Beth Cartwright

Name: Feathertide
Author: Beth Cartwright
Genre: Adventure, Self-discovery, Love, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Rating: 3.5/5
Review:
Mesmerizing, delightful and engaging read.
Marea is a hybrid of bird and human. Born to Leman, Marea gives a first hand perspective of a child born in whorehouse. Because of her peculiarity, she was kept hidden from the outer world. But Marea was ever curious and and excited to know the outer world. Once she turns seventeen, she starts her journey to the City of Murmurs to find herself, her origin and her father.
This is story of finding oneself and discovering one's destiny. Writing style is engaging and vividly narrated and I found the story interesting. The never-ending curiosity of Marea about the world reminds me alot of Rapunzel.
The characters are not well developed. The ending was satisfactory though I felt that the story needed more adventure. I found the love triangle between Marea, Elver and Leo unnecessary. The world revolved around Marea, there is some serious problem if everything is going good for the protagonist. The story needed more diverse characters.

Overall the book is satisfactory. But the publisher kept our expectations high by comparing it to The Night Circus and The Bear and The Nightingale, which Feathertide could not keep upto. So, it's gonna be 3.5/5 for me.… (more)

Sometimes I come across books that make me savor each and every scrap of world-building descriptions - this is one of those books. Feathertide was truly a beautiful coming of age tale for one unusual little girl named Marea. Her story is one of personal growth, discovery, and acceptance. The pacing is like a stroll through all the lovely descriptions Beth Cartwright breathes to life in her book. If fast-paced and action-packed books are your cup of tea you may not enjoy this one.

It was hard to pin down an actual time frame the novel takes place in. The circus, the town itself, and the boats make it sound like it's in the past but the mention of algebra made it sound more modern. As the book continued on, the time and place factor faded greatly and really doesn't have much impact on the story itself. The romance portion of the book is pretty light although it does include Marea's involvement with both sexes. I wish that Marea had more time to spend and learn about the Ornis Tribe as the little she did learn was a little unsatisfying after all that time.

"Discoveries, no matter what they are, can bring uncertainty because they can change everything."

Marea had always been special to the ladies of the whorehouse in which she is kept hidden. After keeping herself hidden in every way from outsiders she has a hard time letting anyone in and truly loving who she really is. Only when Marea leaves the only life she's ever known in search of her history does she begin to find her true self. The supporting characters in Feathertide are lovingly done and they each help Marea in some fashion (even if she doesn't immediately realize it). My favorite character that I would love to know more about was Elver, specifically her time before she found herself in the City of Murmurs.

"Desire is the sea. Love is the rock, solid, strong and defiant. Desire rushes to embrace you, and shower you with affection, wrapping itself around you and filling every crevice. But it is a disguise. With every touch desire reduces you, gouging out your surface, eroding your senses until you crumble; slowly sinking out of sight. We reshaped each other as lovers often do and then watched each other was away, until there was nothing left, but sediment. Desire has no boundaries, but it is love that sets them straight. Desire is ruinous; love is the ruin left behind.

The ending of the book could be cracked open towards a sequel, if that happens, I would 100% read it. I would highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy fantasy and young adult fantasy novels that feature slow pacing but beautiful world-building. I would like to extend a huge thank you to Beth Cartwright, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautifully crafted debut - all opinions are my own.… (more)