I had such high hopes for this book, and it started strong... like really strong. I mean I am a SUCKER for the dark brooding pirates who are hard to break open. Unfortunately, once the insta-love kicked in (and it did way too fast... It shouldn't be so easy with a pirate like Bash), it just fell flat until the ending where there was some good action. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions! In the end, it was okay but not as great as it could have! Thankfully, it was pretty well paced and didn't drag too hard. I haven't decided if I will continue with the story even though it ended on a great cliff hanger!

I didn’t really know what to expect from this book since I’m not too familiar with the author, but this book definitely surprised me. It was so well written and imaginative. I loved the diversity rep and liked the slow build up between the two MC’s of the book. Margrete was fleshed out and her story arc felt realistic. I liked that she had flaws but was still determined no matter what the odds. Bash was a good counterpart and I enjoyed slowly learning about him and his land. I wish we were given more clues as to who she was as the story progressed, but we find out well enough as the story wraps up. This was a great read and I would most definitely recommend it to others as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

I went into this with high hopes and then got bored so quickly. I don't know what happened and if it was just my mental capacity for the day; but I couldn't get hooked. I really wanted to and I might try again but I think the beginning just felt like so many other books that I felt like I'd read it before.

Reseña en ingles y español. (Review in Spanish and English).
Thanks to NetGalley for sending me a copy of the book. This is an honest and voluntary review.

We follow the story of Margrete, the daughter of a powerful king with a hunger for power. It all begins when her father forces her to marry Count Casbian and she, desperate to escape her reality, prays to the gods.
What she was not expecting was an answer.
On the other hand, we have Bash, a powerful pirate determined to kidnap Margrete on her wedding day and use her as an exchange card to recover an ancient relic. But as he takes her to his village, strange things begin to happen and past secrets resurface.
What are the gods playing at?

Honestly, I had very high expectations of this book because I had seen many positive reviews, but sadly I was disappointed.
Let's start with the good things.
The author's pen is beautiful, I really liked her writing style. It is like reading a poem.
The protagonist, Margrete, although not physically strong or good at fighting, has a strong and courageous personality, she knows what she wants, what to do, and is not afraid to try and do it.
The world that the author created, although it did not feel very original, was entertaining to read and get to know.
In general, it is a good book, what bothered me and got me constantly rolling my eyes was the relationship between the two protagonists. It felt very forced and not at all realistic.
I'm sorry but this one wasn't for me.

Español:
Gracias a NetGalley por enviarme una copia del libro. Esta es una reseña honesta y voluntaria.

Seguimos la historia de Margrete, hija de un poderoso rey con hambre de poder. Todo empieza cuando su padre la promete al Conde Casbian y ella desesperada por escapar de su realidad le reza a los dioses. Lo que no esperaba era una respuesta.
Por otro lado tenemos a Bash, un poderoso pirata decidido a secuestrar a Margrete el día de la boda y usarla como tarjeta de cambio para recuperar una antigua reliquia. Pero al llevarla a su pueblo, cosas extrañas comienzan a ocurrir y secretos pasados comienzan a resurgir. ¿A qué están jugando los dioses?

Sinceramente, le tenía las expectativas muy altas a este libro porque había visto muchas reseñas muy positivas, pero lamentablemente me decepcionó.
Empecemos con las cosas buenas.
La pluma de la autora es preciosa, de verdad que me gustó mucho su estilo de escritura. Es como estar leyendo un poema.
La protagonista, aunque no es fuerte físicamente o buena para pelear, tiene una personalidad fuerte y valiente, sabe lo que quiere, lo que hay que hacer y no le da miedo intentarlo.
El mundo que creó la autora, aunque no se me hizo original, fue entretenido de leer y conocer.
En general es un buen libro, a mi lo que me molestó y lo que me sacaba de onda era la relación entre los dos protagonistas. La sentí muy forzada y para nada realista.

One woman chosen by the God of the Sea. A king hellbent on saving his mysterious island home. And a forbidden romance that could destroy them all.
Margrete is a young woman living a genuinely awful life. Her father is a monster, and she is set to go into an arranged marriage she does not want. Her younger sister is the only true light in her life, and she does everything she can to protect her from their father. On the day of her wedding, everything changes when she comes face to face with the unruly pirate king who changes her life.
This book took me by surprise. While it certainly sounded like a book I would enjoy, there was much more to this story than just fantasy and romance. But don’t get me wrong, those were pretty great too. The chemistry between Margrete and Bash is sizzling, and the world being built is so mystical and magical. But my favourite thing about this story would have to be Margrete’s character growth. We get to watch her grow from a terrified, victimized young woman into a strong, brave badass. Her journey is not easy, and I love the way it is handled with so much care and respect for the characters and the relationships between them.
I cannot wait to see what lies in store for Margrete and the rest of her friends and family.

I received an ARC of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
#TheGirlWhoBelongedtotheSea #NetGalley

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me with an ARC.

Margrete is no stranger to torment, pain and anguish and when her father informs her of his plans to marry her to Casbian, she fails to believe that anything will change. This Casbian will be just like her father, just as cruel.

Then, on her wedding day, she finds herself kidnapped by pirates and whisked away to a land that shouldn't exist, a land that exists only in myth. Intent on despising the man who kidnapped her, Margrete instead finds herself drawn to him, just as Bash is to her.

Margrete's time in Azantian, her newfound friends, her growing attraction to Bash, and the voices that plague her every thoughts all aid Margrete in finding her place in the world and finally finding the courage to fight back against those would seek to harm her and her loved ones.

You can find my review on Goodreads posted on 02/10/2021

Potential triggers: abusive father (not graphic). Otherwise, suitable for my fellow die-hard fantasy lovers AND historical romance readers who would like to try venturing into this amazing genre for the first time.

Fantasy > historical romance > pirates > kings > GODS.

It all started with a desperate prayer for freedom. From there, 23 old Margrete is swept away to the mystical island of Azantian where seas come to life, danger looms, and romance blossoms.

Admittedly, I struggled with the first 15% or so. Majorly. The prologue really, really threw me off. It was so confusing and didn't match the vibe of the rest of the story. Also, at one stage our main character notes that "it was almost too much to take in all at once," and I have to say - girl, I agree. There were a few points in the book that were very description heavy and they made my little brain hurt.

However, I'm glad I persevered because what I got is a magical island, an abused woman finding her power, a swoon-worthy romance (some of their moments genuinely made me so happy) and a mythical tale that slowly unravels.

Our main character is a bit dense at times (not putting two and two together, not communicating what she should, and forgetting about her younger sister) but the majority of the time she is likeable as are our other characters. She's just the right amount of headstrong and has a great back and forth going with Bash - who is very well developed.

"Only small men fear a woman who knows her own mind and wields a sword. Who fights back. Because those women... Well, they have the power to send men to their knees."

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Apologies to the author for taking longer than usual to have it read. I will definitely be continuing the series :)

Great world building and catching characters! Enemies to lovers, magical creatures and a great plot! This book has everything. Can’t wait to read the next one!

You get to discover the world as Margrete discovers it, which helps you to understand how the characters and the magical world work. The attraction between Margrete and Bash is perfect!
Great enemies to lovers! +16

Thanks to Netgalley, City Owl Press and Katherine Quinn for the opportunity to read and leave an honest review.

This would be a 10* review for me if I could give it. I was totally blown away by this book and will eagerly be waiting for the next in the series. Katherine Quinn has written a wonderful tale and I am so impressed that I will be eagerly recommending this book to my friends.

I found the characters colourful and engaging and this story kept me completely entertained from beginning to end.

I am a great fan of Sci Fi Fantasy, magic, Pirates, anything to do with the sea, strong women, dominant men with a soft side and lots of adventure to boot. This book had it all. The main characters Margrete and Bash are so good together and their caring nature stands them in good stead for the hard times ahead in Azantian.

After Margrete's kidnapping by Bash to Azantian, she found a very different life and formed wonderful friendships with Adrian and Bay, something she never had at home with her abusive Father.

She finds herself in many new and dangerous situations as she and Bash try to find where the Heart of Azantian is before their gates are opened and Azantian and their people and lives are destroyed.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OH, I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH! Katherine Quinn did an amazing job at bringing this story to life. The description of this book was the one that made me request this book in the first place and I was worried that it won't live up to my expectations. But it did.

I usually don't like third POVs that much, because I have trouble connecting with the characters, but this one just worked so well. This book has enemies to lovers, there is a bit of a Pirates of the Caribbean theme there as well, there is paranormal and it is fast-paced.

Overall, I loved it and I can't wait for the sequel.

Enemies to Lovers. ENEMIES to lovers. ENEMIES TO LOVERS. AHH.

The story begins when Margrete is set to be married to a count but alas, barely makes it to the alter. Bash kidnaps Margrete to try to use her as a bargaining chip with her father, as her father had stolen a very important relic from his people.. Little do they know, neither are as they seem.

The world building is phenomenal. The descriptions of the buildings, the castle, the ship on the ocean, everything is so vividly detailed you feel like you are there with the main characters.

My only complaint was there where times where the "he" or "it" that were being referenced were a little confusing? Like, "he said", "I heard his voice", and I wasn't sure who "he" was. There was a lot of names and almost information overload. You had to really be focusing at times to decipher. If your spouse or friend is talking to you, or if you have the TV on in the background, turn them or the TV off (silencio) and focus.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I would definitely agree with the recommendation to fans of Sarah J Maas ACOTAR. You will be enthralled with this tale. Also, fans of JLA Blood and Ash, pick this one up. The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea could definitely be your next favorite read!

Unfortunately this became a DNF for me. Normally on Goodreads I don't rate a DNF, but on Netgalley I'm obligated to do so. I don't like rating books I haven't finished because I don't have a full 'view' on the book. In this case I decided to give it 2 stars because I HAD to choose a rating but I still think it's not fair to be rating it.

I read up until 54%. The writing was just fine and I got through it easily enough, but there just wasn’t much present that kept me truly hooked, you know? Felt like I wouldn’t miss out on anything if I’d DNF, so that was enough for me to actually DNF it. With lots of other books waiting to be read, I just want to remain honest and focus on finishing books that ‘do’ more for me.

This book was a fun read start to finish. The world building wasn’t particularly complex but it was well woven into the story. Margrete is a strong woman who, despite being mistreated by her father, still has a strong personality and she doesn’t put up with anyone’s abuse from anyone. Especially the man who kidnapped her Bash. I’ll be honest, I sometimes found it’s hard to take Bash seriously because of his name. I was impressed with a storyline as it was more complex than I was expecting.

I will note that there are somewhat explicit sexual scenes in this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to review.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! I'm a sucker for a pirate book and that's what I thought I was going to get but there was so much more to it than that.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
This book follows Margrete and her journey being kidnapped from her abusive father and then being held ransom by Bash. Who she initially believes to be a pirate but is actually the King of Azantian. He is the protector of the making sure the mythical sea monsters aren't released.
He ultimately wants to trade Margrete back to her father in return for what he had stolen. The stolen object is also what seems to be keeping the sea creatures locked away.
I liked seeing the enemies to lovers development between Bash and Margrete. It was gradual which made it believable. I also liked that Margrete stayed strong even after being captured which is remarkable since she was made to fear her father so much.
It was also great to see the story from two different points of view. You see it develop from Margrete and Bash's viewpoint, this gave it an extra dimension.
I also liked the diversity in the characters and the found family trope represented here. There was a nice LGBTQI+ representation as well.
It ends with enough questions unanswered to make you want to read the next one in the series. All in all, it was quite enjoyable with a lot of unexpected adventures.

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea wasn't a bad book...It just seemed to be missing the spark that makes a book magical. This book never grabbed me--perhaps because Margrete having the magic was too predictable for readers while the characters took FOREVER to figure it out--and because the book didn't grab me, all I can really say is "meh."

There is a built-in audience for this type of nondemanding read: it floats in the shallow end and never challenges the reader or characters. But at the same time, this lack of sophistication can be extremely frustrating for more experienced readers looking for solid world building, character development, and depth. For me, none of the characters were fleshed out and felt too much like over-romanticized Mary Sue creations that were hitting every cliche on the YA romance checklist.

Story: Margrete lives a loveless life under the harsh thumb of her ruthless father. When a random prayer reaches the ears of a cursed god, he sees an opportunity to escape his fate. Margrete is kidnapped on her wedding day and taken to a mysterious hidden island with the 'pirate'. Love and sex ensues.

I think I had the most problem with the characters. They were overly idealized, nearly perfect, and thus never needed to have any kind of character development. Margrete, for example, describes her father's punishment of being stuck in an iron maiden with 'rusted spikes' that caused her to bleed. This is described more along the lines that she was locked in her room and no discussion is made whatsoever of the damage that has done psychologically or emotionally. Instead, she spends the next scene frolicking on the beach with her sister. It feels like such a missed opportunity and very shallow writing not to explore this abuse and how she needs to heal/recover from it. If anything, you'd never suspect she was under any abuse at all since she spends most of the time meeting her love interest the first time by continually insulting him.

The insults toward him felt very stupid - if you're kidnapped by a man who ruthlessly killed a whole bunch of people just to get to you, then you probably shouldn't be mouthing off. She should have been terrified but instead was written as being peeved and annoyed. As such, the heroine fell into the 'too stupid to live' category far too often. At the same time, it is getting tiring reading YA romances where authors seem to think that being rude, obnoxious, mouthy, and insulting shows spirit. It doesn't - it shows stupidity and takes away any sense of danger. Then add the inexplicable reaction by the male love interests who find the heroine sexy and cute when being a jerk and I just don't get it.

In many ways, this sometimes feels like a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Except that the Beast would have slaughtered many people in Belle's village in order to kidnap her, tell her that they were all bad men anyway and deserved to die, and then take her to his palace so she can call him an ugly, hairy, smelly, dog while he smirks indulgently. The author could have chosen to to have the two main characters get to know each other organically but instead already on the first day we have Margrete getting jealous after the 'pirate' hugs a female friend and thinking how manyly he is. It felt like the slut shaming was ready to begin and this girl, who was kidnapped amidst so much death and uncertainty, is instead more interested in the hunky guy with another woman than her own predicament. It made me rolls my eyes.

Worldbuilding was also non existent. More of your bog standard medieval patriarchal society that we have seen so much before. Anything that deviated outside of medieval England was there only as a plot mechanism to make the male interest look good rather than an organic and intrinsic part of a unique world. For this reason, the book is very undemanding of readers but also bland as cardboard. We've seen this story so many times, often done better.

The writing is simplistic, lacks depth, but is super easy to follow and therefore I imagine it will be appealing to some. Certainly we don't need Jane Austen level of writing to really succeed but honestly, this just felt so pedantic and pedestrian. Granted, it is a debut effort but at the same time, I wish an editor had worked with the author to add depth, character development, and especially world building to make this more than a middle grade read level read but for adults. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Really enjoyed this book. I loved the romance and all characters were well developed and thought out. Pirates and spice, need I say more?
Looking forward to the next book.

If you haven't already read this, give it a go. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Owl City Press for this e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Wow! Such an unique and compeeling story!
I loved and hurt with Margret, I hated her father sooo much and Bash intrigued me from the start.
I loved it so much and it surprised me at every turn. I can't wait for book 2!!!

5 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

This book was AMAZING, it definitely lives upto the hype!! If you love pirates, ACOTAR, The Bridge Kingdom with vibes of FBAA then this book is for you. This was a book that I had to forcibly make myself put down. I literally can not wait to read the next installment! Highly highly recommend, you need to read this book.

I read the blurb for this book and was immediately drawn to it. Pirates? Check! Damsel in distress who refuses to be distressed? Check! Arranged marriage? Check! Gods and monsters? Check! Steamy Scenes? Check!

All in all, what else could you want?

Whilst you can read it for the spicy scenes (of which there are only a couple) I actually found myself more engaged with the plot side of it and the world that Quinn built. I felt myself on that island and walking those streets, it was beautifully descriptive and allowed you to see these places in your imagination. The mythology built into the story gave the plot an extra layer and the tension more gravitas.

I realise it was a romance but actually I think if you took those scenes out you would still have a pretty great book.

The characters were mostly well rounded, I enjoyed Margrete’s tenacity and her attempts to escape at all costs and get back to her sister. I did think that Bash was a tad too perfect and I would have liked at least a small flaw in him somewhere (but I guess that’s not what romances are for). The interplay between the two main characters was fun. I am hoping that in the sequel we see much more of Bay and Adrian so that they get their characters fleshed out too.

I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a day! For a debut novel it really is amazing what Katherine Quinn can already do and I look forward to seeing how she improves and grows over time. I am very interested in keeping an eye out for book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and Owl City Press for my complimentary advanced reader’s copy.