Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for early access to this title. This in no way impacts my review.

Kostrov was such an interesting world, some of then most intriguing world building I've read so far this year. This is set in a world where there is going to be a world-wide flood and the climate details kind of gave me anxiety for our real world. I think that the idea of Royal Flyers sounds so unique. Natasha wants to get her Flyers on the Royal fleet even if it means marrying someone she doesn't want to, while Ella is plotting to destroy the courts and attempting to not fall for Natasha. Ella and Natasha are very likable characters that had me rooting for them the entire way. They are both strong, determined, and had amazing chemistry. I think the ending was too open for me which frustrates me so I hope there's a sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The land of Kostrov is destined to be flooded. Only those who are lucky or privileged will make it onto the Royal Fleet and survive. Until recently, the Royal Flyers were always counted among its passengers. When Natasha learns they won't be on it, she and her trainer come with a plan for her to become the Queen and convince her new husband to add the flyers. Ella on the other hand, is here for revenge. King Nikolai killed her lover and his own sister and Ella is determined to make him, she doesn't care if she dies for it. She joins the Flyers in order to get access to Nikolai, but she can seem to keep out of Natasha's path.

I loved the world of Kostrov. It’s far from perfect but it’s tense and fascinating. I loved the history of the Royal Flyers and seeing something that's both beautiful and athletic be celebrated for it. Some of the climate stuff makes me a bit anxious—mainly because my overeager brain is ready to apply it to today, but the sense of danger is very much alive in this book!

Between the two main characters, they have my heart. Ella came running onto the page ready for murder and I was all swoons over here! Natasha is more of the cautious but will have a solid plan for revenge type. It was so easy to love these two, but it did take me a bit longer to love them together. We didn't really get too many hints that Natasha might even think of Ella that way until well over halfway.

I really hope there's a sequel because the ending was so open. I cry! Lastly, the way the Storms were described was confusing. There are ten and I could never tell if they had already happened, were about to start or some had happened and some hadn't. Honestly, still am a bit confused.

This book was really enjoyable and unique! I loved the two main characters Natasha and Ella and found this one so hard to put down as I just needed to know how it ended! I am a big fan of morally grey characters, so I enjoyed that the motivations of so many of the characters were really layered and had you sympathizing with a lot of different viewpoints. I liked that this was a story of survival and hope, but it also let you see what people are capable of when their backs are against the wall and when they think they are out of options. Again this comes back to the morally grey aspect that I liked!

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinteen for the #gifted e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a different concept! The world has been struck by the Harbinger Year again- 10 storms each worse counting down to the flood of the world. A take on Noahs arc with fables tossed in. Natasha is a Royal Flyer. She’s a part of her worlds history and entertainment but to her being a flyer is the safety and a possible future from the flood with a spot of the Royal fleet. Ella is hell bent of revenge and knows she won’t even make it on the fleet because she will be dead.
Two girls with two very different plans for their future crash together. Interesting world building (could of used more info on the fables/storms/etc) witty and wonderful main characters (love Ella!). Left open if you want a sequel!! Great first book.

brb waiting for more especially the sapphic goodness provided by this book? I maybe an easy sell on dystopians now, but the writing is what really got me for this one.

I really tried with this one. I had already seen a review from someone I follow that they only got to 35% before they marked this as DNF. I've been slogging through this book and I usually am not someone to DNF a book. I really try to finish all the books I read but this one I just couldn't. I liked the characters and the different stories they have but it wasn't enough to compel me to continue with the story. At 60% nothing had happened. It felt like a build-up so long drawn out that it stopped being enticing. The premise sounds & I really wanted to like it.

Absolutely loved the writing in this book that I immediately went and ordered a physical copy to have for myself. It is very quick pace and you just fall in love with the characters.

Now, to be completely honest, there were some slow patches in this book. The pacing alternated between fast, plot driven moments that lead to a lot of action and character development and then slowed down and coasted on more minor moments. The slow moments weren't bad, but if you're looking for a story that keeps a fast pace and pushes you through to the end, you might struggle with this book. I appreciated the slower moments - it gave us time to get to know our main characters, Ella and Natasha, as well as their friends and fellow flyers, but it is a noticeable slowness. 

The thing that really struck my interest were the characters. Ella is seeking revenge for her girlfriend, an exiled princess, who was murdered by her brother. Natasha is trying to find a way to survive the end of the world, especially since her mother didn't. Ella doesn't mind if she dies and Natasha is doing everything she can to beat the odds. Both girls have completely different motivations and yet, somehow, their stories intertwine and it is amazing. 

The world building is also fantastic. I loved the political, religious, and cultural background we get. Everything is so well thought out and made the world feel so real as I was reading it. I appreciated the commentary on religion - that just because one religion says its the truth, doesn't mean that others don't have their own truth in it too. We also see the effects of a closeness between church and state, which can obviously get very messy. 

And this book is addicting. I was so wrapped up in Natasha and Ella's stories that I didn't even consider other possible endings. Like I was actually shocked by the ending and I'm still reeling from it. Natasha is determined to save the flyers, silk dancers who lift themselves high into the sky, and will do anything to save them from the Floods. Even if it means courting and marrying the Prince, Nikolai. One thing I wished we got more of were fleshed out scenes with Nikolai. For the most part, he's kind of this unattainable character, one we rarely see and hear from. And the moments we do see him are short and to the point. I wished we could have gotten to know his character more, especially since he was the "love interest" for Natasha for most of the book. 

Meanwhile, with Ella, watching her try to formulate her revenge was intense. Grief stricken by the loss of her girlfriend, Ella has no one, except for her girlfriend's aunt. And she's only really there to help Ella exact her revenge so she can take the throne. But when Ella joins the flyers and starts to work towards her plan, it's clear that its way harder than they both thought and what if Ella doesn't want to die anymore? Watching her go through that emotional journey was so ... satisfying. It just felt like Ella really found herself and accepted that just because she was devastated by this loss didn't mean she had to sacrifice her life for it, or that she couldn't find love elsewhere. 

I think my favorite thing about this book, besides the constant reminder of the apocalypse everyone is about to face, are the relationships. Watching Ella become friends with the flyers and find her place with them. Natasha fighting for her friends with everything she has and being willing to give up herself to Nikolai to save them. Natasha and Ella becoming friends and then maybe something more. The strength of these relationships really carried the story for me, even during times of slowness in the plot. 

And even in slow moments, the plot line is still strong. There really wasn't much in this story that I didn't like and by the end, I was so upset there was nothing left to read. No more pages to tell me what happens next. I kept hitting my screen, trying to get it to turn the page, before I realized the book was finished. It was so sad. Overall, if you like sapphic romances, end of the world themes, some religious/political commentary, or stories about pure survival - this is a book you need to pick up!

A beautiful story about love in an almost apocalyptic world centered around two aerial silk performers (I can't stop imagining Inej from Shadow and Bone). This story really had me drawn in by the world-building and imagery. With the dreaded anticipation of a world-ending flood, there was so much to explore.

While I found the world-building and characters captivating, the downside of only have a standalone is that there simply isn't as much time (or as many pages) to get to know the characters better. So as much as I enjoyed this story, I wished there was more time to know the characters and develop the romance and plot.

Overall, I'd recommend this read for someone craving a good romance-filled fantasy but doesn't have the time to start a good fantasy series anytime soon.

I loved that we not only got a dystopian book, which IMO we need MORE of, but aerialists for the King.

I will say that I wasn’t in the mood for a Fantasy when I started it, so I think it made it harder for me to get into it. Once I got past that feeling, I started loving it.

I love love loved Natasha so much!

The world building was quite confusing at times, but intriguing enough that I continued reading. I assume this is going to be a larger series and I am excited to see where it goes. Especially now that it finally got gay at the end.

First off, I want to thank Penguin Teen for sending me this book through NetGalley for review!

Girls at the Edge of the World is a YA Fantasy book with aerial silk performers, royalty, imminent floods, revenge, and sapphic romance. Speaking of that imminent flood, only a select few are given spots on the coveted escape ships when the epic flood hits. This leads us to Natasha who is the principle flyer for the royal flyers who will do anything to get themselves and most importantly her on one of those ships. Even if that means fighting to become queen by hopefully marrying King Nikolai. However, our other main character has other plans. The newest flyer has her own agenda, revenge against the king which could ruin everything Natasha is working for.

I'm going to give this book 4/5 stars. Wow I was not expecting to like this as much as I've been in a real reading slump and I have been mostly struggling to get through YA books. But this might have gotten me out of it! I think the story is super interesting and unique and I got through this book in a day because I had to know what happened next. I'm not usually a fan of dual POVs but I actually enjoyed both characters in this book although I do gravitate toward Natasha. I think the camaraderie the flyers had was so wholesome and one of the best parts of the book. I felt like this was mostly character driven as the plot really only "thickens" towards the end of the book which I didn't really mind that much but I did have some gripes that I will mention later. I think the writing was beautiful and I loved the descriptions that were written and I could put myself into the story. I was also at the edge of my seat several times which is always fun.

There are a couple reasons this book didn't get 5 stars from me so let's go over them. First, although I love seeing sapphic romance represented and I liked the connection between the girls you really don't see much romance between the two as they are in the friend phase for the majority of the book. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but my problem was the insta love at the end. I felt like they both jumped into the deep end and the growth didn't quite make sense to me. I also have a problem with the end. What the heck? You're just going to leave it like that? There are so many unanswered questions and it left a bad taste in my mouth to not know what the heck happened.

I'm super excited to read more from this author in the future as I believe this is her debut novel and I think she's got great potential.

I received an advanced copy of Girls at the Edge of the World through NetGalley so I could share my review with you!

Content Warning: Homophobia, Religious Bigotry, Suicide (past), and Violence

Natasha is the principal performer in the Royal Flyers, an elite group of silk dancers whose history extends back to the earliest days of recorded history. Her position is coveted by many, especially with the impending disasters threatening the world. The floods are coming far earlier than anyone could’ve expected, and only a select few will survive their wrath. Every citizen in the kingdom is vying for a position on one of the Royal Fleet’s ships, yet food and space are beyond scarce. Natasha believes her troupes’ seats on the Fleet are guaranteed, but when she learns otherwise, she is willing to do whatever it takes to save them all. But, everyone is not who they seem to be within the Royal Flyers. The newest recruit to the troupe, Ella, has a different mission than making it onto the Royal Fleet, one that has the potential to reshape the kingdom in its entirety. She intends to kill Prince Nikolai and place someone new on the throne, someone who can help right the wrongs of Nikolai’s reign. Ella and Natasha may not share a goal, but they possess a matching determination to fight for their desires, no matter the costs.

You can get your copy of Girls at the Edge of the World on June 8th from Dial Books!

I’m not certain if this book will be a standalone or if it will have a sequel in the future, but I am definitely hoping the latter is the case! After finishing Girls at the Edge of the World, I am eager to read more stories set in this world. Laura Brooke Robson crafted a world with so many layers of lore building on each other, making the reality of this story incredibly rich. I was especially fond of how she incorporated conflicting histories and myths into the plot of this story, forcing the characters to navigate a world in which no one institution is completely correct or altruistic. The lines between stories and truth are constantly called into question, often with massive implications for the characters’ lives.

Because of the many elements brought into the narrative, I occasionally felt the plot dragging. There was so much of the world that needed to be explained that the characters seemed to get stuck explaining quite a bit in their narration. Besides this one issue, I found the story to be quite enjoyable!

My Recommendation-
If you enjoy stories of love, sisterhood, and devastatingly high stakes, you should pick up a copy of Girls at the Edge of the World! This book would be a great read for fans of ocean-centric fantasies like The Dark Tide and The Bone Shard Daughter!

Thoughts and Themes: The minute that I see a book is LGBT+, I know that I have to read it. I was so pleased with so many aspects of this book and really hope that there’s more to this story. I like that this story leaves me wanting more, wanting to know what happens next but also that it does close nicely for the reader.

I really liked how this book talks about Sirens and the original meaning for the term and how that term has shifted in their world. I liked the world-building that occurs throughout this story and how that world-building just was integrated into the plot.

I also really liked how we don’t know who the villain is throughout the story. You get glimpses at who it might be and the reason that Ella believes that they are the villain but never a confirmed answer. You don’t even get that answer at the end of the book which left me with so many questions. Like who was I supposed to believe, do we go with Ella’s point of view, or what Natasha knows?

Characters: This book introduces you to several people through their interactions with Natasha and Ella. You also get to meet both of these characters not only through each of their chapters but also in the moments in which they interact with each other.

Something that I really liked about the characters in this story was the friendships/relationships between each of the flyers. I loved how connected they were with each other and how we see this through the addition of Ella. I really liked seeing how even if they were skeptical of who she was, they still accepted her as one of them and made her feel like she had a family.

I really liked the slow burn romance that happens between Natasha and Ella. I liked that they tip toed around each other for the majority of the book and kept their feelings for each other to themselves. I liked how you know that the feelings are there and its going to happen but we don’t get the on page revelation of these feelings till near the end of the story.

Writing Style: This book goes back and forth between our two main characters, Natasha and Ella. I liked being able to see both of their perspectives on the events going on. I think that being able to see how they both felt allows us to understand their feelings and also feel sympathy for both of them.

4.5 Stars

Content Warnings at end of review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an e-arc of this book.

Set in a world well on its way to the next world-wide flood, Natasha will do anything it takes to get her and her Royal Flyers on the Royal Fleet, even if it means trying to marry Prince Nikolai. Meanwhile, new flyer Elle Neves is plotting the courts destruction and falling for Natasha at the same time.

I loved the plot of this book so much! There is so much interesting world-building and I love the lore woven throughout. The elements of religion and fables mixed together in trying to teach the future how to survive the floods, and the courtly intrigue!

I also really loved the main characters, Natasha and Elle. They are both so determined, but in different ways and for different reasons. I love a main character filled with spite, so I was rooting for Elle instantly. Their tension and chemistry was also really good!

The only thing about this I didn't love was the ending. It felt a little to unresolved and I was left with questions I wanted answers to. Maybe a potential sequel?

Pub Date: June 8, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry and Homophobia

Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Blood, Suicide, and Pregnancy

This book is totally flying under the radar. How have I not heard about this from everyone? I requested this on a whim from Penguin Teen and I couldn’t be happier. To quote the author on Goodreads; “Climate induced peril, aerial silks, court intrigue” and more. It has a bit of everything in it!

Floods have been plaguing the Kostrovian court for some time and now and it is foreseen that an epic one is headed their way. One that will cover everything and last for one year. There are not enough boats to take everyone. The Royal Flyers are determined to be on a boat.

The Royal Flyers perform theater in aerial silks. Can you picture it? It’s totally Vegas. Multiple silks hang from the ceiling and these teens elegantly climb up and down them, acting out stories, or in other words, “fly” through the silks. It sounds amazing and I loved the uniqueness of this part of the story.

The full review is on my blog and I’m loving this one for the low content, check it out!

Content warning: homophobia

Welp… The might be one of the strangest dystopian fantasy novels I’ve ever read. Obviously I read the synopsis but I couldn’t quite seem to grasp the reality of what I was reading. It’s like a weird mix of a Noah’s flood from the Bible, pagan myths, colonialism, dystopia and post-apocalyptic…something. The plot itself was…meh? But it was the characters that really made this book rather unbelievable.

Okay, don’t get me wrong. The concept of the flyers is neat but the fact that they evolved from cool tree climbing spies to…girls who “flew” with silks is kind of baffling. But how am I supposed to dig the rest of this if I can’t really stand any of the characters? You want me to believe that Nikolai and Natasha have a romance when they’re barely even friends? I feel like I didn’t even know Nikolai until the last few pages, and I still can’t decide if he’s a horrible person or not. Then you have Ella who wants revenge and her “mission” to be complete above all else but she’s practically a nobody and given this great “mission” when… How? How in the world is she going to accomplish that at all?

The romance between Natasha and Ella was just…okay. It almost felt forced… But then again, the relationship Ella had before didn’t feel fully real to me anyway in the same way Natasha and Nikolai’s felt like a sham.

I struggled with the world-building as well. Okay, so there is going to be a giant flood and only certain people are allowed in the royal fleet/ships. The Sacred Breath seemed fo be based on Christianity and I see a lot of parallels, not only in terms of lore but also contradictions. It was…interesting to say the least. I thought the whole idea behind the “siren” was kind of dumb in the modern context the book used it. I did, however, like the use of Tamm’s Fables and how these stories were more than just words on a page but real in a loose sense.

And that ending? What the heck? I literally thought the eARC had a mistake so I checked both the NetGalley app and the Kindle app but yeah, it really did end like that. Like??? There’s more??? Maybe???

This book is 400 pages and yet I gobbled it up in one night. By chapter 3, I already knew I was going to love the story, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Just an absolutely delectable read and fantastic storytelling. Here are some of my highlights:
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🌊 Very Unpredictable (like I was 70% in and had no idea what was gonna happen and then I was 98% in and still had no idea what was going to happen)
🌊 Who’s really the bad guy?
🌊 Trying to achieve your goals by any means necessary 🔪
🌊 Slow burn sapphic romance 🧜🏽‍♀️
🌊 The Bridgerton musical vibes when Daphne goes, "I stole your fate." And Simon goes, "No, I stole your fate."
🌊 Beautiful friendship/sisterhood relationships between the Royal Flyers
🌊 A religion vs culture element that was so interesting
🌊 Incredible worldbuilding
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I just very much loved this book. I also can’t recall reading a story where the main characters are aerialists which is so cool since I’m a baby one. I loved the group of girls and seeing Natasha and Ella’s conflicting goals. I’d definitely recommend this one cause it’s just 🥰🤭😊️🥲🥰
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I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely adored this book! I read it faster than I usually do because I just could not put it down. I grew so attached to all the characters so fast and I thought the plot was so interesting! It was so sad at points but still held onto that bit of hope that had me so entranced. I also loved the queer representation even though the homophobia was very upsetting. I would highly recommend this book!!

Gosh, the premise of this book is so good. A slow burn sapphic romance, lots of pining and yearning, a climate fiction plot, anti-imperialism, anti-religious persecution, and revenge! (one of my favorite things in the world!)

The problem for me was the execution. When you have something woven together with this much complexity you need to have believable actions and motivation from each character. I think the cast was a bit too large, each person’s stake was a little too big. Not everyone can get everything they want.

Natasha and Ella are lovely but the fliers and the guards are all very prominent in the story but we don’t get enough time spent with them all to know or care about them. Adelaide is very important but we never get a glimpse into her motivations or backstory, Maret is obviously really important however she is barely in the story, but we’re supposed to believe she has such sway and influence on Ella and others. Gospodin is very important but we barely understand how he got where he is and why.

I loved the premise of this book, I adored Ella as a character but this story had lots of balls in the air and spent so much time trying to juggle them that it never really got down to the details that mattered for me to become invested. The ending was rushed and abrupt and I’m left empty handed. Is there more? If this is a series, how will we know or learn more? Unfortunately, I was more puzzled than entertained..