All the Stars and Teeth

I know I have been leaning heavily towards fantasy novels lately. So when I say that All the Stars and Teeth is a fantastic novel, it means something. Yes, it follows the standard young adult fantasy novel format. There is a love interest (although minor), and it is a bit predictable and simplistic. However, Amora Montara is such an amazing character that none of that other stuff matters.

Fierce is the best word I can use to describe Amora. She has a strong personality, as one would expect, but she also has an unwavering sense of duty. Moreover, she has a well-defined sense of identity – something that tends to be missing in young adult heroines. Normally, they have to grow into their identities. Amora never needs to do that. Her show more identity drives all of her actions and desires. It is what gives her purpose and ultimately what you come to respect about her the most.

Another facet of Amora’s character I find highly admirable is her strong ethics and sense of justice. She never hides her head in the sand but demands answers to situations that seem to be contrary to what she was taught. When she begins to question her magic, the sparks truly fly. We have all read heroines who blindly follow their teachings rather than the evidence. Yet, Amora does not hesitate to question at the first sign of differences, even if it means rethinking the one thing that she holds most sacred about her family.

Speaking of magic, hers is unlike anything I have ever seen in a YA novel. It adds a deliciously dark note to the entire story that simply enhances Amora’s character and her quest for information. In addition, it challenges those strongly held ethics that so define her.

Amora Montara is the type of leader we all deserve – honest, caring, willing to listen, and most importantly, willing to learn. She doesn’t take the easy path but does what is right for her people. There is no angst, no hand-wringing about tough decisions. Everything about Amora is decisive and for the greater good. Gods, I love her. show less

If you're going to read a YA book this is the one you should read. I am not one to typically enjoy YA, but the cover/blurb caught my attention, and the story didn't let me go. The author wove the words in the most entrancing way to create an epic adventure.

The main character, Amora, is a work of art. She is strong, yet flawed. A product of her upbringing, but has the ability to rise above what she thought she was destined for. Her journey of discovery was enthralling. I felt every emotion with her, and cheered her on through all the struggles. All of her crew mates hold their own burdens, and are just as thoughtfully created down to their core. While there was a bit of sexual tension in the story, it was in no way a romance, or show more insta-love. Very well written and and believable characters, with many layers to each of them.

I will be looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Amora.

The world is amazing, I loved the twist on magical abilities, and the lesson in folklore/history, jealousy and greed. So many layers to discover and the story peeled them back perfectly.

I received this book via NetGalley. show less

The first thing that captured my attention about this book was the gorgeous cover and I’m always enamored of stories about princesses who have to protect their kingdoms, so I knew I had to read this one. And I just flew through it in such a short time.

I have seen a bit of mixed reviews for this book but I personally felt that the plot was very fast paced, and I couldn’t put it down for the most part. I loved the gorgeous descriptions of the different islands and the cultures, fashions and architectures which are unique to each of them. . And even though I’m not that fond of water, I could totally feel the joy and the freedom that the main character feels when she is on the ship in the middle of the vast ocean. The different kinds show more of elemental magic are things we know about but the way they are distributed across the kingdom and the lore behind it is fascinating, and I especially liked seeing majestic sea monsters as well as seductive beautiful mermaids. I will not say the book is action packed, but the journey the characters undertake is pretty cool, with things happening all the time and I never got bored.

The main character Princess Amora has grown up knowing she is the perfect leader for her kingdom and despite what happens in the beginning, she never loses sight of her goal. She may come across as naive and arrogant and privileged, which isn’t untrue, but I liked the fact that she understood and accepted her faults and tried to be better for her people. Her intent always remains to protect her kingdom, even when revelations about her family rock her whole existence and I liked that confidence in her.

Bastian is a pirate and his depiction is quite tropey but I enjoyed his character. He may come across as just a swashbuckling type, but his character really has a lot of depth and it was fascinating to know his backstory and what lengths he was ready to go to protect his island from being destroyed. Ferrick is a healer and honestly, one of the most selfless character I’ve read in a while who is doing the best he can in the situation he finds himself in, even when it’s not what he wants. He puts the needs of the kingdom before his own and I admired him a lot for his bravery. Vataea is a mermaid who has been imprisoned for her powers and Kong’s for freedom, but still decides to help the princess on her quest because she believes in honor and she was another brave character with wicked cool magic. I loved the changing nature of the bonds between each of these characters and how they built a trust through the course of the story and became the kind of crew everyone would love to have. There is also a budding romance which kind of changes into something unexpected towards the end and I’m quite interested to see what happens next.

To conclude, this was a fun, fast paced, entertaining YA fantasy read with a cool magic system, gorgeous descriptions and likeable characters. Even though it can feel predictable or tropey at times, it did have its revelatory and satisfying moments and I found it a comforting read in my favorite genre, which is what I needed. show less

This book didn’t really work for me. From the start, I struggled with Amora as a main character. She came across as overconfident and spoiled, making it really hard to sympathize with her. Some of her actions were downright frustrating, like expecting people to cheer after she executed someone with her magic. I couldn’t stop asking myself: what is wrong with her?

The story itself felt slow at first, and I found it boring early on. That said, it did get a bit more interesting later on, especially as the focus shifted to saving the kingdom. Even so, some parts just didn’t sit well with me, like the reunion with her father. He’s clearly not a great king, and their interactions felt flat and unconvincing. I know the story was trying show more to show how she’ll eventually be a better queen, but it didn’t hit the right emotional notes for me.

I also wasn’t a fan of the love triangle. It felt unnecessary and didn’t add much to the story. By the end, Amora’s dramatic reactions were still making me roll my eyes, even after she’d lost her magic.

Final Thoughts: While the story had its moments, I couldn’t get past how unlikable the main character was or how over-the-top the drama felt. If you enjoy dramatic fantasy with love triangles, this might be worth a try, but it just wasn’t my kind of book. show less

“The world doesn’t work with only your eyes Princess.”

I LOVED this book. I got it in the February OwlCrate and I don’t know why I didn’t read it as soon as I got my hands on it.

Soooo many of the characters and plot points were right up my alley. A dreamy pirate with a sad backstory? Yes please. A bad a** mermaid who wants revenge on every man that has done her wrong? YES. PLEASE.

Amora is a main character that I actually found had a good character arc and a lot of growth throughout the story which is always a bonus.

5/5 perfect book yes loved it

A very neat blend of magic, secrets, action, monsters (both human and otherwise), adventure and romance. Amora is both strong and likable, chafing at the restrictions her father imposes on her as the only other person able to use soul magic, when her long awaited demonstration to prove she's his legacy goes terribly bad, she flees with a mysterious young man claiming to be a pirate. Add in a treacherous journey, lots of blood and a really interesting mermaid and you have a dandy story.

A great start to this duology. I love that Adalyn Grace jumps right into the story and builds the world throughout the book. I loved the different types of magic and the lore behind the reason for everyone only being allowed to use one type of magic.

The ending was bittersweet and I am looking forward to reading the conclusion in the second book.