The young adult Latine pirate romantasy I didn't know I needed! Also, since this is young adult, it is fade-to-black.

I adored Rosa and Mariano's chemistry and love story. It was easy to root for them, and I sped through this book!

cw: Gore, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Violence, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Self harm

There's something inherently fun about pirates, but then you add in women rage and magic? I'm sold.

Sinner's Isle was a glorious debut. This was a book I had such a good feeling about and am so glad it delivered. While I don't have shadow powers, the struggle Rosa went through for so much of the book holding her shadows at bay because she was so worried how the fallout would concern others (slight spoiler alert) and then just letting all hell break lose. I love and admire her so much for it. Mariano: my beloved swashbuckling swoony Prince of Pirates. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him fight his attraction for Rosa. His inner turmoil of: "I just met her, there's no way I'm in love with her" was hilariously heartfelt and I felt his pain.

Santi and Sebastien. My loves. May nothing bad ever happen to you. I cannot wait to expand on both of their storylines, Santi was the perfect sarcastic and over the top best friend. I am also looking forward to getting to know the other Majestics more. I wish we had gotten a little bit more info on them and their relationship with Rosa and I hope this gets explored more in the next one.

Give me all the Latine adventure romantasies. I will be here to gobble them up.

4.25/5

What a debut book, thank you for opportunity to read it early as an e-arc. The world building was well thought out and felt real from the first page. It was refreshing to have queer characters simply be. I'm auDHD and can usually guess what the big reveal will be pretty early on, but the reveal in Sinner's Isle really surprised me. When authors are able to do this, the book instantly becomes a five star from me. I'll be thinking about these characters like they're old friends. To sum my review up: yes this book is absolutely worth the hype.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Joy Revolution for allowing me to read this ARC!

This was an absolutely adorable story and a perfect YA intro into the romantasy genre! A witch and a pirate coming together to in an action-packed and high stakes story. The characters were witty and full of life! I cannot wait to see what Angela Montoya writes next!

This is such a good pirate fantasy! I adored Sinner's Isle, Angela did such an incredible job with the magical world building. We have been needing more good pirate books and SI really brings that to the table!

Pirates! Witches! Sirens!

I love a pirate fantasy, but a YA pirate fantasy with witches makes my heart sing. Angela’s debut was spectacular and mysterious, with thrilling twists, a swoony romance, unlikely friendships, and a story of found family, love, and hope.

The world building was wonderful with its distinct magic, politics, and history. Angela’s descriptions of this world were rich and vibrant from the architecture on the isle to its lush landscape and surrounding sparkling seas full of secrets lurking below the surface. This world of wonder and danger was steeped in old magic and myths, and the political intrigue was excellent. I was hooked and couldn’t wait to see how the scheming and secrets played out.

The romance was sweet and I liked how Angela wrote about fate and the threads and songs that connect our hearts to another. But perhaps what I loved most was how at its core was a story of women reclaiming their power. These Majestics were women society envied and feared. Who were deemed wicked and sinful, and forced atone for their differences by being bound to mortal men. These men who cast judgment and hate, all too quickly jumped at the chance to siphon off the power these women possessed, to silence their voices, and shackle them to a life of servitude. The ending was incredibly satisfying as these beautiful and bold Majestics came together to burn the whole place down.

Structurally, the shorter chapters and dual POV kept the story moving quickly, making it near impossible to put down. There were twists that surprised me and moments that left me breathless, and I loved every minute. The only question I have is: how do we get a book about Santi?? Because I’m obsessed with his character.

If you love pirates, magic, and romance this is the book for you! This book was a beautifully written Mexican folklore YA fantasy romance! I loved Rosa’s character and her shadows! Mariano and Rosalinda had great chemistry right off the bat but this is definitely a slow burn romance! There’s some good action packed parts with the pirates and even the Majestics. I also loved learning all the different powers the Majestics had! Overall a great book I’d recommend to my fantasy lover friends!

I read an eARC of Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Children’s.

This book has an audience. I knew this while reading it, and it was reaffirmed when I saw the score for the book.

For me though, this book's dialogue and characters just came off as too cliché. Especially, especially the love interest, and the main characters thoughts can be, but she not too bad until she starts talking to the king.

This is a story about people who live on the sea. The main character is a woman who can use magic. She can call these shadow creatures that are always calling for her to use them to rip apart the people who wrong her. As someone who can use magic, she was ripped away from her family at a young age, trained on an island, and now she’s going to meet all the rich people, including the king, so they can bid over her, and whoever buys her will have her horrible power to control. Not literally, more in a: they’ve been brainwashed to obey and pierced with iron to dampen their powers.

The pirate prince's father is dying. The father is telling him he must leave the ship as his uncles have more of the crew’s loyalty and will kill him as soon as his father is dead. The prince answered with macho cliches and honestly, while I kept reading, he’s a character, not a person, I do not care.

Then the main character tries to run away with her best friend, fails, and then has to go along with being sold off or her friend dies. She then meets the pirate prince, steals something precious to him, and blackmails him to help her save her friend so they can run off together.

It’s action-packed, filled with angst, emotion, and a heist. Anyone who loves a fantasy, action, romance plot with pirates is going to eat this book up. I hope that this book finds itself in more hands of people who are going to love it.

For me, this was a great end of summer read. It had the right amount of sizzle that I look for in a YA romance. I loved the setting and the characters. It was the kind of book you didn’t want to put down.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Joy Revolution for sending me an early copy of this book!! (Because I lowkey bullied y'all into it *insert evil laugh*) *whispers* I regret nothing!! All opinions are my own!

Excuse me, but who allowed Angela to write such a good book?! It's an all-Latine book about pirates and magic, love, hope, and friendship, and do you really need more descriptors to be sold on it?? I laughed, I cried, I gasped, I sat on the edge of my chair, and I felt love and hope and joy like never before. This book tugged at every single part of my heart, but I hardly even noticed until I would take a break and pull my mind back out of the gorgeous world that she created. At the heart of the story was hope and feminine strength and love. It made me want to go out and fight the world, but with a smile on my face and a hug at the ready.

Where do I even start with the characters?? I loved each and every one of them in different ways, which is saying a lot because even the unlikable ones had me empathizing at one point or another. Rosalinda is such an inspiration, and watching her growth throughout this story was such a pleasure. She embodies feminine power and grace, and she made me proud to be a woman. Mariano made me swoon from page one, but his soft side made me swoon even harder. Their relationship was so sweet, and I felt the connection despite having not a lot of time for them to get to know each other. Santi and Sebastian are the loves of my life. That's it. That's the sentence. Santi made me laugh and then cry and yet still love the pain. Sebastian made me literally scream at Angela and I think she deserved it.

The world created in this book is one that's unique in a way I haven't seen in a while, as a long-time fantasy reader. I loved the way that everything was new and unlike anything I've read before. There was always something new to discover, but it also felt familiar and easy to fall into. The world itself is beautiful, just like the writing and the way that everything comes together. Found family, self-discovery and love, joy and hope in the struggle. This book brings it all to you wrapped up in a gorgeous package.

Now all I need is a book about Santi and Sebastian....don't make me ask for it, Joy Revolution! Y'all know what happens when I ask!! *insert devil smile emoji here*

If you're a fantasy reader, get your hands on this book as soon as it releases! You won't regret it!

A captivating debut from author Angela Montoya, Sinner's Isle is the perfect book for those who love pirates, romance, magic, and adventure.

Rosa is a Majestic, a powerful woman blessed with magic by the goddess Xiomara. The church has deemed them wicked, and all Majestics have been banished to Sinner's Isle. Once a Majestic comes of age, she’s participates in the yearly Offering, where the king and noblemen visit the island to ritually bind with a Majestic of their choosing. Everyone knows that Rosa, will most likely bind with King Sebastián, as she controls terrifying phantoms. After a failed escape attempt, her cruel mistress Doña Lucía takes Rosa's friend Juana captive in order to keep her in line. Rosa submits to her fate, but when she meets Mariano, the Prince of Pirates. He has been cast off his ship, and is determined to get off the island, but after he meets Rosa, he can only think of leaving with her at his side.

The Mexican folklore that is infused in this swoon-worthy fantasy is outstanding. Spanish is woven seamlessly into the dialogue, creating a rich and immersive world. The characters are strong and fierce, and the romance is a perfect amount of sweet and passionate for young adult readers. Strongly recommend as a purchase for libraries.

Sinner's Isle was an incredibly strong and unique debut. I didn't want to put it down and was hooked on the characters and the story! Lots of twists and turns wrapped up in this book, completely wonderful!

A dangerous romance between an infamous pirate's son and a witch soon to be sold off to the highest bidder. Filled with magic, swashbuckling adventure, and romance neither of the main characters expected.

[NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, my NetGalley feedback is not a blurb or endorsement. If a publisher wishes to use any part of my comments for promotional purposes, please contact me or my agent via email. I would prefer not to include star ratings but NetGalley won't let me post without one, so all will be 5 stars.]

What a fun romp! I enjoyed this story of Rosa and Mariano. The setting was brilliantly and imaginatively done and I rooted for this couple the entire time. I equally loved the side characters and how they supported the couple. Can I just say that the magic was creative and I really loved all the magical elements that really made this story shine.

This story really sucked me in from the beginning and I didn't want to put it down. fell in love with the main characters and the side characters who were their friends and went through EVERY emotion as they did. There was also so much growth that each of the main characters went through from the beginning to the end of the book that just makes you so proud. To me the explanation of why they are drawn together so quickly was fleshed out so it didn't seem insta-lovey to me at all. Oh and the action scenes were done greatly too!

Thank you Angela Montoya and Random House Childrens for an e-arc through NetGalley.

Thank you so much Angela Montoya, Netgalley, and Random House Children's Publishing for sending me an eARC of "Sinner's Isle" to read early and provide an honest review!

*4.25 stars, rounded down*

I want to start this off by saying that I really enjoyed this book, which makes me happy because I went into it after being burned by two of my top releases of the year ("Bring Me Your Midnight" and "The Phoenix King"). However, "Sinner's Isle" gave me everything I wanted and more (though I do have one LITTLE nitpick that I noticed early on). It had the enemies-to-lovers romance between a Majestic (witch) and a pirate (THE prince of pirates, by the way), great worldbuilding, and a well-paced plot.

In regards to worldbuilding, Montoya created a patriarchal society (based on Spanish colonies in the Americas) in which women gifted with magic (Majestics) from their goddess are sold (essentially as slaves) to wealthy men in society (to do their bidding), and the payment goes to the all-powerful church. The wealthy men primarily made their money through the encomienda system (in real life, this was a legalized form of slavery with Native Americans instead of Africans). I was mostly immersed, though I would've liked the magic system to be more fleshed out (for example, why did certain Majestics have certain powers? Is having magic hereditary, or is it more spontaneous?)

In regards to the enemies-to-lovers romance and characters, the enemies-to-lovers romance was pretty good (but as per usual recently, a little insta-lovey because they were almost immediately attracted to one another). There is also another trope that goes with the romance between Rosa and Mariano, which explains why they were immediately attracted to one another, but I won't spoil that for you. The characters overall were okay, but they all were a little flat for me. Both Rosa and Mariano had their own personal motivations behind the actions, and definitely had attitudes, but they were just missing something (I'm not sure what) that would've made them feel real to me. Maybe it was the fact that Rosa allegedly cared deeply for her BFF, but stopped trying to find her after Rosa blackmailed Mariano into finding her (I feel like if they were really that close, then she would've kept looking anyway). Maybe it was because Mariano was supposed to be the son of this infamous pirate, but we never hear of his dad's escapades, and Mariano wasn't exactly the "infamous" or "charming" pirate as the blurb pitched. Also, I know Santi was supposed to be comic relief with Mariano's brooding personality, but he was just kind of annoying. Like I literally would've punched him in the face if I'd been Mariano.

My biggest bone to pick with this whole book though was the dialogue. In the beginning, conversations between the characters felt very stilted, like they were having to force words out and didn't quite know what to say. Maybe it was just the language they used or the order in which they said things, I'm not quite sure. But either way, I remember thinking to myself, "This is a little weird". It got better as the story continued but was still present until the end.

Finally, the plot was pretty good and wasn't super predictable. If I could've, I probably would've read this book in one setting because it's fast-paced, and the writing style keeps you in its thrall. I can also honestly say that I HATED the villain, which is good because most of the time, the villain is just unlikeable (not despised). However, even the villain (Doña Lucia) was a flat character (I mean, we never even really got her motivation behind wanting the Offering to continue). This book was pitched as "Pirates of the Caribbean" meets "Serpent & Dove" and while I'll disagree with the former (because there truly isn't much action, this is mostly a romance story with some political/religious/fantasy elements in it; no REAL action happens until the climax), I got a bit of the "Serpent & Dove" part (mostly from the high stakes).

Overall, all I have to say is that if you're looking for a good pirate-witch enemies-to-lovers story set in a world with Spanish elements and pretty high stakes, then you should read this book!

This one we read for my bookclub since it's a group site and lord we all DNFed this thing or hated it. Sadly this one did not work out well at all. The characters were crap and the plot was meh.

I loved Montoya's debut. The blurb tells you that it's going to be hard to put down and they were right. I was super invested in what was going to happen next to these characters and just loved all the twists and turns. A FANTASTIC read.

Sinner’s Isle is a campy, swashbuckling adventure perfect for fans of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Princess Bride. The magic system of the Majestics is pretty unique, and I loved the legend of how Xiomara (the patron goddess of the Majestics) gave them their magic, but tragically was punished for it. The world also felt very different from a lot of other YA fantasy/adventure stories, since it was set on an island in what felt like the Caribbean or Latin America.

One of the more interesting parts of the book for me, though, were some of the darker themes Sinner’s Isle touched on (and that I wish the author would have dug deeper into). Right off the bat, we’re given what seems like a thinly veiled view of the impact of Spanish colonialism on Latin America and the villainization of women by the Catholic church. This book had the potential to hit hard on those topics (like Legendborn does with slavery, systemic racism, and white supremacy), but it never quite got there because it seemed like the author wanted to be able to keep the campy feel to the characters. Which is fine, if that’s not the book she wanted to write, so that’s the only reason I didn’t take off stars for my review.

My only complaint about the book is the main characters, Rosa and Mariano. To be honest, I didn’t like either of them at the beginning because they felt too vanilla and the author kept telling me one thing about them, but the characters’ actions weren’t following through. Rosa is a witch with really dark/scary shadow magic, and she uses that magic when the oppressors are capturing her best friend Juana and trying to kill them both…and then Rosa felt bad about using her magic because the oppressors got hurt? Nope. I wanted to see her lean into that rage and accept her dark powers. Instead, it felt like the author was worried about making Rosa too mean. Similar issue with Mariano—the author tells us he’s a big scary pirate, heir to an even bigger, scarier, pirate…and then he’s a giant teddy bear. Both eventually got better as the story went along, but I found myself more interested in the side characters (Santi is a riot).

All in all, this was a fun, adventure read with a plot that definitely keeps things moving. Thanks to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for the early copy!

Taylor Swift songs: “Vigilante shit”, “I did something bad”, “invisible string” (heart song), and “king of my heart”

Age rating: 13+ (there’s an implied spicy scene, but it’s fade-to-black)

This was such a fun and enjoyable ya fantasy!! Rosa was such a girlboss/bada** female main character, we love to see it!! I loved the Latinx representation! I also loved that while being a magical fantasy story, it still had lots of discussions of gender (specifically how the women have the magic but are kept as objects by powerful men), systemic racism and classism, and religious and political systems. There was so much depth and wisdom that could be taken from this book!

I love a good pirate enemies-to-lovers romance! I loved the magical elements from the Majestics, and the idea of “heartsong” (line fated mates/soul mates). Rosa and Mariano’s chemistry and banter were SO GOOD!! I loved them together! And I loved all of the side characters so much. I also loved how there were so many queer characters!

The whole book kept me really engaged while I was reading it, and I probably would’ve read it in one sitting if I had time! There were quite a few plot twists that really shocked me!

I really hope that we can return to the story of “Sinner’s Isle” for a book two perhaps?? It left an opening for a possible sequel or series and I would definitely read that!

Overall, really great read! I loved it!

Thank you Netgalley for the ebook advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.