Where do I even begin with Sinner's Isle? This is a really great book for those that grew up loving the movie, Sinbad. Much like watching that move 100 times, I will be reading this story over and over! This debut novel from Angela Montoya was absolutely breathtaking. It's filled with love, laughter, heartbreak, and action.

I love the depth of all the characters from our show-runners to the side characters, everyone just feels like they play such an important and essential part of the story. Santi was such a sunshine delight throughout and the twist about him I was slamming my hand down on my desk screaming with delight and gasping.

I really loved the implementing of heartsong, I thought it was a beautiful addition to the story.

This book does not contain actual spicy scenes, it's closed door with some adult tones and I thought they were implemented so beautifully.

I was so excited for this one but it didn't work out the way I thought it would. The beginning was great but I slowly lost interest.

Me of five years ago would have devoured this. I think this is one of those times where "it's not the book, it's me." I'm finding it harder and harder to find YA books to love.

DNF @33%

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Loved this so much! I just love books about pirates and magic I guess! I know a lot of folks don’t like dual POV but I liked the switching between Rosa and Mariano. They were so cute together. I usually don’t like insta love but the way they bickered and bantered because getting together was adorable. All the side characters were also just as great. I feel sorry for Isobel and the other girls. I hope they got a happy ending after the story.

The plots twists near the end made me gasp. I didn’t expect the random pairing but I totally loved it! They fit with their funny personalities.

I loved the idea of the magic here. There were so many different girls that had the coolest abilities. The totally sexist acts that were going on just because the girls had magic had my blood boiling. Hopefully Sebastian and the other men on his side can change things. And I know Rosa and the crew with be a big help too. I guess I really am a sucker for fantasy romances because this was too cute and the action was very well paced. An amazing debut!

This was such a fun and interesting YA fantasy. It had romance, witches, and pirate kings, not to mention so many twists and turns that you almost need a GPS. I had a great time reading it and found the plot complex and engaging. Even the side characters were compelling. I always want more from books I loved but this is definitely worth picking up on release day or preordering!

Thank you to PenguinTeen Canada and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Sinner's Isle" by Angela Montoya is, a YA pirate witch romance following the Prince of Pirates Mariano and oppressed Majestic Rosalina.

I would give "Sinner's Isle" by Angela Montoya a 3 star review because, the world-building was great, I enjoyed the overall concept, but I felt the pacing was off, the main FMC was great but I really only I enjoyed her character, and I just didn't love it as much as I was hoping.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this DRC.
Magic, politics and religion always mean a bad time for women. Rosalinda is young women born with magic. It used to be celebrated but now it wins you a trip to an isolated isle to be auctioned off to be used by rich men. Rosalinda and Mariano, a shipwrecked pirate, work together to escape and overturn everything.
This book moves well as it happens over a short time period. The characters develop well, and their relationships are believable. My favorite Majestic was the one who could talk to spiders!


#SinnersIsle #NetGalley

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you TBR & Beyond Tours, Joy Revolution, and Angela Montoya for providing me with an arc and all opinions are all my own.

I was drawn to this book by the absolutely gorgeous cover and I was pleasantly surprised by the book itself. YA can be hit or miss for me recently but this book was everything I wanted it to be and it truly reminded me of Serpent and Dove mixed with Pirates of the Caribbean. While I enjoyed the book I did think that the pacing was a bit inconsistent, it felt incomplete at the end, and I wish some parts were explained more in depth but this a debut book so while yes it had issues it was really good for a debut. I think that a lot will love this book and I do recommend it for people looking for a diverse latinx ya fantasy novel with witches and pirates as it is really decent. I definitely will be keeping an eye out for Angela Montoya’s next books as I don’t like to make a hard judgment on an author’s writing style with their debut book as that just is a bit unfair.

In this world Majestics are treated as very valuable property, they are seen as scum of the earth while also being wanted by powerful men for their power. Rosalinda has lived on Sinner’s Isle like the rest of Majestics since she was captured as a child, she just wants to have freedom and be able to make her own choices which she will not get if she doesn’t escape the Isle. When Majestics turn 18 they are put into the Offering where they will possibly be picked and then bound to a man who will have complete control over them. Rosalinda is possibly the most powerful majestic in centuries with her phantoms and she doesn’t want to risk them being used to harm others so she has to escape with her best friend before time runs out. Marino, known as a prince of pirates, lands on Sinner’s Isle after having to abandon his father’s fleet. When a chain that is supposed to lead him to his heart’s desire leads him to Rosalinda they both have more questions than answers.

I really loved Rosalinda as I love powerful FMCs that want to be able to save themselves and those they love. Rosa has a very traumatic past from when she was captured to be brought to the isle and she is terrified of what her powers can do when they aren’t controlled. Marino is a loveable idiot, he is pushed into a world that tips what he thought he knew completely upside down and has to work with a woman that seems to hate him but needs his help a tiny bit more. I do think their relationship was a bit rushed but due to some factors it isn’t uncommon for that to happen but I wish there was a bit more push and pull before they accepted their love for each other.

I do really want a book 2 in this world. I think it would do really well following different characters as there are some side characters that would make a good main character and had incomplete story arcs. I would love a book about the King, Santiago, and Rosa’s best friend as it seemed like there was something between them 3. I also think there is a lot more to this world that has yet to be explored from the magic system to the politics of the world after the events of this book.

I do recommend this especially if you loved book 1 in the serpent and dove trilogy mixed with pirates.

5 ⭐️!!!

This is a wonderful debut YA fantasy with witches and pirates and it is witty and magical in all the best ways!

Set in a world where majestics are cursed with powers and must be bonded, the story follows Rosa and her best friend Juana are of age for their first Binding- bound to a man because the majesties are seen as cruel and evil creatures. The story also follows Mariano, the prince of pirates and his own personal journey to his heart’s desire.

The love stories in this book were so cute and heartwarming! I love all of the characters so much, especially Santiago and King Sebastian. I caught myself laughing out loud every time Santi spoke because he was just so funny. Also I would like to add that the Spanglish in this book was top-notch! In some books that’s not the case- but for this book it was so smooth! There was jokes and digs in Spanish and I loved it so much and I think added to the humor.

The world is so creative! The magic system was so unique as each majestic has their own unique ability and I think added to their personalities. I also loved the magical creatures as well and thought they were so cool!

There was a great mix of plot and character driven book which I LOVED!

I also would like to politely beg for a Santi book and/or novella, please and thank you!

I knew from the cover I was going to be obsessed with this books. And I mean, pirates? Witches? Queer representation? Found family? How could you not love it?? I adored these characters and was so pulled into the story from the first page. This is definitely a must read.

Pirates, magic, and witches was all I needed to Know about this book to know that I would enjoy it. Sinner's Isle by Angela Montoya is such a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! This review is my opinion.**

This book....THIS BOOK, Y'ALL!!! Angela Montoya deserves a standing ovation! The enemies-to-lovers trope is done so well here and I literally will die on that hill. This was pitched as "Pirates of the Caribbean" meets "Serpent and Dove". Serpent and Dove is one of my TOP favorite series! So anything with that tagline immediately grabbed my attention.

Now, pirates aren't usually my thing, but in this book, Mariano made me swoon. This guy is super charming, knows what to say to get what he wants, and his personality made me squeal. Rosalinda, on the other hand, is the real deal. She's a fighter, desperate for freedom that was taken from her as a child. The chemistry between her and Mariano is **chef's kiss**. One of the best things about this book is the POC rep! I am literally drowning in the amount of fantasy books with white main characters. I'm biracial (Black and white), and I don't feel represented much in certain genres. The colorful cast in this book is one of the reasons it earns 5 stars.

The plot is amazing, the romance is tense and hot, and the world building is full of so much energy! Give "Sinner's Isle" a chance!

When I heard Sinner's Isle described as Serpent and Dove meets Pirates of the Caribbean I knew I had to read it! Unfortunately for me, this one fell flat. I could not connect with the writing at all and every time I put it down to do something else, I found myself not wanting to pick it back up and forcing myself to read it. The characters were pretty one dimensional to me and we were on the island for longer than I was expecting, given you know pirates. Overall this one wasn't my cup of tea but maybe someone else will end up loving it.

The young adult Latine pirate romantasy I didn't know I needed! Also, since this is young adult, it is fade-to-black.

I adored Rosa and Mariano's chemistry and love story. It was easy to root for them, and I sped through this book!

cw: Gore, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Self harm

There's something inherently fun about pirates, but then you add in women rage and magic? I'm sold.

Sinner's Isle was a glorious debut. This was a book I had such a good feeling about and am so glad it delivered. While I don't have shadow powers, the struggle Rosa went through for so much of the book holding her shadows at bay because she was so worried how the fallout would concern others (slight spoiler alert) and then just letting all hell break lose. I love and admire her so much for it. Mariano: my beloved swashbuckling swoony Prince of Pirates. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him fight his attraction for Rosa. His inner turmoil of: "I just met her, there's no way I'm in love with her" was hilariously heartfelt and I felt his pain.

Santi and Sebastien. My loves. May nothing bad ever happen to you. I cannot wait to expand on both of their storylines, Santi was the perfect sarcastic and over the top best friend. I am also looking forward to getting to know the other Majestics more. I wish we had gotten a little bit more info on them and their relationship with Rosa and I hope this gets explored more in the next one.

Give me all the Latine adventure romantasies. I will be here to gobble them up.

4.25/5

What a debut book, thank you for opportunity to read it early as an e-arc. The world building was well thought out and felt real from the first page. It was refreshing to have queer characters simply be. I'm auDHD and can usually guess what the big reveal will be pretty early on, but the reveal in Sinner's Isle really surprised me. When authors are able to do this, the book instantly becomes a five star from me. I'll be thinking about these characters like they're old friends. To sum my review up: yes this book is absolutely worth the hype.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Joy Revolution for allowing me to read this ARC!

This was an absolutely adorable story and a perfect YA intro into the romantasy genre! A witch and a pirate coming together to in an action-packed and high stakes story. The characters were witty and full of life! I cannot wait to see what Angela Montoya writes next!

This is such a good pirate fantasy! I adored Sinner's Isle, Angela did such an incredible job with the magical world building. We have been needing more good pirate books and SI really brings that to the table!

Pirates! Witches! Sirens!

I love a pirate fantasy, but a YA pirate fantasy with witches makes my heart sing. Angela’s debut was spectacular and mysterious, with thrilling twists, a swoony romance, unlikely friendships, and a story of found family, love, and hope.

The world building was wonderful with its distinct magic, politics, and history. Angela’s descriptions of this world were rich and vibrant from the architecture on the isle to its lush landscape and surrounding sparkling seas full of secrets lurking below the surface. This world of wonder and danger was steeped in old magic and myths, and the political intrigue was excellent. I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see how the scheming and secrets played out.

The romance was sweet and I liked how Angela wrote about fate and the threads and songs that connect our hearts to another. But perhaps what I loved most was how at its core was a story of women reclaiming their power. These Majestics were women society envied and feared. Who were deemed wicked and sinful, and forced atone for their differences by being bound to mortal men. These men who cast judgment and hate, all too quickly jumped at the chance to siphon off the power these women possessed, to silence their voices, and shackle them to a life of servitude. The ending was incredibly satisfying as these beautiful and bold Majestics came together to burn the whole place down.

Structurally, the shorter chapters and dual POV kept the story moving quickly, making it near impossible to put down. There were twists that surprised me and moments that left me breathless, and I loved every minute. The only question I have is: how do we get a book about Santi?? Because I’m obsessed with his character.

If you love pirates, magic, and romance this is the book for you! This book was a beautifully written Mexican folklore YA fantasy romance! I loved Rosa’s character and her shadows! Mariano and Rosalinda had great chemistry right off the bat but this is definitely a slow burn romance! There’s some good action packed parts with the pirates and even the Majestics. I also loved learning all the different powers the Majestics had! Overall a great book I’d recommend to my fantasy lover friends!

I read an eARC of Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children’s.

This book has an audience. I knew this while reading it, and it was reaffirmed when I saw the score for the book.

For me though, this book's dialogue and characters just came off as too cliché. Especially, especially the love interest, and the main characters thoughts can be, but she not too bad until she starts talking to the king.

This is a story about people who live on the sea. The main character is a woman who can use magic. She can call these shadow creatures that are always calling for her to use them to rip apart the people who wrong her. As someone who can use magic, she was ripped away from her family at a young age, trained on an island, and now she’s going to meet all the rich people, including the king, so they can bid over her, and whoever buys her will have her horrible power to control. Not literally, more in a: they’ve been brainwashed to obey and pierced with iron to dampen their powers.

The pirate prince's father is dying. The father is telling him he must leave the ship as his uncles have more of the crew’s loyalty and will kill him as soon as his father is dead. The prince answered with macho cliches and honestly, while I kept reading, he’s a character, not a person, I do not care.

Then the main character tries to run away with her best friend, fails, and then has to go along with being sold off or her friend dies. She then meets the pirate prince, steals something precious to him, and blackmails him to help her save her friend so they can run off together.

It’s action-packed, filled with angst, emotion, and a heist. Anyone who loves a fantasy, action, romance plot with pirates is going to eat this book up. I hope that this book finds itself in more hands of people who are going to love it.