I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

On the isle of sound and wonder is a retelling of William Shakespeare's The Tempest and it's brilliant and evocative.
Since Mira and her father Dante were shipwrecked on an island, they were forced to adapt themselves and live there, getting to know the flora, the fauna, reading, learning. When another ship, years later, shipwrecked on the island, Mira starts to realize her father is not what she thought he was, when he made the ship crash using his dark magic and scattering the survivors all over the place. This way, he starts his own revenge, using the plan he orcherstrate years before. The reader swings from past to present, getting to know more about Dante and his story, how he found himself on this island, who is his slave, Aurael, who is the monster in the island, Karuban, who was Mira's best friend when they were little. Told by multple POVs, the story is divided between past, present, Mira, Karuban and Aurael, and between the survivors, the prince Ferran, his uncle Bastiano and his friend Torsione,the fool Truffo and Stephen, the valet, Gonzo, the advisor, When Mira saved Ferran's life and then Gonzo's, they started to understand that the presence of the survivors on the island isn't accidental and to uncover misteries from the past.

This book is incredibly layered, full of complex characters with their own goals and desires. Set on a magical and misterirous island, with a stroke of steampunk (Gonzo is an automaton), the story is captivating and thrilling. The reader gets to know brave and resourceful Mira, curious and trapped into his role Ferran, afraid to be a disappointment to his father the King, Karuban, manipulated and played by Aureal, bitter and revengeful, who is, in turn, enslaved to the cruel Dante, who is using him to get his own revenge. There is Bastiano, the king's brother, who is in love with his friend Torsione (and viceversa), but didn't manage to tell him the truth until the island. Corvina is an interesting character, her own presence setting the story in motion and keeping it running until the end.

An important and recurring theme is the prison. Aureal is enslaved to Dante, and before punished by Ouberan. Ferran felt his own life as a prison, since he can't do what he wants, study what he wants, Karaburan is kept away from Mira and used both by Aurael and Dante. Dante himself is imprisoned by his own revenge and bitter past. Mira, even though she's trapped into the island, is free from the past and thoughts of revenge and punishment. They move on the island as pawns, until they decided, helped by Mira to break free.

It's a book about freedom, revenge, forgiveness, love and sorrow. The story is full of twists, interesting characters and beautifully written, really evocative.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just okay for me. I felt the story fell a bit flat and it moved too slow. I can see where people would enjoy it, but where I devour books quickly it didn't stick with me.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

The language of this book can be a bit overbearing in description at times, but as a lover of Shakespeare this was a really enjoyable read. There were enough elements of the Tempest to make the connections between the two stories apparent but enough differences to make this feel fresh and new as well.