Sinner’s Isle is a romantic and adventurous tale of overcoming oppression. Rosalinda and her fellow Majestics are trapped on an island where their only chance of escaping is being bound to a man who will control their magical gifts. Then the handsome pirates show up and offer their assistance. Though Mariano is another POV in this story, Rosa is still definitely the main character and driver of the plot. Her transformation throughout the story is a beautiful thing to behold. The romance moved too quickly for my taste sometimes, but otherwise I found little that I disliked. Sinner’s Isle offers a diverse and entertaining cast of characters, fun and flirty romance, danger and high stakes, and a triumphant ending.

I adored this book. Some favorite gems I couldn't help but highlight:
'“What does a creature like you think of?” Punishment, her shadows whispered.'

"How could he fault a girl for using her wit to rescue herself?"

"Sometimes the more power one possesses, the less control they have over their own life."

"The majestic lived in a world of impossible things."

That last one though! It's true! What delightfully impossible things.
An incredible cast and infectious adventure.

There are spiders though. Not in a scary way, but to me, all spiders are scary. So be forewarned.

I knew going into this book that it was probably going to knock my socks off and boy was I right! Now only is this a romantasy based on Latinx culture, but it also has Pirates of The Caribbean vibes that just made my heart so happy! I absolutely adored Rosalinda. She is such a strong female character which I always love to see! And holy coy, Mariano is sooo swoon-worthy! This book was such a fun read and I absolutely loved it! A fantastic debut by Montoya! I highly recommend!

Such a fun and delightful fantasy adventure romance! I think readers will fall for Rosalinda and Mariano's dynamic and delight in Mariano's BFF Santi's comedic dialogue. I also believe this is a stand-alone with room for a sequel.

It’s no surprise that I adored Sinner’s Isle by Angela Montoya. A feminist romantasy based on Latinx culture and lore? Was this book written just for me? It probably was, and I’m choosing to believe this.
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Rosalinda, a powerful witch held captive on an island built to imprison women like her, had my heart from the start. She’s so fierce, so determined, and so loyal to the people she loves that it’s impossible not to love her. Then there’s Mariano, the pirate Rosa blackmails to help her get off the island—I just know readers will love him (I did!!). Scrappy and cunning, Mariano is the pirate love interest dreams are made of. Rounded out by a superb cast of side characters (looking at you, Juana and Santiago), this book is so entertaining and fun that it’s impossible to put down.
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One of the things I love about YA novels is that we hit the ground running and never stop. This is so true of Sinner’s Isle—the plot gets going right away and keeps it moving. If you never quite got over whoever you had a crush on in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (like me, most of the cast), you will have a great time with this book. Packed full of action, romance, adventure, and intrigue, this is a book you should absolutely preorder ahead of its release on 10/31/23. ♥️

Thank you to the author, #Netgalley, and the publisher for the ARC!

Sinner's Isle is a romantic fantasy (Pirates of the Caribbean meets Descendants) that centers on 18-year-old Rosalinda and other majestics as they prepare to be indentured into servitude with the elite and rich men of their world. Rosalinda has planned an escape with her best friend that of course goes awry almost immediately. Mariano, our second POV, is the son of a famous pirate and must make his mark separate from his father, especially in the world of piracy where everybody is always on the verge of mutiny and battling for power. Mariano and Rosalinda's world collide when Mariano finds his way to Sinner's isle on the eve of this year's offering.

What drew me to the story and what I feel makes this book unique are the diverse characters and the world that Montoya creates. I love that diversity is not the center of the story, but instead commonplace. Characters mirror our world and that to me is amazing.

The world is intriguing and leaves so much room for exploration. I'm excited to learn more about the characters as Montoya continues the series (this is a series, correct?). I want to learn how Sinner's Isle will transform and what will happen to those left behind!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book before it is released and I hope to see how the story progresses!

Witches, pirates, mermaids and Latinx characters! What more can a girl want? I loved this book from the first page. It was easy to consume and the story was well executed. They say easy reading is hard writing and I can see Angela did a stellar job. The characters were all unique and had their own well rounded personalities. The world was so vivid. I had a smile on my face and tears in my eyes as I read this amazing book. It's the kind of Latinx representative I want to see in the world. I would recommend Sinners Isle to anyone.

I’m not going to tell you where the relationship between the powerful witch and the hot pirate ends up, but I guarantee that you are not only going to fall madly in love with Rosalinda and Mariano, but you will be head over heals for the show stealing secondary characters. Sinner’s Isle is Angela Montoya’s debut YA novel that is exciting, hilariously funny and super sexy while also including commentary on religion, politics and feminism.
Speaking of hilarious, be sure to follow Ángela Montoya TikTok account! She’s a kick!

Oh my goodness there’s so much to love about this book, but let’s start with these characters!!! I had a feeling a book about a fierce witch and a cheeky pirate was going to be a good time, but I didn’t expect how much heart this troop would have. Is there anything better than a found family?! I love a character driven story. I’m so proud of Rosalinda, she’s strong and soft - her rage is her power and I love a mad woman with a soft spot for her people. Some moments were a little clunky, but without detracting from an enjoyable reading escape with characters you absorb into your heart and a cause you can root for. If you’re paying attention, you see the ways in which Rose’s world parallels ours, and may we all have the conviction and camaraderie of the Majestics of Sinner’s Isle! A brilliant debut by Angela Montoya!

Fat-friendly rating? Some body diversity without overt anti-fatness. Unlikely to be triggering.

Recommend? You bet! Thank you to NetGalley and Angela Montoya for this arc, I can’t wait for release day and to have my own copy on my shelves!

I almost didn't request this book because the title is a little cringe, but I'm glad I gave it a shot! This was such a fun read! The world building and the characters were really interesting. I think some of the secondary characters could have been fleshed out a little better, but it was still a blast. Always love a little pirate story and the addition of the Mexican lore.

Sinner's Isle by Angela Montoya was a high 4⭐️. I believe this is a debut novel and the author wrote a very compelling and adventurous story. It’s a YA fantasy romance that had pirates, witches, kings and priests.
I found the whole thing interesting and I’m hoping for a book 2. It’s a pretty clean romance compared to some other books I’ve read and I loved sinners Island. I definitely recommend this one.
Thanks Random House via NetGalley.

A solid debut, I can’t wait to see how this author grows. I liked the MMC POV less than the FMC, but I did like the premise.

She is trapped on an island. He is a pirate with access to a ship. It should be the perfect match - except he hates her magic ...

I loved the premise of this book, but the execution just didn't pull me in. The characters just didn't resonate with me, although the world building was good. Overall just not the book for me!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy

I was struggling to put into words everything I loved about this book! It was cute, and relatable, and evoked a wide array of emotions. 🥰 It was a recipe for success and a lovely debut! Congrats to the author and I can’t wait to see where this story goes! 🖤

What I love about this book:
🖤 Diverse Characters
🖤 Badass FMC
🖤 Morally Grey love interest
🖤 Immersive world-building and magic system

Room for Improvement:
- Could easily have made those steamy scenes spicy 😉😆

Overall, this is a beautifully balanced book with action, tenderness, and humor. There were interesting twists and every character we met was fleshed-out and intriguing.
I highly recommend this book! ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's/Joy Revolution for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It means so much to me to have books like Sinner's Isle being published. Growing up, I never read any books with Latino characters as the main leads, they were always side characters or heavily stereotyped. This book has a special place in my heart, especially because of the all-Latino cast. I can't wait for everyone to read this book!

DNF at 41%.

Nobody is more disappointed than me. Nobody!!!

When I tell you Sinner's Isle was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, I genuinely mean it. It's pitched as Pirates of the Caribbean meets Serpent & Dove... what is not to love?

I really didn't connect with this book, at all. I started off by not totally enjoying the writing style, but I've read - and finished - books in the past where that's been the case, so I carried on. I made it to 41% before realising that I simply had no desire to see it through.

Rosalinda and Mariano, at face value, should have been great main characters. She's got shadow magic, he's a pirate, she doesn't trust guys, he hates Majestics. I didn't find myself drawn to either of them. Rosa was probably my 'favourite' of the two, and I'm using that term very loosely, only because Mariano was made out to be this super famous son of a super famous pirate, but we don't really ever see that (not to mention, he's rather one-dimensional). In addition, his best friend, Santi, was probably meant as comic relief, but I personally found him annoying.

As I've already mentioned, I made it 41% through this book and at that point, Rosa and Mariano had only seen/spoke to each other twice, if I recall correctly. I'm kind of proud of myself for making it through as much of this book as I did, given it has insta-love. This is a HARD-no trope for me. I can't stand it. Also, at 41%, they hadn't yet made it off of Sinner's Isle. Maybe I had misinterpreted the premise of the book, but I had assumed it would be them meeting and escaping from the island at the beginning, and the rest of the plot would follow on from there, but that was unfortunately not the case.

As a side note, if you're like me, and hate spiders (particularly tarantulas)... do yourself a favour and quietly slide this book off of your TBR. I wish someone had warned me before I picked this up.

Overall, I'm devastated to have not enjoyed (or even been able to finish) Sinner's Isle. I have been looking forward to it ever since Angela's book deal was announced, but alas, it wasn't for me.

Thank you to Sam at Penguin Random House for sending me a free eARC via Netgalley!

↠ DNF at 41%, 1 star

I was so excited for this book and it lived up to every expectation and more. The beautiful Latine culture and characters made me tear up numerous times. It is amazing to see yourself represented in a book. The author did an amazing job on her debut novel and I'm excited to see what else comes from her.

An absolute delight! A grand adventure on an island filled with magic and beauty--that is really nothing more than a prison. A handsome pirate who thinks he knows what he wants. And friends with wit that will keep you laughing, and twists you'll never see coming.
Oh, and Rosalinda? Yes. Yes, please.

Let’s face it - you had me at pirates and magic. SINNER’S ISLE is so much more than that, though. It is about accepting yourself and realizing your strength, trusting your gut and being loyal to those who matter. It’s fiestas and dances and thievery and blackmail and love. There is such good LOVE in this - love of friendship, romantic love, and the love of family. They are all so essential to this story, and the lengths that Rosa is willing to go for those she loves propels the story. I adored all the characters: Rosa, Mariano, Santi, Lola, Isobel, Sebastian - I loved all of them and was so disappointed when I was done, I went back and re-read my favorite parts.

Which was the whole book. I read the whole thing again.

I absolutely adored this. This was a spectacular story full of pirates and forbidden romance and witches and adventure, but it was also a really interesting commentary on humanity and our uncanny ability to create in-groups and out-groups based solely on differences between each other (like race, or ability, etc.). Watching Rosalinda's character growth was also wonderful--I love watching a character grow into the fullest version of themselves, and this was no exception. I am really thrilled at having been given the chance to read and review this early, and I absolutely cannot wait until we get our physical copies in at my library. I think this is going to be really, really popular!