in future books. There were a few aspects of life under the water that were hard to understand but I loved discovering more things about this new world. Amare herself was a great protagonist that I couldn't help but root for. She was strong while still being flawed in a believable way. My only disappointments were the love triangle and what felt like the lack of a climax at the end. But overall, I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun and easy read.

You all… this book… 🤩🤩🤩🤩

I just devoured this and wish I would have read it sooner! It was beautiful and had all of the elements that I like in a fantasy story. I find that I seem to like pirate/water stories the more I read them and this one was perfect!

I can seriously picture this beautiful, underwater world and I loved all of the unique elements written in to this story along with the many surprises. The supporting characters are well written and I love that after growing up without girlfriends, Amare has two very loyal ones by then end of the book. It was fun to watch their friendships grow!

The best part though, is that Noyes perfectly writes the love interests. There is one clean cut and one dark, morally grey character. Of course my twisted heart is rooting for the darker hero but we will see!

Read this if you like:
🏴‍☠️ A Dark, morally grey character
🏴‍☠️ Hidden Identity
🏴‍☠️ Pirates of the Caribbean meets high fantasy (a dream, I know!)

"The Sunken City" is the last fantasy I read. As a matter of fact, I had no expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the book. Many thanks to BookSirens for the copy provided.

Amare grew up on a pirate ship. Her parents died when she was young and she was raised among pirates. After a terrible storm, Amare finds himself in an amazing underwater world. There are strange sea people in the depths of the sea, and besides them there are also those who use magic. Thus, Amare turns out to be a princess of one of the underwater cities, her father is alive, one of the most famous witches is on her heels, and to top it all off, she is part of some prophecy that does not bode well.

I liked the image of Amara. She was raised by men. Female habits are foreign to her and when she finds her first friends it is difficult for her to trust them. But they are great. I really liked the way they contrasted with each other, and their friendship with Amare was very good. Amare has a typical temperament for teenagers, but she is also very strong. I really liked how the author slowly reveals her strengths and weaknesses. Although she hides behind a mask, she actually has a tender side. We see how, in addition to trying to find her place in this new world, she also fights her demons.

Of course, there is also the love drama, which is very similar to the one from "The Vampire Diaries" - the good and the bad brother. I don't mind the bad characters we learn to love in the course of the story, but here I didn't particularly like Lucas. Finn, however, I liked and I'm sure that the author can play a lot with his character and reveal to us what's going on behind his restrained facade. A lot of twists and turns await us in the next two books. I really liked Maoke, the pirate witch, and I can't wait to see what happens to her.

If it didn't become clear, I really liked the book. The world the author has built is interesting and exciting and has great potential for a great series. I like books that include a water element. And also, the magic is presented in an interesting way and we manage to touch its various manifestations through the characters who possess it. I am looking forward to the next books and I am convinced that the author will break my heart at some point, but I hope for a beautiful ending.

I really enjoyed this book! I got a lot of the vampire diaries vibes from it (110% not complaining, may be team Damon for once in my life), and I thought the world building was phenomenal! I am really looking forward to the other two books in the series coming out this year, and I can’t wait for see what is in store!

You won’t be able to put this down- great read. Looking forward to the sequel. You’ll be captivated from the first page until the last. Wonderful story line and plot.

DNF at 33%

Let me start off by saying that I really thought this was going to be one of my new favorite reads.

Part 1 really pulled me in. The pacing was great, if a little more on the leisurely side, but that really added to the atmosphere for me. The prose was compelling and beautiful -- it felt like I was listening to an amazing storyteller as Amare narrated her life growing up aboard the Moonshadow. In this part of the book, her emotions, prejudices, and motivations are crystal clear - we know exactly how ambitious she is, we can really feel how much she loves pirating, and we get a good idea of how she handles conflict. She's 17 and has only had one chance to interact with someone her age and is basically hidden belowdecks, so while her voice does read as much more youthful compared to some other 17 year old YA characters, she struck me as insightful, capable, and strategic. I was excited to read how Amare would deal with her internalized sexism and her superstitions about and prejudice against witches:

"When I bled for the first time, I thought it was witchcraft [...] An hour later, it hadn’t stopped. Two hours. Two days. Nothing. That’s when I started to panic. Six days passed before the bleeding finally stopped. Six days of hidden laundry washes, of bloody cloth thrown off the stern and left for the sharks. I was in a state. Did I tell Omar? The ailment was clearly the result of magic; how else could a person bleed for six days straight with no clear cause? And was I its victim or its source? Then, three weeks later, it happened again. And again the next month. And again. No one explained menstruation to me. Why would a boat full of drunken men think to tell a growing girl such things? It may have been prudent to alert the Captain to the potential presence of magic on his boat, but it also posed a risk—as the only woman aboard, the men might well think the magic came from me. That I cursed myself. And if I accidentally cursed myself to bleed for a week straight, Lord only knows what I might do to them."

Then Part 2 happened, and I felt like I was reading a completely different book. Here's where I started getting vibes of a colonial and orientalist perspective -- why is it that the bad guys (trying to avoid spoilers here) and monsters in the book are named after words from African languages?

Even with the orientalist and racist undertones, I was willing to hold out hope -- it's not like consuming problematic media is anything new. But the banter and interactions between Amare and Finn had me cringing so bad from secondhand embarrassment, and the enemies to lovers dynamic that was being set up between them felt really contrived. Amare, who grew up on a ship climbing ladders and ropes and all the ship things, all of a sudden starts literally tripping as soon as Finn shows up in the story. And of course, he catches her when she falls, with, of course, a resigned sigh, since she's just a silly princess now I guess:

"Then I trip. Finn catches my arm without even looking. He sighs and pushes me back to vertical."
What exactly are we celebrating here? The fact that Finn can remain upright? That he has average spatial awareness? I've read so many similar scenes in books contrasting and glorifying men's ability to navigate the world (like, literally just remain upright) while women stumble to be saved. Then there were the legit tantrums Amare started throwing, which felt so out of line with the way she dealt with conflict in Part 1, so she came off as really immature, attention-seeking, and pretty annoying.

Based on how amazing Part 1 was, I have a feeling there will be great scenes ahead in this series, but the bad parts are bad enough that I refuse to spend any more hours of my life on this.