Witches, pirates, mermaids and Latinx characters! What more can a girl want? I loved this book from the first page. It was easy to consume and the story was well executed. They say easy reading is hard writing and I can see Angela did a stellar job. The characters were all unique and had their own well rounded personalities. The world was so vivid. I had a smile on my face and tears in my eyes as I read this amazing book. It's the kind of Latinx representative I want to see in the world. I would recommend Sinners Isle to anyone.

I’m not going to tell you where the relationship between the powerful witch and the hot pirate ends up, but I guarantee that you are not only going to fall madly in love with Rosalinda and Mariano, but you will be head over heals for the show stealing secondary characters. Sinner’s Isle is Angela Montoya’s debut YA novel that is exciting, hilariously funny and super sexy while also including commentary on religion, politics and feminism.
Speaking of hilarious, be sure to follow Ángela Montoya TikTok account! She’s a kick!

Oh my goodness there’s so much to love about this book, but let’s start with these characters!!! I had a feeling a book about a fierce witch and a cheeky pirate was going to be a good time, but I didn’t expect how much heart this troop would have. Is there anything better than a found family?! I love a character driven story. I’m so proud of Rosalinda, she’s strong and soft - her rage is her power and I love a mad woman with a soft spot for her people. Some moments were a little clunky, but without detracting from an enjoyable reading escape with characters you absorb into your heart and a cause you can root for. If you’re paying attention, you see the ways in which Rose’s world parallels ours, and may we all have the conviction and camaraderie of the Majestics of Sinner’s Isle! A brilliant debut by Angela Montoya!

Fat-friendly rating? Some body diversity without overt anti-fatness. Unlikely to be triggering.

Recommend? You bet! Thank you to NetGalley and Angela Montoya for this arc, I can’t wait for release day and to have my own copy on my shelves!

I almost didn't request this book because the title is a little cringe, but I'm glad I gave it a shot! This was such a fun read! The world building and the characters were really interesting. I think some of the secondary characters could have been fleshed out a little better, but it was still a blast. Always love a little pirate story and the addition of the Mexican lore.

Sinner's Isle by Angela Montoya was a high 4⭐️. I believe this is a debut novel and the author wrote a very compelling and adventurous story. It’s a YA fantasy romance that had pirates, witches, kings and priests.
I found the whole thing interesting and I’m hoping for a book 2. It’s a pretty clean romance compared to some other books I’ve read and I loved sinners Island. I definitely recommend this one.
Thanks Random House via NetGalley.

A solid debut, I can’t wait to see how this author grows. I liked the MMC POV less than the FMC, but I did like the premise.

She is trapped on an island. He is a pirate with access to a ship. It should be the perfect match - except he hates her magic ...

I loved the premise of this book, but the execution just didn't pull me in. The characters just didn't resonate with me, although the world building was good. Overall just not the book for me!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy

I was struggling to put into words everything I loved about this book! It was cute, and relatable, and evoked a wide array of emotions. 🥰 It was a recipe for success and a lovely debut! Congrats to the author and I can’t wait to see where this story goes! 🖤

What I love about this book:
🖤 Diverse Characters
🖤 Badass FMC
🖤 Morally Grey love interest
🖤 Immersive world-building and magic system

Room for Improvement:
- Could easily have made those steamy scenes spicy 😉😆

Overall, this is a beautifully balanced book with action, tenderness, and humor. There were interesting twists and every character we met was fleshed-out and intriguing.
I highly recommend this book! ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's/Joy Revolution for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It means so much to me to have books like Sinner's Isle being published. Growing up, I never read any books with Latino characters as the main leads, they were always side characters or heavily stereotyped. This book has a special place in my heart, especially because of the all-Latino cast. I can't wait for everyone to read this book!

DNF at 41%.

Nobody is more disappointed than me. Nobody!!!

When I tell you Sinner's Isle was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, I genuinely mean it. It's pitched as Pirates of the Caribbean meets Serpent & Dove... what is not to love?

I really didn't connect with this book, at all. I started off by not totally enjoying the writing style, but I've read - and finished - books in the past where that's been the case, so I carried on. I made it to 41% before realising that I simply had no desire to see it through.

Rosalinda and Mariano, at face value, should have been great main characters. She's got shadow magic, he's a pirate, she doesn't trust guys, he hates Majestics. I didn't find myself drawn to either of them. Rosa was probably my 'favourite' of the two, and I'm using that term very loosely, only because Mariano was made out to be this super famous son of a super famous pirate, but we don't really ever see that (not to mention, he's rather one-dimensional). In addition, his best friend, Santi, was probably meant as comic relief, but I personally found him annoying.

As I've already mentioned, I made it 41% through this book and at that point, Rosa and Mariano had only seen/spoke to each other twice, if I recall correctly. I'm kind of proud of myself for making it through as much of this book as I did, given it has insta-love. This is a HARD-no trope for me. I can't stand it. Also, at 41%, they hadn't yet made it off of Sinner's Isle. Maybe I had misinterpreted the premise of the book, but I had assumed it would be them meeting and escaping from the island at the beginning, and the rest of the plot would follow on from there, but that was unfortunately not the case.

As a side note, if you're like me, and hate spiders (particularly tarantulas)... do yourself a favour and quietly slide this book off of your TBR. I wish someone had warned me before I picked this up.

Overall, I'm devastated to have not enjoyed (or even been able to finish) Sinner's Isle. I have been looking forward to it ever since Angela's book deal was announced, but alas, it wasn't for me.

Thank you to Sam at Penguin Random House for sending me a free eARC via Netgalley!

↠ DNF at 41%, 1 star

I was so excited for this book and it lived up to every expectation and more. The beautiful Latine culture and characters made me tear up numerous times. It is amazing to see yourself represented in a book. The author did an amazing job on her debut novel and I'm excited to see what else comes from her.

An absolute delight! A grand adventure on an island filled with magic and beauty--that is really nothing more than a prison. A handsome pirate who thinks he knows what he wants. And friends with wit that will keep you laughing, and twists you'll never see coming.
Oh, and Rosalinda? Yes. Yes, please.

Let’s face it - you had me at pirates and magic. SINNER’S ISLE is so much more than that, though. It is about accepting yourself and realizing your strength, trusting your gut and being loyal to those who matter. It’s fiestas and dances and thievery and blackmail and love. There is such good LOVE in this - love of friendship, romantic love, and the love of family. They are all so essential to this story, and the lengths that Rosa is willing to go for those she loves propels the story. I adored all the characters: Rosa, Mariano, Santi, Lola, Isobel, Sebastian - I loved all of them and was so disappointed when I was done, I went back and re-read my favorite parts.

Which was the whole book. I read the whole thing again.

I absolutely adored this. This was a spectacular story full of pirates and forbidden romance and witches and adventure, but it was also a really interesting commentary on humanity and our uncanny ability to create in-groups and out-groups based solely on differences between each other (like race, or ability, etc.). Watching Rosalinda's character growth was also wonderful--I love watching a character grow into the fullest version of themselves, and this was no exception. I am really thrilled at having been given the chance to read and review this early, and I absolutely cannot wait until we get our physical copies in at my library. I think this is going to be really, really popular!

Sinner's Isle has left a mark on my soul. Yes, it's a romantic fantasy filled with pirates and deliciously magical adventures, but it's also so much more. It's a thought-provoking take on how quickly some humans are to villainize others simply for their differences. Seeing Rosalinda transform from being resentful of who she is and what she's capable of into a place of acceptance and appreciation was incredibly satisfying. And the way Angela, the author, wove in her culture into this world was a true delight.

💕 Fated Mates
🫶 Inclusive Characters
🪄 Witches
🏴‍☠️ Pirates

Thank you so much to Angela Montoya and Random House for this ARC through NetGalley. Sinner's Isle will be available October 31st, 2023.

Love love love.

Love.

While giggling at different parts of this book I thought to myself, this has such Princess Bride Chaos energy and that is how I've decided to pitch it to my friends.

Seriously I was in tears a few times from laughter. That's the best sort of praise I can give because come on how many books have actually made you laugh that much?

The romance was heated and very emotional, which is something that is so rare and hard to do in YA without the tension coming from the physicality of things and I appreciated it very much.

The politics and hidden agendas of everyone made for great antagonists but also some sweeping metaphors that are timely and I think will be recieved well, but they are ultimately presented in a nuanced way. Usually it's very much black and white in YA, but this book handles its politics from so many angles that make it bleed with authenticity. And because of that I think the messages are much more relatable.

There was so much to adore in this story, the characters popped, the island setting popped, the sea monsters and gemstones and pirates and balls and court politics all popped just right for me.

I'm pretty sure this is a standalone but let it be known I will pay real money for some fluffy or angsty with a happy ending or hurt/comfort novellas about some of the side relationships that don't get the spotlight in this novel.

Anyway! Highly recommend if you like the Princess Bride's humor, Pirates of the Caribbean's aesthetic and action, and the heated romance in Zorro. 💕

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for the opportunity to read rage and review this arc which will be available Oct, 31, 2023!!!

This was a weird book. Not in a bad way but just that it meandered. The plot was steady and kinda predictable but fun. The main characters were delicious together. Pirates witches foul kings and romance. I dug it!

Title: Sinner's Isle
Author: Angela Montoya
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You know that feeling when you anticipate a book so much you fear that it won't deliver, but then it turns out even better than you imagined?

That was this book for me.

Angela Montoya is one of my favourite people in the writing community, so when it was announced that Sinner's Isle was being published I screamed just a little (ok, a lot, I was so excited). Then when I was gifted an e-arc, I screamed even more. And it was all worth it.

This book had everything I could possibly want and more: enemies to lovers, found family, witches (with super unique magic), forbidden romance, the fated mates trope, sirens, latina characters, LGBTQIA+ characters in the forefront, badassery, the list goes on and on.

I don't even know what to say, I loved it so much. I am so desperate to get my hands on a physical copy (can October come quicker please?!) This book is a guaranteed fantasy favourite for fans of Serpent & Dove, Pirates of the Caribbean and On These Black Sands.

Please go add this book to your tbr list now!!

This debut novel was FANTASTIC. I could not stop reading. Majestic Rosalinda and many others are trapped on Sinner’s Isle, where society thinks they belong. When they come of age, they are paraded around and eventually bonded to whoever is willing to pay the highest tithe for them and their magical abilities. Rosa is determined to get herself and her best friend off of the isle before the binding but things quickly go awry. What follows features a brooding, hot pirate named Mariano, his crazy best friend Santi, the King and many others. You can’t put the book down because you can’t wait to see what happens and if Rosa and Mariano succeed in their missions. Ugh, absolutely loved it.

This is a great YA fantasy for fans of Adrienne Young's books set in the Narrows, Serpent and Dove, and all things pirates. The story follows two characters trying to escape different things. For Rosa, the island she has been imprisoned on along with all the other women born to this empire with magic. For Mariano, he is escaping the fall out of his father, the pirate king's, death. The results of both of those attempts end up bringing the MCs to each other in an insta-love relationship with a dash of hate due to Mariano's distrust of Majestics. This is a solid debut and I can't wait to see what stories Montoya whips up next!