My thanks to Titan Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘All the Stars and Teeth’ by Adalyn Grace in exchange for an honest review. On publication, I quickly purchased its Whispersync ebook and audiobook combination for an immersive experience.

This is the first in a Teen/YA duology that I feel will also appeal to adult readers of fantasy, especially if they love sea monsters, pirates, and mermaids. 

Its young protagonist is Amora Montara, princess of the island kingdom of Visidia. She has spent her entire life training to become High Animancer - the master of souls. Everyone in the realm is free to choose the type of magic they will practice, apart from Amora. In order to secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove that she has mastered the dangerous soul magic that is restricted to the royal family.

Naturally things don’t go to plan and Amora is forced to flee Visidia. She makes a deal with Bastian, a dashing pirate. He will assist her in proving her fitness to rule and in return she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic. 

They are accompanied on the voyage by Ferrick, Amora’s betrothed. Grace neatly avoids the YA love triangle trope as it’s an arranged marriage between Ferrick and Amora. She considers him a childhood acquaintance rather than a suitor. 

They have many adventures during their quest including encounters with a mermaid and a kraken-like monster! Great fun. Aside from this, I was fascinated by the magical system, even though aspects of Amora’s magic were rather gruesome. 

Overall, I found this an entertaining fantasy adventure with an engaging group of characters. I look forward to reading the conclusion, ‘All the Tides of Fate’, when it becomes available.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This was an enjoyable read, and a very solid start to a new YA series. I found that it was fairly standard in terms of tropes and the ending, although there were some twists that I didn't see coming. It was also a book that hit its stride about the halfway point, but that was more due to it being the first in a series and having to do the legwork of establishing the world and magic system, but the pacing picked up after that.

    The magic system was interesting, it had elements of other systems but had enough to it to make it unique and I particularly enjoyed the darker nature of Amora's magic, as it added flavour to the story. I also enjoyed the world-building and prose, but I did feel as though the characters could have used a little more development - although this may occur more in the next book - and I will say that it took quite a while for me to warm to the main character.

DNF at 20%
All The Stars And Teeth is a very typical YA Fantasy. It follows all the YA trope faithfully without ever dreaming of diverging from those. Even though I normally prefer more ambitious stories, I can get behind this type of books and enjoy them for what they are. So long as they're decently written, have nothing objectionable, and don't make it their mission to get on my nerves. 

In this case, the writing is actually decent and the pacing is okay. What really ruined this book for me is the main character. I just can't stand her, and spending any more time with her would be nothing short of masochism on my part. On the one hand, she's not likeable enough for me to root for her. On the other hand, she's also not complex enough, or self-aware enough, to fall under the 'anti-heroine' category. So I'm stuck in this awkward position when I know I'm supposed to admire her, I just really really can't. 

I think the worst type of characters are the ones that end up being unintentionally unlikable. And that's where this book stands. When she's an ungrateful bastard to the only person who saved her, I know I'm supposed to see her as a 'kickass heroine', I just really really don't give a damn. When her arrogance fills the narrative and she shouts 'I'm the future queen', I know I'm supposed to cheer and say yass queen. I just really really can't give a fuck. 

There is a way to make the unlikeable character work. The Cruel Prince did it right. The Shadows Between Us did it right. This book, on the other hand, has no clue how to do it right. 
I never thought I find a character that is as badly written as the Celaena but this actually came close. On that note, maybe I should've paid attention to ToG comparison.

I really enjoyed this!!! The magic system was so unique and interesting to read about, though at times a bit complex to understand. Nonetheless, I had fun reading about the characters and I cannot wait for the sequel!

All the Stars and Teeth joins my short list of books I’ve put and immediately wanted to read the next one in the series. (Along with Spin the Dawn, The Cruel Prince, and the first two Shades of Magic books. Oh and The Never Tilting World.) And I mean this in a really, really good way. It’s the kind of book that completely absorbs you into the world and characters, and although the end of this nicely wraps up the first book, there’s still that sense of wanting more.

Visidia is an island kingdom, with the inhabitants of each island practicing a different type of magic. Amora is destined to become the heir, but to do so she must demonstrate her mastery over the monarchy’s soul magic. Having more than one magic is dangerous, and it is up to the monarchy to ensure their people follow the rules. But when Amora’s demonstration goes wrong, she discovers there are dangers threatening her kingdom, and she must travel with the pirate Bastian, across the water, in order to save Visidia.

Amora starts off completely sure of her and her family’s place in the world, but as the story progresses, we see her understand how much has been kept hidden from her. I really liked the development of her character, and how she remains strong throughout the story, determined no matter how many setbacks and complications they face.

I also really appreciated the relationships in the book. Amora travels with the pirate Bastian and her betrothed, Ferrick. Whereas it felt like this could have tripped into ‘typical’ love triangle territory, Grace avoids that. Their relationship has been arranged by their parents, but it becomes clear Ferrick’s feelings towards Amora are different than hers for him. Still, she cares about him, and they do make a good pair, with Ferrick’s presence able to enhance Amora’s magic.

I really liked the magic aspect to this, too. I love stories that deal with magic, and the oppression/suppression of magic, and normally these are about those without restricting those with. But I really liked the world created here, and the idea that people could practice more than one ‘type’, but to do so would be dangerous to them and others.

As a character, Amora was really easy to engage with, and right from the start I wanted to stick with her and root for her. Bastian was intriguing as a pirate, and Ferrick helped balance out the other two. Later, Vatea – a mermaid – joins the crew, and she’s another fantastic character. The four together make a great team, and the interactions and dialogue between them felt natural and real.

They visit a small number of islands, and seeing the different places really emphasised how little Amora knows about her kingdom. The worldbuilding throughout is solid, drip-feeding just enough information to the reader without it being overbearing, and keeping us desperate to find out more, too.

This is a really enjoyable, strong, fantastic YA Fantasy, with a heroine who doesn’t give up and is an absolute joy to read. The only thing I don’t like is that I’m going to have to wait for the sequel.

Beautiful writing and a lush fantasy world, just nothing too groundbreaking. The characters were strong and I particularly loved the main character's perspective. I didn't quite understand the magic system fully, although that could have been a problem with me and not the book.

All The Stars and Teeth follows Amora as she tries to regain her place as heir to the kingdom. I really enjoyed the adventure and fantasy book which had great world building and had a positive portrayal of women throughout the book.

I liked the characters in the book, there are four main characters who form the crew and I liked how there was focus on each of them, enough for me to like them all individually. Amora was a good main character and I liked how dedicated she was and how confident she was in her role.

The plot is full of adventure which I loved, there is various change of settings so the reader gets to see the different islands and the people/magic in them and plenty of action. The writing style was good, I liked the portrayal of the characters, the non-romantic element of the relationships between all the characters and the world building.

The romance was kind of insta-love and lacked build up at the start but I did like the characters together. The book is paced really well however towards the end it felt really rushed and I personally would have preferred the ending to have been longer or in the second book.

4/5

Thank you to Titan Books for sending me an early review copy!

THIS WAS SO GOOD

This is a DEBUT??? WHAT????

Okay. The review. Yes.

Adalyn Grace has somehow managed to write a compelling, edge-of-your-seat YA fantasy with a romance I root for and with enough violence to soothe my grim dark heart.

There is not a single thing I would change about this. The plot is so excellently paced, nothing dragged at all. For a large portion of the book the characters are traveling, and I've found those parts tedious in other books, but there was so much chemistry between the characters I didn't even realise until the end.

This book has the best tropes! Kind of enemies to lovers, a badass MC who isn't afraid to feel like garbage after bad things happen, a Relatable villain, everything was just SO GOOD.

All The Stars and Teeth is one of those books that you finish, and just think, 'wow.' I really loved this and I can't wait to see more people talk about it.

Thank you to Titan Books for sending me an early review copy!

Okay, so I’ve been waiting for this book for a very long time. I first heard of Adalyn Grace when I was considering applying for Pitch Wars a few years ago and she was a mentor (spoiler: I didn’t actually enter). Her book had a weird title, and the things she listed as stuff that appealed to her in fiction sounded super-cool, so I kinda kept track of the book, especially once I found out what it was about. Pirates and magic? Count me in.

And then, somehow it became one of those books where you don’t quite know what happened with UK copies. It happens sometimes, a book gets released in the US before the UK, and instead of it being a few days ahead of time, it’s actually a lot longer. I knew Owlcrate did an edition of it, but I only found out after people began unboxing. It never seemed available on Amazon and mentions of it over here just weren’t really a thing. So I’m not sure if this is finally a UK edition release, or if this is the paperback, but here we go.

So as you can imagine, I was super-excited to sink my teeth into All the Stars and Teeth (pun, unfortunately, intended). And I found it to be a really good read. The book hooked me quickly, and it was just the right amount of pace-y without becoming too recklessly fast. There was always something happening, whether it be a fight or a tense moment at sea, or some political struggles or some playful romance stuff. There was never a dull moment, and I got through the whole book in two sittings.

I enjoyed getting to know Amora, particularly as she seemed complicated and flawed. There’s some issues with her magic of course, but then there’s also some flaws which are less obvious, at least until people start to call her out on certain behaviours. If this sounds vague, I’m sorry, I just don’t want to give too much away because I feel like this is a novel that should be on more TBRs.

I also loved the other three main characters. Bastian is the epitome of a pirate, and I lived for his snarky wit throughout the book, but I also appreciated the moments where we got to delve a bit deeper into his behaviours and history and learned some more about him. And then there’s Ferrick, who is just kinda goofy and loveable. I felt pretty bad for him throughout, since it’s made very clear from the beginning that Amora doesn’t want to be engaged to him, but I also appreciated when she told him to back off. He’s the nice guy trope packaged into one delightfully sweet and cute guy, but I like that this book never suggests that Amora owes him something because he’s kind to her. Vatae has to be my favourite though. She has some killer one-liners and her desire for adventure is just so clear and palpable.

The descriptions in the novel were a real highlight for me- especially the way the sea is beautifully written about. I thought Grace did a fantastic job of showing readers how much Amora and her friends love the thrill of the adventure and the wide expanse of the horizon and the Keel Haul ship. Some of the plot was pretty predictable, and it fell into some obvious trope patterns, but it was entertaining enough that it didn’t really bother me too much. It was a very fun read.

In terms of the magic system, I liked the creativity of some of it, particularly how soul and curse magic were used. The author wasn’t afraid to show some gore and some quite dark moments. However, it can sometimes get a bit confusing at times, and there were moments when I wished there was just a little more info about Amora’s magical abilities. Especially because magic is so unique to each person in this world, so it seems a bit sudden and knee-jerking when someone can suddenly do a thing you didn’t imagine could happen, only for it to be done and for the book to move on before the reader has a chance to truly catch up.

I am really thrilled to have finally read this book though, and I’m excited to add the next one to my TBR when it comes out!

Overall, I’m giving All the Stars and Teeth a 8.5/10 stars. I loved the descriptions, and the characters, and I thought the world and magic were pretty inventive, but it sometimes lacked info and left me confused. But it was a great read, and I’m excited to read more of Adalyn Grace’s work!

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.