2.5
i wanted to love this and really thought i would. unfortunately this really fell flat for me. there was some things i did like, the magic of the world seemed really interesting and unique. i also did liked vinas character. but that was sadly all, something just didn’t grip me as much as i would’ve liked and that left me struggling to read as i wasn’t connecting with any characters or the plot. it also felt too long and heavy at some parts and maybe would’ve preferred it to be split into multiple books.
thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this

This was another one of my most anticipated books of the year and unsurprisingly, this is also a very strong contender for another one of my favourite books of the year. I'm also a huge Tasha Suri fan, so I was ecstatic to find out she would be writing a sapphic story featuring a lady knight and a witch.

The Isle In The Silver Sea is the story of Vina and Simran, a knight and a witch who fall in love and doom each other across multiple lifetimes, fated to replay the same story over and over again without end. When they eventually meet, will they play out the destiny already written for them, or find a way to break the cycle?

This was beautifully written - Vina and Simran's story takes place in an alternative Britain, where stories reign supreme. While the first part of the book was incredible, it was the second part that hit me quite hard but I loved how it tied the whole story together.

It did take me a minute to try and figure out which historical era inspired the alternative Britain, but honestly, that was a me thing and not at all a criticism of the book. I liked the fact that it drew from different time periods, somehow mixed it all together and made it work. There were a couple of word choices that did throw me out of the story, but that is a minor thing.

I loved how there were smaller stories woven into the main narrative - again, something that could be quite confusing, but it worked really, really well in this. It really added to the fairy-tale like quality that this book had and I absolutely loved it.

I'm a little bit gutted that this is a standalone novel, only because I didn't want it to end, but it does work extremely well as a standalone. I really wish I could read this for the first time again and I can't wait to re-read this at some point in the future.

Tashi Suri is an author who has been on my list to read for so long, and The Isle in the Silver Sea was a perfect opportunity to start her novels.

I loved the premise, and the whole book was easy to read from start to finish.

“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎, 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒆.”

Simran is a witch, Vina is a knight, and their fate is always the same. They will fall in love and destroy each other in every lifetime. This is the way it must be for them both. The tale of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙆𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝, Simran and Vina’s story, is just one of the many stories that fuel the Isle, where people are born as “incarnates” all bound to be reborn in new bodies but forever relive the same lives and die the same death, over and over, in order to keep the Isle alive.

But this time, someone is assassinating incarnates and Simran and Vina must work together to save the lives of everyone they have ever known and will ever know, to break the cycle and maybe just this once, write their own ending.

This was a beautiful sapphic love story and another top tier addition to the “2025: Year of the Lady Knight” back catalogue. Simran and Vina are both fantastic protagonists, resilient and headstrong yet capable of making sensible decisions (not always the case with fantasy, sorry). I love the fated-mates trope and it was nice to see how their relationship developed, part organically and part influenced by their memories of previous timelines.

At times I was a little confused about the timeline, this mostly read like a medieval fantasy book with taverns and witches and will o’ the wisps and fae, but then there were also guns and phones which threw me a little bit. Ultimately I chalked it up to befitting with the rest of the book and how Simran and Vina’s story is no longer linear, and I was still mesmerised with the vivid world-building, rich in folklore, with a wonderful magic system revolving around ink, which again, was perfect for a story ABOUT stories.

Thank you endlessly to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book. Stunning ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The core concept of this book, that stories are magical things that sustain the land and need to be acted out over and over again in order to do that is such an unusual premise. Add in a lady knight and honestly you've got me.

This book was beautifully executed, striking the right balance between lyrical and prosaic. There were moments that felt like a whisper of a story and others that were action packed and straight-forward. All of this made the book slip by much faster than you'd expect. The secondary characters were so real, and I cared about their endings as much as our witch and knight.

Also, a+ saucy knight and an inappropriate use of armour.

At it's heart this is a commentary on immigration into Britain, the need for societies to grow and integrate, rather than stagnate in fear. It was perhaps a little blunt at times, but I rather feel like I need that!

Honestly, one of my best reads of the year. 5*

Unfortunately this book was not for me.

I wasn't hooked and I just didn't care about any of the characters. Also the world building and magic system was all over the place.

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

I enjoyed this read!!! It was a intriguing book but I do feel like like the romance side wasn’t developed as much as I wanted it to be. I loved part 1 and was so intrigued but I feel like part 2 was a little rushed and lost the momentum.

I feel like this was an overall really interesting concept but just had a few things that could have been added in further detail.

OVERALL I do believe this was a good book and the concept was so lovely.

4 stars!

After hearing Tasha Suri speak in person at a book festival, I’ve been so excited to read this! She has a gift for weaving beautiful, emotional narratives, and The Isle in the Silver Sea didn’t disappoint.

In a land built on stories, the knight and the witch are destined to fall in love, and destroy each other, lifetime after lifetime. Simran is a witch of the woods and Vina, a knight of the Queen’s court. When a mysterious assassin begins hunting down stories, they must find a way to break the cycle and create a new ending, one strong enough to defy fate itself.

This is a sapphic romantasy full of longing, folklore, and a fresh twist on a traditional tale. It explores both the beauty and the danger of love, and the way stories can bind us or set us free. The concept was intriguing, the romance simmering, and the tension steadily building as the emotional stakes rose.

That said, I did find the worldbuilding tricky to follow at times and it took a while before I found my footing in the story.
Even so, the heart of the novel, the characters and their connection, was compelling enough to carry me through.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable heartfelt, imaginative, and romantic tale.

Such an interesting magic system, I love how the magic is powered by stories, such a cool idea! As much as I would like this to be a series, it’s refreshing to see a fantasy standalone done this well, I feel like everything is a series now, so I loved this.

Suri writes such a beautiful setting in this book. The way the Isle acts as a magical England was really interesting. To see a place so familiar written in such a different way was of particular interest. The author’s use of the power of stories for the continuation and preservation of this land was a really important act of representation in the novel. The need for the main characters to live a different story from the once they are doomed to was both romantic and shows the importance of this storytelling.

I also thought that the world building made a dramatic stage for the romance between the Knight and the Witch which was also very well developed and it was great to see such nuanced representation of sapphic relationships.

I did think that the pacing was a little slow in parts but I think that is more due to the fact that this book is a standalone and needs time to build into the richly woven setting Suri presents.


Overall, this book read like a fairytale but one that does not shy away from real and serious issues of Empire and culture. It is an amazing romantic fantasy whilst also being a critique of some parts of society. Thank you to the author and to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this gorgeous novel!

The idea of reincarnation existing not as souls but as stories was really interesting.

I was rooting for Vina and Simran and liked them as characters, but as a romantic pairing I just didn’t feel that spark. I wanted them to be happy but I didn’t find myself rooting for them to be together. For me their best moments were ones where we could see the history of their time together in other lives. The thing is, the way this story sets up reincarnation isn’t as the soul reincarnating, but the story. This isn’t the knight and the witch, it’s Vina and Simran and I just didn’t feel their chemistry.

I did enjoy part one far more than part two. For me the sudden halt in momentum was long enough for me to stop caring as much about the characters. Part of me wonders if I had set the book down for a day or two and seen part two as a true part two then I may have enjoyed myself more.

As always, I love Tasha Suri’s writing style. I can absolutely imagine this as the kind of 2000 style fantasy where medieval elements exist but everything has a bit of modernness in it. The world was such an interesting one. We have things like guns but because the Isle needs older elements in its tales we also still have knights and blacksmiths.

Overall I enjoyed myself, it just didn’t give me that “Oh my god I love these two so much” feeling that I need to have to give this type of book five stars.

I adored The Isle in the Silver Sea. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it - I claim to love "lady knight" books, but have a rocky relationship with them. In The Isle in the Silver Sea, however, I found layer upon layer of depth to enjoy. The highlight for many will be the love story - Simran and Vina were both complex characters in their own right, who I couldn't help but feel fond of and root for. Their connection felt likewise real, and I was very invested in their relationship.
Alongside this, however, there's some really deep consideration of various themes - the reflection on Britain, its history of colonialism and if it can ever truly move past it, was really enthralling. There was the tiniest namecheck of Wales and the Welsh language at one point and I was delirious!
I found the small anachronisms purposefully sprinkled through the book to be really effective, and give a rising sense of anticipation.
I don't usually get on with some of the tales being reimagined here (I'm being purposefully vague), but I loved this - perhaps because the tale isn't the centre of the story, but instead its consequences - its wider reach through history. Of course, the characterisation is also so strong (I've not even talked about the supporting cast, whom I likewise adored) and that kept me engaged.
All in all, The Isle in the Silver Sea is the first "lady knight" book (not set in space) that has truly delivered for me - a real five star read.

This is a hard one to rate because I did very much enjoy it, but was also kind of disappointed by it. The story is great. The characters are great. I cried. But it just felt… unfinished, I guess? Obviously it is an ARC, so some things might still get changed for the actually published book, but there’s aspects that seemed off that would need a disproportionate amount of editing to become great, instead of just good.

I think the main thing that would have improved this book is if it’d been made into a duology, instead of being a stand-alone. Alternatively just making the stand-alone book longer would’ve helped as well. But as it is now, there are a lot of things that seem rushed and unrefined, which brings down what is otherwise a fantastic story.

The Lady Knight Season really delivers! I liked this book a lot. It’s quite long, but it still kept me wanting to come back to it again and again because the story was so compelling.

The action of the novel takes place in a secondary world inspired by our own, on an island modeled after Britain. This island is full of stories, and some people are born there as the next incarnations of heroes from age-old tales that have repeated for centuries. The main heroines of the book, Vina and Simran, are a knight and a witch, respectively. These characters are destined to fall in love, only to doom each other: the knight kills the witch and then dies herself. But this time, Vina and Simran refuse to accept that fate. Desperate to break the cycle, they do everything in their power to escape the roles assigned to them and forge their own path.

The idea behind this book is fascinating, and I think the author executed it really well. I appreciated how the novel plays with the fated mates trope. The love story between the characters feels organic and seamlessly woven into the plot. To be honest, it’s one of the best sapphic love stories I’ve ever read. Both Vina and Simran were well fleshed out, each with their own clear motivations and distinct personalities. I really liked them both. There’s also a cast of lovely secondary characters, some of whom even get their own romantic arcs. What can I say? I absolutely loved the fact that practically everyone in this book is gay.

I really appreciated how the author used the motif of endlessly repeating stories to open up a broader discussion on imperialism and intellectual dependence. The novel reflects on who gets to impose the truth and how empires construct their own histories by elevating certain narratives while suppressing others. Alongside this is a sharp social commentary on how individuals from outside the imperial center are silenced and overlooked in the very societies to whose prosperity they have deeply contributed. Of course, this isn’t the first work of historical fantasy to critique British colonialism — Babel immediately comes to mind — but Tasha Suri brings a fresh and compelling perspective to the subject.

The only quibble I might have with this book is the pacing. The novel is essentially divided into two parts, with the second part beginning around two-thirds of the way through. While this structure isn't inherently a problem, the transition did throw me off a bit. I think it might have worked better if it had occurred closer to the midpoint. That said, it's a minor issue in an otherwise engaging read.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It may not be without its flaws, but in the end, it holds up thanks to its strong, engaging story. I highly recommend it if you’re longing for a good sapphic romantasy.

I really wanted to love this. Like, really, really.

The Isle in the Silver Sea is the tale of tales, quite literally. On the "Isle" (clearly Great Britain, but fantasy), heros are reborn over and over again to play out their tales, different and yet the same, every time. Our protagonists, Simran and Vina, are the Knight and the Witch, forced to kill each other. Over the times, they have been reborn as Knight and Witch over and over again, as different people, who fall in love and then inevitably kill each other. Over. And. Over. In the world of the Isle, this is called being an "incarnate."

Nice concept, right? Would've been nice if I fully grasped it before half of the story was already done.

I am almost 99% sure that I wasn't smart enough for this book. When Vina first meets Simran, she greets her with the name "Isadora." Me, being stupid, immediately interpreted this as Simran having used the name Isadora in the past, as a code name, or maybe Simran is the false name, but it turned out that was wrong - Isadora was Simran's previous incarnation. Okay. Strike One against me.
Then, the whole tattoo thing. Simran is basically a magic tattoo artist. She uses a special ink that puts magic into the person being tattooed. I was very confused about the whole ink thing. It ended up being simultaneously more and less important than I thought it would be. Eventually, we are told incarnates cannot touch this special ink. However, Simran has magical tattoos herself and puts them on other people. Strike Two against me.
Then, to add to the already convoluted worldbuilding zipping around in my head, the fae appeared??? I'm still not quite sure why - I'm pretty sure this book could've worked out exactly the same had we just omitted the fae entirely. Strike Three.
There was this big metaphor for colonialism and forced assimilation by the British Empire - quite literally, you lose your mother tongue and even forget the name of your home country once you cross the Silver Sea to ... well, to England, basically, becoming someone from "Elsewhere." That was such a cool concept! But I felt like it kinda got forgotten about ... and the payoff just wasn't what it could've been. Strike Four.

However, the biggest problem for me was the pacing. Part 1 of this book meanders and draws itself out - I mean, the characters quite literally try to avoid their plotline! I couldn't stay focused, it kept jumping locations, and things that could've been quite important were glossed over, while irrelevant things were drawn out to form some kind of tributary to boredom. The romance just kinda happened. I'm sorry, but "we loved each other in every lifetime" doesn't quite hit the same if there's no buildup. The characters avoid each other, avoid liking each other for so long, and then on the next page, they're having sex in some random house that fate has decreed them to play out their story in. Simran and Vina are also very unbalanced, in my opinion. Others might not think so, but I found Simran immensely interesting, a swearing, tattooed witch with an evil cat familiar who has a very complicated (but interesting!) relationship with her parents. Meanwhile, Vina is just ... there. She's a very stereotypical lady knight, and, unfortunately, that made her very boring to me. Others might disagree, but that's just my opinion! But the truly stand-out characters were the secondary ones, especially Hari and the Pale Assassin, who have some of the most satisfying and beautiful and gentle character development I've ever read (too bad it kinda just happens off-page ...).

I think this could've been a really good book, and probably will be considered one by many readers, but I just wish it was tightened up in most parts and fleshed out in some others. There's just something slightly ... off about it that I cannot quite put into words. For me, it picked up quite considerably with Part 2 and going off towards the end, but Part 1 was such a slog ...
Let's end this with: It was a mixed bag.

Suri’s latest novel is a poetic, richly fantasy that leans into her signature style: lyrical writing, slow tension, and powerful themes of resistance and reclamation. The Isle in the Silver Sea takes its time building momentum, but delivers a story that lingers long after the final page.

While the pacing might not be for everyone, the atmosphere and thematic depth are remarkable. Suri fans will likely fall head over heels. And new readers may find themselves intrigued by this quietly fierce tale of survival and selfhood.

3.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first time checking out her works. I could hope that there would be more buildup between Vina and Simran, I felt it was just there (+ how their tale and their fates were told). I found the reincarnation plot a bit similar to the execution of Our Infinite Fates, I expected the pace to be better.

This book might be perfect if it was part of a duology to build more room for development. I only found the first part of the book interesting, i never felt invested to the other half due to the pacing. Other than that, I enjoyed the relationships and the writing style.

3.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first time checking out her works. I could hope that there would be more buildup between Vina and Simran, I felt it was just there (+ how their tale and their fates were told). I found the reincarnation plot a bit similar to the execution of Our Infinite Fates, I expected the pace to be better.

This book might be perfect if it was part of a duology to build more room for development. I only found the first part of the book interesting, i never felt invested to the other half due to the pacing. Other than that, I enjoyed the relationships and the writing style.

It took me a while to read only because I did not want it to end. A joy from start to finish, a deep tale of cursed love and the lengths to which those cursed lovers will go to change their fate. And more than that, a story about a place and the stories that create it, and whose stories are allowed to thrive and whose are suppressed. Brilliant: Tasha Suri does it again.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕴𝖘𝖑𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖎𝖑𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖊𝖆 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖘𝖍𝖆 𝕾𝖚𝖗𝖎
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 𝔣𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔰𝔱𝔞𝔯𝔰

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗶 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙞𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙚𝙖, 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀.

This is the first book I've read from Tasha Suri's backlog and I'm definitely amazed by her skills in writing. The lush and magical backdrop followed around like a fairytale that lasted the entirety of the book.

The Isle in the Silver is a sapphic romantasy which is set in a world where a curse looms over the people of the Silver Isle — where they're regarded as legends because they posses the power that makes the tale reoccur again and again where the incarnates are puppets to destinies greater than themselves.

The magic system is definitely unique and we'll thought. I don't think I've ever read something like this before. A Britain fuelled by a magic system of tales The stories fuelled the land and had so much symbolism in them — including deep social commentary about injustice and erasure histories and tales that did now fit into this 'pale-skinned narrative'.

This book is Suri's take on Arthurian legends and folklore and I do have to say that it was uniquely done and represented really well! I learnt a lot of new things about the mythology of the real life places connected and many new tales from this.

The prose was beautiful, stunning descriptions, that made me feel like I was in the rooms or the forest, that the author was describing. They go on a wild and perilous quest that put them in different and lush landscapes which Suri did not fail in showing us the vivid descriptions through the book.

Vina and Simran's love story was beautiful. In both parts of the book, their love was decadent and yearning — they wanted to love truly from their hearts and not the tale that bound them together. It's was achingly beautiful how the author wrote this tale for them.

The side character cast were amazing too! Hari and his partner made me so happy to read the second part of the book. Hari was such an amazing friend, partner and parent.

There is queer and lgbtq representation. While I'm unsure if this world could be accurately said to be queer-normative, most of the people and main cast are queer.

Overall, if you love a unique take on Arthurian legends, with yearning sapphic romance and high stakes, 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕴𝖘𝖑𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖎𝖑𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖊𝖆 is the perfect read!