BLOG TOUR & REVIEW|| Scavenge The Stars- Tara Sim // A gender swapped retelling with adventure and romance + Giveaway

Hello! Today I bring for you the review of Scavenge the Stars by Tara Sim which was one of my most anticipated releases. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club for the blog tour and for making me a part of it! Check out the rest of the tour schedule here. 

Synopsis: 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 anew 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…

Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.

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Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings

Release Date: 7th Jan

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Trigger Warnings:

gambling addiction,physical abuse,verbal abuse, deadly illness

 

Ratings: 3.5/5

Scavenge the Stars was described as a gender swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo but I do not know anything about this so I went in without knowing much. I was pleasantly surprised and I really liked this book.

The Story

The story of Scavenge the Stars follows Amaya and Cayo in alternating POVs. It is a story about revenge and rage and fighting for what is right. Amaya has been wronged and treated badly for so long and when she gets a chance to channel that rage in bringing the enemy down, she puts in her all. But in that process she is faced with a lot of downs and truths which changes her life.

The story was interesting  and full of suspense at every point. There was always an air of suspense in the story due to which you will keep on reading it. All the twists, turns and plots come together really well in the end. My problem with it was that until it all starts coming together, the whole story seems just okay. It wasn’t bad by any means and I did enjoy it but it could not WOW me.

The Characters

The two main characters are Amaya and Cayo. Amaya is the captive on a debtor ship where she was sold and when she leaves from there she joins hands with the person she saved to take revenge on Kamon Mercado. Cayo is the son of Kamon who was a spoiled playboy with an addiction and who is now told by his father to lure the new Countess.

Amaya was a really great character. She was angry and bent on revenge and her thoughts and feelings and actions towards this were realistic and well written. She goes through a good character development and her thirst for vengeance came through really well. She was definitely my favourite character.

Cayo was addicted to gambling and I really liked how it was shown as a real problem and was not glazed over or romanticized. Cayo was a very caring and loyal person and what I loved about his character was how he was genuinely trying hard to be better and make the right choices. His constant dilemma between right and wrong and duty and responsibility was well portrayed and I really loved reading those moments.

There were a lot side characters like Cayo’s sister Soria, Roach, Boon,  Liesl, Romara among others. Amaya is demisexual, there was a side f/f pairing, Cayo is bisexual, Roach is ace , Avi is a trans boy and all of the characters are POC. The ease and flow of sexual and gender preferences was easy and it did not feel like token characters but was natural and normal. 

The romance was not that important and I liked how it progressed and never overtook the main plot at any point and was just a minuscule part of it.

World building and Themes

The world building was good but it could have been more descriptive. There were times when things were mentioned and there was nothing else said about it which made it hard to picture it. For example, if the book mentioned a particular type of dressing, that’s all it mentioned and as a reader you’re left guessing about what it means. The kingdoms were also just mentioned and nothing else was said about it. I am hoping it is covered in the second book. But this book felt kind of incomplete in this aspect.

The Writing and Pacing

The writing was really good and even though it was a retelling it read really well and was not boring at any point. The pacing was alright but I hoped it would’ve a bit faster as sometimes it got a little boring for me. The second 50% of the book was super interesting and a lot of things started to happen and I was hoping it would be longer. It ended on a good note and it has made me curious about the next one!

Overall, Scavenge the Stars was an interesting fantasy and retelling which is really well written and has some amazing characters. If you’re a fan of The Count of Monte Cristo, angry protagonists hell bent on revenge and of  stories which has more than that meets the eye, Scavenge the Stars will be perfect for you!

Pre-order campaign 

Prize details:

• Original 9×12 Art piece from Alex Castellanos (@alexisc_art)
• 3 exclusive SCAVENGE THE STARS character cards
• Exclusive SCAVENGE THE STARS book mark
• Signed Bookplate from author Tara Sim

Submit form link 

GIVEAWAY

Prize: Win finished copy of SCAVENGE THE STARS by Tara Sim (US Only)

Starts: 1st January 2020

Ends: 15th January 2020

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tara Sim is the author of SCAVENGE THE STARS(Disney-Hyperion) and the TIMEKEEPER trilogy (Sky Pony Press) and writer of all things magic. She can often be found in the wilds of the Bay Area, California.When she’s not writing about mischievous boys in clock towers, Tara spends her time drinking tea, wrangling cats, and occasionally singing opera. Despite her bio-luminescent skin, she is half-Indian and eats way too many samosas.Tara is represented by Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

Name pronunciation: “tar-ah” (not “terr-ah”)

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