Mermaids, pirates and sea monsters. What more could you want?

I loved Amora and Bastian. Amora was so relatable and it was so easy to imagine what she was going through.

There were a few twists and turns; some that I saw coming and some that I didn’t.

The story is full of action and intrigue which kept me hooked until the very end.

I haven’t read many sea books (pirate themed books aren’t my usual go-to genre) but this one was really good and restored my faith in this genre.

Also, the magic system in this story was really well thought-out.

Brilliant book!

I loved this book and it's a mix of adventure, magic, badass princess & pirate vibe and I really loved that. I loved the main character and I got a little crush on Bastian. Anyway, that was a really good read for me, I wanted so much more !

A fun, young adult fantasy debut for fans of Moana.
I really enjoyed following Amora through her adventure to reclaim her kingdom and the grey morality brought into her character from her magical ability as master of souls.
I found the romance to be compelling and enjoyed the roguish Bastien.
On the negative side, I found the conclusion of the book to be a little rushed and also predictable. Very intrigued about where the sequel will go but not sure I will continue the series.

What an incredible journey, for me, Zamora and the story ! This was such an adventure, a non stop ride from the very beginning. It was one of those books I knew from the start that I was going to love just a couple of pages in, I think you can tell by the writing, the connection to story and characters within a few pages how much fun or enjoyable a read it will be, I thought it would be great and I wasn’t wrong ! I loved the world building, although many different levels and layers, it was well done and not overly complex. The writing was beautiful and I found it hard to believe it was Adalyn’s debut, but also happy as I look forward to future books with excitement from the author, such a talent. I also desperately need the next book. I really liked Zamora, she starts out quite innocent and a bit of a naive world view, but we watch her grow on her journey, I also loved the mermaid concept in this book, it’s so good and original. Overall an a,a zing debut, wonders story and characters and I need the next !

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Princess Amora has lived out her entire eighteen years on the island of Arida. Disconnected from the rest of her kingdom, Amora longs to travel to all of its islands, sailing across the high seas. The kingdom of Visidia is made up of six islands. Magic used to be practiced freely across Visidia until, as legend has it, a beast started killing those who practiced multiple magics to punish them for their greed. Now, each individual is only allowed to practice one type of magic and must live out their lives on the island which is dedicated to their chosen power.

The royal family is the only family who can practice soul magic, allowing them to read souls and inflict pain without touching a person. The beast is said to live within the royal bloodline and the heir to the throne is required to prove to their people that they can control the beast. When Amora's chance to prove herself comes along, things don't go as planned. Amora is forced to flee and soon finds herself in league with a pirate on a mission to save her kingdom from a threat she had no idea existed.

What I liked about this book
The characters - I loved the characters in this book. My favourite character is Ferrick. He is so loyal and fiercely brave. I hope to see more of him and Vataea in the next book.
Magic ships, pirates, mermaids - need I say more?
The story - this book is full of adventure and a few twists. The pacing is great from the get go and it is consistent throughout the story.

What I didn't like
Absolutely nothing! - I thought really hard and I could not think of one thing I didn't like about this book.
If you enjoy magic, pirate and adventure? Then this book is for you!!

This book was such a fun and adventurous read that takes you on this incredible journey with Amora who is looking to save her kingdom. With pirates, magic and mermaids this mystical world completely draws you in and you find yourself never wanting to leave.

The characters in this book were well-written and had great development. I quickly grew to love them with their own unique personalities and humour but I definitely felt connected to Amora. She’s a strong, female protagonist who won’t take no for an answer and fights for what she believes in. She finds out a lot of hard truths in this story, but it only makes her stronger and more determined.

The book started off a little bit slow for me but I think that’s just because this is the first book in a series and it needed to set the stage with the world building and introduction to the magical system. I honestly loved the magical system and found Amora’s so interesting! I loved the range of abilities and would definitely like to see more explored in the next one!

If you’re looking for an epic sea adventure than this one is for you. Take the plunge and follow Amora and her group on this amazing adventure across the seas in hopes of conquering a dark new magic which is threatening her kingdom.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

"I am Amora Montara, Princess of Visidia and heir to the High Animancer's throne. There is no ship I cannot sail. There is nothing I cannot master."

3.5 stars!

When you read a lot of fantasy, sometimes the worlds begin to blur together — but there's no danger of that happening with Adalyn Grace's debut novel, All the Stars and Teeth. The world she creates is vivid (I was swooning over some of the descriptions of clothes early on, like "he wears a rich lavender suit that looks as though he's pulled it straight from the constellations. a shooting star flies across his legs and onto his vest, shimmering through the sky that winks with every step") and fierce, which certainly took me by surprise. This is a book with teeth, full of bloody magic, vicious curses, and fearsome mermaids, and it doesn't shy away from any of those. It's all very cinematic, like I could see it unfolding in front of me and imagine it being acted out on a TV show.

I also found certain aspects of the worldbuilding very novel. There are multiple types of magics — enchantment, levitation, healing, curses, soul magic, time magic — and one is practised by the inhabitants of each island, which is represented by a colour and a gemstone. That was an interesting tidbit, and I don't think I've ever seen it done before!

For me, where this book fell a little short was the romance. I liked the love interest as a person and truly felt for him once his backstory was revealed, but I couldn't buy him and Amora as a couple. I didn't get the sense that there was a meaningful connection between the two, and perhaps that could have been communicated better by allowing them to have more small moments so that readers understand why they're into one another. While I'm usually down for a good romance and would rather a book have a well-done love story than no love story at all, I wonder if this novel wouldn't have been far better without it! A fierce, determined princess and her crew, sailing to save her home and the world she lives in sounds — now that sounds like a great story.

All of that said, I'm interested to see where the story goes and can see myself wanting to read All the Tides of Fate once it comes out in 2021. I'll admit that the first half was a very slow read — though I have been in a reading slump for most of July, so it may be partly due to that — but I sped through the last fifty pages, wanting to know what would happen next!

꧁Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ꧂
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𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐲 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞
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“I am Amora Montara, Princess of Visidia and heir to the High Animancer's throne. There is no ship i cannot sail. There is nothing i cannot master”.
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𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer―the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.
When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee.
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𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
Thank you so much to @titianbooke @adalyngrace and @Netgalley for sending me the ARC ebook copy for an honest review.mm

Adalyn Grace’s debut book, All The Stars And Teeth is a spectacular read.

From a swashbuckling pirate to a washed up mermaid and all the magic you can handle, plus a princess who needs to save her island.

I enjoyed this book so much. The world building was immense! I loved how Adalyn introduced each island and how diverse and different they were.
Each with their own magic system. Which was brilliant to say the least.

Adalyn Grace crafted such an epic tale, with beautiful writing and loveable characters. The book was fast paced which I really liked and I am looking forward to the second book already.

The only problem I have is that the ending was a little too fast paced. However, I loved it.

Highly recommend.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a book you might have heard of as an OwlCrate book before and a much earlier US release. But it was a book I was so excited to read so the moment I saw it was available on NetGalley…

I obviously requested it and I was so lucky to get it.

The book follows Amora, a princess who after a poor display of her soul magic during a ceremony, decided she needed to travel with a pirate to do something to prove that she still deserves to be Queen. This is a book with a smallish cast that grows with the book but there’s princesses, pirates, rebels and mermaids. Sounds like a lot of fun, right?

And it really was.

I loved the friendships in this book. Most of the characters don’t know each other when they’re introduced but they form this really strong and lovely friendships. Even when they’re bickering and things are difficult, their interactions were just so well written.

Unfortunately, I didn’t love the romance as much. Don’t get me wrong, they were cute. But there wasn’t enough of them. You don’t actually get to see many of the ‘small’ moments. There’s a couple of scenes including one where there are some very awkward boys as Amora had gotten her period *cue my eyerolling*. But it made the romance when it happened feel very sudden. Like there wasn’t enough build up when they had certainly spent enough time together. It was just…a little bit of a let down. But it’s definitely something that could be improved upon in book 2 by just showing us them interacting more.

My favourite character was the mermaid Vataea. You meet her around the mid-point of the book so I won’t give too many details. But she was sassy, loves travel and the whole aspect of mermaids in this book is just so good.

And that was actually what I loved best about this book.

The magic and world building! Oh my gosh, I was fascinated with this world. The islands, the magic, how the separation was shown with clothes and colour. It was such a good setting and you find out so much about it without ever feeling like you’ve had an info dump of world building. You also get to see some of the history of the world, the important stuff that matters to the main character’s story obviously but I loved reading it and I’m hoping to get some more in the second book.

Overall it was such a good book. Not perfect, no, but there’s plenty to build upon and that I’m completely looking forward to getting to in book 2. I might even have to order it from the US early!

It’s been thrilling to get lost in the world of Adalyn Grace’s ‘All the Stars and Teeth’.

What I liked the most about Adalyn Grace’s book is the adventure that has dominated ‘All the Stars and Teeth’. Some aspects of Amora’s quest has been predictable, but it didn’t take away from the fast-paced adventure-like narration that I have enjoyed so much. There was so much going on! From failing to prove herself at the beginning of the book, through fighting mystical creatures and trying to protect Visidia against all the odds, Amora and her companions are facing the danger almost at all times throughout the book. ‘All the Stars and Teeth’ kept me reading chapter after chapter hoping for a good resolution for Amora. While a lot of plots (and sub-plots) concluded at the end of the book, there is still so much more that has to happen and I can’t wait for the rest of the adventure.

While some fragments have been information-heavy, the world created by Adalyn Grace has been interesting and I have enjoyed getting to know more about Amora’s kingdom. I have liked magical system and restrictions on using multiple magic that have created tension in Visidia as well as set up Amora to discover deeper secrets about her roots.

Moreover, although I found Amora naive at the beginning of the book, I have grown to like her. Her naivety is a result of being shielded her whole life and lied to, but despite that, it’s clearly visible how much she cares about her kingdom no matter what she discovers along the way. Strong and caring. Amora is definitely an interesting narrator, but I found myself favouring Bastian - he has been such an interesting character from the very beginning. Bastian and Amora’s banter has also added the value to the book, and while I felt like things between them have developed fairly quickly, I’m looking forward to seeing more of their interaction in the next instalment of Adalyn Grace’s duology.

Overall, there is so much I like about this book. Magic and pirates are definitely some of my favourite tropes, so ‘All the Stars and Teeth’ have been wonderful in that regard. The title is so fitting, as that covers for all the editions - they are gorgeous, making Adalyn Grace’s debut a great package. I’m looking forward to reading the second part of the duology in February 2021.

The review will be posted on Goodreads and Amazon upon the paperback release.

I rarely read books with pirates and sea voyages, can't really say they're my thing. But I heard good things about All the Stars and Teeth so I decided to give it a try.

I'll admit, I wasn't a fan of the heroine for a long time. She seemed - was - awfully arrogant and full of herself. It's that I-know-better-than-you arrogance we allll had in our teens. So when things go south, she's thrown for a loop. It took a while but I decided I liked her, after all.

Amora has to right many wrongs, has to defeat the bad guy that wants to harm her kingdom. And, of course, become queen, because that was her ultimate goal.

I liked the motley crew they formed. The mermaid sidekick ; the scorned fiance, and the mysterious pirate.

Was it wow? No. Was I curious to keep reading? Yes. Did I like it and would I recommend it? Sure, why not? It might become someone else's next favorite read. Will I read the next one? Sure, why not?

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy via Netgalley and I want to thank the publishers for it. 3.5 - 4 stars.

The story follows Amora, princess of the island kingdom of Visidia. She's spent her entire life training to be High Animancer- the master of souls. When Amora is forced to flee, she strikes deal with the mysterious pirate Bastian- he’ll help her prove she's fit to rule, and she’ll help him reclaim his stole magic. But as they sail the kingdom, they encounter both adventure and danger. They must face monsters, mermaids, a stowaway, and those who would seek to destroy the kingdom. A destructive magic is on the rise and the fate of Visidia hangs in the balance.

2.5 stars
I really wanted to love this book, it had mermaids and pirates which are two things I love in fantasy. However, I ended up super disappointed. The premise is really good, and there are some fun moments, it’s really let down by the plot though. The whole thing felt very stale, it felt like a story I'd read hundreds of times before, with nothing new. There were times where I ended up skimming over big chunks of text, because I just wasn’t gripped by the story. I felt like there was lots of “telling” rather than “showing”, when it came to the world-building and plot. The action sequences were really disappointing, they felt rushed and lacked any real sense of danger.
What most frustrated me was there were elements that were SO COOL, but they were then discarded in favour of more boring plot points. For example, at one point our characters end up in an underground speakeasy type club, filled with an awesome gang of women. But the leader of the gang just tells our character where to go next and that’s it. I want a whole book about these women instead of our slightly dull main character! And there’s a mermaid in the story, who is easily the coolest character, but she doesn’t really get any character development and therefore feels wasted.

I found the characters on the whole pretty good, but I will admit that I never really connected to any of them. However, I couldn’t get on board with the romance in the story, it was far too “insta-love” for me, and I never really felt like there was any meaningful connection between the two characters. I feel like this may be personal preference, because I'm picky about romance and really bored of feeling like it’s been shoehorned into a story where it didn’t need to be. There are already so many other elements in this book, that I feel it would have been fine not having any romance at all, and I feel like it perpetuates a stereotype that young women can't be strong and powerful rulers unless there’s a man at their side (but I am aware that I'm probably just being salty).

Although this wasn’t the book for me, I think lots of people will enjoy it. As I mentioned, there’s a mermaid who is pretty awesome, there’s an interesting, if confusing, magic system, and some fun moments. I think this will really appeal to younger readers, and I think if I’d read it as a pre-teen I would have really enjoyed it. However, now that I'm older I'm just pickier about what I enjoy in YA fantasy.

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

On the run from her kingdom, a disgraced princess travels the sea searching for redemption but instead uncovers the secrets of her ancestry. A world full of magic, curses, pirates and mermaids- what more could a fantasy lover need?

All The Stars And Teeth is a perfect combination of world building, action and emotion, from the first page the adventure doesn't stop for a moment.
The islands of Visidia are much like factions, each with their own type of magic, under the Aridian rule no island can practise more than one of the seven kinds lest they invoke the beast that once destroyed them.
When Princess Amora fails the royal testing she flees execution with the aid of her arranged fiance, a mysterious pirate and his magical ship, only to find their world is not as content as the King led her to believe.

Unlike some fantasy novels I found Grace's world building to be unique yet easy to understand, the various islands are beautifully described and the creatures and costumes wonderfully imagined.

Told entirely from Princess Amora's POV, I found her to be irritatingly arrogant but Grace offsets this well by giving her naivety and an unwavering moral compass. Although I didn't like her character per se, she commands respect and made a brilliant MC, I enjoyed navigating the world and discovering the many betrayals of her kingdom.
Bastian the pirate is very much the cliche you would expect but I loved it all the same and the trope didn't detract from the story at all.

The battles, discoveries and lore in All The Stars And Teeth made a fascinating read and I highly recommend this to all lovers of YA fantasy, especially those with a penchant for pirates at sea.

“You’re insufferable. Once we’ve found Kaven, know that I plan to throw you overboard and make this ship mine.”

If you like slow-burn, enemies-to-lover relationships then this is the book for you. I absolutely LOVED the fact that Amora was pretty much putting a dagger to the throats of anyone who even looked at her wrong.

Now, this book is what other YA novels hope to be. And I am entirely of the opinion that no book can compare to a book with a PIRATE in it! I really can’t tell you where my pirate obsession appeared from but now that it’s here, it is here to stay.

Princesses, Pirates, A Loyal Betrothed and Magic— honestly what more can you want? Amora must fight to save her kingdom and protect it against Kaven, a power-thirsty man, who has twisted magic and is using it to form a rebellion against the throne.

Honestly, a delightful and surprising read— I wasn’t expecting such a WONDERFUL book. And, my goodness guys, doesn’t this quote below remind you of a certain someone from Throne of Glass?

“I am Amora Montara, Princess of Visidia and heir to the High Animancer’s throne. There is no ship I cannot sail. This is nothing I cannot master.”

Thank you so much NetGallery and Titan Books for this early readers copy! A truly delightful reading experience!

Read. Be happy. Stay safe.

The story follows the adventures of Princess Amora, from the Island Kingdom of Visidia, on her quest to protect her kingdom. This kingdom is interestingly divided into different islands, each with their own unique magic system. The author describes in detail the geographical locations, the clothing and the fashion of each of the different islands, with verve and imagination. The story is engaging and entertaining and contains some wonderful plot twists and turn. It encompasses all the usual YA tropes, and more, all presented in a unique and imaginative way. There is some wonderful rich and detailed world-building, with a dark and gruesome magic system, which is not for the fainthearted!

The first half of the book is a little slow and there is a lot of information to take in, in terms of the history of the world, characters and magic system and it takes time to build all this up. The second half certainly makes up for the slow build up and turns into a compelling and fast-paced epic adventure.

All the characters are well developed and likeable, and there is a strong female lead and a handsome love interest. Vataea, the mermaid, is an exceptional character and she heroically saves the day on several occasions. It was good to see all the main characters gradually form a close bond and become a strong united crew. I would have liked to have seen more time focusing on the build up to the romance, it all seemed a bit quick, and some extra time focusing on Bastian and Amora bonding and getting to know one another, their interactions, touches, and drilling down into their thoughts and feelings, would have made this the perfect read for me.

All in all, a wonderful debut fantasy novel with a good strong cast of characters, beautiful and detailed world-building and a wonderful seafaring adventure. Apart from the slow start the rest of the book is fast-paced and engrossing. A must read this summer and I am very much looking forward to the next instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fantasy books are tricky things, especially when they're set in a completely new world. Having big fantastical elements like monsters and magic in a setting people know is hard enough, but creating a whole world for people to have to learn and believe in can be really difficult. Whenever a writer des it well there are usually two outcomes, a world that feels old and lived in but kind of becomes a bit of the background, or a world so unique that you find yourself wanting to learn about it as much as you do the characters. The kingdom of Visidia is definitely in the latter category, and it kept me fascinated throughout.

The more I learnt about this bizarre world that Adalyn Grace had created the more it drew me in. I kept thinking I'd gotten a handle on how this place worked, and what to expect, and then she'd throw something new at me. Whether it was teleporting taverns, mermaids, giant sea monsters, or magic that could split a persons soul, each new thing felt so completely different, yet never broke the world she'd made. It would have been easy to go too over the top, to throw something too fantastical into the mix, but that never happened. There was a sense of escalation, but it never jumped the shark so to speak.

With a world so layered and interesting it would have been easy to create characters that failed to live up to this environment, but the lead characters of All The Stars And Teeth were great. The crew that formed around Amora all brought something new to the table in terms of both powers and personalities. Towards the start of the adventure I really didn't like Ferrick, the young man that Amora is set to marry. He seemed clingy, a bit stuffy, and frankly annoying; but come the end of the book he'd stepped up in some big ways, and had had some of the biggest moments of bravery in the narrative. He'd proven himself not just to the other heroes, but to me too, and because of that I really hope that he comes back in the second book.

Bastian in contrast starts of as the cool guy, the dashing pirate who knows all the dodgy people and has connections with people that will help Amora on her quest, but as the story progresses we learn more about him and find out that really a lot of this is a bit of a front, and that he's probably one of the most damaged characters in the book. What comes across as bravado at the start ended up being seen as a front by the end, he hides behind this persona to stop further pain, and it's only through his adventures with the others that he can begin to open up and become vulnerable again. Vataea is definitely one of the more interesting characters, thanks to her not even being human. Though we get to spend some time with her and get to know her and her powers a bit she's still the most unknown element in the crew by the end. Out of the heroes she's the one who I'm the most unsure bout returning in the next book, but really hope she does so that I can try to get to know her batter.

Amora is, obviously, the most important character, and as the main point of view the reader spends all their time with her. She's set up to be this powerful character, a young woman who's been raised to become the next ruler, and a master of her brand of magic. She begins the book thinking that she knows everything and is the best version of herself that she can be. Over the course of the story we see her realise that she's wrong on a number of occasions, and she has to do a lot of growing up. Thankfully, she never comes across as childish or petulant. She's always trying to do better and be better, and it makes her a very likeable protagonist.

All The Stars And Teeth is an interesting novel, that manages to weave a story that's more complex than it first appears, and keeps you interested throughout. The plot unfolds organically, and the characters grow and develop throughout, meaning that events never feel dull or stale. The story ends in a way that's satisfying, yet manages to leave so many elements open to be explored in further books. Whether you're reading this as a stand alone, or you're getting invested in the series, it's sure to leave you satisfied.

After hearing mixed reviews, I wasn’t sure what to expect from ALL THE STARS AND TEETH, but I found it to be a strong, enjoyable debut! A little tropey in places, sure, but there’s just as much creativity and uniqueness to be found within its pages.

The book follows Princess Amora—next in line to be High Animancer of the magical island kingdom Visidia—as she must secure her claim to the throne by proving her control of her family’s soul magic. But when her demonstration goes wrong, and she learns of dissent growing among her islands, she embarks on a journey to prove herself and set right the wrongs in her kingdom.

I loved Amora as a morally grey protagonist who undergoes some serious development over the course of the book. Her ambition is fierce, her magic is darkly delicious, and her flaws are what make her an ultimately likeable character. And her relationship with the crew of the Keel Haul only helped to humanise her further. From the initial distrust to the witty banter to the eventual found family dynamic, it was one of my favourite aspects of the book, even if I’d have liked to have seen more of some of the crew (especially Vataea!)

But what I loved the most about ALL THE STARS AND TEETH was the worldbuilding; a kingdom of seven islands, each with its own personality, representative gemstone, and unique branch of magic. Though simple, it feels like a fresh take on the fantasy magic systems I grew up with in books and video games. By no means does the book try to reinvent the wheel, but rather, it puts a new spin on a well-loved genre through its weaving of setting and magic system. Plus, pirates and mermaids are always a bonus.

ALL THE STARS AND TEETH missed out on a five-star rating from me because I felt like there was something in either the plot or the writing style (or both) that was just a little generic, and it ultimately stopped me from becoming too attached to the characters and storylines. Also, I did feel very underwhelmed at times by the villain, Kaven, who is little more than a looming presence for the first two thirds of the book. After his villainous ways are built up for so long, when we finally do meet him, it all feels very anticlimactic. The villains I enjoy the most are ones who feel specific to the protagonist, whereas in this case, Kaven felt more like the love interest’s villain than Amora’s.

However, the book ends with a surprising sense of resolution, yet there are still plenty of areas ripe for further exploration that have left me longing to get my hands on the sequel. All in all, ALL THE STARS AND TEETH was an enjoyable, engrossing read, perfect for any fans of YA fantasy who are looking for a rich fictional world and an adventure that spills from the pages.

‘All the Stars and Teeth’ is a fun young adult fantasy that should appeal to all fans of the genre. Rather than striving for unique elements, it combines typical tricks and tropes to great effect, weaving a compelling – if predictable – story.

The book is told from a single point of view. Amora Montara, princess of the island kingdom of Visidia, is preparing for the biggest day of her life – the day when she proves her mastery of soul magic, to take over her father’s role as High Animancer. The High Animancer protects the kingdom from the Beast, a mysterious force which gains power if anyone in Visidia attempts to learn more than one magic. However, Amora’s demonstration doesn’t go to plan, and her life may be on the line – until she’s rescued by the mysterious Bastian, a pirate from the exiled kingdom of Zudoh. Together, Amora, Bastian – and Amora’s fiancé Ferrick, who sneaks after them – set off on a quest to save Zudoh – and potentially the whole kingdom.

Amora reads exactly like a teenage princess should – spoiled, entitled, sheltered, and desperate to be free and make her own choices. At times, this makes her an unlikeable protagonist, but I applaud Adalyn Grace’s decision to make Amora realistic. Her interactions with Ferrick and Vataea are excellent – Vataea especially helps make Amora more human. On the other hand, the romance was predictable and toed the line of insta-love, and I never felt the chemistry – I feel like a little more build-up would have helped.

Bastian is a great character. For a pirate, he’s a very nice, caring guy – even if he does spend a lot of time stealing and threatening people with swords. I’m slightly disappointed there weren’t more pirates – the story around Keel Haul is great, and a magic ship is always going to be a good thing, but a pirate crew is an opportunity to add humour and banter, and a book sold with pirates on the tagline really needs more than one pirate. As only Amora gets a point of view, much of Bastian’s story remains a mystery – but he’s still a well-enough rounded character.

My favourite part of this world is the magic system. The idea of each character having a magic – most based on their island of origin, but not all – is intriguing, and I wish we got to see more of it. I also adore soul magic – Grace didn’t play down how horrific it could be, and it’s fascinating seeing the other characters’ reactions to Amora using it. Amora oscillates between delight at her power and horror at the costs, which can be jarring – but for a teenager who’s been doing this since she was a child, her reactions seem realistic.

Overall, this is a solid young adult fantasy. Recommended for fans of interesting magic systems, strong female heroines, and pirates (with the caveat that there’s not a great deal of piracy).

ALL THE STARS AND TEETH is one of YA's most hyped fantasy releases of 2020, marketed as a fierce pirate book with a twist. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.

Is it fierce? Yes. The magic system in this book is brutal. It was a buddy read, and the very first messages we sent each other were delighting in how uncompromising the magic was. From the first instance of Amora using her magic, to the details of the new curse magic, this is not a magic system that pulls any punches. The soul magic's first outing is basically torture, and the book never dances around that fact. As the book progresses and Amora learns more about her magic's history and the world beyond her sheltered upbringing, that unflinching brutality only becomes more and more obvious - nicely mirroring her awakening.

It was just such a delight to read a YA book with a heroine with dark magic who didn't have a dark/traumatic past, and wasn't motivated by revenge. She's embraced the darker magic for her home.

There is also fan-favourite Vataea - the vicious mermaid - was so much fun. Unashamedly vicious, I loved the scenes she was in - from her gory first true introduction in the sea to her sharp grin and banter with the rest of the (small) crew.

This aside, the adventures aboard the Keel Haul is a fast paced one. We both picked up the book, and then didn't really put it down. I'd been expecting to read this across a few days, but that didn't happen as I just wanted to keep reading. I had several theories throughout . There's also a very fun twist as the story enters the final act.

I'm excited to see the next instalment next year!

All the Stars and Teeth is a YA Fantasy novel following Princess Amora, destined to become the High Animancer – the master of souls. When things go awry Amora finds herself sailing across the high seas to save her kingdom.

Visidia has been split by magic for years, with each island specialising in one specific magic - Adalyn Grace does such a wonderful job introducing us to not only the different magics held but the different lives and atmospheres of each island. I really hope that this is something that she develops in the sequel as the people and the landscapes were so beautifully developed. This lush and descriptive writing style also spills over in to her visions of the sea - the sea monsters are fresh out of nightmares and the mermaids are the apogee of dreams (at first…)

Not only is this book beautifully written and bursting with adventure but it also has a certain grit, in some places it is certainly not for the faint hearted. The magic Amora wields is powerful, dangerous and requires certain sacrifices to be made. There is definitely a warning for blood, bones and teeth here. In quite a lot of YA Fantasy that I’ve previously read, magic is powerful and draining but I have never seen it portrayed in such a raw form before – it is wonderfully refreshing to see it as not only a gift but a darkness.

This book is brimming with adventure, magic and friendship; it will sweep you away to the corners of the world and the depths of the oceans. I absolutely loved it.