Super exciting YA fantasy that sucked me in from the prologue, and kept me reading til the wee hours of the night.

I am super excited to see where this story goes. After that ending I am definitely going to read book two as soon as it’s released.

I’m hoping for more kissing though. 😊

Loved this book so much!! It was so refreshing to finally have a multi pov YA book again. I loved the whole concept of slumbering gods and the main MC was definitely someone I rooted for. The voice was spot on too. I would 100% recommend this book.

I loved the characters, and was happy the POV rotated through each. I've read most of the author's books, and, in most cases, have really enjoyed them. She is an auto buy for my library.

Sleeping gods, sacrifices, princes, sailors, impending war, romance - - yes, please.

An unlikely group will struggle to survive and protect the prince when others are searching and hoping to kill him. There are two countries on the brink of war. They each worship a different god. One is sleeping and the other requires a sacrifice. If these gods are summoned and brought to full wakefulness, a battle could ensue like no other.

Selly is the daughter of a successful sailor who owns many ships. Her father is off in another area and Selly hasn't seen him. Hoping to sneak away and find her way to where he is, she's upset when her plans are shattered by the sneaky maneuvering of others. Selly is pulled into the Prince's orbit unintentionally and even though she's irritated with him initially, she eventually becomes protective of him.

There are others involved in the political game being played. Several students from Leander's school days have been pulled into the confrontation whether intentionally or unintentionally. The forces of evil aren't above leveraging someone's love for a parent to be sure they cooperate with the wishes of those meaning to harm the prince.

This was a wonderful book with very solid world building and character development. It felt very effortless to read even though there were multiple characters and plot devices included. I look forward to the next book in this series as we were left with a small cliffhanger.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This book was honestly so good. The first chapter hooked me, and then I was a little upset that we had a time jump (even though we were basically warned of this happening, I am just a dumb-dumb and have the memory of a pea), but it quickly hooked me again. I typically hate books that are multi-POV because I end up only wanting to go back to one or two. This has five POVs and I wasn't bored or wanting to skip any of them. It was done so well and allows you to see into everyone's mind just a bit before jumping on to the next person. I loved how it weaved everything together, and I'm so excited for the next book.

Selly is very anxious to meet up with her father and take her place in his merchant fleet. Unfortunately not only does he not show up as anticipated, but her ship is commandeered by the prince. Now she is swept up helping the prince stop a war on verge of breaking out. Told in several perspectives, this fantasy has a unique early industrial setting that sets it apart from the typical. The pacing is good and the twist at the end leaves the reader curious to see where the next book will take them. Overall a very good read!

While Selly carries the marks that identified her at birth as a magician, that magic has never materialized. Instead, she's determined to prove her worth to her father and his fleet as an ordinary sailor. But that life is upended when her ship is commandeered by a handsome stranger to travel to the distant Isles of the Gods. When what seems like a pleasure cruise leads to unexpected danger, Selly and her companions are in a race to the isles with world-ending implications.

LOVED this. Some other reviewers complain about the slow pace, and I have no idea what they're talking about. The trio is on the run almost from start to end, and that frenetic pace kept me glued to my e-reader. I haven't read any of Kaufman's solo work before, and I am wowed by the well-crafted team and the serious slow burn romantic tension— it makes me suspect that my favorite parts of The Aurora Cycle were her doing.

The part that is slow is the romance, which might dissatisfy audiences primarily interested in this.

Sleeping gods. Countries on the brink of war. A girl who loves the sea, who has a hidden secret and a prince who may not be ready to save the world, fans of Kaufman will enjoy The Isles of the Gods another action packed story young readers won’t want to miss.

This is the first book I’ve read that was written only by Amie Kaufman. I’ve read her co-author novels, which I’ve completely enjoyed. It’s always interesting to see an author take their craft and hone it for themselves. Creating new and intriguing stories filled with a diverse cast of characters (both villains and heroes alike) that will further young readers joy of reading.

With an unexpected ending, and questions still left unanswered, I’m eager to see what Kaufman has in store for us in the sequel.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

Let me preface this by saying this is the first Amie Kaufman book I've read, though Aurora RIsing's been on my TBR for forever. When I saw the cover and description, The Isles of the Gods seemed made for me. I mean, slumbering gods? Magician's marks? A high-stakes adventure on the seven seas with ROMANCE? I grew up on Percy Jackson and the (woefully underrated) Bloody Jack series; I couldn't wait to discover a new epic series to take me back to my childhood.

So...why the three stars?

Because it felt, in a word, uneven.

There are five POVs, which is quite a lot in a first book, and half of them were incredibly well fleshed out, while the rest were not. Captain's daughter Selly, a magician who cannot access her magic, is the predominant POV and I particularly struggled to connect with her motives -- and I really, really wanted to love Selly. She's prickly and guarded, with a chip on her shoulder, which makes scenes between Selly and Leander, a flirtatious prince and her love interest, an absolute delight to read. Selly -- from Leander's perspective -- shines as a character, but Selly from her own perspective feels a bit flat. Is she concerned with reuniting with her father, gone on another year-long voyage? Does her lack of magic grate on her? Is she concerned with Leander's safe passage to the Isles of the Gods, a trip that he must make to ensure the slumbering gods remain happy? Selly can absolutely have all of these motives, but her goals seem to change abruptly, since she must share the stage with four other POVs, one of which (Jude, a former friend of Leander's, turned villain) doesn't add much.

But despite my main critique of Selly, I was continually drawn in by the magic and worldbuilding. The high-seas setting is unique and incredibly well done, and I liked the blend of modern (autos) with old fashioned (lengthy voyages via ship). The mythology of spirits and gods is fascinating...and the romance is top notch. This is the exact opposite of insta-love, and an incredibly well-done enemies/rivals to lovers. Think longing looks mixed with playful banter. Think “I’m paying more attention than I wish I was to the places we touch at hand and knee." Think "will they/won't they." And, not to spoil anything, but I love a man who understands consent. Leander is one of the best and most nuanced YA fantasy men I've read in a while.

In fact, I think there's a lot to love here. Were my hopes a little too high? Possibly, but I commend Kaufman for her solo debut, and I think the series does have a lot of promise, as long as the multi-POVs each receive their fair amount of attention. I'll definitely pick up the next installment, and I enjoyed the cliffhanger at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's/Knopf Books for Young Readers, and Amie Kaufman for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this book! There was action, adventure, danger, romance, and SO MUCH MORE!! Seriously, I can't even write a review that will do this one justice so all I will say is go pick this book up.

Tomorrow you'll be able to experience a new young adult novel series by author Amie Kaufman. The Isles of the Gods introduces you to a world on the brink of war, and it's up to young heroes and heroines to stop it.

All Selly wants is to sail north to be reunited with her father. All Keegan wants is to study in solitude at the Bibliotek. All Jude wants is for his mother to get well. All Leander wants is to party. And all Laskia wants is to prove herself worthier than her older sister, Ruby.

When Leander fails to do one thing - his main princely duty - Laskia takes advantage and attempts to have Leander assassinated. But with the help of Selly and Keegan, who begrudgingly become Leander's friends, they keep him alive. Just long enough.

Of course, the story doesn't end with this book. The Isles of the Gods is just the beginning of the story. Despite having a bit of a hard time keeping track of all the characters and the action in this novel, I am intrigued as to what will happen next. I don't know if this series is doing to be a duology or something longer, but I do know that Kaufman has created an interesting world filled with magic, mystery, and murder. I look forward to seeing where the rest of the story goes.

The Isles of the Gods is published by Knopf Books for Young Readers and will be published May 2, 2023. I received a free e-ARC from the publisher.

This fabulous young adult fantasy novel opens a new solo series from Amie Kaufman, who’s writing I’ve always adored and found absorbing (check out The Illuminae Files which she coauthored with Jay Kristoof and the Starbound trilogy co-authored with Megan Spooner).

Sibling Gods and their Mother rule over connected human nations, with a longtime war among the Gods having ended with the complete destruction of a nation; the God of Risk of the nation of Mallacea, Macean the Gambler, has been bound to sleep by Barrica, the now Sentient Goddess of the nation of Alinor. As a result, 500 years have passed peacefully, but unrest and the rise of religious fervor in Mallacea threatens to upset this balance and reawaken their sleeping God of Risk.

Selly, from Alinor, has been assigned to a sailing ship, the Lizabetta, in her father’s large fleet to learn the art of sailing and running a ship from the bottom-up from tough Captain Rensa, starting as a thankless boat hand. Winter is oncoming, and Selly plans to sneak aboard another ship heading North, before passage becomes shut off, to join her absent father who she deeply misses. In a land where some people have magical abilities marked on their arms with green designs, Selly only has two broad strokes and has had absolutely no luck in reaching the spirits of air, land or earth to summon up help.

Leander, the privileged, spoiled, handsome prince of Alinor, spends his frivolous days socializing with his friends and being completely irresponsible – including being a year delayed in an every 25-years ritual of visiting the island of Alinor’s God to make a symbolic sacrifice. Leander who has powerful magical abilities to speak to all the differing types of spirits, ends up

Keegan, a scholar and former schoolmate who Leander tormented, has run away from an arranged marriage to make his way to a protected nation of study.

Laska, the frustrated younger sister of Mallacea’s leading criminal overlord Ruby, wants to desperately prove herself to be elevated as a peer in Ruby’s business. Her vindictiveness and ruthlessness turns to trying to kill Leander to provoke a war with Alinor and ultimately waken the God of Gamling Barrica. Under her control is Jude, a former friend of Leander’s from school, who’s Mom had abruptly moved them to Mallacea upon the death of his father and is now laying dying herself. Laska holds the key to getting Jude the medical help he needs for his Mom and has blackmailed him into her deadly schemes.

Selly, Leander and Keegan ultimately find themselves on the Lizabetta, and on the run in a high-stakes adventure where their lives are at risk. They hold the key to trying to stop the war between nations, and to do so, must reach the Isles of the Gods.

The action of the novel is non-stop, with chapters alternating between the differing characters’ narration and perspective. Particularly with Selly and Leander, the character building and revelations run deep. Kaufman has also done a nuanced job of not making the story of one of pure good versus evil, but instead offers up portraits of nuanced vulnerabilities and vendettas. The world-building proves so richly detailed you feel like you’re sailing the high seas, skulking along city’s alleyways, and climbing the jungled Isles of the Gods alongside them.

Only issue: the book ends with a completely cliff-hanger! Hope the next book in the series comes out fast!!

Thanks to Random House Children’s, Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Big thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kauffman!

Isles of the Gods was a book that I was really looking forward to, even though I was in a bit of a reading slump. And I am very happy to say that it definitely pulled me out of that slump!

The world that this book is set in has mythology at its core. The mother goddess created other gods to look after the world for her, but they became envious of each other's lands and wanted more power. This started a war. 501 years later this war is set to erupt again and the one that can stop it is late for his family's sacrifice.

Here's where our main characters come in. In general there are 3 that are the biggest players - Selly, Leander and Laskia. Selly is born and bred to be a sailor and when her father can't make it back before winter she sets out to find a way to get to him. All of her plans are dashed by Prince Leander. He has to make a journey to strengthen his goddess and prevent war from erupting again. But he doesn't realize that he might already be too late.

Laskia is from a different country. One where their god was defeated and trapped in an eternal slumber. Her goal is to get her older sister to see she's ready for more responsibility in the criminal underworld, but nothing seems to work. Laskia's faith leads her to find a plan to wake up their sleeping god and start a war that would change their country's destiny forever.

I would be interested in seeing more of the other gods in their pantheon be involved, since this one just involved Barrica (the warrior/Sentinel) and Macean (god of risks/Gambler).

I absolutely loved all the characters, and the plot was quite refreshing. I've previously only Amie Kauffman's collaboration works with Jay Kristoff, and I have to say that I loved this just as much. I'm excited to see where the story leads and to meet these characters again!

Genre: YA Romance, Fantasy
TW: Murder, Death, Ill parents
Spice: None
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️[4/5]
Review written by: M
*Thank you NetGalley & Random House Children’s Books for this eArc in exchange for an honest review*

Plot:
Five different characters take you through a series of interconnected events that take place within a few days. Selly the fearless sailor, Leander the prince, Keegan the bookworm, Laskia the villainous sister & Jude the troubled boy.

Selly’s mind is made up to run away when a random stranger with magician’s marks boards her father’s ship and wrecks all her plans. The stranger comes with the dangerous mission of crossing the Crescent Sea without being detected to deliver him to the Isle of the Gods in time to complete the sacred ritual. What started as an inconvenience became a whirlwind of catastrophic event. Will they make it in time to the Isle of the Gods? Will they live long enough to stop the sleeping God from waking and with-it bringing destruction and chaos to the world as they know it?

Thoughts:
The start of the book took me a bit to grasp since I could not quite understand in which period it was being modeled after. At first it felt like Ancient Greece with talk of the Gods and merchant ships, but then there were also bars, cocktails, and cars. Once I got over the initial hump, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this read.

The plot of this book was very intriguing to me, Gods, magic, a war simmering in the horizon, pirate vibes and a prince, I am here for it all.

I enjoyed not only the 5 main characters, but the side characters as well. There was enough given on them to make them memorable, but not enough where they overshadowed the MCs. Sally was one that I related to the most. Her rebellious side, and the banter between her and the prince was great. The writing was very fluid, and the authors descriptions made it easy for me to play a movie inside my mind.

There we a few plot holes in the magic system that I felt should have been explained. We know that there are Gods & Spirits, but there was not much explained as far as the spirits went. Why do they help the magicians? Who are they and why are some magicians gravitate to certain spirits? Regardless of these things not being answered, I truly enjoyed the book as a whole and I am intrigued enough to know what happened in the rest of the series. My biggest complaint about this book was that it ended in a major cliffhanger and now I must wait until the second book is released.

The Isles of the Gods, by author Amie Kaufman, is the first installment in the authors The Isles of the Gods series with the sequel releasing Summer 2024. The story alternates between a variety of characters from Selly Walker, to Prince Leander, to Scholar Keegan, to Laskia who is tired of being under her sister Rose's thumb and has her own plans, and Jude, a boy who knew both Leander and Keegan, but found himself fleeing to a new country after his father died and left him and his mother penniless. Depending on the character, the setting could be a ship, or a country, or even the Isle of the Gods.

In this world, the Mother made the world and watched it grow. The most annoying and also the most entertaining began to demand more and more attention. She created (7) children: Barrica and Macean always jostling for leadership. Then Dylo, Kyion, Sutista, Oldite and finally Valus. They each took on the tribes that would eventually become countries. Unfortunately, like most humans, they started coveting what others had. It all began with jostling and ended in a war.

King Anselm was a royal magician who could control all four elements. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Barrica. Unfortunately, the war between the Gods destroyed Valus and his lands and created what's called the Barren Reaches. With Anselm's own sacrifice, Macean was put to sleep, the other siblings stepped away from the world no longer walking the world. Barrica became the Sentinel staying around to ensure that Macean would never rise to cause trouble again.

Now every 25 years a member of the royal family must renew that sacrifice on the Isles of the gods but Prince Leander is a year late because he loves to have fun, and party with his friends. This has caused Macean’s forces to grow stronger. And now they are trying to hunt Leander down so that he cannot make the sacrifice. She is the daughter of the man who has the largest sailing fleet in the known world. A man she yearns to reunite with to further her path to becoming first mate. She has mysterious magician marks on her hands which she keeps covered with gloves.

Selly's has spent most of her time with Captain Rensa of The Lizabetta who was told to make sure Selly has the tools she needs to one day become her own captain of her own ship. After making plans to escape Rensa, and make her way to her father, she is interrupted by Prince Leander of Alinor who just happens to be a royal magician and descendant of Anselm. Leander has a mission that certain people (like Laskia) will do anything to stop. Selly's ship has been tasked with taking Leander to the Isle of the Gods where he can make a sacrifice to Barrica so the other gods do not wake up, especially Macean.

Along for the ride Keegan who went to school with Leander. Keegan is a scholar who just wanted a ride to the Bibliotek and now here he is on this top secret mission. After setting sale with a minimum crew, Selly and crew soon find that their mission has been compromised, and now they are being chased by Laskia and a crew who will do anything to stop Leader from reading the Isles where he can make a sacrifice to his God. After a series of trials of fire, and being chased to all corners of the known world, Selly must prove that she is the person who is able to step up and be a leader.

It is fair to say that Selly and Leander's narratives were the most interesting while Laskia's was the most twisted. Jude is still a mystery and his status as either a villain or a hero is still outside in the gray area. I kind of feel for him after what he and his mother have been through, and now his mother is pretty much a hostage to keep Judge in line. The more time Selly spends with Leander, the more impressive she becomes, and proves that she is a capable Captain. Of course, there is a cliffhanger ending which leaves more than a few characters in a curious situation.

This book is exceptional. Any fan of character-driven YA fantasy romance is SURE to devour and enjoy.

Selly is a sailor, out to reunite with her father. Her plans are sunk, however, when her captain takes on the task of ferrying a handsome stranger to a remote island to complete an important ritual. In another land, there is a gang jockeying for power, with plans to exploit this ritual voyage and incite a war of catastrophic proportions. Chaos ensues as their paths all collide.

This story is told in four parts and in five points of view, but it's paced so well that the complexity of it is in no way a hindrance. We see all sides of the story, all motivations, even for characters we don't feel compelled to root for. Along with the characters, the worldbuilding is rich and varied, and there is a history of the land and its religions that feels so well-realized, believable, mysterious, and fascinating.

The story also features some of my favorite YA fantasy/romance tropes, and they're done extremely well. Reluctant hero, chosen one, quests, hidden powers, only one bed, it's aaaall here. I will never get sick of reading these kinds of stories, especially if someone as talented as Amie Kaufman is the one writing them.

I'm desperately waiting for the next book, and I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a DRC.

4.25/5

WOW. I could not put this book down. This multi-perspective book takes you across the high seas as our “heroes” (you’ll understand why I put quotations…) race to appease a god to prevent an all-out war. If you’re hesitant about getting into fantasy, this is a great “starter” fantasy series that I can’t wait to continue.

If you like the elemental magic of Avatar: the Last Airbender & Legend of Korra series, you’ll love the way Kaufman incorporated elemental magic into her book. It’s similar but definitely unique to the world she’s created. The story is very fast-paced and has extremely high stakes with every page. A theme that’s very present in the story is that the world is bigger than your own self, and I think she does a great job at conveying that. The characters had to truly fight for their survival and I appreciated how they never got the “easy” way out. They were never protected or cushioned for the sake of the plot.

The only regret I have for the book is that there isn’t a more “complex” writing style you find in high fantasy books. I would have LOVED for the novel to go much deeper in its world-building and magic system.

I can’t wait to see where Kaufman takes us next.

I was given an Arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

So I was so excited for this book because who doesn’t want to read a pirate book…but by 30% in I was still bored! I felt like it kept dragging on and I questioned whether to push through or not! I always DNF a book by 30% if I’m not enjoying it! But I kept going and it did pick up a bit!

There are so many points of view that it’s difficult to keep up and I honestly found it a bit unnecessary. I felt like all the different perspectives is what kept the book from progressing faster so it just drug on!

By the end I did enjoy this book but I don’t know if I would pick up a second one!

I had only read books co-written with Jay Kristoff before this one, so I was very excited to get a review copy of Amie Kaufman on her own. And I adored it.

One of the things that drew me in right away was the fact that the mythology of this world is tangible. The gods literally walk among them. So often, the gods in a world are an amorphous thing driving things forward, but not here. It set a unique tone right out of the gate that I really enjoyed.

As we got into the meat of the story, it did take a while for me to adjust. I don't always handle time jumps very well. I will say I think that was a taste issue, not execution.

The other thing I thought was handled particularly well was character introduction. You could always see who was important, but not necessarily why. Also, my guesses for people's action and motivations weren't always correct, which I really appreciate. It's no fun to read something and feel like you can predict every single thing that happens. No thank you.

The plot wasn't the most original, but because of the characters and world-building, I didn't find that to be a distraction. Just something I noted as I read. None of my notes were plot based, which is a good thing on the whole, but I like when I have to sink my teeth into it a bit.

My biggest complaint was that I wanted there to be just slightly more. I don't even know where the more would be, necessarily, I just wanted more. Everything was concluded nicely, but the world as a whole fascinated me, and I feel like I know enough about it.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. I loved the elemental magic and the spirits and their personalities, such a fun concept. Also, slumbering Gods who were at war and a story set on the sea, the book was jam packed with great content.

The characters were intriguing and well thought out. I liked the multiple povs and that they were from different sides, giving a much broader understanding of the world and the gods. The relationships were well done and I loved Selly and Leanders dialogue.

The author did a great job bringing this story to life and I am excited to see where it goes next.