Sinner’s Isle takes the swash-buckling pirate genre and adds a fantasy twist with an infusion of Mexican lore. The book alternates chapters between Rosalinda, a Majestic possessing magic, and Mariano, a pirate. The early exchanges in this book between these two are particularly fun and bring to mind the chemistry between Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones in The Mask of Zorro. There is of course some swashbuckling and a magic system. The author touches upon multiple themes of oppression, exploitation, corruption, self-confidence, and self-understanding.

Stylistically, the prose was fairly emotive and did drift towards the dramatic. Rosalinda is also a little disconcerting in that she seems both powerful and a victim all at the same time; while that was partially the intent of the author as part of the character journey, it felt more random than progressive at times.

Overall, if a young adult reader likes action, adventure, fantasy, and romance, then this book will likely appeal.

Sinner's Isle was a fun read! I liked the premise of this story and the Latinx representation. I thought the main characters were fine...I do wish there was more development between Rosalinda and Mariano. Their relationship was too insta-lovey for me. If it weren't for the side characters, I probably wouldn't have been as interested in the book. Santi was my favorite character...what a hoot! Although there were parts that could have been developed more, I enjoyed this read. Fans of Fable (by Adrienne Young) will like this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the ARC.

This was an interesting world and I liked the magic!

The book is told from two point-of-views and they come from Rosalinda and Mariano. Both have a different background and different experiences due to their gender. Rosalinda is a Majestic and with that comes powers. Others see her as a witch and because of that she and others like her must be put under a male authority. They are not allowed to be in charge of their own power and must be bonded. She wants to break free from and in order to do this she must break free from the isle she has lived on. Mariano is a pirate who has lost a lot and must make his way with a new life to stay alive. He finds himself on the same isle and runs into her.

There is a romance between them but I wasn’t really a fan of it. They didn’t have many scenes together and so it was hard to feel the chemistry between them. There is a reason as to why they are drawn together, but it didn’t give me enough reason to believe it. I did at least like them as characters though. They are both strong and Rosalinda is very courageous.

The other characters in the book were good. Santi has a lot of wit and made his parts very enjoyable to read.

Overall, this was good. I liked the setting and how everything takes place on this isle. The world building and magic system were explained well and I never got confused. The writing style wasn’t my favorite and I didn’t enjoy the romance, but everything else made the book worth it for me.

This book was definitely written for the girls. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, it was fast paced. It's about love, trust and friendship. This book also reminds us about the power that woman hold. I loved the characters and really enjoyed the fact that it was dual POV because of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was like seeing an iceberg in the ocean and discovering there was nothing underneath surface. The storyline and the beginnings of the world building word very interesting and unique, but everything was only surface level.

I liked the main characters on their own, but nothing divine happened with them together. These two had like 5 scenes together in the whole book and then they were burn the world down in love by the end. Uh what? I understand there was some version of a mating bond, but I personally don't think having a mating bond automatically equals being in love, especially since these two had very little interaction (they didn't even know each other's names until over half way through the book).

But the end redeemed some of this; it almost felt like it belonged to another story with how explosive it felt and some swoon worthy scenes, but it felt disjointed since it didn't really have the rest of the story to back it up.

This could have been way more epic I think if maybe some other POV's were included and the story was elongated. Definitely had the makings for a great duology that ended the same way this one did.

But kudos to the author for her debut novel.

thank you so much to random house and netgalley for the arc of sinner’s isle! this book had two things i love: pirates and romance! however i had to dnf this book around 40%. it fell very flat for me, i was not a massive fan of the writing styles and the characters felt very one dimensional. not to mention the insta love trop between our two mcs which was painful- that trope is truly one of my least favourite tropes ever. I was really hoping for more of an enemies to lovers slow burn vibe. personally I have a massive fear of spiders and them being in the book really made it difficult for me to continue on. i had higher hopes for this book and was sad when it fell short

Angela Montoya's SINNER'S ISLE is exactly the romantic fantasy adventure I've been waiting for. If you loved the adventure and romantic tension of THE MUMMY, this is for you. I've heard it described as SERPENT & DOVE meets Pirates of the Caribbean, and I think that's super accurate. Rosalinda and Mariano have fantastic chemistry, and how the story unfolds is perfect. The dual narrative is excellently done. The worldbuilding is wonderful. Great pacing and plot development. The way everything comes together at the end is chef's kiss. And Santi, one of the secondary characters, manages to steal the show a few times with how entertaining he is. Basically, I have no notes. SINNER'S ISLE is just a great read and an incredibly strong debut.

I’m thrilled to be on the tour today for Sinner’s Isle, a fantastically entertaining YA romantasy by debut author Angela Montoya. I was captivated by the book as soon as I saw the gorgeous cover and read the premise!

The story follows a young witch and a marooned pirate both of whom are desperate to escape the enchanted Sinner’s Isle. It’s an exciting story filled with drama and adventure, friendships and political intrigue, sea monsters, magic, and an epic romance. It’s an immersive world, rich and descriptive with fascinating lore, mythology, and magic. I was so fascinated by the Majestics, women with unique magical gifts, and how others worked to control and suppress them while still objectifying and using them. This patriarchal society controls powerful women by binding them to men of status and influence, and there are some great messages about freedom, the corruptive nature of power, gender inequities, and more.

Rosa and Mariano both have interesting arcs, and I enjoyed the dual narration. It revealed so much about each character – their motivations, their feelings about each other, and what was happening around them. And they have a fantastic love story with some swoon-worthy chemistry. Watching these two fall for each other while plotting to free Rosa’s imprisoned best friend, helping the newly crowned King to safety, using and learning more about magic, and finding a way to escape the island is all so intriguing, pulse-pounding, and romantic. There’s also a secondary romance that I adored, and I can’t wait to see how both of these pairings develop in the next book.

The characters are all fantastic, and there are some definite found family vibes happening with Rosa, Mariano, their friends, and some allies. But I think my favorite is Santi. He is hilarious and he often stole the show in scenes because of his quick wit, candor, and effervescent personality. He and Mariano are opposites in temperament and personality, but they are such great friends. I love their banter and how it breaks up some of the more intense moments. Rosa and Juana have a wonderful friendship, too, and it very much parallels Santi and Mariano’s.

Overall, I thought this was a great debut novel. It’s exciting and suspenseful, and the romances and world-building are fantastic. I would definitely recommend Sinner’s Isle to romantasy readers and readers of YA fantasy.

“I’ve known this day would come for so long. But now that it’s here and our plans are falling into place, I can’t help but feel something will go terribly wrong.”

DNF at 30%.

Thank you to Netgalley and Joy Revolution for a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I also received a physical copy of this for a book tour.

I was first drawn into Sinner's Isle but its intriguing title and gorgeous cover. I was specifically looking for more pirate fantasies too after reading Daughter of the Pirate King and Crossbones. The marketing and description of this book seem great (although there are mostly only blurbs from others and not actual quotes/snippets), but a small disclaimer: I was unaware until reading the dedication from the imprint founders that this new imprint was founded Nicola and David Yoon, two of the authors involved in the Realms of Ruin NFT scandal earlier. Even the blurb on the physical copy is by Marie Lu who was involved in that, too! This is not me attempting to persuade anyone away from reading Sinner's Isle, but I personally may have avoided this one had I known. I tried to give the book a fair shot regardless!

Sinner's Isle is a dual POV following Rosa and Mariano. Rosa is a Majestic, a woman with magical powers that are considered dangerous and sinful. She is set to be bonded to a man of power who will control her abilities for the rest of her life, and wants to escape the island with her best friend. Unbeknownst to her, Mariano, dubbed the Pirate Prince, happens to be on the very same island on a desperate search for something fate is drawing him to. Can she use Mariano to escape?

My three strikes for this story, in case it helps anyone who loves or hates these:
• This is a soulmates/insta-love story from what I can gather -- I very much assumed this was a reluctant allies to lovers (which it could be in some aspects), but the soulmate trope seems to be much more prevalent here.
• I am all for women with incredible powers! Yes, please! A personal pet peeve for me, though, is when the MC is like "I am the most powerful person in all the lands and no one else can even compare to me". Rosa continuing to remind me her shadow powers are so OP was annoying personally.
• I didn't enjoy the actual writing. It felt bland, with most of the sentences starting only with Rosa/She: "Rosa burst through" "She held" "She'd let". The only exception seemed to be incomplete sentence fragments like "And when she did," "And with that" "But then the tips". I don't mind that as a style choice, but it was so repetitive.

I would choose no star rating as I didn't make it halfway, so this is only 1 star on NetGalley due to the star rating being mandatory.

Where do I even begin with Sinner's Isle? This is a really great book for those that grew up loving the movie, Sinbad. Much like watching that move 100 times, I will be reading this story over and over! This debut novel from Angela Montoya was absolutely breathtaking. It's filled with love, laughter, heartbreak, and action.

I love the depth of all the characters from our show-runners to the side characters, everyone just feels like they play such an important and essential part of the story. Santi was such a sunshine delight throughout and the twist about him I was slamming my hand down on my desk screaming with delight and gasping.

I really loved the implementing of heartsong, I thought it was a beautiful addition to the story.

This book does not contain actual spicy scenes, it's closed door with some adult tones and I thought they were implemented so beautifully.

I was so excited for this one but it didn't work out the way I thought it would. The beginning was great but I slowly lost interest.

Me of five years ago would have devoured this. I think this is one of those times where "it's not the book, it's me." I'm finding it harder and harder to find YA books to love.

DNF @33%

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Loved this so much! I just love books about pirates and magic I guess! I know a lot of folks don’t like dual POV but I liked the switching between Rosa and Mariano. They were so cute together. I usually don’t like insta love but the way they bickered and bantered because getting together was adorable. All the side characters were also just as great. I feel sorry for Isobel and the other girls. I hope they got a happy ending after the story.

The plots twists near the end made me gasp. I didn’t expect the random pairing but I totally loved it! They fit with their funny personalities.

I loved the idea of the magic here. There were so many different girls that had the coolest abilities. The totally sexist acts that were going on just because the girls had magic had my blood boiling. Hopefully Sebastian and the other men on his side can change things. And I know Rosa and the crew with be a big help too. I guess I really am a sucker for fantasy romances because this was too cute and the action was very well paced. An amazing debut!

This was such a fun and interesting YA fantasy. It had romance, witches, and pirate kings, not to mention so many twists and turns that you almost need a GPS. I had a great time reading it and found the plot complex and engaging. Even the side characters were compelling. I always want more from books I loved but this is definitely worth picking up on release day or preordering!

Thank you to PenguinTeen Canada and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this DRC.
Magic, politics and religion always mean a bad time for women. Rosalinda is young women born with magic. It used to be celebrated but now it wins you a trip to an isolated isle to be auctioned off to be used by rich men. Rosalinda and Mariano, a shipwrecked pirate, work together to escape and overturn everything.
This book moves well as it happens over a short time period. The characters develop well, and their relationships are believable. My favorite Majestic was the one who could talk to spiders!


#SinnersIsle #NetGalley

3.5/5 Stars

Thank you TBR & Beyond Tours, Joy Revolution, and Angela Montoya for providing me with an arc and all opinions are all my own.

I was drawn to this book by the absolutely gorgeous cover and I was pleasantly surprised by the book itself. YA can be hit or miss for me recently but this book was everything I wanted it to be and it truly reminded me of Serpent and Dove mixed with Pirates of the Caribbean. While I enjoyed the book I did think that the pacing was a bit inconsistent, it felt incomplete at the end, and I wish some parts were explained more in depth but this a debut book so while yes it had issues it was really good for a debut. I think that a lot will love this book and I do recommend it for people looking for a diverse latinx ya fantasy novel with witches and pirates as it is really decent. I definitely will be keeping an eye out for Angela Montoya’s next books as I don’t like to make a hard judgment on an author’s writing style with their debut book as that just is a bit unfair.

In this world Majestics are treated as very valuable property, they are seen as scum of the earth while also being wanted by powerful men for their power. Rosalinda has lived on Sinner’s Isle like the rest of Majestics since she was captured as a child, she just wants to have freedom and be able to make her own choices which she will not get if she doesn’t escape the Isle. When Majestics turn 18 they are put into the Offering where they will possibly be picked and then bound to a man who will have complete control over them. Rosalinda is possibly the most powerful majestic in centuries with her phantoms and she doesn’t want to risk them being used to harm others so she has to escape with her best friend before time runs out. Marino, known as a prince of pirates, lands on Sinner’s Isle after having to abandon his father’s fleet. When a chain that is supposed to lead him to his heart’s desire leads him to Rosalinda they both have more questions than answers.

I really loved Rosalinda as I love powerful FMCs that want to be able to save themselves and those they love. Rosa has a very traumatic past from when she was captured to be brought to the isle and she is terrified of what her powers can do when they aren’t controlled. Marino is a loveable idiot, he is pushed into a world that tips what he thought he knew completely upside down and has to work with a woman that seems to hate him but needs his help a tiny bit more. I do think their relationship was a bit rushed but due to some factors it isn’t uncommon for that to happen but I wish there was a bit more push and pull before they accepted their love for each other.

I do really want a book 2 in this world. I think it would do really well following different characters as there are some side characters that would make a good main character and had incomplete story arcs. I would love a book about the King, Santiago, and Rosa’s best friend as it seemed like there was something between them 3. I also think there is a lot more to this world that has yet to be explored from the magic system to the politics of the world after the events of this book.

I do recommend this especially if you loved book 1 in the serpent and dove trilogy mixed with pirates.

5 ⭐️!!!

This is a wonderful debut YA fantasy with witches and pirates and it is witty and magical in all the best ways!

Set in a world where majestics are cursed with powers and must be bonded, the story follows Rosa and her best friend Juana are of age for their first Binding- bound to a man because the majesties are seen as cruel and evil creatures. The story also follows Mariano, the prince of pirates and his own personal journey to his heart’s desire.

The love stories in this book were so cute and heartwarming! I love all of the characters so much, especially Santiago and King Sebastian. I caught myself laughing out loud every time Santi spoke because he was just so funny. Also I would like to add that the Spanglish in this book was top-notch! In some books that’s not the case- but for this book it was so smooth! There was jokes and digs in Spanish and I loved it so much and I think added to the humor.

The world is so creative! The magic system was so unique as each majestic has their own unique ability and I think added to their personalities. I also loved the magical creatures as well and thought they were so cool!

There was a great mix of plot and character driven book which I LOVED!

I also would like to politely beg for a Santi book and/or novella, please and thank you!

I knew from the cover I was going to be obsessed with this books. And I mean, pirates? Witches? Queer representation? Found family? How could you not love it?? I adored these characters and was so pulled into the story from the first page. This is definitely a must read.

Pirates, magic, and witches was all I needed to Know about this book to know that I would enjoy it. Sinner's Isle by Angela Montoya is such a fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! This review is my opinion.**

This book....THIS BOOK, Y'ALL!!! Angela Montoya deserves a standing ovation! The enemies-to-lovers trope is done so well here and I literally will die on that hill. This was pitched as "Pirates of the Caribbean" meets "Serpent and Dove". Serpent and Dove is one of my TOP favorite series! So anything with that tagline immediately grabbed my attention.

Now, pirates aren't usually my thing, but in this book, Mariano made me swoon. This guy is super charming, knows what to say to get what he wants, and his personality made me squeal. Rosalinda, on the other hand, is the real deal. She's a fighter, desperate for freedom that was taken from her as a child. The chemistry between her and Mariano is **chef's kiss**. One of the best things about this book is the POC rep! I am literally drowning in the amount of fantasy books with white main characters. I'm biracial (Black and white), and I don't feel represented much in certain genres. The colorful cast in this book is one of the reasons it earns 5 stars.

The plot is amazing, the romance is tense and hot, and the world building is full of so much energy! Give "Sinner's Isle" a chance!

When I heard Sinner's Isle described as Serpent and Dove meets Pirates of the Caribbean I knew I had to read it! Unfortunately for me, this one fell flat. I could not connect with the writing at all and every time I put it down to do something else, I found myself not wanting to pick it back up and forcing myself to read it. The characters were pretty one dimensional to me and we were on the island for longer than I was expecting, given you know pirates. Overall this one wasn't my cup of tea but maybe someone else will end up loving it.