This was a really fun read!

The MC was really well written and the secondary characters are all just as interesting. I love it when there's such a great set of characters present. There's a really interesting plot, there's magic and adventure and good writing in general.

At some points in the book, it did feel like things became a bit repetitive though which is why I couldn't give it a 5 star read because this was something that I really noticed and just couldn't let slip.

I really liked the build up of the story and the world building. The mythology and magical elements were really awesome to read about and fit the story really well.

The premise and the MC has me interested and invested so I'm really excited to read more! I'm curious to find out what happens next and certainly with some of the characters introduced I want to know their stories and read what roles they'll be playing in the future.

If you're looking for a sailing adventure with magic and a quest for the truth, then Across the Darkling Sea is for you. Overall, Across the Darkling Sea was an original, fascinating and intriguing read and I'd definitely recommend giving this one a go if you like reading YA fantasy!

So! First off, I've gotta be completely honest and say that this book was not amazing. But, considering just how not-amazing it was, I can't say that I feel too let down or disappointed by it.
Why? Because I think that there is an unimaginable amount of potential with both this book and the author.

***This book was reviewed via XPresso Book Tours

Ferrin’s Across the Darkling Sea is the first part of the Magicfall serial. Now, the author mentions it, but I'll reiterate here: this is a serial, not a series. It is one novel in several parts. Think The Green Mile or Evalyce: Worldshaper.

In the country of Brielle, magic is forbidden. The people do not have it, unlike the rest of the world, and so the people fear it. Most of them anyway. Not so Evelyn, daughter ofThe Chancellor. Every chance she gets, she smuggles small magic into the port city of Meuse. Her latest acquisition is a magic seed, which she planted in secret. It didn't stay secret though. Before she knows it, Evelyn's family and friends have turned on her, for not only does she dabble in magic, but it is a part of who she is. In a land that fears magic, the being made of magic pure is pariah. To learn the truth of her past, and very existence, Evelyn sets off to find an island where magic thrives, whose inhabitants are bound to have answers.

Evelyn's story reminds me of the movie Memento and a bit of Groundhog Day, at least in part. She needs to write down things so she remembers them. Once she flees and discovers her true self, Evelyn chooses a new name for herself. I really liked that. Every major life change in my own life has been marked by a new name. Names are important. I am not the same person after a major uheaval, and neither is Evelyn. It's fitting to find a name that resonates with the new you, and held shed the old life.

I loved the world-building! The places are just...well...magical. It is a wonderful thing to be able to fully immerse yourself in a new world, envisioning it in the mind's eye. There's quite a bit going on in this story, and not everything is fully explained yet, but it's a serial, not a full story, so I imagine that will come later along. I only had a few qualms. One was that at times things seemed more telling and less showing. Another was the pacing. Serial nature aside, things felt rushed at times. I want to get to know the characters better.

The second in the series, A Dying Land, is already out! I

Meet Evelyn, our main character. She lives in Brielle, a place where magic is forbidden, but that has never stopped Evelyn. But things take a horrible turn and Evelyn finds out that she is made of magic! She doesn't get time to fully realise this as she has to run for her life.
Evelyn's friends have turned against her, her mother tried to kill her, and the place she called home banished her.

Her only hope is on an island, filled with dark magic and dangerous creatures. The place most warlocks call home.


I really loved the concept of this book and the idea. Yet it never grasped me like I hoped it would.

Evelyn is an amazing character for this book, she is innocent, yet very driven and quite likeable overall.
The world building was okay, it wasn't very detailled, yet this never bothered me while reading. The scenes where everything took place where quite detailled, but still left enough to the imagination of the reader, which I really liked. It was exactly how detailled I want to read books, so that was something I enjoyed a lot.

The only downside was, that I had trouble getting into the book, and after finishing it, I still have no clue why. Maybe because I was expecting something else? I don't know for sure.

But luckily the unexpected events helped with getting me into the book. Those also made me very curious about its sequel!

I would recommend you this book! Especially because it isn't so big. It is a perfect book to read while traveling with public transit or so! This because the book is a fairly 'light' fantasy! It can be categorised as a young adult, but for the older young adults, since there are some more 'adultier' scenes.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars

This book was not to my taste and I only read up to 20%. Not the book's fault. Just not for me.

I really enjoyed Across The Darkling Sea, and several years ago, I would have even given it a 5/5 stars. But, although it was enjoyable, I found it kind of odd that the book was split into three separate books. The ending wasn't overly abrupt, but I felt like the story didn't make the full arch, if that makes sense. You know, how at the end of the story everything starts moving faster and questions are being answered? That just didn't happen. The middle section moved the quickest for me and was the most enjoyable. I found myself having difficulties getting into the beginning, and the end started to bog down with pointless details and limited action or character development.

The book could have really benefited from a little more editing. And maybe even more time with the side characters? I felt like as soon as we were introduced to several characters, we never saw them again. And maybe they'll come back?

I think I'll continue, because the world feels magical, and I'm hopeful that I'll see some of my favorite characters again.

** I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a well thought out book. Lots of backstory and information and an interesting world. But what really didnt make this click was that I couldnt connect with any of the characters. Some of their stories and just the way they were presented were hard to grasp and left me feeling nothing.

I did very much enjoy the writing style though! It flowed perfectly with the story and it was great. Really the only complaints I have are the lack of character development and being able to connect. Another brownie point hit though! Is the inclusiveness of diversity. It was a rare thing to see and made this much more interesting as well.

Thank you for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Content note: Mention of rape and sexual assault.

Ok I am not the best at writing summaries but this honestly does nothing to convey the actually quite cool concepts this book covers. Evelyn is a changeling, the result of powerful magic and every morning when she wakes up she has forgotten everything from before she was 'made' and has to remind herself who and what she is. It's like a more serious version of Fifty First Dates. For me this was the most interesting part of her character and I am surprised it isn't in this summary as I think it would draw more people to read the book.

But anyway, what can I say about Across the Darkling Sea? Well, for one thing it isn't very long. I finished this in a couple of hours which is short even for me. If you're on the lookout for a quick read then this will definitely suit you. I think part of that was the fact that this was the first book in the series and it does a lot of setting up of the world in which the action takes place and what our character's goal is. I was surprised it ended where it did as the story as a whole felt very incomplete, I don't think Evelyn (or 'Ling') grew very much in this book which was disappointing because I at least expect some change to occur throughout a novel, even if it is mostly just setting things up for the future.

But I did think this book had some really cool concepts, the 'amnesia' the different types of magic and some of the settings were incredibly creative and powerful ideas that I genuinely did appreciate. What I was left with, however, was the feeling that these ideas could have been used more. I wanted more descriptions of the darkling sea and the creatures within, I wanted her daily forgetting to have been more of an issue, it just felt a little gratuitous in this story, I wanted more magic to be wielded throughout the book or else you might as well not have magic?

One word of warning, there is very nearly a rape scene in this book (attention authors, please stop adding rape and sexual assault to your books for no reason it adds little to nothing to the plot and it devalues your story and makes it impossible for some people to read, thankyou).

I think this a great example of a creative author with a lot more to show, it may be that the sequel has everything I am looking for, I wonder if the sequel and this first book perhaps ought to have been squashed together just to give the story a bit more length and a bit more to get your teeth into.

At any rate, if you enjoy stories with interesting concepts, seafaring and magic you will probably have fun with Across the Darkling Sea. There's not much I can say to actually fault this book, I just think the ideas had more potential than was actually used.

My rating: 4/5 stars (one star knocked off but all in all this was an enjoyable - if swift - read)

By the way, I received a digital copy of this book for free from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I ended up really enjoying it. I thought the main storyline was really interesting, reading a lot of YA fantasy books many of the stories seem to share plots so it was refreshing to read a YA fantasy that was completely different. I was slightly worried that because of the nature of the storyline it would get repetitive but it didn't it only got better with time. Fast paced and definitely worth a read!

Edge of your seat! I found the end of this book to come so fast! Read in one sitting!

This book was alright, it is a serial series as it mentions so it is a quick read and ends quite abruptly. I'm not sure it kept my interest enough for me to want to pick up the next installment.