I love multiple POVs but had a hard time with this one. There was so much going on it was hard to get invested.

This book was so much fun! Isle of the Gods was one of my most anticipated books of this year, and I am so glad it didn’t disappoint. It took a minute for me to get used to the different perspectives, but once I did, I was HOOKED. This is an excellent pick for anyone who is looking for a pirate-y adventure fantasy with sleeping gods.

I really wanted to like this story. The premise was so interesting and the idea of pirates and dashing princes with a hidden personality… yes! But it felt forced in some parts. I felt like some characters were very two dimensional like Laska. She just wanted to be noticed so bad but there’s really not backstory for her. I got lost in the POVs a lot at the beginning and it just kept taking me out of the story. This book unfortunately feels like a filler for the next book. I kept getting tripped up with pacing and couldn’t just jump right back into the book. I wanted to love the romance and for the most part did. The suspense of will they won’t they… but it was definitely insta love. I felt like the story needed more flushing out and some characters didn’t really need a POV.

This is a very standard YA setup, but it works.

I think teens will really enjoy this story because it's good and entertaining. It isn't revolutionary and that is fine, but it is a good time.

This is a true YA fantasy that is fun and has a nice twist at the end. There’s a small enemies to lovers romance and some high sea adventures that move onto the land.

There are five points of view and I enjoyed them all. Not all of the POVs seemed necessary, so I’m interested to see if in the next book they developed more. I was intrigued by the villians POV. It’s not often we get see the origin of the villian and what pushes her. There’s so much potential for even greater villiany.

I love this ending and now I need the next book. This is a book that introduces us to the world and the characters. I’m sure the next book will bring even more excitement and further develop the story.

This book contains very little if any profanity.

I really enjoyed this first book of an exciting new YA fantasy series from Amie Kaufman! It was full of adventure, action, magic and a dash of romance! I really loved the characters in this book, they were so well written! Selly started out vert strong willed and stubborn and wouldn’t let anything stand in her way.. I feel like she grew so much towards the end of the book! Leander, who I adore, also had a lot of character growth through the book. I can’t wait to see what is next for him and Selly! Keegan is another favorite character. He is so smart and willing to do what is necessary to save the world. He was very selfless and brave as the book went on! This book definitely had me on emotional roller coaster and I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Selly has a peculiarity: she has salt water in her veins. So when her father leaves her in the port of Kirkpool, she's determined to follow him. But her plans are ruined when an handsome stranger with magician's marks on his arms commandeers her ship. He is Prince Leander of Alinor and he needs to cross the Crescent Sea without deception in order to complete a ritual on the sacred Isled of the Gods. Selly doesn't want to escort him or to be attracted by his good looks, but the "normal" trip becomes soon one filled with treasons, warring countries and slumbering gods deciding to wake up in that moment.

In a sweeping romantic read two very different characters are forced to work together in order to survive a dangerous journey, filled with dangers, gods and magic. I loved reading this book. The worldbuilding is truly awesome and I love how interwined everything was. Selly and Leander are magnificent characters and I loved their relationship and how slowly changed. In this book there's everything you could hope for: there's magic, a perilous journey through the sea, slumbering gods awakening, countries on the brink of wars and more and more and even more!
Go dive in in this book! You won't regret it!

Starts off with a bang with a gorgeous cover and map. The timeframe is particularly hard to place. Feels like you just right in without a lot of help. As much as I love it real life, I don't think I'm one for ocean and ship stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review.

This book was a miss for me. The premise seemed interesting but immediately I was lost in a whirlwind of POVs. Each POV did not feel distinct or like they were their own character, so it was nearly impossible to distinguish if you didn't pay close attention to the chapter headings. There was an unnecessary amount of POVs as well that was just incredibly confusing. I think the pacing was off in that the first half of the book goes very slowly and then there is some action, a lull, and then more action. It didn't feel cohesive. Many sentences started with "and" and the world building felt patched together. The author used "poker face" when this is clearly a fantasy world, which threw off any sort of interest I had in the world building.

I was drawn to the cover, but hooked by this high seas adventure.

Selly's (MC) plan to escape her father's ship go out the window, when it is commandeered by Prince Leander; the best magician of the royal family (another one of our MCs - there are about 4 POVs in total).

Selly has spent her life growing up on her father's fleet of ships, with the dream to one day captain her own. Leander is a handsome prince, reluctantly on route to make a sacrifice to save his kingdom 🤴.

This is a magical high-stakes sea adventure where unlikely friends have to work together to survive. From stormy seas to cutthroats and untamed magical powers, this is an adventure you won't want to put down.

Overall this was a fun read and I really enjoyed it. I would have liked it even better with an omniscient narrator instead of all the points of view changing the way they did. By Part 3, I was fully immersed in the world and absolutely loved the Isles (setting). I almost wish more of the story took place in the Isles.

I really loved this book. Way more than I expected to. I am hit or miss with sea voyage based fantasy but this was was a win! I loved the fierce independence of Sellie , the heart and soul of Leander, and the unexpected charm of the Scholar. The villainy was A+. I wanted to throw my kindle of several occasions but I could also see why she went down the path she did even as I despised her for doing it. There was a ton of action, heartbreak, tragedy, adrenaline and adventure, with a touch of sweet romance. I eagerly await the sequel to find out what lies ahead for these characters!

Overall I enjoyed this one. It was adventurous and I liked the relationships built between the characters. It was multiple stories from five POV's (the prince, scholar, zealot, sailor or the adrift betrayer) for the same events. I thought that was an interesting way to tell the story. I don't mind multiple POVs but sometimes the story got confusing at times.

I think this first one spent a lot of time setting up the characters, world, and events leading up to something that seems bigger. I hope that book two jumps right into the action and really takes this adventure to the next level.

Kaufman's world-building is so good in this book! I felt completely immersed in The Isle of the Gods with it's world full of divine powers, ancient temples, and mythical creatures. Also, the blending of fantasy and mythology here is *chef's kiss*!

I absolutely loved this story! The sea setting, the witty characters, the main character finding her magic. It was all done so well! I am invested in following Selly and friends adventures in the coming sequel. The magic system was pretty unique and fun! I can’t wait to read what happens next for this trio.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5

𝙁𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
I’ve been in a bit of a book slump for the last few months and have read a lot of books that are just okay… but I was totally drawn into this book and absolutely loved every second of it! I love the ocean setting, magic system, history of the gods and spirits, and multi POV. I was worried it would be hard to keep up with so many POVs (there are 5), but the author wove each character’s story together so flawlessly that I actually loved it. I loved all the characters equally and didn’t feel bored with any of their chapters. The plot pacing is spot on, and kept adding details about the world or the history on a way that was interesting and easy to follow. I even loved the side characters, who may not have been the focus of the story but I still felt emotionally attached to!

This is a perfect mix of adventure, magic, politics, and romance. The romance is just starting and I’m so hopeful to see where it goes in book 2. Highly highly recommend this book!

And for audiobook lovers, Steve West narrates Leander’s POV and y’all know I am always a fan of anything he narrates 👏🏻

This book surprised me. I didn't know much about it before I read it and I just jumped right in. I knew the authors name and that's why I picked it up and I'm so glad that I did. This was a fun book. It was full of gods, romance, forgotten temples and the high seas. I love a good pirate book and this one delivered. there needs to be more!

This is my first book solely by Amie Kaufman, and I think it was a really good solo read by her. The story did take awhile for me to get into, its a very slow story - its a long book and the entire story only spans a few days. It's told in multiple POV's between Leander, Selly, and Keegan, and a few other characters, and you do get to know each character pretty well. Surprisingly, Keegan ended up being my favorite character, he just seemed the most well rounded overall, also I'm totally down for people who prefer books to people.

Amie built an expansive world, and even though most of the novel takes place on the sea, you really do get a feel for the world at large and the history behind it, who the characters are, their motivations, and the devastation that could be caused if the Gods go to war.

And OF COURSE, we are left on a massive cliffhanger that almost had me throwing my kindle, so I will 100% be picking up the next book. This was a thrilling, character driven adventure at sea and I'm all here for it.

This wasn't my favorite by this author, but I still enjoyed it. I think that there will be people and teens who like this, but it just wasn't for me.

The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman was a great introduction into a new series. I really enjoyed the multiple 1st person points of view that we get, the twists that happen in the story, as well as the pirate fantasy romance theme going on. It was slow to start out at first, and there were times that I contemplated not finishing because it just was not keeping my attention, but I pushed through, and I am glad that I did so. This book did end up being a 3 star rating for me though. Once I had time to sit and think about it, I didn't really love it to rate it a 4 stars for me, and it's not a favorite to become a 5 star. Maybe that will change as the series progresses!