This is a spoiler free review.
Scavenge the Stars
Written by Tara Sim
Written by Tara Sim
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Pages: 327
Source: Library
Source: Library
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository
Recommended Age: 13 and up!
Summary:
When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.
Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…
Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
Scavenge the Stars is a YA gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Christo, and was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and I think it's safe to say that it lived up to my expectations.
COVER
When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.
Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…
Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.
(Summary from Goodreads)
Review:
Scavenge the Stars is a YA gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Christo, and was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 and I think it's safe to say that it lived up to my expectations.
COVER
I think the cover for the most part relates to the book and I like it though it does look a little bit like a lot of other Young Adult covers.
WORLD-BUILDING
Scavenge the Stars is set in Moray which is a costal city state caught between two waring empires, where "old-world opulence" and gamblers collide. The world-building in this book was one of the only things that I had complaints about. Tara Sim seemed to have a grand world planned but it wasn't communicated well on the page. In fact, it seemed to be narrated as if the reader was supposed to know everything about the waring empires and the culture and history, and while that is great for a sequel or a companion book, it wasn't so great for the first book in a new series. I'm hoping that the world-building will be explored a lot more in the second book because I really want to get a good sense of the world.
Then there are the characters. (This book is told in two POVs)
AMAYA
When we first meet Amaya she is known as Silverfish, a seventeen year old girl who works on a debtor ship led by Captain Zharo, in order to pay the debts of her parents. She is days from finally being free when she saves a man from drowning, and suddenly the Captain tacks on four more weeks of work for her. However, she manages to escape and head to the city of Moray and teams up with the man she saved in order to enact her revenge on Captain Zharo and the people who put her there as well as find her true self.
Amaya is a strong female protagonist who perfectly balances being a badass with still being feminine. Amaya is a female protagonist who is also a biracial woman of color! She is also kind and determined to protect the other children who were also on the debtor ship, even if it means going down a path of revenge that she may never be able to turn away from. Amaya is definitely a survivor and her bravery and resilience help her throughout the book. I enjoyed her character a lot
CAYO
Scavenge the Stars is set in Moray which is a costal city state caught between two waring empires, where "old-world opulence" and gamblers collide. The world-building in this book was one of the only things that I had complaints about. Tara Sim seemed to have a grand world planned but it wasn't communicated well on the page. In fact, it seemed to be narrated as if the reader was supposed to know everything about the waring empires and the culture and history, and while that is great for a sequel or a companion book, it wasn't so great for the first book in a new series. I'm hoping that the world-building will be explored a lot more in the second book because I really want to get a good sense of the world.
Then there are the characters. (This book is told in two POVs)
AMAYA
When we first meet Amaya she is known as Silverfish, a seventeen year old girl who works on a debtor ship led by Captain Zharo, in order to pay the debts of her parents. She is days from finally being free when she saves a man from drowning, and suddenly the Captain tacks on four more weeks of work for her. However, she manages to escape and head to the city of Moray and teams up with the man she saved in order to enact her revenge on Captain Zharo and the people who put her there as well as find her true self.
Amaya is a strong female protagonist who perfectly balances being a badass with still being feminine. Amaya is a female protagonist who is also a biracial woman of color! She is also kind and determined to protect the other children who were also on the debtor ship, even if it means going down a path of revenge that she may never be able to turn away from. Amaya is definitely a survivor and her bravery and resilience help her throughout the book. I enjoyed her character a lot
A noble's son, Cayo has just gotten himself (relatively) clean of a gambling addiction that nearly bankrupted his family and he is trying to put that past behind him. However, when his sister gets a dreaded, almost always fatal disease and his father informs him that they don't have the money to properly treat her, he is close to falling back into his bad habits. Cayo's regret for his old behavior clearly shows and his mission is to become better for himself and his sister. He also happens to be a bisexual character who I believe is also a person of color. I really liked the journey he goes through and how unique his character really was.
FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY
Family and its importance and complications is at the very heart of this novel. For Amaya, family is why she's on this path of revenge as she's trying to discover what happened to her mom and she's also trying to figure out why her dad sold her to the ship. Amaya had been waiting to reunite with her mom for seven years and when she discovers that her mother is not alive anymore, she is determined to figure out why.
For Cayo, family is why he decided to turn around his life. He doesn't have a good relationship with his father as his father views him as more of a disappointment than his son and heir. Cayo however, has a good relationship with his sister and that is who he is trying to save and would do anything for.
Family and its importance and complications is at the very heart of this novel. For Amaya, family is why she's on this path of revenge as she's trying to discover what happened to her mom and she's also trying to figure out why her dad sold her to the ship. Amaya had been waiting to reunite with her mom for seven years and when she discovers that her mother is not alive anymore, she is determined to figure out why.
For Cayo, family is why he decided to turn around his life. He doesn't have a good relationship with his father as his father views him as more of a disappointment than his son and heir. Cayo however, has a good relationship with his sister and that is who he is trying to save and would do anything for.
PLOT
Scavenge the Stars is about Silverfish (who we later know as Amaya), a seventeen year old girl who works on a debtor ship led by Captain Zharo, that uses child labor. She's been held captive for years to pay off the debts of her parents and she is days from being free and all she can think about is going home to visit her mother. However, when she rescues a man from downing, Captain Zharo tells her that her mom is dead as well as adds on work time. Amaya is devastated and she turns to Boon, the man she rescued. He offers her a new identity, riches, and the chance to destroy the Mercado family, the ones who were truly responsible for ruining her life.
Already in Moray, we have Cayo, a young man who is trying to recover from a gambling addiction that cost his family most of their fortune. He's trying to make it up to his family and earn his father's trust back by working on the harbor and taking care of logistics, and helping his sister secure a match. However, when his sister collapses during a dinner with a potential husband and his family, they discover that she has a disease, and they can't afford to treat her. Cayo feels extremely guilty and he agrees to his father's demands for him to find a rich wife. When the alluring Countess Yamaa (Amaya) arrives in Moray with more riches than anyone he knows, he agrees to get close to her but things go awry when his dealing with the most notorious underworld crime king goes wrong and he realizes it might be too late to save his family and himself. Overall, the plot was magnificent. It kept me intrigued the entire time and I had no clue what to expect as the twists and turns had me shocked at every turn and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.
Scavenge the Stars is about Silverfish (who we later know as Amaya), a seventeen year old girl who works on a debtor ship led by Captain Zharo, that uses child labor. She's been held captive for years to pay off the debts of her parents and she is days from being free and all she can think about is going home to visit her mother. However, when she rescues a man from downing, Captain Zharo tells her that her mom is dead as well as adds on work time. Amaya is devastated and she turns to Boon, the man she rescued. He offers her a new identity, riches, and the chance to destroy the Mercado family, the ones who were truly responsible for ruining her life.
Already in Moray, we have Cayo, a young man who is trying to recover from a gambling addiction that cost his family most of their fortune. He's trying to make it up to his family and earn his father's trust back by working on the harbor and taking care of logistics, and helping his sister secure a match. However, when his sister collapses during a dinner with a potential husband and his family, they discover that she has a disease, and they can't afford to treat her. Cayo feels extremely guilty and he agrees to his father's demands for him to find a rich wife. When the alluring Countess Yamaa (Amaya) arrives in Moray with more riches than anyone he knows, he agrees to get close to her but things go awry when his dealing with the most notorious underworld crime king goes wrong and he realizes it might be too late to save his family and himself. Overall, the plot was magnificent. It kept me intrigued the entire time and I had no clue what to expect as the twists and turns had me shocked at every turn and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.
ROMANCE
The romance that developed between Cayo and Amaya was super slow-burn, took a backseat to the plot and had me super invested. I loved the contrast between Cayo who was super soft and gentle and Amaya who was brash and furious. Their relationship is sure to be explored more in the second book as we didn't get much of it in this one and I for one, am excited to see what is coming
WRITING
I loved the writing in this book. Everything was so vividly described and Tara Sim managed to capture the two character's emotions and lives wonderfully. I also loved how the alternating POVs worked so well that you really got a full feel for both of the characters.
The romance that developed between Cayo and Amaya was super slow-burn, took a backseat to the plot and had me super invested. I loved the contrast between Cayo who was super soft and gentle and Amaya who was brash and furious. Their relationship is sure to be explored more in the second book as we didn't get much of it in this one and I for one, am excited to see what is coming
WRITING
I loved the writing in this book. Everything was so vividly described and Tara Sim managed to capture the two character's emotions and lives wonderfully. I also loved how the alternating POVs worked so well that you really got a full feel for both of the characters.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Even though I've never read The Count of Monte Christo and was not overly familiar with the storyline before I picked up this book, I loved the revenge trope and redemption mission in this book. Overall, Scavenge the Stars was a marvelous well-balanced fantasy filled with complex characters, diverse representation and a thrilling storyline.
Quotes from the Book:
"But she wasn’t some romantic heroine—she had more important things to do."
"Desperation is deadlier than a bullet."
Even though I've never read The Count of Monte Christo and was not overly familiar with the storyline before I picked up this book, I loved the revenge trope and redemption mission in this book. Overall, Scavenge the Stars was a marvelous well-balanced fantasy filled with complex characters, diverse representation and a thrilling storyline.
"But she wasn’t some romantic heroine—she had more important things to do."
"Desperation is deadlier than a bullet."
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns
