I didn’t have time to finish the audiobook as it was quite long and the file downloader isn’t well optimised.

The journey was the fun and fantastic adventure for anytime. Zala was strong, determined, and fierce. This was my best pirate fantasy that I have had the pleasure of listening to in a while. It was filled with vivid imagery and fantastic location that you could almost touch in your mind. The story behind Zala's journey touching and proof positive that there are some things that are more important in life the materialist or monetary. With the rotation of each chapter I could feel the influences of the West Indies, Swahili Coast, and some of Arabia,. The journey of Zala would not have been as adventurous if not for the raiders, aristocrats, and a few secrets.

John Rogers was not the voice that I was looking for to go with a story that prominent character was female. That took me off my audio experience. I did enjoy the way he narrated, but was not the expected for me.

It’s not every day that I pick up an audiobook about pirates. But when I saw that the story, By Sea and Sky written by Antoine Bandele and narrated by John Rogers, I just had to take a listen. After all, it was a world based on African culture, a fascinating subject.

By Sea and Sky follows the tale of Zala, an outcast pirate who takes on an entire flying ship in order to save her husband, who was kidnapped for his abilities to speak to the ocean. And Zala is running out of time, for her husband has the stone skin, a disease that very well may kill him.

The world that Bandele created is unique and beautiful. I found it to be seriously fascinating, with all of the creatures and races inspired by African myths. It is a very well thought-out world with plenty of depth and just a touch of steampunk to make it seem almost modern.

The characters were just as colorful. I loved the cat-man and his dry humor, and Jelani and his noble character. Zala was interesting as well, fiery and loyal, and she kept going even though she faced many setbacks created by her own mistakes. And even though the second main character, Karim, was technically the bad guy, I was rooting for him as well.

The narration of this book was fantastic. John Rogers did an amazing jog with all of the different accents to accentuate the characters, and even though the sound affects threw me off at first, they were an interesting addition.

My only complaint is that the book seemed to have not a lot going on for so many chapters. And the way it ended… but I won’t say any more.

Overall, By Sea and Sky was a fresh and interesting novel perfect for those who love pirates, steampunk, and exotic cultures.

I got this as audio book as a fan of fantasy. The story is of a strong woman that will do anything to save her husband. Generally I liked the plot and the idea of pirates and raids make it a fun read. But I have two objections on this book. As I read it as an audio book, I found that the narrator did not really gave justice to the book. There were times that I couldn’t distinguish the characters as they sounded so similar and I had to pause to think who am I listening to. Secondly, I believe that the world building is not adequate for the reader to understand the environment the book is based on. Maybe in the physical copy there is a map but if you listen to it, it is a bit confusing. Would prefer it maybe a bit more plain but eventually clearer. Would read the sequence though.

I love audiobooks because it’s easier for me to follow along to a story, but I was very confused the whole time.

I didn’t really know what was happening or why.

I really liked the idea of the world-building. The pirates, ships, and adventures, but it seemed like there was too much going on for me to get a grasp on the world.

Having very few sword skills or the gift of magic does not keep the heroic Zala from finding a way to save her husband. She will navigate the seas, move heaven and earth to find a way to keep him alive, but when she ventures out of everything she's known, she discovers she's far more amazing than she imagined.
This is a great story of a woman pushing her boundaries of comfort and finding her strength on multiple levels.
Beautiful cover and vivid descriptions.

*I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

DNF. Was struggling through it.

I enjoyed the diverse accents and characters and the setting was interesting but I listened to a few hours, did not enjoy and felt like it was going no where.

Didn’t Work for Me on Several Levels

When I saw this audiobook at one of my favorite book review sites, the idea of a fantasy story with sky pirates intrigued me. Unfortunately, the book lacked on so many fronts. There were a lot of characters, races, and species to keep track of—too many—so many that the author didn't really give any of them a growth arc, which I think is necessary for any fiction. Frankly, the characters felt two-dimensional, and the author didn't really make them interesting enough to care about and root for—again, something I think is necessary for fiction. As to the plot, there didn't seem to be much to it but extended fight scenes. They remind me of the "it's-all-about-the-action" testosterone-driven movies that my ex sometimes liked to watch, the ones where there is a lot of fighting or exploding cars but not much in the way of characterization or plot. This appears to be a complex world, but the author didn't do much true world-building. Of course, I don't like information dumps in any novel book, but with a complicated world like this one, the author needed to do some world-building throughout, or it just creates confusion or undermines full immersion into the book’s world. I wasn't particularly wild about the narrator, either. To me, the main character is the woman in search of her husband, yet the book is narrated by a man. It just didn't feel right, though, of course, his voice did go with the fight scenes! I also didn't like some voice affectations he gave to some unique races and species; some were hard to understand or just were too odd. Because of all these issues, I do not feel like I can recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this audiobook!

I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

A terrific fantasy novel that not only offers a unique setting but a world we rarely hear anything about in fantasy novel: sky pirates.

This sums up so much of this novel. It makes subtle changes that really set it apart from the usual fantasy fare. One of the biggest changes that might seem small on the surface but has a huge impact is the fact that the main character is married. This offers a glimpse of the harsh reality of happily ever after and gives us a fresh spin on the strong female character.

The story moves along at a great pace for lovers of quick-paced fantasy reads (it might be a little too fast for those who enjoy a slow burn).

Overall, a very enjoyable book, and I am looking to the other books in the trilogy.

By sea and sky is a fantasy tale with well constructed magical worlds incorporating human and non human characters.
I found the battles between pirates and military personnel very unique and entertaining. I’m not usually one for non human characters with human traits but I loved the relationship between Fon and the pakka.
I would have loved to see more growth in interpersonal relationships between the pirates. And I felt there were too many characters and new ideas as I followed the story. However, it was a good read.

4.25 stars.

By Sea and Sky is an enjoyable read that has some amazing characters that you are rooting for. The story follows a group of pirates who have to save some of their own as well as chasing a new weapon.

Zala is a great lead character, and I loved reading about her. She is well written and was leaping off the page from the beginning. I also enjoyed reading from the point of view of the rest of the cast, however Zala was easily my favourite.

In terms of plotting, I think this is where the story falls a little. It is an action packed start, but since we have no real connection with the characters, I think some of the tension is lost - we are meant to be rooting for these characters without any real reason other than they are the main characters. However, this is not the case once we get to know them a bit better and so the action scenes have a lot more oomph and tension later in the story. Although I was gripped for 98% of the book, there are places in the middle where it loses its way and get a bit bogged down. Although I fell out of the story in these parts, I was still drawn straight back in.

One final comment is the world building - whilst a great mix of modern technology with older elements (swords instead of guns, airships and pirate ships) I do think that some of the explanation was lacking and this may create issues in later instalments as to the characters and what can be achieved in the world. That being said it is still a brilliant read.

A great cast of characters and an intriguing plot makes for a brilliant and exhilarating story. Of course we have the cliff hanger at the end which means I will most likely be getting the sequel (although this is a trilogy!)

Many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for sending me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

I had some issues with the Netgalley Shelf app and was unable to complete this audiobook. However, the portion I was able to listen to has definitely peaked my interest in the story, and I will be seeking out the book in a different format so I can complete it.
The narration was fun, and I enjoyed how action-packed the story was from the jump, while also layering characterisation. I was intrigued to see where the story lead, and was disappointed I could not complete it as intended. I am looking forward to reading it in the future though.
I would recommend the audiobook for those who enjoy them, or for those looking to try them for the first time.

• By sea and sky (by Antione Bandele)

I'm sorry, but this wasn't for me.
Sky pirates do sound awesome, that was the reason I got into the book, but the action sequences were difficult to follow and the plot in between was kind of boring. It seemed like the whole point was Zala trying to rescue Jilani and also steal something from the other guys (kind of even couldn't remember them, you can understand how forgettable this book can be)

Zala wanted to be a leader but she's not good at persuading people to follow her especially when her temper gets the better of her (often).

Karim also wants to be a leader and is even better at it, he just struggles with his laziness (kind of reminds me of Shikamaru Nara from Naruto). They had parallels, I would have loved more backstory so that I could relate to them, connect to them before diving in fighting with them.

The ending was kind of a bummer, nothing is resolved (which builds up for the next book but this book alone discourages me to even go for the next book).

this had potential, but it lacked world building and the characters felt a bit one dimensional (no dilemma, no confusion, no character development)

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

• Character development- 2☆
• Story Plot- 3.5☆
• Side characters- 2☆
• Flow of the story- 2☆
• Overall - 2☆

This really may be a matter of personal preference, but this book had far too much action and not enough plot/character development for my tastes. In my mind, it was kind of the equivalent of one of those action packed movies that has so many explosions you eventually become unaffected by them. The battle sequences were so long, that rather than finding them thrilling, I just wanted to move on with the story. I was thoroughly unsatisfied with the backstories for Karim and Zala, and therefore had difficulty connecting with them as characters. The past is referenced often, but not in much detail, so the picture of how we got to this place of conflict is unclear. In short, I liked the concept of this book far more than the execution.

I listened to this book in audiobook format and I thought the performer did a good job even though I wasn’t really feeling the storyline.

Overall rating:
2/3
After losing her husband in a raid, Zala is determined to save him. This pirate fantasy novel with East African, West Indies, and Arabian influences had A LOT of potential, but I did not feel like it delivered. The author creates an intriguing fantasy world packed with people of different cultures, races, and species (?), but there is no world building. The reader is just thrown into a fully conceptualized world, presumably with its own history and rules, with no explanation. There’s also magic, but it’s uncertain who has magic and why they possess it. It’s messy and confusing, especially when different species suddenly appear and can fly or are cats. The plot is good, but I found the characters to be flat and I wasn’t invested in their successes or failures. There were too many characters to follow and not enough back story that came with them. There are too many fight sequences back to back, and I get desensitized to them about half way through the book. There is apparently a prequel that will be released, but I do not see myself seeking it out. Overall, the premise of this book seemed promising, with its unique influences and piracy, but I would not recommend it to a friend.
Narration rating:
5/5
The narration is incredible. The accents are beautifully done. If you’re going to read, audiobook is the way to go.

I loved the premise of this book - an ownvoices Caribbean inspired pirate fantasy - but unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations. I was honestly just bored: the characters didn’t give me any reason to root for them, the romance was lacklustre (I was so keen for a story about a married couple, only for them to act like they barely knew each other and then get separated for plot reasons), and the world-building felt a bit like throwing a bunch of ideas at the wall and seeing what stuck (there were lots of different fantasy races, but I didn’t get why any of them mattered). Even the plot didn’t work for me since I didn’t get why the pirates hated the empire so much (beyond all empires being evil).

I will however note that the audiobook narrator was excellent and had fantastic voices for all of the different characters, as well as a generally smooth reading voice.

I really enjoyed just sitting back and listening to Zala and Karim's tale. And I liked that the story immediately opens with some action. I immediately felt like I was on the ship in the middle of battle. In the audio version it's easy to picture what's happening because you hear the crowd yelling and swords clashing. Pirate novels usually aren't my things but this was very entertaining. The world building was pretty strong. There's a lot of African/Caribbean mythology that's weaved in effortlessly.

I thought this book was fairly mediocre when it comes to fantasy. I don’t like when a synopsis basically tells you what is going to happen 50% of the book. So that took away from a lot of the intrigue for me.

I will say that the book was fast paced because of the action and build-up. However, some parts were strangely difficult to follow for me.

I gave this book about 3 stars. I didn’t hate it, but I’m not sure if I need to continue the series. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving us this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel. The world building is very thorough and detailed, and while I respect that the author chose not to overdose the reader with lengthy and boring explanations of that world, as if the novel were a travel guide, there were moments that I was confused by it, and at times the fantasy world was so strongly developed it actually took away from the story and seemed a bit shallow and cumbersome. The characters were clear, often like-able, and, most importantly, I cared about them enough to root for them. There is a strong African and Barbary Coast influence on this particular pirate tale which I found welcome and fresh. There is plenty of action, and most of it well paced. The plot of the missing husband in the description doesn't take place until halfway through the novel, though, which was what drew me to this story in the first place, so I felt disappointed. As I listened to the audio, the narrator did an admirable job of creating fantasy accents without turning characters into caricatures, and the emotion he put into dialogue was well balanced with his more neutral tone with the prose.
3.5/5
Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC.