Scavenge the Stars Review

Book 1 in a duology by Tara Sim

4/5 stars

Synopsis- (sourced from Goodreads)

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.

Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

Review

Plot - Based on the classic Monte Cristo story we know it’s a book all about revenge. If I had read Monte Cristo first I’d probably know a bit more, instead I came to the story fresh with no clue how things were ‘supposed’ to happen according to the source material. The plot wasn’t predictable but it also didn’t twist much. I found myself reading out of curiosity not a deep desire to know what happens next. The story didn’t lag despite there being plenty of opportunities for it to fall into that trap. The actions the characters took were not driven by plot, which I appreciated. Instead they stayed true to who they were and still managed to drive the story forward.

Characters - The characters were a lot of fun actually. I enjoyed meeting them and every time two people met for the first time I was curious how they’d get along. No one fit only one archetype, they were weak in some moments and strong in others. They didn’t always react exactly how you thought they would but as you read more it made sense.

Style - The writing wasn’t remarkable, but for one thing. In the beginning the two narratives don’t start at the same ‘time’. I liked that we were seeing Amaya set up the plot while we started to see the true story from Cayo’s point of view right away. Loosing no time with setting up the story and yet we still get to see it unfold slowly, a truly wonderful touch.

Overall I’d say it was basically good. Nothing stood out and left a bad taste in my mouth, but in that same vein there was nothing exceptional about it. I’ll read book two when it comes out but until I do I’m going to hold off on recommending it. (since all our TBRs are already out of control.)

Hope you found this helpful,

JC Scraba