All the Stars and Teeth: 1 (All the Stars and Teeth Duology)

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Unfortunately, All the Tides of Fate was not as good as its predecessor. There is still some nice world building here. There is creativity with the magics, the island descriptions, and the Barracudas and Shanty are a nice touch. However, that's about where the good stuff ends. Where are we headed?” I ask. “To the volcanos of Valuka? The jungles of Suntosu?” The weather is gentle enough that my words carry to the bow where Father stands, overlooking the water.

OHMYGOSH. Goodreads Choice Nominees are in and My Reaction Video is up! Don't forget to vote! The Written Review Amora Montara knows she's her kingdom's only hope as the next High Animancer (master of souls). So when her coming-of-age trial to officially be named heir to the throne goes horribly wrong, she’s set on a journey to prove to her kingdom that she is worthy. Just as the main character has lost her magic, this finale has lost some of the magic of the first book and trades more in secrets and lies than in the curious possibilities of its magical world. The magic is still cool. Especially with each island specializing in different forms and now allowed to mix them and experiment. But that's just the set dressing. Queen Amora ignores all this like she does the suitors on each island, and her friends, and lies to all her friends, all in pursuit of some seriously dangerous magic. She even tries to ignore her cursed soul connection to her love interest, Bastian. It's too bad she (or the author) didn't explore this more. It would have brought these characters closer, at least in the minds of readers. There's only a vague idea of what each senses about the other. Overall, All the Tides of Fate was a magnificent (and heartbreaking) ending to a series that I love so much. The characters in this story are some of my favorites of all time, and I already miss them endlessly!Every person—young and old—is out tonight. When the time comes for my performance, there will be no hiding from the eyes of Visidia. Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.

The plot itself was very disjointed we open up where book one left off and find Amora Queen now and sent off on a journey to find a husband but really on a secret mission she hasn't told anyone about. Which of course also means we barely get any exposure of the other characters who made the story so great in the first book. Amora was too cold and vain to be likable. She was also obsessed with ensuring her reign that she forgot to act like a human. She was vulnerable only when she was with Bastian, and she resented that. In light of her failures and family history, her self-importance wasn't justified. Other readers might blame it on her upbringing, but don't we have agency or the freedom of choice? The main premise of the story is that Amora is trying to get control of her soul magic and be the queen that her people needs to her to be.The biggest obstacle for me, however, was the writing style. ALL THE STARS AND TEETH is written in that overly ornate style that feels really forced to me and I couldn't get into it at all. I tried to find a passage to illustrate what I mean and I think this one kind of shows what I'm talking about: The romance does resolve. It’s not like she finish it, but there was something about it that just didn’t give me what I wanted.

All in all, this is not a bad debut book by any means. The characters, the plot, the world building, and the romance are solid. The pacing is steady, albeit the writing is fairly simplistic. There’s a predictability in some of the twists, but this book is otherwise enjoyable to read. Personally, I’m just neither disappointed nor blown away by this as I’ve tasted this recipe too many times and I feel like this book offers nothing particularly special. In all seriousness, though, this book truly was spectacular, and there are no words in the English language that can properly express how much I loved it. It’s one of those books that falls under the “Had Me Bawling Into My Pillow At 3 AM” Category. There, THAT should give you an idea of how much I loved it. 😂 I really enjoyed the sea aspects of the story. Grace makes it very easy for the reader to imagine this magical island world, where each island represents a different type of magic. We have wind weavers and healers, time manipulators and soul stealers. Each magical system feels distinct and interesting, but I don’t think we really got to examine a lot of the world itself to fully appreciate this. The tale wouldn’t be complete without a little self-doubt in there, but through the encouragement and support of her friends, Amora can wade through the murkiest waters. The romance has a nice dynamic that’s completely seperate from other elements of the story. I mean, it’s not the focal point but it has its moments. The banter is absolutely amusing. Sometimes during—what’s supposed to be—a heartfelt scene, the dialogues come across as sweet but also a little cheesy. There’s some twist at the end that’ll sure complicate this romantic relationship in the next book. There’s a possibility of a new pairing as well.

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There will not be any ARCs for Wisteria, either digital or physical. My team and I really want to keep everything a surprise, and have everyone read it simultaneously once it's released :) No one outside of my team and a a very small handful of people will be reading it before it's out! THE BOOK WAS FILLED WITH TROPES and although they aren't all bad, it just made the storyline somewhat predictable. Some things about the ending surprised me but others were definitely obvious. Instinctively, my hand goes to the leather satchel resting on my hip. The contents inside clatter as I touch their rigid edges. I can’t help but think that Bastian is supposed to be disabled because his brother stole his magic. However, this kingdom has many kinds of magic that allow people to perform different tasks. Bastian has a magical ability to pilot his ship so he doesn’t seem disabled at all. Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.

Wisteria *will* have beautifully designed cases, similar to the rest of the series. They may be my favorite yet! If there's one truth I know, it's that I will make things right for my kingdom. That is my fate, and I will do whatever I must to see it through. You must go slowly,” Father says, but I’m only half listening. The ship feels every bit the beast I wanted it to, able to take on the sea’s promise of adventure and conquer anything in its path. It’s strong, fearless, but I sense its reluctance to listen to me. This ship is like my people; it demands only the most deserving captain, and will accept no less. THE ROMANCE was cute and fun to follow but definitely PG-13. I think their relationship will likely grow a lot more in the sequel as they've both gone through a lot in this book. And our heroine, Amora, she's a real piece of work, this one. Once again, the immature, bratty, know it all Hermione Granger typecast, holier than thou but still edgy warrior princess character gets to be mean and pushy and naïve but somehow gets every potential suitor to fall in love with her? She pushes people and constantly has snarky comments that are uncalled for. She tells her poor poor wet towel of a fiancé that she will never love him right in front of the guys she's been openly flirting with, completely embarrassing him and giving zero f**ks.I am Amora Montara. I dig my nail into The Duchess again when the ship quivers. The power of Arida is within me. You will obey. I’m a little confused by the mechanics. There was a LOT of stuff going on with curse magic that it didn’t seem to follow a set pattern. But the horrifying stuff that was done with curse magic. Wow.