On These Wicked Shores is a fantastic sequel to The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea! Three months have passed since the end of the first book, and Margrete and Bash are adjusting to their new lives. But when they learn dangerous monsters have hidden in the human realm., the couple quickly gathers forces to defeat the enemy.

During their journey, they are shipwrecked and stranded, apart, on a dangerous and terrifying island with no way to escape. No one is safe on this mysterious and deadly island, which is an intriguing backdrop to the story, and the characters quickly learn they can trust no one and nothing. Nothing is as it seems, and with their very lives on the line and danger coming in every direction from numerous antagonists, getting off the island alive seems doubtful.

As Margrete and Bash struggle to find their way back to each other and survive the horrors of the island, a god watches and waits to claim Margrete. Filled with action, romance, and danger, there’s never a dull moment in this exciting and captivating story. There’s so much intrigue, and the suspense is intense! Plus, :much like the first book in the series, the world-building is as layered as the protagonists, and it continues to expand. Based on the ending of this book, it appears we’ll see even more of Quinn’s vivid and immersive world-building in the next book.

Bash and Margrete are such dynamically developed characters, and I like that the story switches between their perspectives. Bash totally has my heart! Each goes on terrifying, heart-breaking, and painful journey, both physically and emotionally, Luckily, they have faith in their love and are determined to reunite. Their love for each other is so strong, and it’s absolutely beautiful. This devoted couple has risked everything to be together, and to see them together and happy is everything! However, their relationship is riddled with trials and tribulations. Their love story made me feel all the feels as Margrete and Bash try to fight their way back to each other. It’ll be interesting to see how they deal with some of the shocking revelations, not to mention the many things that transpired in this book. Their journey gets more and more dangerous as Margrete learns about her power, and she and Bash both learn more about their past.

The secondary characters are great as well, and I like seeing the friendships Margrete has developed. She has a lovely connection with Bay, and she deals with many other personalities, some supportive and some not, as they try to survive on the island. Other antagonistic characters are also interesting, especially Darius, and I’m curious to learn more about them in the next book.

I loved this story! It’s dark, suspenseful, and action-packed, and after that epic ending, I can’t wait to read the final book in the trilogy! Katherine Quinn is an excellent storyteller, and I was engrossed in this book from the start. There are scenes throughout the story that are surprising, but one scene toward the end had my jaw literally dropping (and then I burst into tears! lol). I would definitely recommend the series to romantasy readers but would suggest starting with the first book as this isn’t really a standalone. Thanks to NetGalley, Catherine Quinn, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

This was a really enjoyable follow-up to the first book. After the children of the sea were released in the end of the previous book, Margrete and Bash must take responsibility and hunt them down. However, the god Darius’ continued interference and an unfortunate shipwreck waylay them on a mysterious island.

There was so much action here! I never felt like it was slow or dragging, and I enjoyed seeing Margrete learning more about the powers she gained in the last book. Bash also faces some surprising revelations of his own, which I did not anticipate. The romance faces some communication issues which is my least favourite thing everrrrr in any book, but I understood from the characters’ perspectives why they struggled to share their problems.

The standout for me in this book was actually Darius. He’s been portrayed as a villain so far but there’s more to him than meets the eye. Every time he showed up the characters were all “oh no!” but I was a strong “HELL YES!”

I was surprised at the turn of events with the trials and such, because I don’t think any real progress was made towards containing the children of the sea? New conflicts arose and kind of took over from the setup in the first chapters, especially Bash’s “people are dying because of me” angst. Not a bad thing, just unexpected, and I’m still hoping we see more of a conclusion for that plotline!

Overall this was fun and fast-paced, and I’ll be reading the next book.

I don't even know what to say, this book
was EPIC!!! It captivates you from beginning
to end. I fell in love with the story, their world, and
its characters in the first book, but this one by far
surpasses it. The world building is amazing, and the
character development was meticulously thought out.
I don't want to say too much because I don't want to
give ANYTHING away, but I'll say this; it was worth
the lack of sleep and binge reading.
It was truly AMAZING, and I CAN NOT WAIT for the next
book, especially after THAT cliffy.

This return to Azantian finds Margrete and Bash struggling with the fallout of the last book (which I won't spoil!). On These Wicked Shores is a much faster paced book, but also becomes darker and leans much more into the fantasy than the romance!

Margrete and Bash are still the same characters I adored, although I don't feel anybody else really gets enough page time to form an opinion on. However, the adventure across an unknown island is gripping and action packed, whilst the ending left me stunned! Definitely looking forward to the next book.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.