Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC! This book came as a complete surprise. It was hands down one of my favorite fantasy romances this year. I loved Margrete and her sure-fire attitude. She achieved such character growth by the end of the book. Bash took a while for me to like (mostly because I can’t stand his name). Overall, this enemies to lovers romance was incredibly difficult to put down.

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea introduces us to Margrete, eldest daughter of the abusive and powerful Captain Wood. Eager to escape her father’s clutches with her younger sister, Birdie, Margrete sends out a prayer to the sea for help. Enter Captain Bash, King of Azantian, the faraway land that Margrete had thought only existed in story books. On the day of Margrete’s arranged wedding, Bash captures the bride in the hopes of ransoming her for something that Captain Wood stole many years ago. As Margrete unravels the mysteries of the past and attempts to pave her own fate, she discovers everything, including her own identity, is not quite what she thought it to be.
Full disclosure: I was not expecting much of this book, but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down! I found the first few chapters to be confusing. Too much detail was given in some areas and not enough in others, but do not let that deter you. As soon as the action started to build, I was as captivated by Azantian and its characters as Margrete was. This book promises “high-seas adventures, swashbuckling heroes, and forbidden, steam romance,” and my goodness does it deliver. While this book doesn’t leave on a cliffhanger, there are plenty of threads left for Quinn to explore in the subsequent pieces of the trilogy (which I am now eagerly waiting to get my hands on).
Many thanks to NetGalley and City Owl Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this story, but while the premise is compelling, I was never completely as swept away as I was by its gorgeous cover (I think it comes down to the structure). Ultimately, I am unconvinced that the forbidden romance really could have destroyed everyone and everything because it never felt like things got so bad that our lovers would actually have to make the difficult choice to separate; it always felt like even in somewhat crushing moments that everything would work out. Therefore, I was never really worried for either of them. Additionally, while the enemies-to-lovers trope is well-executed, I found some of the conversations between our main characters to drag on a bit too much in terms of mushiness. Also, I would have loved for the male love interest to have picked a less generic nickname for our protagonist.

That being said, there is still a lot of good to say about THE GIRL WHO BELONGED TO THE SEA. The pacing was fine. Margrete is a super sympathetic heroine with realistic motivations. Overall, she felt very three-dimensional. Bash was less so to me, but still a love interest you could root for. They have an excellent meet-cute--and the flirting via books was adorable. Additionally, the worldbuilding is stunning. The Azantians have the coolest tattoos ever. Their island is magical and wonderful. I felt myself waiting for scenes where Margrete would be taken out and about so I could experience more of the island.

Overall, not a favorite, but still a good, entertaining read.

From the moment I picked up the book, I was ensnared and had a difficult time putting it down! The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea is an amazing fantasy story involving gods, magic, a mythical island, a pirate King, and more!! The main character Margrete is raised in an abusive home with a total jerk for a father. Her father plans to wed her to a Count for a unknown advantage. During the wedding ceremony, a group of pirates arrive and kidnap Margrete away. Margrete is taken away by a handsome pirate and quickly learns that everything she thought was a myth or a legend is REAL. This book is definitely some enemies to lovers trope and knife to the throat trope. Thank you to Net Galley for an eARC of this book. I cannot wait to read the rest of this trilogy!

"The gods are cruel and seldom kind. And fate? Fate laughs at us all." Margrete knows cruelty well. Her father has made it a sadistic game to see how far he can push her before she breaks. On the day she's coerced into marrying one of his allies, pirates kidnap her for leverage. Unfortunately for them, she does not go quietly. This is where the adventure begins in Katherine Quinn's The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea. On Margrete's journey to the supposedly mythical island of Azantian, she fights to become the master of her fate, and she won't go back to letting anyone control her. Not even the charming, handsome pirate king.

Speaking of his royal highness... Do you like a knife to the throat scene? Who are we kidding? Of course, you do. Do you like snarky banter? Derogatory nicknames that turn into terms of endearment? Men with tattoos? Men with tattoos and filthy, wicked tongues? Was Jack Sparrow your sexual awakening, but you'd like a version of him that doesn't guarantee an infection? (Okay, maybe that one is just me.) If any of this applies to you, it's reason enough alone to pick up this novel.

On top of that, the storyline, world-building, and magic system are all well thought out and combined beautifully. I won't say too much about them because we don't do spoilers here. But as it's the first in The Azantian Trilogy, I'll say this. While Quinn is kind enough not to leave you hanging off the proverbial cliff, the complexity of it all will give you enough questions and theories to be impatiently waiting to see what Margrete does next.

One thing that you may not love is the moments that come across as a little too trope-y/cheesy. The love confessions are so soft and sappy they may feel out of character for people as headstrong and guarded as they are.

With all this said, I still rate it four out of five stars. The romance is steamy, the adventure is thrilling, and watching a young, sheltered woman grow into someone fighting for her freedom will leave you feeling empowered.

Due to the explicit adult content, The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea is for an audience of 18+ only. If you enjoyed The Empirium Trilogy by Claire Legrand or Jennifer L. Armentrout's From Blood and Ash, I highly recommend this one next.

*Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my free advanced e-copy, this review is honest and separate from their generosity*

A fragrant story akin to a mix of The Bridge Kingdom and From Blood And Ash.

A god-pirate, a stolen bride, and an island from myth.

I had a really, really fun time reading this, and surprised myself at how fast I'm beginning to fall for warrior-pirate archetypes! For a book over 400 pages I sped through it, and found myself seriously rooting for our heroine Margarete quicker than one might expect.

What has also been made clear is that magical pirates might just be the new faerie prince ...

Actual rating 4.5/5

A dynamic beginning to the series.

The Girl Who Belonged To The Sea intrigued me when I read the blurb, but the story pulled me in almost immediately. An evil sea captain? A feisty protagonist with a big heart? An unwanted wedding interrupted by a handsome pirate? I needed no more to devour this book.

When Margrette is taken by a pirate on her wedding day, she doesn't expect to find strength, love, and a home on the mythical island she's taken to, yet she does. Her tale is full of adventure, emotion, and a deep need to find the independence she was denied her entire life. I really don't want to give too much away so I'll end this review here. If the blurb intrigued you even a little, don't hesitate to pick it up!

such a good book fesaturing one of my favourite tropes and like The Little Mermaid in reverse almost, I ouldnt put it down and I cant wait for the next installments I loved it

This book took all my expectations and threw them out of the water! It has everything I could ask for - gods, enemies to lovers, dual POVs, spice, beautiful world building, plot twists, phenomenal writing, a heroine discovering herself and a swoon-worthy love interest. Its extremely rare for me give out 5 stars, but this book had me hooked from the very beginning (obsessing over Bash and falling in love with Azantian).

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea is a masterpiece of a debut, I'm already desperate to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy and tell everyone I know to READ THIS BOOK!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh wow, I really enjoyed this! The enemies-to-lovers is fabulous and I love the action and adventure! The story hooks you right from the start, and now I need to get my hands on book 2!!!

A terrific enemies to lovers story. It's a trilogy so you will be addicted. It's got magic, adventure, romance, forbidden love, witty banter and swords! :) It reminds me a bit of A court of thorns and roses.... The twist and turns at the end is amazing and leaves you hanging... What a wonderful start to the trilogy.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an arc.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I started this book, my expectations weren't that high. Now that I've finished this book in less than a day, I am proud to say that this book is a literal 4.5 / 5 stars.

A romance that not only serves enemies to lovers, but also a semi forbidden love trope. I was taken back by their interactions and longed to see where their story would go. Almost as much as I longed to say the character development of the MC.

Margaret took me back by surprise, especially with that ending. One point that did nag at me, was the fact that we saw so little of her powers until the ending of the book. Though, considering it is a trilogy I am certain the lack of power will be made up for.

Combined with the plotline and the world building, it almost felt like I was watching a pirate movie rather than read about the book it self. If you'd throw the Bridge Kingdom, to Kill a Kingdom and From Blood and Ash in a cauldron, I am almost certain this book would crawl out of it.

I am more than eager to read the next book and I certainly hope this book will get the hype it so clearly deserves.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book! This is a debut author, but it isn’t written like one. I suspect she’s been writing for years and is just now getting published.
I enjoyed the characters banter, mostly because it seems really authentic instead of forced like in many other books. The world building is unique and the mystery is solved enough to offer closure. However, there is still much to the mystery that will leave you penciling future release dates into your calendar.

As soon as I read the blurb and saw the cover of this book I knew I had to read it.

A war of two gods sees Margrete gifted with powers from the sea. Tortured by her father for years, she finally thinks she’s escaping with an arraigned marriage to a seemingly kind man. Only that changed when she’s kidnapped by a pirate, who lives on a magical island with sea monsters trapped under it. But the gate is coming down and Bash and Margrete form a bond as they try to keep the gate from crumbling.

I loved the writing style in this book! It’s that fast, easy to read style that grips you from the beginning - think Sarah J Maas. So I got through this book so fast and couldn’t put it down.

The plot was really good and I loved hearing the tales about the gods and learning more about them. Bash and Margrete have a slight enemies to lovers relationship because they progress quite fast and I think I would’ve preferred there to have been more enemy scenes. I think my one ‘room for improvement’ for the book would be for Margrete and Bash to ask more questions because Margrete seems to do thing normal humans aren’t supposed to and nobody questions it. I just feel it would’ve added that bit more depth to the book. However, we do find out the reasons for all of it so it’s not a massive thing. I love the whole relic part of the plot and can’t wait to see what happens in the next book, especially with the fallout of the ending.

All of the characters were great but I especially loved Bay and Adrian. I can’t wait to see more of the side characters because one of them is giving me bad vibes and I need to see if I’m right about them😂.

Overall, I loved the book. It’s an amazing debut and I cannot wait to read more by the author - especially the next book!

I’d recommend the book for people who like Daughter of the Pirate King, House of Salt and Sorrow and maybe even The Little Mermaid; it had all those vibes for me.

Rated ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to receive an ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me sob. Made me laugh. Made me want to throw my phone at the wall. It had it all. "Enemies to lovers." Pirates. Gods. Strong female lead. All the banter you could ask for. The tension/romance in this book was just chefs 💋🤌🤌🤌🤌 definitely a 5⭐ read for me!

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. There were definitely some parts that were a bit cliché (hello instalove and an almost love triangle), but the writing was so engrossing that I couldn't put it down. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for the rest of the books in the trilogy.

Thank to bookouture and netgalley for giving me a eARC in exchange for a honest review.

OMG I need the next book ASAP. I can’t wait for this book to come out so that everyone can read it. This series has all the potential to become one of my favourites and hopefully yours

It has some of booktoks favourite tropes like enemies to lovers, knife to the throat, of course witty banter and cute nicknames. I really like the writing style of Katherine Quinn. The rhythm to her writing is nice and easy to read. I don’t wanna spoil anything but if you liked Court of mist and fury you will most definitely like this in my opinion, because the relationship in this book really reminded me of the relationship between Ryshand and Feyre.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book, I couldn’t put it down and had it finished within a couple of days. It has so many elements you want in a fantasy novel. Romance, pirates, a beautiful and mysterious island of legend with unique flora, fauna, mythology and mystery. As well as a strong heroine who although raised by a cruel father quickly reveals she is not weak but smart and capable and a pirate who is much more then he appears. Definitely looking forward to the next books in this trilogy.

Yes finally a book that lives up to the hype. I thoroughly enjoyed this swashbuckling, paranormal romance with a touch of The Pirates of the Caribbean and that cover is also absolutely stunning. This begins with our protagonist Margrete being tortured ( nothing too graphic ) and mentally reaching out hoping to find salvation. She’s heard by a being of immense power but is this someone to turn to or something much more sinister ? Forced into a marriage she doesn’t want Margrete cannot believe her luck when she’s literally kidnapped from her own wedding. Waking up onboard a ship bound for a mythical Island is worrying enough but Margrete is determined to return home and save her sister from the atrocities and punishments she herself has been through. It’s just too bad that the Pirate who stole her away has other ideas !
This was a fun read that had me eagerly turning the pages from the very beginning. I loved that Margrete was as feisty as she was stubborn and seeing her blossom into a woman who could speak up was very satisfying. Bash the Pirate ( yes I hated his name ) is a whole lot more than he seems and in fact the people from Azantia are all far from human. No spoilers here but it’s obvious that there’s a reason for Margrete being in Azantia and it’s something that happily wasn’t completely revealed until the end. I am very happy with how this ended although I can see that there are strong possibilities that this story could continue in some way. For now though I can truthfully say this book did not disappoint me and I look forward to reading more from this author.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I finished this book in one evening and I loved it. Did it have some cliche elements? Sure. But you really don’t care because it’s a fun and addictive read. Feisty heroine, a king desperate to save his home, gods, mystical sea creatures and a forbidden romance. It’s a solid start to this new series. Yes, it’s a trilogy! And I am really interested to see where things go from here. Highly recommend! Especially if you’re a fan of enemies-to-lovers romances!