The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson is truly a story that will stay with me for years to come because of how incredibly unique and imaginitive the storytelling was. Each page had me so enchanted by the desciptions of this world that visually was stunning. I will read anything this author publishes in the future because I loved his writing style SO MUCH.

In this highly original, vividly depicted world, ships powered by magical flames sail across an ocean of exotic grasses. Crews harvest the lucrative psychoactive plants, although the area around the principal island has been growing increasingly barren of such prizes. A mob boss is gradually taking control of the free ships by rationing their access to drinking water, a vanishingly rare resource. The Forever Sea presents its own dangers. Pirates sail the grasses, of course. Exceptionally nasty ones, who slaughter vanquished captains for their bones to fuel the flames. Below the surface, dragons lurk, as well as even more fantastically gruesome, lethal creatures. For any ship that can reach it, the legendary Once City beckons.

Into this world comes Kindred, a young hearthfire keeper with a rare, intuitive gift for singing to the flames. Granddaughter to a legendary captain, Kindred struggles against both the ordinary dangers of the Forever Sea and the restrictions of the hearthfire keeper academy. To make matters worse, her grandmother has disappeared, leaving cryptic messages about the world beneath the surface of the sea. Kindred’s voyage will test her loyalty to her ship, captain, and crewmates, against the longing of her heart to follow in her grandmother’s path.

This is a huge, gorgeous story. The world-building is highly original and filled with brilliant details. The characters have depth and complexity, and most of all, heart. Their choices – loyalty to the ship, to each other, to themselves – their mistakes and losses and triumphs, their loves and grudges, all exemplify what it is to be human.

Superb storytelling in a brilliantly original world with memorable characters make The Forever Sea a stand-out.

Really enjoyed reading this. Sorry to see that there is no sign of book 2. Anxious to see what happens under the sea and where the grandmother is.

The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson is the first book in a new epic fantasy series by the same title. While one would think a pirate adventure would be reading about the endless ocean this series builds a completely creative new world in which the ships sail upon the prairie grasses.

Kindred Greyreach is a crew member aboard the Errant who is still in training and hasn’t quite yet fit in with the rest of the crew. Kindred’s job aboard the vessel is hearthfire keeper in which she uses her magic to fuel the hearthfire that propels the ship. When pirates come for the Errant Kindred makes moves that infuriates the captain putting them all in danger.

I have always had a thing for pirates so of course i had to pick this one up and check out the story within. If I were to grade The Forever Sea on world building alone this one would have received a much higher mark as the idea of giant ships sailing across the endless grasses was one that brought a wonderful world to mind. However, I just couldn’t find myself caring about the characters in the story at all. Readers are dropped right into the action which might have been the reason however since I’m an action lover I wasn’t sure why I didn’t love this one.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

It’s time for another Dark Horse! This is one I have been wanting to get to for a while, but it’s hard to right a ship after just completely blowing past your destination. I was caught in its wake first by it’s insanely gorgeous cover, and second by the promise of its story and potential to deliver environmental themes. When I read about Joshua Philip Johnson’s prose, I was even more curious. The Forever Sea is an impressive debut with an intricate world painted by colorful prose that is somewhat marred by the lack of deep character.

The book follows Kindred, a twenty two year old woman who is a member of Errant’s crew. She is a keeper of the ship's hearthfire, tending to the magic fire that keeps it afloat above the miles of grass that makes up the world’s oceans. The Errant, captained by Jane Caraway, glides across the grass in search of the ever dwindling medicinal and magic grasses that uphold civilization. When returning from a voyage that nearly killed them, Kindred learns that her grandmother, known as the Marchess, walked into the sea from her own boat. She can barely understand it, but the Marchess has always had a more intimate connection with the grasses than most other people. The sea was dying. Water was harder and harder to come by as larger swaths of grass began to turn grey, becoming resistant to the rejuvenating fires that occasionally light up the sea. After a conflict with the local senator on Arcadia forces the Errant and her now fugitive crew onto the sea, Kindred tries to unravel the mystery her grandmother sacrificed herself for.

Johnson’s prose is perfect at building the world. The landscape and natural elements often feel like moving stained glass, especially out on the sea. Arcadia, meanwhile, is rigid and grey filled with rules and a sense of dread. The action scenes are tense, particularly when Kindred is directly involved, and feel detached when she is watching from afar. The ships and the culture of sailing feel grand and small at the same time. It feels like Johnson is highlighting their importance to the people, while reminding the reader how incredibly big everything is. There is a mystery to the sea that feels intimate and dangerous on a cosmic scale. If you haven’t noticed, Johnson’s book is filled to the brim with these dichotomies. Johnson’s prose is so lush and deliberate, these opposing ideas stand out purposefully, providing substance to the plethora of style. The frequency with which Johnson shows them off caused me to see these contrasts as the main theme, finding balance. I could cheat and pull sections from the book, but even then, it’d be like pulling a thread from a tapestry and trying to explain the beauty of the whole piece. It’s impossible.

The magic system is also a delight. I imagine some people will have trouble with it; it’s incredibly vague and there aren’t many rules. In fact, most of the rules that guide the handlers of magic are made up by the users. I found it charming, and it easily played into the endless dichotomies already mentioned. I was entranced that the ships were kept afloat by a magic that requires the bones of dead ship captains, leaves of grass, and singing to fire. It allowed Johnson to occasionally take liberties with the system, having Kindred experiment in dire situations without much other context than “feeling”, but it did not feel inconsistent and oftentimes felt like learning.. It highlighted Kindred’s innate curiosity with the world, while also forcing her to push her boundaries and break the “rules.”

Kindred herself was likeable enough, but felt a bit lacking compared to the world. She felt young and brash, selfish and loyal at the same time. She is an intriguing, if easy, window into Johnson’s world. She had a connection with the hearthfire that was a nice melding of both learned and innate, and she is incredibly dedicated to finding out why her grandmother walked into the sea. I think some readers might find it annoying that her character was mostly, “break the rules, fix the holes later,” but I for one was glad she was young, lost and overconfident in her abilities. I think she would have been more interesting if there had been more conflict between her learned and natural talents. However, she gets to be fallible and sometimes lies to get her way, but it always felt in service to a greater need for discovery, not power over others. If anything, she stood out too much in those ways because the other characters were lacking.

The other characters, however, were a mixed bag of underdeveloped auxiliary characters and sharply drawn tropes.They often felt more designed to deliver the themes within the book than they were people in and of themselves. It might be more apparent to some than others, but I didn’t really think about it until after I finished the book. If anything, they were just there instead of being problematic or annoying. This is most recognizable in how several of the characters embodied one side of an argument or another, without any personal stake in the matter. The only character who came close to transcending this was Little Wing (Kindred’s closest foil), but even she became more of a one-dimensional force than an actual character. The uneven pacing didn’t help either, with the story lurching forward every now and then to pick up the pace from some of the descriptive spirals. Some folks will also probably be put off by the framing narrative, but I found it compelling even though it always felt like it butted in at the wrong points.

I was satisfied by the story, and even more fulfilled by Johnson’s themes. As I mentioned, the book is full of dichotomies and finding the in between. Occasionally, they were blunt, but oftentimes he subtlety weaved them into the narrative. The upfront one is climate change, and how it affects the perception of resources and its origins in the overuse of said resources. This one is marrow deep, lurking within every interaction from the rationing of water, the monocultured collection of sea grasses, and the society's relationship with the sea itself. There were a few clunky issues here and there, especially with the blunt approach he takes with the Once-city, but Johnson mostly sticks the landing.

Ultimately, I had a good time with this book. Everytime I picked it up, I was carried on a breeze through a hundred pages or more, lost in Johnson’s prose. The magic is on the softer side (like warm blades of grass), but significant to the world and characterization. There are truly some awe inspiring moments, and cute little touches here and there that made the experience definitely worthwhile. Despite the flash characterization of the folks around Kindred, and some of the weirder pacing choices I enjoyed it. I just hope the next book has more than Kindred and her laser focused quest.

Rating: The Forever Sea 7.5/10
-Alex

First off, can we take a minute to appreciate how unbelievably gorgeous the book cover is?! Like flying ships?? It's a dream come true which honestly brings me right into the plot. The ships are kept afloat the vast prairie with bone magic performed by the hearthkeeper who is also our main character. The winds of the prairie fill the sails of the ship giving them motion. The societies in this world are sustained by what is harvested from the praries, the flowers and creatures. Fresh water is a constant concern. The plot revolves our Kindred the hearthkeeper. She is part of an all female crew as was the previous ship run by her grandmother.

The first half of this book gave me heavy Escaping Exodus (Nicky Drayden) vibes with the strong female-centric sailing community and a world that is personally unfathomable and wonderful to me. The second half of the book we meet new characters and the plot furthers along well.

As the first of a series, this lays an excellent foundation. While we are left with many unanswered questions the conclusion of this book left me satisfied in a way that I will be returning for the second installment.

Content warnings: secondary character death; minor violence; discussions of suicide; depictions of burns.

I was super excited for this book. Pirates, magical land ships, an f/f romance – it all sounded like it was going to be very much my cup of tea. But unfortunately, I really struggled to click with something about The Forever Sea, and I ended up coming out thinking it was just… okay.

This book sounds fantastic – the idea is so clever, to freshen up nautical fantasy by flipping the setting on its head. I loved the thought of a young woman uncovering the secrets of this fascinating sea, and I had dreams of it being an intense, action-packed and intrigue-filled read. Unfortunately, this book tipped me into a two-week reading slump. Sometimes it just happens and you don’t know why, but in this instance it was clear to me that spending a week feeling like I had to read The Forever Sea made me reluctant to pick up my Kindle, and that habit seems to have stuck. There were enough tidbits to keep me teased and turning pages, but it did, at times, feel like wading through treacle. First books in series often have a lot of set-up to do, but they do need to have some payoff in them, and for me, this just never got to a satisfying point.

The cover is astonishingly beautiful (this is the US version, because that’s the ARC I had), and really sets the tone for the book’s major setting – lush, incredibly detailed grassland as far as the eye can see. It’s a really good match to the descriptions in the book – but unfortunately, I know that because these descriptions were everywhere, and they were long. Very often the book stopped doing anything for several pages so that Kindred could look out over the sea and describe grass to us. It paints a wonderfully detailed picture, yes, but after a while it really started to grate on me! I think it was intended to provoke awe and fear at the vastness of the sea, as much of the force behind the plot derives from Kindred’s desire to know what is beneath the surface, and I think that even despite the lengthy descriptions, this could have worked were it not for the framing device. The book opens with (and returns to every so often) a view of life below the surface, with a mysterious storyteller travelling between tribes, telling Kindred’s story to a few survivors who remember nothing of their past. The implication is that this is a glimpse into the future of the world, devastated after the events of the main story, but for me it was just frustrating, as it made Kindred’s life and the world of the sea feel completely pointless. What should have offered a nice layer of dramatic irony, making us wonder what occurred between the main timeline and this one, instead just took all the suspense out of the plot for me.

While I thought the structure and pacing were flawed, I was willing to persevere and hope that the other aspects of the story would carry me through. However, I struggled to connect to almost all the characters, but most of all to Kindred. Most of the crew of The Errant seemed to be very one-dimensional, each with their defining feature (the young nervous one, the fighty one, the horrible one) but not much going on behind that. We were constantly told that they were a family, with all the closeness and rivalries within that, but making Kindred feel like an outsider to them had the disappointing side-effect of making us, the reader, distanced from them as well. That could have worked if I was rooting for Kindred, but she consistently made naive, selfish decisions without thought for the consequences, and I ended up really disliking her. None of the women we meet (well over 80% of the cast!) seem to have any actual interiority, or anything that made me think of them as people rather than caricatures – and if I were being uncharitable, I could possibly say that this is a difficulty of a male author writing a largely female cast, as it’s notable that one of the only characters I found to have much nuance going on was Seraph, an older man.

I’m finding it hard to articulate exactly what didn’t work for me in this one – while I can identify some flaws in the structure or characters, there’s something else that just felt wrong about it. There are some glimpses of brilliance here and I was convinced something was coming that would make it all feel worthwhile, but there was no payoff on any of the plotlines for me. I understand the need to leave threads dangling for the rest of the series, but I feel like I just read 464 pages only to end up in the exact same place as I started. It just doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be – is it an eco-dystopia, or a coming-of-age story, or a pirate romp, or a classic fantasy? It’s a stunning world, with lots of clever ideas, but the many different focuses don’t hang together well enough to make a cohesive whole, and Kindred isn’t a strong enough lead to have dragged me through without noticing the bumps. It’s a clever concept that, in my opinion, suffers from bad pacing, bloat, and having the breath knocked out of it at key points, and I’m afraid it’s unlikely I’ll be coming back for book two. Some of my friends have loved it, and really enjoyed the slower, more thoughtful pace (so please do seek out more reviews if the concept tempts you!), but for me, this gets only two and a half out of five stars.

Kindred is a hearthfire keeper on a harvesting vessel when she learns of her grandmother's disappearance into the Sea. Her personal world turns upside down at the same time as that of her shipmates when a water war turns the land against them, and sends them into the unknown.
This has interesting world-building, a few intriguing characters, decent plotting, but as many other reviewers have mentioned, the pacing is very uneven. There were parts that were very slow and ponderous. And ending on a cliffhanger while having no idea what the storyteller framing is all about is annoying. While I liked the world and Kindred, I can feel myself pulling back at the idea of picking up another volume. Don't think so, sorry.

This novel first interested me with its unique concept and cemented my interest with an extremely gorgeous cover. Although I have read many pirates stories before, this one took a whole new take on this by creating an extremely imaginative world that is not like anything I have read before. It is a promising start to what looks to be a fun series with a setting that you wish was real as it just sounds breathtaking with an endless sea of grass with ships that magically float above.

Kindred Greyreach is a hearth keeper on the Errant, a ship that sails on the Forever Sea. The sea is an endless scene of prairie grass that is harvested and is filled with mysterious creatures. The hearth keeper sings to control the hearth that is made of burning bones. The hearth reacts to the different songs that the hearth keeper sings to control the ship, such as its speed. The Errant is full of female characters that help run it as they are off for adventures. This was a refreshing take to have a female ran ship compared to the typical ones that are either mostly or exclusively men.

There is a central island called Arcadia that is in the middle of The Forever Sea and acts as a port for many of the ships. A water shortage becomes a major obstacle that becomes an issue as the ships need the water to sail. It was a very fun concept to have the water become the shortage for ships that sail across the grass. While Kindred’s ship is docked in Arcadia, she discovers that her grandmother has “died” after jumping into the Forever Sea. Kindred decides to go on a quest to find out the truth as she does not believe that her grandmother would jump for no reason. She convinces the captain of the Errant, Captain Caraway, to go to the floating city of Once-City, a mysterious place where pirates are rumored to be. The trip is a dangerous one that is full of potential obstacles.

The story starts off slow until about the halfway point where it really picks up. The beginning spends a lot of time building the worlds and the characters as everything is very detailed. The imagery is very vivid and it is easy to picture everything in your mind as every aspect is described. There were times where I started caring more about the scenery more than the story as it just took a greater portion of my mind while reading. As a standalone, this would bother me more, I believe, since there is a lot of time spent on painting a picture more than the plot. However, as this is a series, my thoughts want me to believe that the number of descriptions will reduce in the next novel and the focus will be more on the story and move the plot along.

Overall, this story has incredible potential as it is a fascinating take on the pirate adventure story. The scenery steals the show as the world is gorgeous without the reader actually having seen it with their own eyes; they only saw it in their minds. Kindred was very difficult to relate to as she seemed very selfish as she did what she wanted despite any potential consequences and believes her unconventional magic at the hearth is the better way and disapproves of traditions. While traditions aren’t always the best, it was slightly wearing to have Kindred put it down. The other characters in the story, though, balance Kindred as they were enjoyable and entertaining and I hope that the readers get to learn more about all, or at least most, of them in the sequel. As for the story, it can drag a bit though as some parts feel repetitive and it took me a lot longer to read this novel than usual. I wanted to keep going as I rarely DNF a book, but there were times where it dragged a bit too much for me. I am glad that I stuck with it though as I feel that the second novel will continue with the momentum that this book seemed to have towards the end. I would recommend this story for any reader to form their own opinions as there are some that rave about it and some that did not like it as much, therefore it is best for the reader to choose for themselves.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, DAW, and the author for an ARC to read. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

This book was so unique and had such a different take on fantasy and world building. It was so refreshing to read. The idea of ships sailing on top of a prairie and plants was mind bending. The book highlights the beauty of the world and the conflict in it. I can’t wait to read more and discover what lies ahead.

Rating: 8/10

Thank you to Sarah Mather at Titan Books for granting me an ARC of this wonderful book. All review thoughts are mine only.

The Forever Sea is the start of something special. A new wave of environmental fantasy that I think is a unique start. It explores the fragility of human nature, but it also isn’t afraid to show the impact that humanity has wrought on mother nature. The real characters of this book are the ocean of grass itself, the beasts lurking in the depths of the underground seas, and the hidden mysteries that lie beneath. That said, I did find a few flaws here and there. Some parts of the novel I believed could have been trimmed. More interactions between Seraph and Kindred would have been nice because that is where I think the strength of the novel shines, and I shall explain why. Kindred in many ways, is a free and volatile character that wants to achieve her Grandmother’s dreams. In a way, the relationship between her Grandmother and Kindred lies fundamentally at the core of this novel. There are subtle hints given which unlock further mysteries as you read onwards. You will soon start to see the strengths and the weakness of this narrative effect. I am not an expert, but let’s say for example, without giving too many spoilers away. Strength can be that as Kindred burns the hearth fires, bones of former dead captains that have sailed the sea, you might see a clue or a visual memory that relates to her Grandmother. Her Grandmother was a tough pirate.

But a weakness of that then draws on constantly reminding the reader of her Grandmother’s vision. That is something you’ll soon see, but it can get a bit repetitive. This is where I would have focused on what Kindred wants to achieve from doing what her Grandmother would have done, but in a much more different way. As a result, Kindred’s focus on her Grandmother’s legacy neglects another problem. When the novel goes from Kindred to other characters, as a result, the side-characters like Seraph, Captain Jane, Cantrev become more interesting. Kindred then, is focused on her Grandmother which detracts a little bit in my opinion. But this is typical of any fantasy novel at the start of a new series. I’ve read many, where sometimes main characters don’t need to be the main center of the action. Other side-characters drive the plot too. As this is a fantasy series, it takes time for characters to mature. However, I think a good focus in the next sequel would be to focus on what Kindred wants because as you’ll see many times in this novel, her end-game goal is shifting. Constantly wanting. She’s not always being satisfied with what she has in my opinion. Without discussing too much on the spoiler boundary, as she discovers clues within the rumored Once City, her viewpoint changes. Things get out of hand for all characters. Big battles occur between dreadnoughts and massive ships. Pirates plunder and steal. I feel the main story of this first novel focuses on a water war between two cultures. (And that’s the only way I can stop myself from spoiling too much). Moving onto the romance, I think it was well built, but it was rushed in my opinion. I am now finding myself of the opinion that romance in fantasy needs to stop happening so quickly. I need time to build myself with a character and feel they need to get together. Little Sarah and Kindred are a great couple together, but I would have wanted more emphasis which I think will be followed in the next sequel.


Another flaw I could see was, the worldbuilding is excellent. There is enough distinction between cities, factions, kingdoms, and cities. The story isn’t afraid to tell you where it’s going, it’s very clear. It uncovers hidden lore, and Arcadia reminds me of Orisinium and Glenumbra from when I played Elder Scrolls Online. Many locations of this game I played, had a direct resemblance to what was being described in the novel. The Once City reminded me of an advanced civilization mixed with some interesting content. To put it this way, it reminded me of Clockwork City and the Ancient Dwarver Ruins of Tamriel being mixed. That’s as much as you’re going to get. The politics are interesting in this novel, but there isn’t enough of it. And this is a fundamental problem Kindred will face.

I do not doubt that she wants to be free, I do not doubt that she wants to travel the world. But in that, politics will consume her quickly no matter where ever she goes, it is human nature. But you know, I am excited about the numerous worlds involved in this series. We could be going to exotic places. Heck, I would like to see a Mesoamerican world within this series. But we will see. The writing is superb, the side-characters are written to their exact purpose, and the novel’s lore and its unique ability to create a new system of magic are well thought out. In many ways, it resembles the Elder Scrolls Online for me, in scope and size. The dialogue and the narrative is well explained, and the story itself has a straight focus. I would want to see Kindred becoming and evolving more of her personality throughout the series, and I want to see what her goals are as opposed to following others. I think, in time she will. But she has much to learn. I liked Seraph. I also think I know who the storyteller is, but that’s me.


Overall, it’s this novel that you need to have on your bookshelf in 2021. Fantastic work. I can’t wait to read the second sequel!

The nitty-gritty: A unique seafaring story set in a brilliantly inventive world and populated with interesting characters, The Forever Sea was a feast for the senses.

Never has a book surprised me as much as The Forever Sea. What started as a slog through heavily detailed worldbuilding and a slow moving plot suddenly made a 180 at about the halfway point. I’m not sure what happened, but I’m so glad I decided to push through. I think it took half the book to get used to Johnson’s style, which I really didn’t like in the beginning, but something clicked for me, and I ended up loving the second half of the book. This book isn’t perfect by any means, which I’ll explain below. But I can’t deny the sheer brilliance of the world building, and Johnson’s prose really did grow on me. Add in an exciting and very emotional conclusion, and you have a book that was frustratingly uneven, but in a good way. Does that make sense?

The story is set in a land called Arcadia, an island surrounded by the Forever Sea, an endless expanse of prairie grasses and flowers. Kindred Greyreach has just joined the sailing ship The Errant as a junior hearthfire keeper and is struggling to integrate herself with her new crew members. But when she hears about the sudden disappearance of her beloved grandmother, the Marchess, who taught Kindred all the mysteries of being a hearthfire keeper, Kindred is determined to go after her. Her crew swears that the Marchess stepped off the side of her ship into the deeps, but Kindred doesn’t believe her grandmother would commit suicide.

Kindred convinces Captain Caraway to head towards the floating city of Once-City, a mysterious place where pirates are said to live, with the ulterior motive of getting closer to the spot her grandmother disappeared. But life out in the Roughs is dangerous, and Kindred and her friends might not survive the trip.

The main draw for most readers is going to be Johnson’s unique and magical world. Even before I saw some comparisons to Studio Ghibli, I thought this story would make a fantastic animated movie. Seriously, someone get Miyazaki on the phone! I have seen comparisons to other fantasy worlds, but I personally have never experienced anything quite like the Forever Sea and Once-City. The Forever Sea itself is marvelous. Instead of water, the “sea” is made up of wild grasses, plants and flowers and stretches as far as the eye can see and beyond. Upon this sea sail ships, many of them dedicated to harvesting the grass bounty for food and profit. Ships sail over the surface without sinking due to magical fires that are tended by hearthfire keepers, and the fires are fed with the bones of dead ship’s captains. By arranging the bones in certain patterns, keepers can control the speed and behavior of the ship, and it’s a tricky job that requires years of skill. In the first half of the book, Kindred and the crew of The Errant stick close to their home of Arcadia where the sea has been flattened and tamed, ensuring smooth sailing for all ships. But once they leave for the wilder parts of the Forever Sea, the crew will encounter the Roughs, areas that have not been tamed, full of thorns and grasping vines that dig into the ship’s hull and try to pull it under. 

And speaking of “under,” you might be wondering what lies below the surface of a sea of grass. That is the big mystery in The Forever Sea, one that the reader gets only a glimpse of in this first installment. Johnson teases us with brief dips below, where giant creatures called wyrms threaten ships, and a mythical city might wait at the bottom. The mystery that drives the plot is, of course, what happened to the Marchess? Did she actually jump into the sea and disappear? And will Kindred be brave enough to go after her? Once the crew of The Errant reaches the famed floating city of Once-City, the story really takes off. After everything that came before, I thought Johnson had reached his creative limits, but Once-City is another marvelous creation that you’ll have to discover for yourself. 

I loved many the characters as well, although I’ll admit Kindred is tough to love. She refuses to obey her captain’s orders, makes rash decisions on a dime and carries them out without too much thought, and is constantly putting herself and the crew in mortal danger. She’s driven by her desire to find her grandmother, but doesn’t seem to care if anyone is hurt along the way. However, Kindred isn’t the only character in the story, luckily. My favorite was Little Wing, a bitter woman who is on the brink of becoming a sea captain herself. Unfortunately, Kindred’s rash actions prevent that from happening, and the two become mortal enemies. Little Wing’s storyline was heartbreaking, and I hope she makes an appearance in the next book (I’m pretty sure she will!). I also loved Ragged Sarah, an ex-pirate who acts as a romantic interest for Kindred. 

As I mentioned, I struggled in the first half of the book with Johnson’s overly descriptive prose as he sets up his world and introduces his characters. His prose leans towards the flowery and poetic, and at first this style did not work for me. However, the more I read and the deeper into the story I went, this writing style settled and became an integral part of the overall reading experience. I also had trouble with all the scenes involving the hearth fires and Kindred’s amazing ability to not only conjure up the perfect fire, but to save the crew over and over. Granted, Johnson’s idea of a magical fire is intricate and at times hard to understand—if you think about it, how could a fire in the middle of a ship’s deck keep the ship from sinking into a sea of grass? Logically it doesn’t make sense—but he took pains to explain the process each and every time Kindred had to tend to the fire. These repetitive descriptions got old fast, and it’s one reason I almost stopped reading the book.

But the biggest negative for me was the uneven pacing and length of the book. According to Goodreads, The Forever Sea is 464 pages, but it felt a lot longer than that to me (I read an eARC so I can’t confirm the actual page count). It took a solid two weeks for me to read this, and it should not have taken that long. The slower sections of the story are occasionally broken up by some very exciting action scenes, but the story really drags in places, which is a shame.

Bottom line, there is a lot to love about The Forever Sea, despite the pacing issues and overabundance of detailed descriptions. Johnson has imaged a stunning world that held me captive, and I loved the thrilling and emotional ending. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I cannot wait to read the sequel.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Perfect for fans of One Piece but make it super duper woman-powered and female forward. Full of swash buckling and hearth-magic, of family and friendship, loss and finding. What a ride.

ARC provided by the publisher—DAW Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful world-building and beautifully written, but unfortunately it’s a bit lacking in characterizations and pacing.

I’ve mentioned it so often but Marc Simonetti is seriously one of my favorite cover artists, and the US edition of The Forever Sea is illustrated by him. I won’t lie, the extraordinarily wonderful cover art was the main reason why I wanted to read this book. I mean, just look at it! It totally captured the beauty of the world portrayed in the book. I’m not sure why, but somehow Simonetti’s artwork rarely graced the cover art of US/UK published novels, and I think that situation desperately needs to change. Now, regarding the quality of the story itself, I have to sadly admit that I have mixed feelings about it.

“That’s how she ended all of her letters to me. She told me once that love didn’t have to do anything other than exist. You don’t have to dress it up or compare it to something else; when it is, it’s miracle enough.”

The story revolves around Kindred Greyreach. a hearthfire keeper and sailor aboard The Errant who suddenly receives the devastating news that her grandmother—The Marchess, a legendary captain and hearthfire keeper—has disappeared into The Forever Sea, which is a never-ending expanse of prairie grasses. However, in the note that The Marchess left for her, she states that it’s not a suicide; there's something beyond the Forever Sea that she needs to find. And so Kindred sets out to follow her grandmother’s footsteps, whatever it takes.

To be honest, for the first half of the novel, I did think that this was going to be continuously wonderful. The world-building was incredibly impressive; distinctive, intricate, and it remains that way throughout the whole book. Plus, Johnson has a beautiful prose that made the Ghibli-esque setting of the world so imaginable and vivid. I definitely agree without a doubt that the quality of the world-building and prose lived up to the stunning cover art that Simonneti illustrated.

“To fall into the grasses of Forever Sea was to fall through them. The grasses were like hair, capable of holding nothing up on their own. Whatever magic gave growth and body to the Forever Sea, whatever magic the beasts of the Sea had also been granted in order to ascend and descend—none of it extended to humanity, who dropped through Sea, dead weight falling without slowing.”

Admittedly, the world-building and prose were the only things that clicked with me. I found the narrative to be too repetitive, and the details contained in world-building did hurt the pacing of the book. I do wish that Kindred wasn’t the only memorable character within the entire book, the non-stop rashness of her actions made her really hard to like; she’s the type of character that constantly does things without thinking. I’m not saying that she’s thoroughly unlikeable, but I do feel that her character and motivations need more exploration for me to care about her more.

“On the table, books full of graphs and numbers and charts lay open, and scattered around and atop these were notes and letters of all types. She longed to rake her eyes over and through this written chaos, to wriggle through the tiny nettles of the pages and lose herself in them. Words, when written, were a labyrinth she could wander forever.”

Overall, The Forever Sea has an admirable world-building, beautiful prose, and stunning cover art, but I found the characters and characterizations department to be slightly lacking. I do think that The Forever Sea will work incredibly well for those who prioritized magnificent world-building in their fantasy read. I’m not sure how many books are planned for this series, but I do hope that the next book will have an improvement in characterizations and pacing.

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The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

Imagine yourself on a ship in the middle of a sea of miles deep prairie grass, pirates, a war over water between two floating cities. These are the ideas I had, when I read the blurb and saw the cover of the book.

Alas, that’s not what I got. Instead of a fantasy adventure, I got a Bildungsroman with a heavy climate change moral tale that could have been so much better with a bit of pruning from an experienced editor.

Kindred, the main character, is a hearth keeper on a harvesting vessel crossing the Forever Sea harvesting grasses and wildflowers used for food, medicine, or magic. She has to take care of the magical fire burning bones harvested from captains that keeps the ship afloat and propels it forwards. When she receives a missive from her grandmother – a larger than life figure which the reader is reminded of over and over – Kindred wants to follow her grandmother into the depths below the prairie grass that makes up the Forever Sea. Something must still be down there, something other than monsters.

For years there has been a war over the water stores between Arcadia, an island city which basically enslaved nature, and the Once-City, a floating ship like city travelling endlessly along the edges of the Forever Sea which “lived with the world,” acting in tune with nature. The ship Kindred had signed onto has to flee Arcadia, the crew is badly injured in a fight and has to seek the Once-City for help. Unsurprisingly, neither city is the refuge it seems to be.

What didn’t work for me:

Miles deep grass and wildflowers? I would really liked to have seen an explanation of how this is supposed to work. Even knowing I’m reading a fantasy novel it was very hard to ignore this. Plants need light to grow. It is very hard to imagine plants growing miles in length to reach the light. Not to mention that these plants need water that makes its way miles up within tiny capillaries?
Water shortage. These above mentioned plants get their water from the ground. So why not dive down into the depth of the grass ocean and find the ground water? Yes, there are terrible monsters down there, but obviously they can be fought. In an ocean of grass you don’t have to worry about not having enough oxygen for your dive.
The framing story. It certainly has a purpose other than adding to the page count of the book.
The pacing. Even in the middle of a fight we get ruminations about Kindred’s past. In another already slow spot of the story we get descriptions of each individual blade of grass as the light is reflected off it.
Some of the ideas of this book where really good. But, I would have liked a faster pacing and less repetition, also of the moral tale.

*slams that five stars button*

It’s such a rare treat to read something that feels completely original and whisks you away to experience things you never imagined. For me, The Forever Sea was exactly that type of treat. Everything about this read felt so fresh and new- from the endless grass seas to the ships powered by musical hearthfire magic, from the floating islands to the giant tree cities.

On top of this magical, whimsical worldbuilding, The Forever Sea is beautifully written. It’s very poetic, while still easy and enjoyable to consume. Nothing too purple or convoluted- just flowy and beautiful and chock full of stunning imagery. As a huge fan of nature and all its lovely bits, these descriptions were especially engaging for me.

Within this fantastic, picturesque world are a fabulously diverse and vibrant cast of characters. I’ll admit to being nervous about a novel boasting a cast of women with a male writer, but Johnson pulls it off splendidly. No cringe! Can you believe it?? The characters feel well-rounded within their roles and it’s easy to fall in love with so many of them. There are many wholesome relationships in addition to the romance, which is also very sweet and pure. Love the queer rep, which is handled very tastefully.

Overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this read widely. Great for fans of fantasy and adventure who are looking for something that hasn’t been done before. Great for someone new to the genre looking to try it without being bogged down by heavy lore or complicated magic systems. Great for anyone looking for a beautifully written, action-packed, adventure with tons of heart.

Can I have the sequel now please?

Imagine a sea made not of water but of miles-deep prairie grass. Enter the world of The Forever Sea, where ships powered by magical, bone-burning hearthfires sail the prairie surface. Whereas most fire keepers follow strict rules and most sailors fear the unknown depths, Kindred follows her intuition and communicates with her fire as she dreams of what lies below. Her grandmother vanished under the surface to seek something more, the myths lying therein. And Kindred is consumed by the desire to follow.

This is a fascinating fantasy concept and a weighty rumination on humans' role in the environment. Much of the conflict in the story revolves around how most people in the story view the sea, hearthfires, and the world at large (including one another) as something to dominate and circumscribe. Kindred and her grandmother represent another path forward, one where they bend to natural ways, commune with them, and do not fear what is outside their control.

The thoughtful story left me with some hangups, though. The main issue for me was pedantic pacing. This wasn't the high seas adventure I anticipated so much as a careful consideration of where we go wrong with the environment and with our fellow humans. That is a perfectly worthy goal, but I think the messaging was a bit heavy-handed and repetitive, making the plot sluggish. Think less swashbuckling, more staring at the horizon and ruminating on life's bigger questions. Even sea battles are interrupted with remembrances and theorizing. For me, it was frustrating, but if you like a slower, more deliberate story, you'll savor diving into these depths.

A fantastical world where water is scarce and ships sail above an expanse of grass known as The Forever Sea; miles deep, a place where only a few know the secrets hidden below.

The ships that sail across the grassy sea are controlled by talented Hearthfire Keepers. Kindred Greyreach, the granddaughter of the well-known Marchess, is a young apprentice Hearthfire Keeper. Although naturally talented in her trade, her mind is not entirely on the hearthfire, it is with the Marchess who has gone missing in the depths of the Forever Sea, and presumed dead.

Kindred hears the sympathetic condolences where ever she goes, but doesn’t actually believe her grandmother is dead. Why would she jump? The final letter from her grandmother was mysterious and Kindred believes there are some shady dealings going on, and now needs to know what secrets are hidden within the Forever Sea?

The first book in a new series, The Forever Sea is wonderfully written and spellbound. A book where you can get lost in the words, and like all high-fantasy books, the world. A book full of strong independent female characters, and unforgettable imagery, this book will be loved by many.

DNFed at 25%. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling this book. I was really looking forward to it because the premise sounded so interesting, but the lack of any character depth right from the start really made my interest dwindle.
A big part of this book is the mystery of what exists beneath the sea of grass, because no one has been able to find that out, and everyone assumes that someone who goes into it dies. However, we're not given any real reason why this mystery needs to be solved, which is part of what makes a good secret that the book keeps from the reader. All we really get is that a character we were never introduced to has already gone below, into the forever sea, when the story needed a more pressing reason to be keeping this mystery going. We're not shown any big problems that might be solved by whatever is found below, just...that no one really knows what's down there or has come back.
So after completing 1/4th of this book and feeling much the same as I did during the first few chapters, I decided not to finish it. My star rating is based on what I did read, which I would give 2.5 stars. I'm not giving it a rating on Goodreads, since my policy is to only give a rating to a book I didn't finish if I read most of it (or if it was offensive or otherwise terrible, which this book was not at all, I just wasn't getting into it.)

Kindred has just returned from a near-devastating journey on the Forever Sea when she learns her estranged grandmother has stepped into the grass and killed herself. Or has she?

"Let us escape again," the storyteller says, clapping his hands to gather their attention, "to a story of senseless violence and distrust, a story of love and hope, a story of our worst natures and the devastation a few might wreak."


Hovering between a 3.5 and a 4.

This is undeniably a book about climate change and the ways humanity has pruned and scourged nature to resemble a tamed version of itself, and how resources are wasted and used without regard until it's too late.

The setting of the world was fantastic, with some really interesting magic and world-systems, and a fascinating insight into what motivates people, governments, and civilizations, and the various ways folks live around and among the world. Plus, there's the entire concept of an ocean made of grass, that stretches impossibly into forever (at least over four miles) and had weird magical properties that allow for it to grow that high and fuck with people's minds when they are below the blades. In addition, there are ships that cruise along the tops of the grass (never below), powered by a special fire managed by hearthkeepers like Kindred. Various kinds of grasses are used as food, medicine, power and magic sources, and keep the economy of Kindred's home going.

I LOVED the worldbuilding (however, wanted less purple plant prose), wanted more conclusions/wrap-up at the end than what I got, and felt that nearly 500 pages was far too long to have it end with pretty much nothing resolved.

I did enjoy the dichotomy of Kindred's home city (forgot its name, whoops) and the Once-City, who interact with nature in two completely different yet equally destructive ways.

Kindred's city is one that has erased nature from itself. It exists solely to bring nature to its knees, ignoring the management of the prairie in order to get more, more, more. As a result, it's running out of water for its people, and strict rations are set in place to keep the population going. Its high stone walls protect it from the sea, and create barriers to further remove the population from nature. Its hearthkeepers use strict, rote builds to create and wield the fires that power their ships, with no thought for listening to the fire save for more ways to control it.

On the other hand, the Once-City operates entirely within the prairie. It's people use living grass for their homes and is seemingly a world where the people are entirely in tune with their environment. They want for nothing, and it's almost idealistic, save for when Kindred remembers it's run by pirates who supplement the have-nots with other people's possessions, and when she learns that the council is keeping a deadly secret from its population.

I was initially unsure about a man writing a woman main character (I always tread carefully with these because of the Strong Female Character trope), much less a lesbian, but he did well. Stayed within his lane, didn't write too much that was cringe.

However, the plot dragged, particularly when the author skipped off to describe the various variations of the prairie seas and how the light would hit each individual blade of grass (yes, each individual blade was described in detail, several times). Which was cool at first, and then it continued and I was like, stop describing and let's get this plot going again. However, like the Once-City, the plot was moored fast for longer than it needed to be, and became bogged down in description after description, as if the lesson on show vs tell was switched to MAXIMUM SHOW.

3.5 stars because the plot was intriguing, and despite the tendency to go overboard in describing the sea, I really, really enjoyed the worldbuilding and the general mystery of the after and the before (the storyteller is used as a framing device that kinda works, but leaves more questions than answers at the end).

Don't know if I'll stick around for book 2, mainly because in a book that long I wanted more answers and resolutions than what I got.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review