The book has a stunning cover and the story sounded quite interesting. Sadly, it was not for me.
The story was okay, but the writing style threw me off. The flowery prose and overuse of similes was exhausting. Sometimes, they just did not fit: or were weird “she just watched her stomach grow and evolve like the phases o the moon, a crescent slowly made whole, until its milky fullness was ready to spill” is not something I want to think of when talking about a pregnant woman’s stomach. “abandoning the fish on the ground like coins” – so apparently they are really, really rich. “she was strong and had the patience of a desert cactus” is in itself fine, but the story is set in a harbour town – I am sure there are other similes for patience with a more nautical theme.
Some things in the book just confused me: it is said Marea is hidden so as not to turn off the customer, but her mother was pregnant for 9 months. Did the men not notice that? After all, she went to the harbour frequently and ate fish (raw). The house must have been a strange place, since Marea as a child had to bent down to peer through keyholes (or she was just extremely tall for a child?). And describing your own birth and first moments in first person is strange.
While there are adjectives and similes in abundance, facts are often hidden in the text or just hinted at.

Thank you to Del Rey, for providing me with a free eARC through netgally. My review has not been influenced by this.

Marea is unusual; she is born under a luminous star-filled sky, with a tiny feather cluster growing from her shoulder and a wisp of feathers down her back. Raised in a whorehouse and hidden away in the basement, she stores wishes in a jar, until she turns eighteen and sets out to find her estranged birdlike father in the City of Water…

This book had a similar feel to Kiki’s Delivery Service; a young girl moving to a new town, seeking her place in the world. The City of Water itself is reminiscent of Venice, with winding streets, waterways and a floating bakery. It’s charming, with a dreamy fairytale-like feeling. There are mermaids, magical mist captured in jars and masquerade balls outside of time. The story is one of love, belonging and self-discovery, woven with delightful bird descriptions.

There was something about the pacing I struggled with. Significant events seemed rushed while insignificant details were lingered on. I also found the repeated references to the “whores” who raised Marea, including her mother, to be jarring in a coming-of-age tale. It was a quick read, however, with some lovely positive messages about love and loss, forgiveness, taking steps into the world and finding yourself.

Everything you need to know about Feathertide by Beth Cartwright
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Rep: Bisexual protagonist, Sapphic romance.
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What you get?
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🍷Marea, born with feathers and kept hidden from the world in a whorehouse, ventures out to the City of Murmurs at the age of 17 to find her father and her true identity.
🍷Things happen exceptionally fast in this story and the author carefully avoids any mishaps. I mean, how lucky can a person be? Things are way too easy for this lady.
🍷A lot of effort has been given to beautifying and perfecting the outside world. The world building is exquisite, with Venice like vibes.
🍷An emotionally engaging read. The loose ends are tied carefully and neatly, for the most part.
🍷The themes that are recurring in the story are that of longing, fleeting relationships, self acceptance, personal experiences and difficult choices.
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What you don't get:
🍷A first person narration, but I could hear the author in my head and not the protagonist.
🍷Minimal character development.
🍷Very little Mermaid time (you can't get away with drawing a Mermaid on the cover and disappointing us later).
🍷Severe lack of adventure with zero nail-biting experience.
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Special Mention:
🍷It's a crime to compare this to The Bear and The Nightingale by Katherine Arden.

A beautiful coming of age fairytale about love and loss but primarily about self-acceptance. Encapsulating bird people, mermaids, floating cities and jars of mist, this is a lovely introduction to the world of Marea and her feathers. The world building is excellent and I’d love for this to become a series. It’s not perfect, but it’s very enjoyable and a quick read too. Great stuff for a bit of escapism.

Marea was born with feathers and raised as a secret. When she turns eighteen, she sets out on a journey to find her father--only to find that it's also a journey of discovering and accepting herself.

Feathertide is a slow burn. A very, very slow burn. So slow in fact that the middle gets a bit boring, but the beginning and the end make up for it. They make up for almost everything. The trick, I think, is to read it all in one sitting. Once you stop somewhere, it's difficult to pick it up again.

There's nothing terribly new or exciting about Feathertide, honestly. It's a classic story of self-discovery, a coming-of-age without the excitement of knights and swords and kingdoms to wrest, just one of waiting and listening and asking questions. Marea sets out on her journey intent on finding the place where her parents met, hoping to find clues as to who her father is and why he left--and there she stays.

It's this unnatural stillness and lack of action that drags the story down--yet, it's this undefined longing and yearning that makes the story what it is. You really aren't picking up Feathertide for an exciting or twisty plot, you're picking it up for its beautiful prose and the raw emotions they draw from you. Cartwright captures the strong emotions and needs we all share no matter who we are--love and desire, belonging and acceptance, safety and shelter--and embodies it in Marea, the secret girl with feathers who doesn't know who she is or where she belongs. And as you journey with her, you hope that you too can find what you're looking for.

Feathertide is not for the restless; it's a book for quiet, for yearnings you cannot quite put into words, for those who need to just be for a little while.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House UK, Cornerstone via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The story begins on a very peculiar yet interesting tone. It had my completed interest and attention from the beginning. As the story unfolds, we meet our protagonist and witness her journey, from childhood till adulthood. The bright side and protective nature of single parenting is explained so vividly.
The book mainly revolves around the protagonists journey of self love and self discovery. Do we really know ourselves? Do we dare to accept ourselves? Do we really want to give into temptations? Do we constantly wear a cloak around our personality? You will find the answer to all these questions, the philosophical discussion in this book. Each chapter is well linked and well connected with the other. Writing style is absolutely crisp and refreshing. It is a very unique read, which will develop a sense of solidarity towards animals.
The feeling of satisfaction I had after finishing each chapter is a rare find.
The only part because of which I am giving it a four star and not a 5 is that the most important decision in the book will be easily predictable to some.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?
YES I DO. Go ahead and read this one.

My rating - 4/5

Suggested reading age according to me - 13+

Title – Feathertide

Author – Bert Cartwright

Genre – Fantasy

Release Date – 30th July 2020

Fantasy has always been a risky genre for the authors to tread. Though every mythology has been filled with dozens of mythical creatures, its the execution that always matters. Feathertide picks up elements of Birdpeople and Mermaid and serves us another forgettable story that could have been brilliant if just executed well enough. Touted as one of the most anticipated books this year, here is my take on this debut novel.

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me a e-ARC via Netgalley.

Marea has always been different since birth. Born in a whorehouse, Marea was kept hidden from the world since she was a peculiar born with feathers. On her eighteenth birthday, she is allowed to move out of the whorehouse in search of her father at the City of Water where her mother had met her father. Caught between making various decisions, this coming of age story involves mermaids, broken love and many more.

This book just wasn’t bad. The plot was pretty intriguing but what turned out to be something half-cooked. It was a pretty simple read and one could finish this one in a day or two. Unfortunately, the characters are pretty forgettable and one can hardly empathize with any of them when the book ends.

The book involves Birdpeople and Mermaids – two of the most intriguing characters that one can think of bringing and yet there wasn’t any such plot points that could stand out. I wish the author could have taken a bit more time in world building and getting much more out of her characters and it could have resulted in a much brilliant book.

Overall, I wouldn’t ask you not to pick this one up but there are times when one could see references to Harry Potter with dialogues that were picked right off from it. Since it is a standalone book, there is hardly any scope for further expansion of the world and hence I would stick to a much lesser rating that I would do with a series.

My Ratings – 🌟🌟🌟( 3 out of 5 stars)

I adore the cover to this one! It is gorgeous! But that is perhaps beside the point... save that the cover was what led me to requesting the book!

Marea, covered in golden feathers, is secluded in her room of her mother's brothel for fear that she would be despised and abused for her difference - and in our world, how many of us feel the same about ourselves? We might not be covered in feathers but we might have other insecurities and fears. Inevitably, children who are locked up tend to find their ways out (have you watched Tangled?!) and Marea does. Her horrific realisation that she could be mocked and derided was awful, but sets her off to find her father.

There is certainly something whimsical about the fairy tale like world that Cartwright produces with floating cities, mermaids, feathered girls and furred boys... but somehow it did quite live up to its own promise for me. The world building was not quite there, the pacing was a little slow, the plot was familiar enough...

Not a bad book but nothing extraordinary - but perhaps that is because I have read a lot of extraordinary YA coming of age tales so I had extremely high expectations.

Feathertide is a heartfelt coming of age story written in the style of a fairy tale, making it a perfect next read for fans of Naomi Novik or Katherine Arden

Marea is born with a unique trait of mysterious origin – golden feathers covering her body. As a girl, her mother convinces her that she is special and beautiful. But as Marea grows older, she realises the feathers are the reason she is kept hidden away from the world and she begins to resent them. Eventually, Marea sets out to find her father and to discover her true place in the world.

Cartwright applies a lyrical, visual writing style to describe a journey of self-discovery with a dreamlike quality that reminds me of a Studio Ghibli film. Reading Feathertide immediately after a fairly action-packed fantasy novel was an adjustment, but a pleasant one. In the early chapters of the book I think I was waiting for 'more', but I was drawn into Marea’s journey and touched by the moments of earnest kindness and profound sadness that teach her about the world. Feathertide finds beauty in small moments - it is a book to be experienced rather than devoured.

I find it strange that out of all the fiction characters I’ve read recently, I identify most with a half-bird girl raised in the cellar of a brothel. But I think this book will resonate with anyone who’s had to overcome their own self-doubt in order to connect with others.

Thank you to Netgalley, Del Rey Books and Beth Cartwright for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable great read overall a very fun fast story with a lot of layers.

Love the world building and the. Characters

This book follows the heart wrenching journey of a peculiar young woman on her emotional search for her also peculiar father, meeting friends, family and lovers on the way.
My feelings are completely torn on this book, half of me didn't like it whilst the other half loved it. I think that the reason has to be down to the lack of action there is within this book which left me feeling like the book was unfinished. However the story was beautiful and occasionally left me with goosebumps.
My favourite aspect of this story was how well the author conveyed loss, Marea lost many people within this book, and we felt the grief of her friends and family leaving but we understood and the author helped us feel at peace with it.
The underlying message of learning to love yourself was prominent and done to perfection, this book would be a great story for children and teens, if it was edited to be more appropriate as it is a great mix of being magical and intriguing whilst also discussing important life lessons important to a younger audience.

My main issue with this book was the lack of action which would have been substituted well by the journey however she only travels to one new location and stays there for the majority of the book which felt like a let down to the journey I was expecting.
This book is compared to the night circus and I completely agree, both books tell a magical story of people's lives whilst being on a personal journey and both books, in my opinion lack the plot depth I desperately wanted but for some people, it is perfect for them.
If you are into fairytales like me but don't mind a lack of action, then this is a great book for you. The author did a great job of creating a beautiful tale.

Feathertide is a beautifully woven tale about acceptance and discovering who you are. Set in a magical world, the story follows Marea, a girl born with feathers that after spending years hidden from prying eyes, leaves her home in search of the father she never met.

Storytelling: Feathertide is a really sweet coming-of-age story with speckles of magic. As a matter of fact, there is only one word to describe Feathertide: whimsical! The narrative is whimsical. The settings are whimsical. The characters are whimsical. The cover is beautifully-whimsical! 😍 This book gave me a lot of fairy-tale vibes - a magical world with floating cities, a girl with feathers hidden in her ivory room by her mother, a prophetess with a heart of gold, alluring mermaids, etc.

As I wrote in this short review, there was something about Feathertide that didn't let me fall completely in love with the story. I thought a lot about it and perhaps it was the slow moments in the narrative (there were many descriptive moments, with all these fairy-tale and flowery details that were very well-written, but slowed the pace of the story) or maybe it was the comparison with The Bear and the Nightingale, which I did not think Feathertide that was evocative of.

Characters: So much character development! Marea goes through such an amazing transformation. As I mentioned above, she spent most of her life hidden in a room in a brothel, where she and her feathers were kept a secret. Why? Her mother wished to protect her from the outside world that would see her difference as something awful. Of course, this didn't stop Marea from thinking about her heritage and wishing to leave her nest in search of her father. It actually enhanced her dreams and when the time came, Marea was brave enough to her first steps into the "real" world and leave everything she knew behind.

After arriving at the City of Murmurs, Marea begins a journey of accepting who she is (of accepting her feathery body). She learns that the matters of the heart that aren't always certain (you will have to read the book by yourself if you wish to know to whom does she give her heart). This journey allows her to learn who she is outside her childhood bedroom and what are her wishes for the future.

World Building: Everything about the world building is ethereal. The City of Murmurs was simply enchanting. With its whimsical streets, canals and buildings (this is the word that describes perfectly this book), the City of Murmurs reminded me so much of Venice. This is a city used to the unusual and welcomes mermaids and birdmen and everyone with "peculiarities" in the eyes of many. I must confess that I would to love to visit such a magical place.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader however this story intrigued me. I absolutely loved it, truly one of the best books I have read. I am extremely pleased and grateful to both for opening up my mind to something totally different.

With thanks to Netgalley and random house for allowing me to review this book

I really wanted to enjoy this book but it just didn't hold my attention and I found myself plodding through the book.

Where do I begin with Feathertide? It's beauty layered upon beauty and more beauty. And what is beauty? I'd like to think that beauty is what Donna Tartt writes in The Secret History, that "beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it". I wouldn't say that the beauty in Feathertide is entirely terrifying, for the book is made up of many forms of beauty. There is terror, thrill, and excitement, but there is also kindness, love, and acceptance.

Set in a city of dreams and wishes, Feathertide explores love, loss and discovery. I was enchanted by the storytelling, the unraveling of the city's streets and many wonders. The writing, though laden with similes which can be off-putting at first, was captivating and suited the tone of the story very much, adding a hint of fairy tale and magic to it. I enjoyed the simple story of Maréa, a girl born with feathers, whose main goal is to find her father. Throughout the book, Maréa struggles with accepting her feathers and their beauty. She has lived her life concealing her feathers, convinced that they are ugly after witnessing a display of freaks and oddities that she would rather be safe than sorry. It's beautiful to see her come to accept herself throughout the story by taking small but realistic steps.

The wildness we get to experience with the unpredictable character Elver is beautiful. Being unpredictable can easily be interpreted as being dangerous. In this book we're shown that yes, unpredictability can be dangerous, but not in the way we expect. Hearts may be broken, but it's not without warning and without advice. Maybe the thrill and excitement that can cause us heartbreak is still beautiful and is still worth experiencing after all.

Characters in this book don't have a specific "side" they're on. There is no specific good or evil. Instead, we are shown people with various natures. We can seemingly enslave a bird in a cage, but this bird could very well be our only companion. The characters have their own wants and needs, their own strengths and weaknesses, their own joys and sorrows that lured me deeper into the fairy tale it tells.

One character I wasn't too fond of was Leo. His relationship with Maréa progressed quickly, and I couldn't help thinking he just loved Maréa based solely on the fact that she has feathers and is part-bird, which comes off as not right somehow. Still, I loved the ending, which showed me that Maréa and Leo's relationship is still a "in progress" thing where they will no doubt have to learn and grow together, which is beautiful. The epilogue had me wanting more but thinking that it was the perfect ending to the book at the same time.

The best part of this book is after reading it is that I want to dream louder and to love boldly. I want to live and to listen to my heart while I'm at it. I want to be brave and I want to be true. This book dares me to be all these things I want to be, and I have to respect and love it for that.

This review might contain spoilers!

The story starts with our protagonist being born. She was born to a whore [sic] in a whorehouse [sic] and was raised in secret so as not to scare the customers away. Although Marea is the daughter of a prostitute she gets a proper education, which eventually leads her to leave her home seeking adventure.

I really liked the world in which this is set, although I would have liked to see a bit more backstory about the City of Murmurs and the magic system(s) of The Scatterings.

Unfortunately a few things bugged me. First of all, why all the similes? They were good, individually, the writing was good, but there were just so many similes that it bogged down the writing. Then, why was Marea's name not used more often? It was mentioned at the beginning and then it appears again in the second half of the book. Why can birds talk in the human tongue? I'd have understood humans "speaking" the language of birds, but the other way round felt wrong. The romance felt rushed.

All in all, a good debut novel, but nothing outstanding - except for the cover, the cover drew me in.

This was a lyrical piece of fairytale-like prose, however I found it rather longwinded with an overwhelming use of similes and descriptions, The story in itself is unique and lovely, a girl born with feathery wings goes on an adventure to find her father - it is more of a coming-of-age novel than anything else.
The author obviously has a great talent for creating vivid images. Some quotes I adored, “Her words came from a thorny place, of brambles and stinging nettles. It was as though she had dipped the tip of her tongue in a salt pot and then licked the wounds of my innocence” (Feathertide, Beth Cartwright)
“Inklings of winter crept closer on silent feet. First came the unmistakable crisp bite of autumn, when I would wake to find my window sparkled with frost. It left behind its strange handprints on the glass. Its icy breath decorated my window with its swirling patterns and coded messages” (Feathertide, Beth Cartwright).
Such descriptions do grow tiresome when they fail to move the plot along, but they are very pretty.
If you enjoy books such as ‘The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender ‘ and possibly even ‘Frankenstein’, this could be the novel for you!
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for sending me the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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A magical coming of age story, Feathertide by Beth Cartwright is the beautifully told story of Marea, a young girl born with a secret. Living a hidden life because of the feathers that partially cover her body , she grows up in the cellar of the brothel , only allowed out one day a year,as a birthday treat. Her mother enlists the help of a professor to educate her, and his stories of distant lands spark her imagination and fire her desire to seek out her father, a man whose name she does not even know. On her eighteenth birthday she sets off on a quest to the City of Murmurs , the place where her parents met, determined to learn more about her heritage. The city is just as magical as she ever imagined, and soon she makes some new and unusual friends, including a soothsayer, a former mermaid and a man who studied the mysterious island of bird people that her father came from, and as she continues her search for her father, she learns more about herself and those who care for her.
I rarely enjoy books written in the first person as much as I did this one, and I think having the narrator be a child that grows up with the reader as the book progresses works exceptionally well.. The characters are all well drawn, and it made a pleasant change to read a fantasy book without a villain, instead the focus is solely on Marea and her quest. There is a love triangle within the book, but it is so well handled that I did not know which of her loves I wanted Marea to end up with, both offered different attributes that made them a good potential match. The world building is excellent, and the descriptive writing so vivid that I felt I could really see the the City in my imagination. While some might consider the story a little on the simple side, I say a simple story so well told is a beautiful thing, and though I rarely re- read books these days, I could absolutely see myself revisiting this one.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I fell in love with this book from first sight. The cover is lovely and caught my eye immediately, and I am delighted that I was able to get the e-arc. The writing blew me away from the start, it is beautifully evocative and carried me along from start to finish. I found the world quirky and magical, and the entire book is discovery both for the main character Marea but also for the reader, and I felt very much as though I was coming of age with the character.

"He brings me such happiness, but love after loss is always a little bit more fragile-like a bird with a broken wing trying to fly again. There should be a word for that kind of love"

I received an online copy from Netgally, thank you.
The cover of this novel caught my eye, and I'm so glad it did.

This story is about a girl who has feathers, but has always been hidden from the world because she is too beautiful.
As she grows, she starts to question the world she lives in and wants answers.

This is a beautiful and very magical journey we are invited to join. The imagery is so magical. The writing is very descriptive, and really brings the story to life. It was just so pleasurable to read.

The characters were interesting and some mysterious, which kept me reading. For me, there was no dullness to be part of this story. I just don't think my review can do it justice. Just read it.