Before reading this book, I was not aware that there were two books before it. Looking back, I probably should've read those two books prior to this, but I was still able to understand the book without them. However, because of this, the book required much more focus to read, and there was a lot of information that had to be remembered in order to read it. The writing still was flowy and elegant, but the POV changes threw me off on multiple occasions, leaving me confused.

All in all, All the Seas of the World was a beautiful book that, although confusing at times, left me feeling satisfied when reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC for this book.

* Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada/Viking and Netgalley for an advance copy for review purposes *

It took me a while to finish this book, the pace is deliberate and the writing style begs to be savored rather than devoured. I also struggled a bit to get into this world, partly because I did not know this is a world the author has been building over several other books, but also because it is set on a fictional world loosely based on the Mediterranean around the Renaissance, and my mind kept trying to tie together the fictional places and characters to the historical ones (Florence, Rome, Venice, Marseille, Algiers, Tunis, Istanbul,...), pulling me out of the story. There were no fantastical elements of relevance to the story, so my expectations for fantasy were thwarted. Once my mind was able to make a peace with a world that is almost like but not quite like our own, I was able to get immersed into this book.

There are many beautifully constructed characters in this epic story. The two main ones, Rafel and Lenia, are a pair of merchants thrown into a life at sea after great losses. Rafel is an exile from Esperana, forced to leave his home as a child in an event eerily similar to the expulsion of Jews from Spain. Lenia, initially known as Nadia, is a Jaddite (Christian) woman, captured in a raid and enslaved as a child, and now escaped and looking for revenge against any of the people of her former captors.. An ambitious contract way beyond their usual trading deals throws them into a whirlwind of action that shapes their world, and themselves.

The book explores the themes of religious identity, belonging and exile. Many of the characters are displaced and the path they are on was not necessarily their choice (specially for women and religious minorities).. Throughout the story, wandering characters encounter each other in different places and circumstances, with each encounter playing a pivotal role in the shaping of the world of that time. And I can see how breaking away from the real history through the different naming helps explore those themes without all the baggage that comes with them.

In a nutshell, I really liked this book because of its characters and lovely writing, but I found the quasi-historical setting distracting at first (it kept pulling me out of the story for the first couple hundred pages), and the random musings of minor characters on their death felt a little out of place. I would read more books in this world now that I feel more immersed in it, I am quite interested in reading the Sarantium books and anything where Folco d'Acorsi appears.

It took me a while to get into this book but I’m glad I finished it. The story of Lenia & Rafel was captivating and I enjoyed the way their relationship changed throughout the book. I was confused a few times but I didn’t realize there are books before this one that would have helped with understanding had I read them. The supporting characters added so much to the book and I appreciated the strong female characters the most.
This book is not a genre I read much of but the cover drew me in. This book was well worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the chance to read this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to start this review by saying I was not aware of the fact there were two previous books that would have help this particular novel be a bit more cohesive for me. I scooped it up because the assassination plot/vengeance genre was very intriguing! But...I didn't get any of the satisfaction of a perfect ending for a trilogy, or even understand the book in its entirety. So, I can only comment on the structure/writing of the novel because..I guess not knowing a ton about the backstory, it really didn't do it for me. This is a me problem..and nothing to do with the story itself. It has tons of great reviews and people who were invested in world loved it!

The book itself is very well-written but it's written in epic fantasy language, which may be a bit..fancy (this isn't the right word but I can't think of the right word)...for some who aren't well-versed in how fantasy novels can be written. There's huge descriptive paragraphs that allow you to build the world in your mind while you're reading.

I'm 100% going to read the previous two novels because I did enjoy this story..I want to understand more!! He get 4 starts because I think, if read properly, this book will blow your socks off with all the history/fantasy, etc.

This is truly one of the worst reviews I've written because quite honestly..I'm a bit lost here with this book lol

I ended up not reading this not realizing it was third in a series when I requested it. It sounds interesting so I may go and start from the beginning.

Thank you to @penguinrandomca @viking @netgalley for the digital in return for my honest review.
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My thoughts…
💙. First, Guy Gavriel Kay is an auto-buy author for me. I have read all his books and I have enjoyed them all. I am enthralled with his world, and his fantasy novels are just so unique and understated. Even though his books are fantasy-politics and character-driven, the prose flows well, engrossing and entertaining. And I was thrilled to read cameos of his other characters from previous books, but it’s a stand-alone, so you’re good! Guy Gavriel Kay is so good at setting the history, story, the characters and the location, and this book was no different.

This is a beautifully written book.
It simply was not for me.

This is described as a stand-alone book but I felt lost and have since learned that although this is a “stand-alone” it’s somehow also the last book in a trilogy?
Maybe I would have enjoyed it better had I read the other two. But on its own I didn’t enjoy it.

I was so excited to read the latest book by Mr. Kay. I am a fan of his work and have read every novel he has written. This was another unique fantasy novel that focused not the characters and the politics in a way that didn’t feel clunky or boring.

I really enjoyed meeting these new characters and seeing some characters from previous novels in this universe. I don’t think you need to read all the previous novels to understand and enjoy this latest instalment. It felt like there were Easter eggs sprinkled throughout that enhanced the reading experience. However, there was enough background in the current story to introduce them, if you are new to GGK’s work. All the people feel so real.

The setting was beautifully described. I really liked that this focuses on trade by water and how that affected the characters. That was new and very interesting. There was also a lot of background based on the religions of the characters, which are based on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It was really interesting to see how the politics affected these people based on their religions. The major religions in GGK’s novels are always a part of the story, but it felt new and different in this novel.

I definitely see myself recommending this newest novel to people who love a little bit of fantasy and history mixed together.

I had not read the first two books set in this world and if I had, I may have enjoyed the book even more than I did.. A lot of information is packed in the book and I did enjoy the read. I am ready now to read the others.
Thank you for the opportunity to have the book early.

Guy Gavriel Kay always writes an immersive and adventurous story and All The Seas of the World is no exception. Complete right from the initial catalyst event with fallible and and fantastic characters, adventures, conflicting religions, pirates, kings, queens and more. The story follows our two main characters and their trials, and tribulations, one mainly because of his race, and one because she is a woman and former slave.

Kay has written another wonderful story that I highly recommend.

I’ve really enjoyed past novels from Guy Gavriel Kay, so it pains me to say that I really couldn’t get into this one.

The book starts off well, with an assassination plot. But once that part of the story was done, it really didn’t seem to go anywhere. I never really got the motivations of the main characters and never quite figured out there the story was going.

The book switches POV a lot and seems to spend a great deal of time giving the detailed backstories for a number of minor characters. Many of the scenes that would make for interesting reading are told as reflections, flashbacks or from the point of view of someone who perhaps wasn’t the best person to observe the event.

I see from other reviews that people have suggested reading A Brightness Long Ago and Children of Earth and Sky prior to reading All The Seas of the World, as some of the characters appear in those books. That may have made this book better, perhaps giving more background on the politics and religion of the world. As a stand alone however, I really can’t say that I enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reading Copy

#AlltheSeasoftheWorld #NetGalley

Do you want to go on an adventure?

Because WOW. The world the author has created is so wildly intricate and stunningly detailed that it's easy to believe that this story was plucked right out of history.

On top of the truly beautiful prose, we got to know some very well fleshed out characters. I particularly enjoyed how there was no one held on a pedastal. Every character had difficult desicions to make, and the story was expertly shaped through this.

I did find it was deeply political, and at times this could be a bit overwhelming. The narrative jumped around quite a bit, and occasionally I lost the thread of the plot.

This story will stay with me, however, and I'll absolutely be picking up more of the books set in this world! Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an eARC to review!

All the Seas in the World reminded me of all the things I love about Guy Gavriel Kay’s writing. A fully developed alternative world rich in history, finely crafted characters, and an intricately woven plot. Kay’s novels remind us that even minor characters are major characters in their own stories. That even small personal decisions can have far-reaching consequences.

This book takes us back to the world he created in The Lions of Al-Rassan, and which he revisited most recently in his previous novel, A Brightness Long Ago. A version of our Mediterranean world in a time comparable to the Italian Renaissance, Sarantium (Constantinople) has just fallen to the Asharite (Muslim) invaders and the Jaddite (Christian) west seeks retribution. We meet mercenaries and merchants, scholars and second sons, healers and pirates whose paths cross and whose lives intersect under Kay’s deft hand.

While this is a standalone novel, we do meet up with characters introduced in A Brightness Long Ago. And readers familiar with Kay’s books will notice subtle references to earlier works which add a richness and depth to the reading experience. This new book is a must for all Guy Gabriel Kay fans and a great place to start for new readers. Highly recommend!

(Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advance review copy.)

Set in an alternate world, this popular author once again gives us a well written book following (unknown to me) 2 previous books. I enjoyed the prose and the characterizations, making me want to find those other books and devour them!

All the Seas of the World is a high-intensity all hands on deck book that catapults you into another realm. I did not realize this book is part of a trilogy, and having read the previous other two books would have helped me get a sense of the land. Although I also would dispute this one is fine as a stand alone.

The development of the world (which required some previous knowledge) was a lot of information to process. I did understand the complexities of this new world and felt teleported to another time and place, as Guy Gabriel Kay leads the reader on an incredible journey to this historical fictitious place.

Kay’s writing style is in a class all of its own with his lyrical prose, detailed description and an ability to convince the reader this place exists. He leaves you wanting more and intrigued at every corner.

The characters are likeable, complex and driven as they seek to understand themselves as well as others. They way the work towards and against each other demonstrates such development and wondering where things will go next. You are always wondering.

Thank you to Penguin Randon House Viking and NetGalley for an advanced digital of copy of this book .

I really liked this book. It took me an unusual amount of time to finish this one because there was so much information dumping that i had to take a break now and then.

I think if you have not read the first two books, then you should read those first to prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed. My favorite part of the book was characters and their depth. Rafel and Nadia are characters which are clearly well written and well developed. If you like heists and well laid down stories then you should definitely read this one.

This is definitely not a stand alone novel. I feel that my lack of understanding and interest is mostly due to not having read the first two books. I will revisit this novel in the future once I have gathered the other two books and read them for a better and more honest review.
For the time being what I can say is that the writing is very beautiful and there are some loveable characters throughout this novel. I have made the choice to DNF for now but character development is lacking for me. This could be because I haven’t read the other two books but it could also be due to the fact that there are so many POV and I am having a hard time keeping it all straight. I even started taking notes to give a better review. However I start having a hard time keeping track and truly getting invested in characters when there are so many.

"A story can travel in this way, to this place—to the point where thousands of men (and one woman) and well over a hundred ships and war galleys are crossing the sea … It is also true that the balancing of people's lives, however trivial they might be within a grander tapestry, can matter just as much in a certain kind of history."

Set after the fall of Sarantium, this story is that kind of history but also travels among the large political divides and tensions of the peoples surrounding Kay’s Middle Sea on his two-mooned earth. The divisions are created by religion: people are defined by what they worship: the sun, the two moons, or the stars, and their loyalties most often follow – but not always.

It starts with an unplanned but successful theft and a planned but failed assassination – or so it seems. The instigators are unlikely business partners: a merchant who operates as a corsair and a woman slowly fighting her way free of the burden of shame under which her previous life as a slave submerged her. Together they encounter a number of the powerful and heroic people of their age, who involve them in intrigue and eventually war. Allegiances shift as individuals engage, first for a price and later for a cause.

Altogether, a very enjoyable adventurous visit through time and the borders of fantasy to Kay’s immersive world, salted with his often moving observations about the nature of life and, in particular, loss.

When I pick up a Guy Gavriel Kay novel I know I'm in for an intense, emotional story yet somehow I am constantly amazed at just how quickly I become immersed in his worlds and attached to the characters. This is quite a hefty tome but it only took a few pages for me to be invested. In this case the story involves several characters we've seen before and familiar places from the previous books so it was easy to get hooked in again. I think it would still be amazing without having read the two previous books but it definitely adds some richness to have all the background stories.

The world building is so detailed and rich that it feels like these cities are real and exist somewhere in world history. I was truly thrilled to get lost in these warring kingdoms and elated to see some familiar characters. Kay's storytelling is mind-mindbogglingly beautiful and the language is somewhere between poetry and song. The whole tale reads like it is being told by a master storyteller in a busy exotic market, who needs to grab listeners attention-and their coins-which is exactly a scene early in this book.


There are wars, battles on land and at sea, sex, love, daring feats, crafty diplomacy, family, religion and just about every element important to humanity and fascinating to readers. This is an action packed, exciting story that takes the time to build the characters so when the story gives a little peek at how their life ends which, as a reader, I really appreciate. I want to know how it all turns out and I was very satisfied with the ending in this novel. I wouldn't say no to more stories set in this world but If they happen it will be a bonus; and I will be first in line!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Viking for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

DNF at 50%

I tried really hard to enjoy this book, even taking my time to read it slowly and understand (when I can normally finish a book this size in 3-4 days)

I want to preface that I haven’t read the first two books set in this world and if I had, my reading journey may have gone smoother. There was just so much information given all the time, I felt as if I could never catch a break and just enjoy the characters for who they were.

The chapters were insanely long for my short attention span and at times there could be up to 5 or 6 points of view per chapter. At one point in the story, the narration switched from third person to first person for one character and then switched back which really confused me.

I loved Nadia/Lenia and Rafel’s characters a lot and probably latched onto them because they were the main ones from the start and every time I saw their names I was happy that I could at least understand and follow along for that stretch without being overly confused.

I think the writing of this story was beautiful but there were too many characters, too many povs, and too much world-building for me to appreciate the actual plot (which is pirates and assassins and all the stuff I normally love to read about)