The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea by Katherine Quinn hooked me from the very first chapter. I was especially excited to start the first book in this new series after reading an early synopsis:

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉-𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔, 𝒔𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒃𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏, 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒆 𝑳. 𝑱𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒏’𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉 𝑱. 𝑴𝒂𝒂𝒔’𝒔 𝑨 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑹𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅."

I was immediately intrigued when I had read about 30% of this book and from there on out it was an incredible adventure. Katherine Quinn writes with a unique voice that tells the story of a young woman discovering herself away from the constraints of her upbringing and past.

Pros: The adventure, romance, and lore of the universe the story takes place in were all well written. The rest of the trilogy is very promising and I cannot wait for book 2.

Cons: Falling too quickly. Was it enemies to lovers? Margrete's relationship with Bash is a tad rushed in the beginning.

Mood Read: adventure, forbidden romance, fantasy
Spice: 1.75/5
Overall Rating: 4/5

Thank you NetGalley and City Owl Press for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars

Wow! I just finished this book and I’m still reeling for it!! Also just want to pretend that epilogue didn’t happen and I can just enjoy the HEA. Although I do appreciate the setup for the next book but still. Could have gone a little longer before the stress!!

This book balanced adventure and romance really well. It had the perfect amount of both! Margrete and Bash were such a fun couple to watch fall in love. I loved the enemies to lovers trope and I think this book did it really well!

Margrete was a little naive in the beginning but I enjoyed watching her grow. She matured at the end and really grew into her character. I enjoyed her figuring out the world at the same time we did. I also loved that she didn’t give up even though the odds weren’t in her favor.

Bash was such a fun character! I loved his pirate persona. I also really enjoyed his banter with Margrete. He was witty and passionate. I loved finding out his secrets and what made him Bash.

Overall really enjoyed this book! Bash and Margrete were a fun/witty couple. I really enjoyed the adventure and trying to figure out the story. Looking forward to the second one!

Thank you City Owl Press and Katherine Quinn for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This book hooks you right from the start. I couldn’t put it down once I begun. It tells the tale of Margrete who is being forced into a marriage by her cruel father. On her wedding day, she is kidnapped by a pirate who takes who to a world she believed a part of her fictional fairy tales. There she finds out about a battle of gods and how she is intertwined into this battle for wills.

I really enjoyed this read, it was jam packed with action and adventure. I cannot wait for the rest of the trilogy.

I picked this book up because of that cover. It's absolutely gorgeous and the plot fits so well with it. This is a partially dual POV book with most of it from the main woman's view but we do get some into Bash her love interest.
There is tons of growth but do be aware there are some things that people may not like, such as an abusive parent.
Overall i really enjoyed the plot and characters growth.

Great start to what I hope is going to be an epic fantasy series! The world building and storytelling was amazing, it reminded me of like the Throne of Glass series except you could follow and remember all the characters. This one was a slow burn but definitely had some steamy scenes. The two MCs had really great chemistry and you cant help but love the two main secondary characters too. Cant wait to read the next book!

This book was absolutely stunning! It took me on an adventure and completely swept me up into a world full of magic and beauty. This book has everything that a reader could ask for! Enemies to lovers, slow burn/tension, a strong female lead who knows what she wants, forced proximity, and so much more! The plot is fabulous, the characters are well-developed, and the romance is so swoon-worthy! I loved every second because it kept me hooked from the very first chapter! I highly recommend this to everyone!

This book absolutely blew my mind! It was so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. I loved the characters, every single person. The plot, the romance and even the ending had me absolutely hooked! I cried and laughed and absolutely swooned over the romance! I’m such a fan of Katherine Quinn after this and will be looking forward to anything she writes next!

Arch provided by NetGalley.

This book was excellent; there were so many twists and turns in the story which kept me intrigued and wanting to read more. This book took me on a journey; there were so many fantasy elements within this novel, and if you're a massive fan of Sarah J. Maas's A court of thorns and Roses as well as Jennifer L. Armentrout From Blood and Ash, I recommend you pick up this novel. I'm happy to give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Margaret's character development was done well and took me by surprise. She felt she had no place in the world especially being at the hands of an abusive father. Her choices, her thoughts, her life all depended on the hands of her father. Her father decided to marry her off to Count Casbian, she did not feel the marriage was proper, and her freedom would be taken away from her once again by another man. I honestly thought she would settle for Casbian because of his beautiful appearance lovely letters but never judge a book by its cover. Who knew Margaret's world would be changed by the hands of a pirate, especially one of an enemy? During her journey, she discovers a new Island but an island supposed to be a myth. And the people looked human but different than her, almost unreal how beautiful they were and powerful. During her stay in the castle and on the island, Margaret found herself worth, strength, and knew she would never be weak again.

The plotline and the world-building took me into another world. You knew every little description, from the vines on the building to the exact color of a person's eyes. Reading the words on the page made me feel like I was walking in Margaret's shoes.

The romance between Margaret and Bash was HOT! It was a slow burn, and they hated each other but wanted each other simultaneously. Bash is my new fictional boyfriend; he was so patient and caring and would do anything for her. He noticed that she was hurting and wanted to know more which made the relationship more substantial and less shallow.

Trigger Warning: Forced confinement

Wow. This was a debut? This book was incredible. Probably one of the best new adult fantasy books I've read in a while.

Margrete's character development was great. She started off scared and silent but became such a strong female lead and never gave up the good parts of herself.

Bash was the perfect love interest. Broody and calculating, but not in a cruel or unnerving way.

There were a few side characters I would have loved to hear more from but I'm hoping the next book in the series will explore some of the more silent characters featured in this one.

Speaking of the next book, I absolutely can't wait for this series to continue and I look forward to reading more of Katherine Quinn's future works!

Perfect book for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Wow!!!! This book is amazing, and definitely not what I was expecting. I have never read a book that involved the sea, pirates, and princesses. Margrete and Bash are AMAZING characters. Following their stories in their POV gives you a great understanding of their internal struggles and thoughts. I love the enemies to lovers trope, throat to dagger, captured princess. Oh the “youre not what i expected” moments LOVE. The spice is there and just the right amount. Along with that, Aztanian’s world building and story is captivating and has you wanting to learn more. This is also set up nicely for the next book for the trilogy. I cannot wait for that to come out, but more importantly recommend this to everyone!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book arc in exchange for an honest review.

(Real Rating: 3.5 stars)

I guess I should’ve expected pirates. True to form, though, I wasn’t expecting pirates. This matters, because I usually don’t read pirate books. I have a lot of unresolved feelings about pirates that I’ve never been able to shake, even as a fantasy reader, and it makes it hard for me to give myself completely over to fantasy novels that have pirate-heavy themes.

Well, “The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea” definitely leans into the pirate theme; but, it’s like if the atmosphere, wit, and wonder of “A Court of Mist and Fury” and “A Court of Wings and Ruin” had a run in with a pirate fantasy novel with the spice level somewhere between “A Court of Mist and Fury” and “A Court of Silver Flame”. (For those who have never read Sarah J Maas’ ACOTAR series, that means I would put the spice level ranging from heavy steam to lower-level spice).

It’s not a stretch to compare this book to the ACOTAR series. Even in the blurb for this book online it suggests if you liked ACOTAR you’ll like this book. And it DOES have heavy ACOTAR vibes, but imagine if Velaris had been a city everyone only thought was a myth you’d read about all your life, and then you were taken there by boat and you saw it for the first time from the sea?

Margrete Wood isn’t Feyre Archeron. Definitely not. Our FMC is one of the huge differences between this book and ACOTAR. Is she plucky? Yes. She definitely isn’t a doormat. But she definitely longs to be rescued by someone else at the beginning of this book than she claws to fight for survival and make her own way, like Feyre did. But we do have three incredibly handsome and not-entirely human men who might as well be brothers who are in charge on the island of Azantia (hence the title of the trilogy: The Azantian Trilogy), and none of them have wings. There’s Bash, who’s King of Azantia (and no, he doesn’t have black hair and blue eyes, gasp!) who is our male protagonist, Adrian (Bash’s commander), and Bay (who trains Bash’s soldiers, is Adrian’s husband, and is my contender for cinnamon-roll-in-charge). Adrian is wry and plays the straight man to Bay’s sweet and sometimes overeager puppy-like behavior. Don’t get me wrong: when things gets serious, so do these two, but when matters don’t seem so dire, these two seem to try to enjoy the peace while they can.

And Bash? Well, Bash is mercurial, but doesn’t seem prone to overextended bouts of brooding. It seems to help that he not only has Adrian and Bay, but he also has other friends and councilors that he can talk to and that he will seek out.

I’m not going to say the plot of this book, being the first in the series, was surprising. It wasn’t. It was predictable and I could break it down. At this point I can’t tell if it’s because I read so much fantasy it just happens or if it’s because I did really well in literary analysis in college and I just know how to break down plot. Other readers may find themselves being surprised. And that is what I hope for, because even though I wasn’t surprised by this book and it was predictable, I don’t regret reading it, and I’d read it again. I’m even looking forward very much to the next book. I want to see where Ms. Quinn goes with this. I want to see where Margrete and Bash go and I want to see more of Adrian, Bay, and the rest of the supporting cast in this series. I just… want to see more. And that’ll only happen if I keep reading. And that’s what I intend to do.

Action, fantasy, forced proximity, enemies to lovers romance- this novel checks all the boxes for a fast paced, enjoyable read.

This book blew my mind it was very easy to read and get into. Margrete is being forced to marry man by her father so she prays to the gods to free her, but it doesn't go they way she expected. On the day of her wedding she is taken by Bash King of the mystical island Azantian. Thinking he can get a powerful relic back that was stolen from his people from Margrete's father as a trade/ransom. But when she arrives to his island secrets are revealed about her and a connection to the gods she didn't even know was there. All in all what a swashbuckling high seas adventure filled with pirates relics, gods, forbidden romance and of course a devilishly handsome pirate king. I can't wait for book 2

This review was published to Goodreads and Amazon on the 27th of September 2021

A fast-paced, action-packed adventure from the word 'go', Katherine Quinn has written a stunning work of fantasy romance. The plot is engaging and our leading lady Margrete pulls off 'strong female lead' without feeling one dimensional. It was always exciting discovering how should would react to the world around her. The setting was equally well done, Azantian is beautiful to behold.

This gets four stars from me because while enthralling, I often felt like I was dragging myself through passages heavy with reflection. That said, I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for the next instalment.

I loved this book, full of action, romance and adventure. For me my favourite aspect was the romance as a I loved every bit of the chemistry. This was such a fun read that had me eagerly turning the pages from the very beginning. I can't wait to read more from this author, I would highly recommend giving it a go.

This was an amazing story! The authors beautiful writing made this feel like a fairytale unfolding. A girl trapped with a cruel father who delights on her punishments, she begs the gods, any gods for help. All Margrete wants to do is get far away and keep her little sister safe. She is forced to a marriage she doesn’t want, or is she? By her luck she is literally kidnapped in the midst of the wedding.

Fast paced, pirates, enemies to lovers, what more could you want?

This book was so unbelievably good I am surprised it’s a debut novel! For fans of JLA this is a great book. I read this in one sitting and I am in love. The world building is amazing, it is an enemies to lovers with all the amazing banter and the character and world building in this book are phenomenal! I cannot wait to get physical copy and I am desperately in need of the sequel although this just came out.

Thank you net galley for allowing me to read this wonderful book.

Exciting start to a trilogy!

A very fascinating and unique world was created including a mysterious island, gods and unexplained changes.

Margrete is a very likable character from the start and she only gets better as she comes into her own.
The first time Bash appears on the page, he steals the show.
They quickly fall into an intense love that is fun to read. Decent spice level as well.

Since I’m all about the romance, my one fear was this story is going to have a decoy love interest or head into love triangle territory, the epilogue did not make me feel any better about the prospect of that.

This story is full of mysteries but luckily we find out the answer to many of them and the end isn’t a huge cliffhanger.

I’m looking forward to seeing more from Margrete, Bash and their friends!

*thank you so much to City Owl Press for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review*

Wow, this book was amazing! What a way to kick off a series! I have to say, this quickly became one of my favorite series, and it was only the first! From the moment I started it I was incapable of putting it down until I finished reading every word of it! Thank you so much to the amazing author Katherine Quinn and City Owl Press for giving me the opportunity to recieve my first ever e-ARC!

This book pulled out the fantasy lover in me, making me become incredibly drawn to the world of Azantian and all of the characters. Margrete, the main character, has been abused mentally and physically by her father all her life, and comes to find that her father has promised her marriage to another, a man she has barely met or known before. However, she is not your typical damsel-in-distress that sits back and lets the others dictate her future for her. Throughout this book we see Margrete blossom into a strong and powerful female lead! I truly enjoyed her banter with the MMC, Bash! Speaking of! Phew Bash is so swoon-worthy! He is not your typical captor, and is so supportive of Margrete despite all her attempts to distance herself.

Furthermore, that epilogue? So many questions on my mind! The second book could not come out fast enough! I love everything about this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. The author does an excellent job building this world and providing details such that the reader can find themselves alongside the characters. The characters themselves are fleshed out and develop throughout the pages, and readers cannot help but root for them. There is also action and adventure to keep this moving at a good pace.

Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, and City Owl Press for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. The Girl Who Belonged To The Sea was one of the best books I've read this year and I am incredibly grateful to have received an e-ARC!

The story follows Margrete, a young woman who has been raised by an abusive, power-hungry father. When she is forced to marry the wealthy Count Casbian, Margrete turns to the gods, praying for a life free from the men who wish to dictate hers. Across the sea, a vengeful god answers.

Then comes Bash, our swashbuckling hero - a king looking to save his country, who crashes Margrete’s nuptials to retrieve a powerful stolen relic that will save his people. A hopeful Bash kidnaps her and plans on ransoming her as a bargaining chip for the relic, and brings Margrete to the mystical island of Azantian, one she has only heard whispers about in stories. It isn’t long before a revelation ties Margrete to the gods themselves - and as she unravels the mysteries surrounding her life and finds herself drawn to the handsome, auburn-haired pirate-king, Margrete realises that she knows very little about her own identity, and nothing is what she thought it to be.

This novel blew me away. I went into it not expecting much, but the author has drawn such a vivid, lush world in the island of Azantian that I simply cannot believe it is her debut novel. The world-building is intricate and fascinating, and wonderfully reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean. It’s well-paced, features LGBTQIA+ rep and the lore and mythology surrounding the island was gripping. I was totally invested, Quinn’s writing is lyrical and she is so talented. It was one of my favourite fantasy reads of the year, and I can’t wait to read the other two books in the trilogy.

The Girl Who Belonged To The Sea will be published on September 28, 2021. I cannot recommend it enough!