Potential triggers: abusive father (not graphic). Otherwise, suitable for my fellow die-hard fantasy lovers AND historical romance readers who would like to try venturing into this amazing genre for the first time.

Fantasy > historical romance > pirates > kings > GODS.

It all started with a desperate prayer for freedom. From there, 23 old Margrete is swept away to the mystical island of Azantian where seas come to life, danger looms, and romance blossoms.

Admittedly, I struggled with the first 15% or so. Majorly. The prologue really, really threw me off. It was so confusing and didn't match the vibe of the rest of the story. Also, at one stage our main character notes that "it was almost too much to take in all at once," and I have to say - girl, I agree. There were a few points in the book that were very description heavy and they made my little brain hurt.

However, I'm glad I persevered because what I got is a magical island, an abused woman finding her power, a swoon-worthy romance (some of their moments genuinely made me so happy) and a mythical tale that slowly unravels.

Our main character is a bit dense at times (not putting two and two together, not communicating what she should, and forgetting about her younger sister) but the majority of the time she is likeable as are our other characters. She's just the right amount of headstrong and has a great back and forth going with Bash - who is very well developed.

"Only small men fear a woman who knows her own mind and wields a sword. Who fights back. Because those women... Well, they have the power to send men to their knees."

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Apologies to the author for taking longer than usual to have it read. I will definitely be continuing the series :)

Great world building and catching characters! Enemies to lovers, magical creatures and a great plot! This book has everything. Can’t wait to read the next one!

You get to discover the world as Margrete discovers it, which helps you to understand how the characters and the magical world work. The attraction between Margrete and Bash is perfect!
Great enemies to lovers! +16

Thanks to Netgalley, City Owl Press and Katherine Quinn for the opportunity to read and leave an honest review.

This would be a 10* review for me if I could give it. I was totally blown away by this book and will eagerly be waiting for the next in the series. Katherine Quinn has written a wonderful tale and I am so impressed that I will be eagerly recommending this book to my friends.

I found the characters colourful and engaging and this story kept me completely entertained from beginning to end.

I am a great fan of Sci Fi Fantasy, magic, Pirates, anything to do with the sea, strong women, dominant men with a soft side and lots of adventure to boot. This book had it all. The main characters Margrete and Bash are so good together and their caring nature stands them in good stead for the hard times ahead in Azantian.

After Margrete's kidnapping by Bash to Azantian, she found a very different life and formed wonderful friendships with Adrian and Bay, something she never had at home with her abusive Father.

She finds herself in many new and dangerous situations as she and Bash try to find where the Heart of Azantian is before their gates are opened and Azantian and their people and lives are destroyed.

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

OH, I LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH! Katherine Quinn did an amazing job at bringing this story to life. The description of this book was the one that made me request this book in the first place and I was worried that it won't live up to my expectations. But it did.

I usually don't like third POVs that much, because I have trouble connecting with the characters, but this one just worked so well. This book has enemies to lovers, there is a bit of a Pirates of the Caribbean theme there as well, there is paranormal and it is fast-paced.

Overall, I loved it and I can't wait for the sequel.

Enemies to Lovers. ENEMIES to lovers. ENEMIES TO LOVERS. AHH.

The story begins when Margrete is set to be married to a count but alas, barely makes it to the alter. Bash kidnaps Margrete to try to use her as a bargaining chip with her father, as her father had stolen a very important relic from his people.. Little do they know, neither are as they seem.

The world building is phenomenal. The descriptions of the buildings, the castle, the ship on the ocean, everything is so vividly detailed you feel like you are there with the main characters.

My only complaint was there where times where the "he" or "it" that were being referenced were a little confusing? Like, "he said", "I heard his voice", and I wasn't sure who "he" was. There was a lot of names and almost information overload. You had to really be focusing at times to decipher. If your spouse or friend is talking to you, or if you have the TV on in the background, turn them or the TV off (silencio) and focus.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I would definitely agree with the recommendation to fans of Sarah J Maas ACOTAR. You will be enthralled with this tale. Also, fans of JLA Blood and Ash, pick this one up. The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea could definitely be your next favorite read!

Unfortunately this became a DNF for me. Normally on Goodreads I don't rate a DNF, but on Netgalley I'm obligated to do so. I don't like rating books I haven't finished because I don't have a full 'view' on the book. In this case I decided to give it 2 stars because I HAD to choose a rating but I still think it's not fair to be rating it.

I read up until 54%. The writing was just fine and I got through it easily enough, but there just wasn’t much present that kept me truly hooked, you know? Felt like I wouldn’t miss out on anything if I’d DNF, so that was enough for me to actually DNF it. With lots of other books waiting to be read, I just want to remain honest and focus on finishing books that ‘do’ more for me.

This book was a fun read start to finish. The world building wasn’t particularly complex but it was well woven into the story. Margrete is a strong woman who, despite being mistreated by her father, still has a strong personality and she doesn’t put up with anyone’s abuse from anyone. Especially the man who kidnapped her Bash. I’ll be honest, I sometimes found it’s hard to take Bash seriously because of his name. I was impressed with a storyline as it was more complex than I was expecting.

I will note that there are somewhat explicit sexual scenes in this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to review.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! I'm a sucker for a pirate book and that's what I thought I was going to get but there was so much more to it than that.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
This book follows Margrete and her journey being kidnapped from her abusive father and then being held ransom by Bash. Who she initially believes to be a pirate but is actually the King of Azantian. He is the protector of the making sure the mythical sea monsters aren't released.
He ultimately wants to trade Margrete back to her father in return for what he had stolen. The stolen object is also what seems to be keeping the sea creatures locked away.
I liked seeing the enemies to lovers development between Bash and Margrete. It was gradual which made it believable. I also liked that Margrete stayed strong even after being captured which is remarkable since she was made to fear her father so much.
It was also great to see the story from two different points of view. You see it develop from Margrete and Bash's viewpoint, this gave it an extra dimension.
I also liked the diversity in the characters and the found family trope represented here. There was a nice LGBTQI+ representation as well.
It ends with enough questions unanswered to make you want to read the next one in the series. All in all, it was quite enjoyable with a lot of unexpected adventures.

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea wasn't a bad book...It just seemed to be missing the spark that makes a book magical. This book never grabbed me--perhaps because Margrete having the magic was too predictable for readers while the characters took FOREVER to figure it out--and because the book didn't grab me, all I can really say is "meh."

There is a built-in audience for this type of nondemanding read: it floats in the shallow end and never challenges the reader or characters. But at the same time, this lack of sophistication can be extremely frustrating for more experienced readers looking for solid world building, character development, and depth. For me, none of the characters were fleshed out and felt too much like over-romanticized Mary Sue creations that were hitting every cliche on the YA romance checklist.

Story: Margrete lives a loveless life under the harsh thumb of her ruthless father. When a random prayer reaches the ears of a cursed god, he sees an opportunity to escape his fate. Margrete is kidnapped on her wedding day and taken to a mysterious hidden island with the 'pirate'. Love and sex ensues.

I think I had the most problem with the characters. They were overly idealized, nearly perfect, and thus never needed to have any kind of character development. Margrete, for example, describes her father's punishment of being stuck in an iron maiden with 'rusted spikes' that caused her to bleed. This is described more along the lines that she was locked in her room and no discussion is made whatsoever of the damage that has done psychologically or emotionally. Instead, she spends the next scene frolicking on the beach with her sister. It feels like such a missed opportunity and very shallow writing not to explore this abuse and how she needs to heal/recover from it. If anything, you'd never suspect she was under any abuse at all since she spends most of the time meeting her love interest the first time by continually insulting him.

The insults toward him felt very stupid - if you're kidnapped by a man who ruthlessly killed a whole bunch of people just to get to you, then you probably shouldn't be mouthing off. She should have been terrified but instead was written as being peeved and annoyed. As such, the heroine fell into the 'too stupid to live' category far too often. At the same time, it is getting tiring reading YA romances where authors seem to think that being rude, obnoxious, mouthy, and insulting shows spirit. It doesn't - it shows stupidity and takes away any sense of danger. Then add the inexplicable reaction by the male love interests who find the heroine sexy and cute when being a jerk and I just don't get it.

In many ways, this sometimes feels like a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Except that the Beast would have slaughtered many people in Belle's village in order to kidnap her, tell her that they were all bad men anyway and deserved to die, and then take her to his palace so she can call him an ugly, hairy, smelly, dog while he smirks indulgently. The author could have chosen to to have the two main characters get to know each other organically but instead already on the first day we have Margrete getting jealous after the 'pirate' hugs a female friend and thinking how manyly he is. It felt like the slut shaming was ready to begin and this girl, who was kidnapped amidst so much death and uncertainty, is instead more interested in the hunky guy with another woman than her own predicament. It made me rolls my eyes.

Worldbuilding was also non existent. More of your bog standard medieval patriarchal society that we have seen so much before. Anything that deviated outside of medieval England was there only as a plot mechanism to make the male interest look good rather than an organic and intrinsic part of a unique world. For this reason, the book is very undemanding of readers but also bland as cardboard. We've seen this story so many times, often done better.

The writing is simplistic, lacks depth, but is super easy to follow and therefore I imagine it will be appealing to some. Certainly we don't need Jane Austen level of writing to really succeed but honestly, this just felt so pedantic and pedestrian. Granted, it is a debut effort but at the same time, I wish an editor had worked with the author to add depth, character development, and especially world building to make this more than a middle grade read level read but for adults. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Really enjoyed this book. I loved the romance and all characters were well developed and thought out. Pirates and spice, need I say more?
Looking forward to the next book.

If you haven't already read this, give it a go. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Owl City Press for this e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Wow! Such an unique and compeeling story!
I loved and hurt with Margret, I hated her father sooo much and Bash intrigued me from the start.
I loved it so much and it surprised me at every turn. I can't wait for book 2!!!

5 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

This book was AMAZING, it definitely lives upto the hype!! If you love pirates, ACOTAR, The Bridge Kingdom with vibes of FBAA then this book is for you. This was a book that I had to forcibly make myself put down. I literally can not wait to read the next installment! Highly highly recommend, you need to read this book.

I read the blurb for this book and was immediately drawn to it. Pirates? Check! Damsel in distress who refuses to be distressed? Check! Arranged marriage? Check! Gods and monsters? Check! Steamy Scenes? Check!

All in all, what else could you want?

Whilst you can read it for the spicy scenes (of which there are only a couple) I actually found myself more engaged with the plot side of it and the world that Quinn built. I felt myself on that island and walking those streets, it was beautifully descriptive and allowed you to see these places in your imagination. The mythology built into the story gave the plot an extra layer and the tension more gravitas.

I realise it was a romance but actually I think if you took those scenes out you would still have a pretty great book.

The characters were mostly well rounded, I enjoyed Margrete’s tenacity and her attempts to escape at all costs and get back to her sister. I did think that Bash was a tad too perfect and I would have liked at least a small flaw in him somewhere (but I guess that’s not what romances are for). The interplay between the two main characters was fun. I am hoping that in the sequel we see much more of Bay and Adrian so that they get their characters fleshed out too.

I really enjoyed this book and finished it in a day! For a debut novel it really is amazing what Katherine Quinn can already do and I look forward to seeing how she improves and grows over time. I am very interested in keeping an eye out for book 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and Owl City Press for my complimentary advanced reader’s copy.

I was kindly given this book as an ARC to read and can honestly say it is such an amazing book! I was on the edge of my seat reading this book and haven't been able to put it down!

In this story we follow Margrete as she is kidnapped by a pirate called Bash, who we find out is from a country called Azantian, which until now, Margrete thought was a myth. We follow their interactions and go through their story and without any spoilers I can honestly say this interaction/relationship is one of my favourites! The characters are fantastic, the character growth outstanding! The plot is amazing! I laughed, I cried, i felt anger and joy and surprise, all the emotions that make a story amazing! I cannot wait to read the next books in this series!

Posted on Goodreads, Instagram (BookedBailey) on 9/28 and 9/29. Submitted Amazon review under BookedBailey, but hasn't been approved yet.



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

"The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea" by Katherine Quinn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
✈️ to: a Mystical Island

Well this book blew my expectations out of the water 🌊(excuse the pun!). If you're looking for a spicy new adult, Pirates of the Caribbean-esque book, then you need to read "The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea" by Katherine Quinn ASAP!

This is probably my favorite ARC I've read on NetGalley yet! I was immediately intrigued by the story and loved the sword fighting action sequences 🤺early on -- I only wished we'd had more of them throughout the book! I'm also a bit of a sucker for enemies to lovers, which this was, but I wish they'd stayed enemies at bit longer...

All in all, this is a super solid adult fantasy debut and I'm excited to read the sequel. I would definitely recommend that fans of The Bridge Kingdom check this out!

p.s. Was I the only one who was getting Darkling vibes from Malum at the end of this book? I'm worried I'm about to (predictably) have a crush on another villain!✨

I felt like The Girl Who Belonged To The Sea was like a better (and more diverse) version of Sarah J Maas’s A Court of Mist and Fury, with a touch of Fable and a hint of Deeplight. That is to say, it was really, really good.

The main character Margrete is tortured by her father and prays to any God who will listen, but would do anything to protect her little sister - even agree to the arranged marriage with a count whom she has never met before. When she is kidnapped in the middle of her wedding and brought to an island that she has always thought to be a myth by its very ruler, she tries to finally reach her goal of freedom.

I adored Margrete and the character growth she went through. I could relate to her very well and found all of her motivations and thoughts easy to follow. A thing that I liked especially is that she never stopped thinking of her little sister and wanting to save her - something that I’ve seen happen in too many other books. She is at the beginning and remains throughout the story a strong, independent, courageous and compassionate character who I admired a lot.

Bash honestly reminded me of Rhys from the first line on, hence also the comparison at the beginning of this review. He is proud but humble, cocky but sweet and he puts his people before anything else - except for maybe Margrete, although that is a struggle that I found especially well explored in this book.

I’m a bit sad that we haven’t seen more of the courtiers yet, but I guess that’s something that will be developed more throughout the rest of the trilogy. Adrian and Bay seem like that amazing pair of best friends who would stand with you against the rest of the world if need be, and I hope to get to know the female courtiers better as well in the future, becaus what I’ve seen (read) of them so far was very promising as well. I wish Margrete had taken up Shade’s offer of friendship at some point already now.

Then again, the plot was so incredibly fast paced that there was scarcely any opportunity to fit in such a thing - but still, she could have been escorted to the city by her at some point, for example. I did like how fast everything happened right from the beginning and that I didn’t feel bored at any point. Quite the opposite, really - I finished this book within 4 hours because I was so drawn in by everything.

The exciting plot and the great character dynamics were matched by an interesting and well executed worldbuilding and a great writing style, without which I would never have rated the book as highly as I do now. I loved the attention to details and how immersive the writing was.

I also quite enjoyed the ending. I liked that Margrete wasn’t all-powerful and could defeat her enemy without any kind of training, and that there’s a cliffhanger for the next book in the series. The pacing was just as great as it was for the rest of the book and I was glad to have Birdie back again.

All in all, I’m super excited for how the series will continue and the fact that this is the first ARC that I now want to have a physical copy of as well speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

5/5 stars.

The Girl who Belonged to the Sea is an immersive fantasy romance that was genuinely delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Owl City Press for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I did forget to download this and bought a copy so I could complete my review.

Plot summary:
Margrete is desperate for saving form the gods after her power hungry father marries her to the wealthy Count Casbian. Across the sea an immortal answers her prayer, and on her wedding day Bash spirits her away to help reclaim a powerful relic stolen from home.

As Bash starts to be drawn to the woman he is sworn to hate, lines blur and Margrete must decide what is best for her in the end.

Review:
Plot and World Building – This was a really well built world that was well fleshed out. The lore could have had some more in it but I feel this may be explored in a sequel.

The plot was really enjoyable and kept me engaged throughout the story. Overall pacing of the story was really quite varied and it worked well for the plot. I’m a massive fan of the enemies to lovers trope and this really ticked all the boxes on that front.

Characters and Development- Margrete was a very intriguing character and I genuinely loved her development throughout. Her relationship with Bash in particular was fantastic.

Bash was everything I love in a male love interest and had me swooning at some points. He was just built up throughout the story perfectly.

Overall there was not one character I disliked.

Final Thoughts:
A Dazzling fantasy that swept me away and I cannot wait for the future of the series.

This book was honestly a pleasant surprise! I'm always a little skeptical when publishers compare it to ACOTAR, as it almost never lives up to the hype and the amount of love I feel for that book, but this one came pretty close!

It was mainly the writing style and the enemies-to-lovers romance trope that really did it for me. Don't get me wrong, the plot was engaging as well, but I found it to be slightly predictable. As soon as the narrator started bringing up an ancient artefact, I knew where the story was going. But please don't let that deter you, because there's so much more to love about this book!

The writing style is probably what makes me compare this book to ACOTAR most. The writing feels quite similar and is captivating and makes you want to keep reading. It's lyrical, but doesn't distract from the reading experience or makes you read a sentence twice because you got the intonation wrong.

The enemies-to-lovers romance trope... I'm a sucker for them, so any book that has them will instantly rise to the top of my list. While this wasn't necessarily 'enemies' to lovers, it certainly was an entertaining romance to read about. And there's SPICE! I know that fantasy books don't necessarily need spice to be good, but I felt that the two spicy scenes were placed just right in the story, They actually added to the story (as much as a spicy scene can add to the story) and I appreciate that much more than just "here, sex" like some books tend to have,

Plotwise, like I said, I thought the book was a little predictable. But I've read my fair share of fantasies so please don't take my advise to heart. There are plenty of plottwists and turns that'll keep you guessing and I honestly think that this book deserves to get a lot of hype, because it promises to be an amazing trilogy.

4.5 stars!

I have to say, I love a well built fantasy world. And The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea delivers there. In a world where myths of sea creatures are real but forgotten, we meet our heroine Margrete. She is trapped by the ironclad rule of her own father, to the point where she is willing to marry a stranger in order to gain her (and her sister's) freedom.

However, her wedding day doesn't go to plan, and Margrete is taken to a world she thought only existed in myth, the island of Azantian. There she finds romance and a place she belongs. And, of course, there is a looming threat of all the nightmares of the sea being released back upon the world.

The author did a fantastic job building this world and her characters. Margrete and our rakish hero Bash are so amazing and complex. The island of Azantian is truly magical, and I wish it were real so I could go there. The myths that anchor this world were also very well done,

This book has a bit of everything: high seas adventure, fantasy, romance, intrigue! I cannot wait for the rest of this trilogy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher City Owl Press for an advanced copy!

Trigger warning: abuse, death