This book drags on, gives too much information and detail, and the reading is a mix between Scottish and Jamaican. It's honestly uncomfortable to read and listen to. I had a really high expectation for this book and it failed miserably.

What a fun YA read! Thank you to Dreamscape Media for this gifted audio copy of The Sunken City!

I watched this book go viral on TikTok and was intrigued almost instantly. Fantasy is a new genre for me, so when I saw this audio available, I knew it was my sign to jump on it.

Underwater worlds, pirates, witches, treasure and love. All of that meets the similarity of The Vampire Diaries. I was hooked almost from the get go, and couldn’t put it didn’t. I didn’t feel overwhelmed either by the new worlds. And that cliff hanger….Emma knows how to keep bringing her readers back

My only complaint would be how the narrator tried a little too hard to do other voices.

The narrator for this book did an amazing job! I really felt so much more immersed in the story because of her. This story had me HOOKED from the beginning. I’m ready to continue reading the rest of the series just to find out what happens. It really gives the vibes of Pirates of the Caribbean x The Little Mermaid. I enjoyed the romance and I found it so cute. The only problem I had is that I’m not a big fan of the trope “brothers in love with the same person: one good and one bad”. I feel like it’s over used a lot and usually the FMC always falls for the “bad boy”.

I loved this story overall ! I would recommend everyone to give it a try and it might just turn into a new favorite.

Thank you to the author, Dreamscapes Media, and NetGalley for this audiobook.

This was such a fun listen!! I absolutely loved the narrator’s ability to change her voice just enough to make it distinctly different for each character, but not obnoxious. I felt like it was super well done.

As for the story itself, I initially thought there was just too much going on plot-wise. But then the author wrapped everything up with an incredible ending that had me immediately download the next book. This story had it all. Found family, a dangerous quest, a love triangle, betrayal. I can’t wait to see what she does with the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape, and the author for an advanced listen of the audiobook!! I saw the author make a TikTok about her audiobook deal a couple months ago, so when I saw this on NetGalley I was so excited!

Overall, this book unfortunately did not live up to what I thought it was going to be. There was a strong start with the setting and story, but it lost it’s spark for me throughout part 2. The settings very much confusing the further you get into the novel the original setting was that a 1700s pirates fantasy, but it lost spark when it went underwater there were a plethora of modern terms that brought me out of the proper setting (e.g. nightclub, pizza, miniskirt, fake IDs).
From the beginning there were out of place sentences that didn’t quite make sense until two pages later (i.e. the comment about her parents).
I do typically enjoy young adult fantasy, and that is why I applied for this ALC, but this novel read very childish. If I didn’t have the audio I probably would’ve DNF’ed it pretty quickly after the second part. I think this book would be better enjoyed by young high school aged readers that can get past the childish dialogue, inconsistent setting (very much contemporary feeling rather than its intended fantasy), and grammar/editing issues.

The narrator of this title was fantastic! Thank you Dreamscape Media for this ALC!

This is one of my favorite YA series so I HAD to listen to the audio! This is such an amazing series that combines mermaids, pirates and magic. There is a ton of action and a solid romance.

It was perfect. Well done!

It could be the fact that I am binging TVD right not or maybe it isn't but these boys are totally giving Damon and Stefan vibes and I've always been team Damon. It was really interesting to the “Merfolk” and their underwater city have advancements similar to our modern time while above the surface is the complete opposite. With all the advancements they had I honestly just started envisioning the world of BioShock and how their world looked. This is a YA book so it’s very YA coded and you will get banter and conversation that is very much that. It had me rolling my eyes at parts, but I do eat that up like candy regardless.

I had the pleasure of listening to the audio for this one and it was such a fun story. I cannot wait for book two.

Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I did enjoy the first part immensely and loved being immersed in the pirate world. However, part 2 was like reading an entirely different book. I know it’s a YA book, but the FMC sometimes seemed very childish. On the plus side, the narration was fantastic, I very much enjoyed it.

The Sunken City was a big surprise for me. I checked out the audiobook primarily based on the cover and the inclusion of pirates. I wasn’t fully sure what to expect but what I got was a story full of twists to keep you on your toes. Every time I thought I knew where Amare’s story was going, there was a new twist added to the mix. The final twists at the end of the story were incredibly well done and has me excited to see where the second book goes. I also really loved the found family Amare developed after her arrival to the underwater kingdom. The banter between Amare and both brothers was also really well done. Sadly for Amare, I felt she had better chemistry with the more questionable brother. Additionally, I enjoyed the world building and the contrast between the world above and below. I read this via audiobook and really enjoyed the narration. I felt that Renee Dorian did well to bring Amare’s character to live and added to my interest in the story. Overall, it’s an entertaining, easy listen, and I would encourage you to add it to your TBR pile.

This book has been on my TBR since I saw a lot of hype around it on booktok - If you're looking for an audiobook to listen to while multitasking, I saw go for it! If you're looking for the next best thing you've ever read.... I don't think this will be it. Our main character is a smart and tough young woman on a pirate ship, but she starts to notice some odd things going on and she is eventually pulled into a new society to navigate. I thought the Sunken City setting was pretty cool and fun to explore, but if you read fantasy, I think you're going to see a lot of the plot developments coming.

I was granted access to an audio arc by NetGalley and Dreamscape Media. Overall I liked the audiobook, but I did feel like Amare's voice made her seem even younger than she actually was.

I loved this book! First of all the narrator is very good. I love how they did different voices for characters. This is a fantastic YA story. Pirates, a lost princess, and a sunken city?! Incredible. I am already reading the second book. I can’t wait for an audio for the rest of the series!

I really enjoyed this fast paced YA fantasy that combines seafaring pirates and a secret underwater world! The narrator was great and easy to listen to! I really enjoyed the characters, they were well written and likeable. There were several twists I didn't see it coming! I can't wait to read the next book in the series and see what happens next!

DNF @ 74%.

Part 1 was intriguing so I stayed with it, but then things got weird. Once the FMC goes to The Sunken City, it got weirdly futuristic with night clubs, mini skirts, pizzas and fake IDs. Yet when someone make a joke about being straight, she didn't understand it. It didn't make any sense and honestly I don't even care how it ends.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 41%

I really love the cover on this, and have had it on my TBR for a while. The only thing that was holding me back was that my library only had the ebook and me and ebooks just generally aren't friends. So when I saw the audio ARC on NetGalley I jumped for it!

Unfortunately I think I'm just not the right audience for this book. It's a very young, YA demographic that most reminds me of when I would read fanfiction by other middle schoolers. Despite spending her life as a pirate and becoming an underwater princess with magical powers, most of her time has been spend gossiping and talking about boys and -incredibly incongruously- wearing miniskirts and using fake IDs to get into clubs. Mind you, this is all underwater. And that's just not the way I personally like to have my world-building.

There are some interesting lore elements that have dropped in exposition, and I think they could turn into really cool eventualities, given the covers of the sequels. But this is not the kind of teenage character I can handle doing 1st person POV with.

3.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed the narrator of this book.
She had a really expressive voice.
It started off really good then kinda dipped a bit but did pick up towards the end. It was enough to hold my interest and I may potentially read the others.

4.5⭐️

The Sunken City has been on my tbr for quite a while but as soon as I saw there was an audio, I jumped. I may have finished it in the course of one day. The narration was so good! I loved the first section setting up Amare's background as a pirate and how that upbringing helped her throughout the plot.

This felt on the lower end of YA fantasy, but, you could see the character growth of the main character, Amare. I also had a hard time trying to peg the year/time period for the setting because of the "advancements" in the Sunken City.

As much as I loved the romance with Finn at the beginning, it felt "off" to me. Then we get to meet his brother Lukas? The bad boy who has magic and just wanted Amare to flourish as her own person rather than being misled into what she is expected to be. UGH swoon. The two of them just FIT. Maybe I just love a bad boy....

🐚 YA Romantasy
🐚 Prophecies
🐚 Family Secrets
🐚 Love Triangle
🐚 Pirates & Witches & Forbidden Magic (oh my?)

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

🌊YA Romantasy
🏴‍☠️Witches, pirates, oracles, and underwater people
🌊Lost Princess
🏴‍☠️Love Triangle
🌊Magic
🏴‍☠️Prophecies
🌊Family Secrets

Solid 3.5 starts. The narration was 5 stars! I liked the story. A lost princess finds her way back home getting mixed up in a prophecy. She also starts to fall for the kings right hand at the same time feels drawn to his brother whom is the complete opposite. I thought the modern aspect of the story kind drew me away the initial vibe I was getting from pirates and fantasy story I was getting prior. The love triangle also threw me. I was not expecting the story to go that way.

I would like to know what happens next. The descriptives are beautiful and the characters are interesting. The concept of a sunken city was also what drew me in.

This was a very fun story. It has an interesting premise and delivers. I am looking forward to continuing this series. I hope the other books will be on audio soon!