Spoiler-Free Review

Normally I’m not into seafaring tales, but I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this one. If you’re looking for an action-packed adventure story or a multi-POV YA fantasy, you’ll probably like The Isles of the Gods.

What’s The Isles of the Gods about?

In a world where slumbering gods are awakening, a young sailor, a prince, and a scholar must survive both the ocean and their enemies if they’re going to prevent a war.

I had a good time, and look forward to the sequel.

When I first started this book, I thought I knew where it was going to go. It seemed like a classic YA plot. But about 30% in, everything turned on its head, and suddenly I didn’t know what to expect anymore. This is a story of survival, personal growth, sacrifice, and friendship, with a side of potential romantic interest.

Usually, my issue with stories set on ships is the unnecessary amount of ship jargon – and also that ships make pretty boring settings, if I’m honest. But what saved this story from that fate was it’s multi-POV setup. Each chapter followed a different person in a different place, keeping the plot fresh. They also didn’t stay on a boat for the entire story; instead we got to see more of their world.

Speaking of worldbuilding – this story drops you in with some explanations on the way. But it didn’t ever bog me down with unnecessary information, which I appreciated. It’s mostly soft worldbuilding, with a stronger character focus. If I didn’t need to know something, this book didn’t bother trying to force it.

Each narrative character brought something different to the table. We follow:

• Selly, our main character and young sailor who’s feeling abandoned by her father and stifled by her lack of opportunities
• Leander, the charming but largely unmoored young prince with little going for him except the one duty he must fulfill
• Laskia, the ambitious crime boss underling vying for power and recognition by any means necessary, regardless of the cost
• Jude, a destitute former noble forced to participate in Laskia’s machinations
• And Keegan, a scholarly type who finds himself in the wrong place at just the wrong time

In the audiobook, each character gets their own narrator, and I thought they all did a fantastic job. It helped me keep everyone straight in my mind. That being said, I can’t speak to how easy it is to keep each POV straight if you’re reading with your eyes. I do think the writing style is better for audio, as there’s some exposition throughout.

The character growth is what compelled me the most. Each of these characters seem to fit a standard YA fantasy character archetype when we first meet them – but after the worst comes to pass, they each begin to make new decisions and see the world in a different light. They get the lessons, and actually try to learn from them. And that made them interesting to follow.

It was all of these things while still delivering on some of the most fun parts of YA fantasy.

Should you read The Isles of the Gods?

This story worked for me, but there are things that may not work for everyone. Read if it you like:

• YA fantasies with large casts
  • Emphasizing YA here because it definitely feels like it – if you’ve mostly moved on from that age category, it may not be for you
• Seafaring or adventure stories
• The worldbuilding and religious aspects of The Foxglove King or Divine Rivals (think: slumbering gods starting to stir, preparing to start war, people choosing sides)
• Soft worldbuilding: you’re fine not having all of your questions answered right away

I should say, though: it’s not a pirate story. The main character is a sailor, yes, but not a pirate. And anyway, don’t go into it expecting the seafaring to be at the forefront. It’s rather a setting than the main plot. It’s also written in first person across POVs, if that’s important to you.

I also highly recommend the audiobook. Some other readers have mentioned it feeling a bit slow-paced, and while I have to disagree (I’d put it at a medium pace), that could be because the writing style lends itself really well to being read aloud. It’s true that it’s not as heavy on constant action, but I did find their journeys to be interesting in themselves.

Looks like the sequel is slated to release this summer.