The writing was stunning, as always with books by Amie. I truly loved to get to know the different characters. Some good, some all kinds of bad. But all of them fully exciting to read about. And so very different from each other. Yet they were coming together to survive and getting to know each other better. I so loved that.
I do not know how to write this review of mine. It is always harder with books that I love. Oops. But going to do my best. This book is for the most part the story of Selly. But it is from other point of views too. We get to know Leander and Keegan and Jude and Laskia. But yes, it's mostly about Selly and Leander and so we hear more from them. And I very much adored these characters. Eee. Selly has spent pretty much her whole life on the sea with her father. But he has been gone for the past year and she is growing restless. She bumps into Leander on the night she was trying to leave her crew and find her father, ending up staying with them instead to escort him. As he was no regular boy, but the prince of their home. He has a mission that must be done.
Selly pretty much hates him from the beginning, ha. I loved their banter. How it turned into more. It was an enemies to lovers type of story. Though they were not actually enemies. It was also just how I like it. They were not cruel to each other. Just a little rudeness from Selly and I did not mind that. Their banter was mostly just fun, as it was easy to see that they actually liked each other. I do wish the romance had been more, though. Especially with how it ends, as I worry there will be less. Hmm. It was still beautiful.
I honestly just truly loved getting to know Selly and Leander. They were so different. He was such a rich and spoiled royal boy. All kinds of handsome and knowing it. Full of magic, more than usual people with magic in this world. A little selfish, not fully caring about the world around him until now. But even with his faults, I loved him to pieces. Because he was honest and real. Kind of just a rude boy, at first. But full of heart and so sweet beneath it all. And he did care. He was just slow to show it. I just loved him the most.
Selly was also such a great girl. Pretty stubborn and a little rude too, ha. But full of heart and all kinds of brave. We get to know her crew a little too, though only half of them were on the ship when they had to leave with Leander. They all seemed awesome. And their end was the worst. Shudders. But written so very well that I just could not help but love the scenes. Oops. It fit with the story. Selly was such a great person and I simply adored her. Her growing friendship with Leander was truly the very best thing. Sigh.
Of course, this book had a whole bunch of other characters too. But it did focus most on those two, and I loved that so much. They had another boy with them on this journey across the sea, Keegan. And he was so very different from both of them. I loved that. A little rude, he too, haha. But he was such a lovely and kind person. I loved to slowly get to know him and his history with Leander at school years ago. They did not have the best of a relationship back then. I loved how they both grew and slowly ending up friends.
Then there were the villains, I would call them. They are from a different town or place in this world. And were trying their very best to make a war, to wake up their sleeping god. There was Laskia, the younger sister of Ruby, whom was the biggest crime boss around. Both of them pretty horrible, honestly. Laskia was willing to do anything to get her sister to approve of her and make her an equal to her. And oh, how many people she killed in this book. Shudders. I did not like this girl. I am not ever going to either. Hmph.
And then there was Jude. Who works for Laskia, having to help her do all the dirty work. They are hunting down Leander to kill him. Jude went to school with him too, until he left their town a couple of years ago. Thinking that Leander did not care and did not help when he needed him most. Jude just want to keep his mother safe, who is sick. And so he does whatever Laskia tells him to. I'm not sure what I felt about him. I kind of liked him, I kind of did not. Ugh. He needs to redeem himself more, for me to actually like him, ha.
Oh. I guess I should mention a little more about the world now, ha. It is one big place, filled with different towns or islands or something. They needed to travel by boat to get to the other places to visit. It was a place of gods and worshiping them, though not all did that, as they had been gone for so long. It was a book with a little bit of magic over the four elements and that some people had control over one of those. Leander had all four. I loved how the magic was spirits that helped if you ask nicely and with an offering.
This book is about Leander being delayed in making a sacrifice to their goddess to help strengthen her. He is one year delayed, as he was busy living his life. Not actually a good idea, but I did understand him too. But because of this, war is on the horizon. Not getting into all that. But it was so interesting. Leander travels with Selly and her crew. But they are being hunted and it does not go well. So much happens. All fully exciting and thrilling to read about. I loved everything being at sea and all the sailing. Written so well.
I have already written way too much about this book. Oops. Hopefully my thoughts make some type of sense. I just really loved this book. And the plot was all kinds of exciting. There was not a single boring moment in this story. I did have a few small issues with the writing at times, but nothing big. I still loved this one so very much. I just need more of Selly and Leander. Hmph. And oh, how good that ending was. The next book will be the most exciting, I'm certain of it. What I loved most was all the great friendships.
The Isles of the Gods was such an incredible adventure story at sea. Full of amazing characters and full of heart. A bit of magic and gods. A bit of madness from some. Every kind of perfect. This book did not disappoint me. I just cannot wait for the sequel. Hmph. I must know how it all ends, haha. As I am a little bit too worried. Oops. As that ending was the rudest. Okay, mostly a good ending, but such a cliffhanger even so. I'm worried about everything, ha. I am certain everyone else will love this one too. So go read it.
