Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The Forever Sea was one of my most-anticipated releases for the year 2021 - Billed as an "Environmental Fantasy" - this is the debut of Joshua Phillip Johnson and came out in the last week of Jan.
A sea of grass that runs for ever, ships running on a magical hearthfire, tended to by the magically-abled 'keepers', a mythical land called the "Once-City" with that retains the secrets from the old ages, monsters galore - and pirates on the sea of grass. It is a blockbuster mix of heretic ideas, blended in with lyrical almost poetic language and a narrative that promises adventure, mystique and a lot of fun.

This should have been a book I loved to bits and gone to town about. Alas, it was not to be. I am kind of disappointed with how it finally panned out, maybe because my expectations were stratospheric to begin with. It's not a bad book at all but despite a strong beginning, one of the most gorgeously detailed world building and innovative magical systems that I have had the pleasure of reading in recent times, The Forever Sea sadly, turned out to be not my kind of book.

The story starts not from our protagonist Kindred's point of view, but that of a mysterious story-teller who has just arrived back at a settlement in an unknown time-frame, where people huddle together in broken down hovels and are at the mercy of nature - and mythical monsters in the dark. It is the storyteller who begins the tale of the girl who dared to defy the rules - and go on a quest set upon her by her mad rebellious grandmother.

So Kindred, as we are introduced to her, is just coming off a two-year duty aboard this new ship Errant, having survived a pirate chase and having successfully saved all their lives with her unconventional approach towards magic and tending to the 'hearth-fire' that powers the ships. But back on Arcadia, the island that is just beginning to deal with a lot of problems like insider-politicking, lack of water etc, she gets the news that her grandmother - one of the most famous captains on Arcadia - has just disappeared into the 'grass' below.

But Marchess, her grandmother was always different and she leaves her grand-daughter a mysterious note that clearly implores the young girl to find her way ( back to Marchess, now lost somewhere beneath the grass) because that is the only way to get back to living in harmony with nature and perhaps, save all from an impending doom. How Kindred goes on this quest to be re-united with her grandmother and get answers to the questions exploding in her curious mind, forms the majority of the narrative.

First the positives - This is an exceptionally well-crafted world that Joshua throws us into. Despite throwing us right into the thick of things, Joshua expertly and organically builds out this wonderful world borne on this forever sea all around us letting us soak in to it. The Sea of Grass, the various people, the culture, the amazing magical system, the trades, all of it is very well detailed and immersive. The majority of the writing focuses on Kindred and her relationship with 'fire' because of her magical ability to converse, connect and control fire that powers the ships. There are these fabulous scenes featuring pirate fights where Kindred has this unique responsibility to set the 'beat' of the fight just as she controls the heartbeat of the ship out in the wilderness.

But peeling back layers beyond the world-building or the magic and stepping away from the wonderful quality of Joshua's writing, it all starts to feel a bit too over-done. The details get a bit overwhelming as we focus on Kindred's struggle with the fire or her quest that starts to unravel mid-away and slow down. Kindred's characterization as well, isn't quite the easiest to bond with. I didn't really find much to like about the young resolute girl, apart from her fascination and bond with the fire. The rest of the characters, like her captain or the rebellious grandmother or the stand-in captain Little Wing etc, get too little time on the pages for us to even get a sense beyond this thin facade that Joshua paints. I felt there was a lot of fluff in the story itself, bogged down frequently in its pacing and inconsistent narrative structure that didn't let me get a rhythm for the reading. The dialogues were too sparse - and a lot of it, just repeated over. But if you get over that plodding style of detail-dumping about the exotic plant life on this fascinating world and can get behind this unpredictable protagonist, then there is something in here that you may like.

The author certainly tackles a bold new topic on the conservation of nature and our environment, painting out a grim picture of this cost of negligence towards mother nature. Also freely subverting the tropes of "Men at Sea" - by making pretty much all the sea-faring sailors to be women here, who are Kindred's compatriots.

It's definitely a worthy addition to the evolving "hope-punk" sub-genre and certainly Joshua Phillips Johnson might just be the flag-bearer of this. I unfortunately was put off by the pacing and the over-indulgence on the details of this brilliant new world. But am sure, there will be takers for this kind of book, among the genre-lovers.

I got an ARC of "The forever sea" on Netgalley, for an honest review.

I requested this book cause of recommendation. But I must say it was a struggle to get through, and just ain't for me. But it's still a good book, it just didn't catch my attention, and made want to know more.

The story it self is interesting where you got a sea of grass and you travel on.

The Forever Sea is the start of something special. A new wave of environmental fantasy that I think is a unique start. It explores the fragility of human nature, but it also isn’t afraid to show the impact that humanity has wrought on mother nature. The real characters of this book are the ocean of grass itself, the beasts lurking in the depths of the underground seas, and the hidden mysteries that lie beneath. That said, I did find a few flaws here and there. Some parts of the novel I believed could have been trimmed. More interactions between Seraph and Kindred would have been nice because that is where I think the strength of the novel shines, and I shall explain why. Kindred in many ways, is a free and volatile character that wants to achieve her Grandmother’s dreams. In a way, the relationship between her Grandmother and Kindred lies fundamentally at the core of this novel. There are subtle hints given which unlock further mysteries as you read onwards. You will soon start to see the strengths and the weakness of this narrative effect. I am not an expert, but let’s say for example, without giving too many spoilers away. Strength can be that as Kindred burns the hearth fires, bones of former dead captains that have sailed the sea, you might see a clue or a visual memory that relates to her Grandmother. Her Grandmother was a tough pirate.

But a weakness of that then draws on constantly reminding the reader of her Grandmother’s vision. That is something you’ll soon see, but it can get a bit repetitive. This is where I would have focused on what Kindred wants to achieve from doing what her Grandmother would have done, but in a much more different way. As a result, Kindred’s focus on her Grandmother’s legacy neglects another problem. When the novel goes from Kindred to other characters, as a result, the side-characters like Seraph, Captain Jane, Cantrev become more interesting. Kindred then, is focused on her Grandmother which detracts a little bit in my opinion. But this is typical of any fantasy novel at the start of a new series. I’ve read many, where sometimes main characters don’t need to be the main center of the action. Other side-characters drive the plot too. As this is a fantasy series, it takes time for characters to mature. However, I think a good focus in the next sequel would be to focus on what Kindred wants because as you’ll see many times in this novel, her end-game goal is shifting. Constantly wanting. She’s not always being satisfied with what she has in my opinion. Without discussing too much on the spoiler boundary, as she discovers clues within the rumored Once City, her viewpoint changes. Things get out of hand for all characters. Big battles occur between dreadnoughts and massive ships. Pirates plunder and steal. I feel the main story of this first novel focuses on a water war between two cultures. (And that’s the only way I can stop myself from spoiling too much). Moving onto the romance, I think it was well built, but it was rushed in my opinion. I am now finding myself of the opinion that romance in fantasy needs to stop happening so quickly. I need time to build myself with a character and feel they need to get together. Little Sarah and Kindred are a great couple together, but I would have wanted more emphasis which I think will be followed in the next sequel.


Another flaw I could see was, the worldbuilding is excellent. There is enough distinction between cities, factions, kingdoms, and cities. The story isn’t afraid to tell you where it’s going, it’s very clear. It uncovers hidden lore, and Arcadia reminds me of Orisinium and Glenumbra from when I played Elder Scrolls Online. Many locations of this game I played, had a direct resemblance to what was being described in the novel. The Once City reminded me of an advanced civilization mixed with some interesting content. To put it this way, it reminded me of Clockwork City and the Ancient Dwarver Ruins of Tamriel being mixed. That’s as much as you’re going to get. The politics are interesting in this novel, but there isn’t enough of it. And this is a fundamental problem Kindred will face.

I do not doubt that she wants to be free, I do not doubt that she wants to travel the world. But in that, politics will consume her quickly no matter where ever she goes, it is human nature. But you know, I am excited about the numerous worlds involved in this series. We could be going to exotic places. Heck, I would like to see a Mesoamerican world within this series. But we will see. The writing is superb, the side-characters are written to their exact purpose, and the novel’s lore and its unique ability to create a new system of magic are well thought out. In many ways, it resembles the Elder Scrolls Online for me, in scope and size. The dialogue and the narrative is well explained, and the story itself has a straight focus. I would want to see Kindred becoming and evolving more of her personality throughout the series, and I want to see what her goals are as opposed to following others. I think, in time she will. But she has much to learn. I liked Seraph. I also think I know who the storyteller is, but that’s me.


Overall, it’s this novel that you need to have on your bookshelf in 2021. Fantastic work. I can’t wait to read the second sequel!

I have submitted my Amazon and Waterstones review as well.

Completely my own fault but I got behind on my netgalley reviews. I went to go read this one and for some reason it wouldn't open on my kindle. I then realised it had been archived and now have no way of reading this until I can get around to purchasing a copy!

Sorry!! I really wanted to read this one as well!

First off, this was an exciting world. All female trader/harvester crews roam the Forever Sea, an ocean of tamed and feral grasses that both remain somewhat wild. They are filled with strange plants and beasts that can be essential for human survival on the Mainland and the island of Arcadia, but harvesting these can come at a deadly cost. Not just of the creatures that live in the Forever Sea, or the pirates that roam it, but also the call to take the green dive to a sea-bed that no one has ever found. And in a world with all grass and little water, the latter becomes a commodity to fight for.

And how do ships sail on the Forever Sea? Why, with hearthfires. There's a slightly inexplicable magic system in this world that means that some mages can use plants and herbs to cast spells - both defensive and attack - and other people can harness the power of the hearthfires. It seems to be a fire with a spirit and a language of its own, that only a few can speak or understand, and most people will use it like tool, creating constructs out of captains' bones and hammering it to their will.

Except for Kindred. She's the granddaughter of a ship captain who, early on, appears to have committed suicide by walking away into the Forever Sea. But a final letter to her granddaughter reveals that she was following a different calling, one that begins to ignite Kindred's own hidden desire to find out what lies below the grasses.

This is what makes things a bit challenging to read though - Kindred is Special (although doesn't know it yet). It means she has an instinct for how the hearthfires should burn, and listens to them in a way that no one else does. (And this is repeated over, and over, and over again). Her grandmother's words echoing in her head, she also makes decisions that not only endanger the crew of her ship, but makes her directly responsible for their deaths - something that barely seems to register with her as she is so focused on her new path.

This alone makes Kindred a difficult character for me to love. But it's also that she seems to be one of the only people who is thinking this way in this world that frustrates me. She has the feel of a YA heroine who becomes the Special One and is the only one who realises that maybe there could be a rebellion...

The narrative is also interrupted by a storyteller, who is telling Kindred's story from a future where people no longer sea the sun and where they can no longer remember their own history. It seems like Name of the Wind style cleverness and I'm not certain how much it adds to the story at the moment, other than pulling the reader out of the narrative.

My main criticism was the repetition. The writing is really good and really beautiful but that fades quickly when you read the same sentence or same turn of phrase over and over again. A couple of times is emphasis, more than that needs some further editing. It's very rich writing, but after a while rich can become sickly.

But I'm a little torn, because this was a good story. And a fantastic, imaginative and creative world. Kindred's shipmates weren't always fully-rounded characters but they were a delightful cast of interesting, powerful women. When we finally made it to the Once-City, I loved the feel of the place, although it felt as though there was still so much more to do there.

And I think that's the main thing I've come away with from this book - there is still so much more to this world, and to this story, that I really want to find out what happens next.

My proper rating is 3.5 stars - because I did really like the story, but it wasn't always easy to enjoy as much as I wanted to. And for that, I've rounded it down to 3.

Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book starts with a mysterious traveller who arrives in a strange village. Everyone in the village is so happy for his arrival and the story that he will tell them. He tells the story of Kindred, hearthfire keeper and sailor aboard The Errant, sailing on The Forever Sea - miles high expanse of of prairie grass.

From the start I can say the world building is incredible. The imagination... the descriptions are incredible, every detail is taken into consideration, everything fits together so well. I just want to read more about this world. I am fascinated by it, I even dreamt about it. I will think about it for a long time... and I will definitely read the next book.

The characters are interesting and well developed. A little bit of repetition when it came to Kindred, but they did not bother me much. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the crew members, the family aspects are great as well. I am curious how they will evolve in the next volume.

The plot was the only bit predictable for me. I knew the direction the book will take very soon in story. The only surprises I had very coming from the magical aspects and the world building. But I still enjoyed every aspect of it.

All in all, I highly recommend this book and I hope we won't have to wait much for the second installment.

There is no other way to start this review off than with that stunning cover. It’s absolutely beautiful, and from the moment I say it, I knew that I wanted to read this book. I love ships, the colours had me…and it was a ship on a sea of grass…what more do I need to say?

Even more importantly the book is just as beautiful inside, both in terms of the worldbuilding and the writing.

The worldbuilding is my favourite part of the book, and this has to be one of the most beautifully crafted and imagined worlds I’ve read. From the cover image of a ship sailing on grass, we know that this a different world, and Johnson takes you and launches into this strange new world. A world of limited water, with an endless grass sea, where ships are powered by magical hearthfires and fed by bones. What I loved was how the world wasn’t just a beautiful backdrop, but an intrinsic part of the fantasy because everything in this world was interwoven, and I enjoyed seeing how the people of the world had adapted to this environment – from what they ate, materials used, and how they lived their life. In a world where we are used to living and working against the environment often, this was refreshing to see.

It also fed very much into the fact there was a strong environmental message throughout the book, another reason why The Forever Sea appealed to me from the beginning. The exploration of environmental degradation through The Forever sea, with over-harvesting and forcing people to travel further and further in search of materials, perpetuating the issue, and the ongoing water scarcity is both painfully real, and important to discuss, and the strangeness of this world doesn’t take away from that. I would like to have seen more of the issues that stemmed from this, such as the conflict over water and the different sides, as it felt that particular aspect was lost a little beneath Kindred’s story – but this is the first book in the series, and it doesn’t detract from the message being given here. What, I also enjoyed was that while the message was clear, it didn’t fall into the trap of being preached to us, because it was such an intrinsic part of the world and story, and I found it more powerful because of that.

In terms of ‘magic’, I am both intrigued and left wanting more. The hearthfires that power the ships across the Forever Sea, use bones as fuel, but I feel as though there is a lot we don’t know about that process, especially when it comes to the harvesting of the bones. However, I loved the idea that while these fires could be tended by anyone, they sang for those who could hear them, and while it wasn’t necessarily the most overt magic system, there was something beautiful about that imagery and I look forward to learning more in future books.

I will say that for me the worldbuilding completely stole the show, as I loved it and was immediately drawn into the world, and I loved the allusion to parts of the world we hadn’t yet seen, and the use of myths and legends, and storytelling to add breadth and depth to the world. I particularly enjoyed how that aspect was used to frame the story, with the arrival of the storyteller at the beginning, and I knew from that moment that I was going to enjoy this book… just not how much.

The characters are well-written, and while it took me a little while to take to Kindred, she was a fantastic character if a little too reckless and headstrong at times. Yet, we could understand her motivations, and see what drove her, which made it easier to emphasize with her as we went on, and she is the kind of character that creeps into your heart and you find yourself liking her before you realise what is happening. The crew of her ship were a fascinating bunch, each of the well-realised from Sarah, to Little Wing and the Captain, and there is a sense of growth and change throughout the book, as well as tension, and they each breathed something new into the story. I also enjoyed the developing relationship between Sarah and Kindred, although there were a few places where it felt a little too rushed, but that I think is more down to personal preference than anything else.

As I mentioned above, I loved the writing, Johnson’s prose was beautiful, and a perfect match for the world and story that he was weaving. However, there were a few places here and there where the writing was perhaps a little weaker than the rest of the book, there were a few bits that felt a little repetitive, and the pacing occasionally was a little off – torn between the fast-paced events, and slower internal reflection that wasn’t as balanced as they could have been. That said, I could have quite happily stayed in this world and kept reading for a lot longer, and in a book that has offered such a wonderful cast of characters, a world that is unique and took my breath away with its creativity and has pirates… it is little more than a minor grumble.

This is a very strong debut and the first book in a series that set out to do something different and has more than done so, creating one of the most unique, imaginative worlds I have had the pleasure of diving into. I would highly recommend The Forever Sea, and I can’t wait to see where Kindred and the author take us next.

Fantasy can often be surprisingly a little too familiar – kingdom, armies, battles, and some sort of monsters. Considering the volume of books now produced each year it is heard sometimes not to slot books into our sub-genre categories very quickly – ah here is a grimdark, that is steampunk, put that RPGlit over there etc. Books that make you turn your head and also give you a new sense of wonder are rarer these days. When I read The Forever Sea by Joshua Phillip Johnson, I found a premise so unusual it pulled me into a tale that was often surprising and inventive add in some truly beautiful writing this was indeed a remarkable start to a new fantasy series

The Forever Sea is an endless five-mile-deep sea of plants and trees inhabited by mysterious massive Wyrms and many other creatures that do not like intruders. No one has visited the bottom of it. Humans have instead created on the sea their towns and cities and to cross between them ships that sail across the top avoiding thistle reefs and areas of Roughs. Water is scarce so dew is sought, and farming is done by taming the tops of the Sea itself. As there are ships there must also be pirates and the trader ships The Errant we first meet fleeing an attack lands in Harbour in desperate need of supplies. Here we then follow the young Apprentice Keeper Kindred on a mission to buy water. This simple task though attracts the city’s scheming politicians and black market setting in motion a trek across the wildest parts of the Forever Sea and uncovering some long-hidden secrets about the world itself.

Yep…exactly… ships that sail on a sea of grass! By changing that one element Johnson really makes a bold choice that immediately changes how the rest of the world operates. A vibrant world where water is scarce; farming is the equivalent of fishing and sea monsters are more like what you may find I the garden but at a gigantic scale. What makes the book work so well is you can feel the thought into the world. Jackson chooses to throw the reader into the literal deep end, and you have to work out the differences and similarities with the world we are more familiar with. Then just to prove you can do more than one impossible thing in a novel they introduce a magic system that initially helps the ships move and more all based around burning of sea captains’ bones and song. It is half magic system and half something the people of this land still don’t fully understand. In fact, it is clear there is much that people don’t understand about this world and only a few are trying to find out what secrets the Sea has. I liked its unpredictability and a sense that this world has much more magic lurking and starting to pay more attention to what those on the top of the sea are doing.

This brings us to Kindred the heroine of the tale. Brought up by a well respected yet eccentric Captain she has decided to make a path of her own and is yet to find a place for herself. On The Errant she is both admired for her eccentric yet sometimes successful ideas and also scorned for not following the traditional path for Keepers. Preying on Kindred’s mind is the Sea and it’s depths. This makes her ambitious but also reckless and while fundamentally good she isn’t above taking advantage of a situation. I like that like the reader Kindred is still discovering this world and she is sympathetic. I loved her developing relationship with Sarah the Errant’s lookout based in the crow’s nest while in opposition we get their Captain’s ambitious yet strait-laced Quarter-master Little Wing who wants to get back to port to start their own crew. She find’s Kindred fixation on the Sea an obstacle to her own ambitions and their growing battle of wills adds a lot of tension to the book.

There is one issue I have with the book and that the pace tends to make this a little breathless and constantly setting up the next scene. Something will be heavily mentioned that you know will have a big impact on the next set piece. There is a lot going on in this novel and there is an unusual framing device where we know something bad will happen to the sea and the people who lived on it. As such I do think there are times the story needed to let us breathe more – show us how life in this world work when we are not constantly battling for survival. This would possibly allow Kindred to show hat they are more than such a magical problem solver. But this was more a small niggle in a series that offers pirate battles, puzzling tests and some memorial moment of pure magic.

That inventive streak is the standout feature of this tale and Johnson’s prose makes it come to life. It has moments of beauty, excitement and most of all wonder. For fantasy fans looking for something different then this is a series that shows a lot of potential to be something truly unique. One to watch out for.

3.5 stars, rounded up to four.

Pirates, female captains, a ship run by an all female crew, magical elements, a mysterious and severe death, all of this being a narrative by someone whose true identity and motif remain a mystery for now?
This book was up in my top grades from the beginning! I love reading sea-faring novels and the hearthfire (basically the thing that kept the ship running) was something entire new for me and I was amazed by its concept.
I also love that the romance was not only sapphic but also very subtly woven into subplot instead of becoming the main part of the novel once it was being explored.
In short, I was so close to give this book five stars. I still love it very much and I am excited for the second one - but once they had reached the pirate city (and some of my favourite characters had died), I got the feeling that the book was staggering. I was eager to find out more about the Fire and the world below the surface, so the pirate city part was of no interest to me. I am still excited about the next book and will definitely read it as soon as I get the chance!

I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A massive thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for this review copy!

Firstly, I need to make you aware of how amazing the world building in this story is. It is all so detailed! I love the magic system and the general plot line.

I liked Kindred. She is such an interesting character, and her magical abilities were so different to what I’ve read before.

This book is clearly about climate change and the way resources are used or wasted. It certainly makes you think about nature and your place within it.

Also. Pirates!!! (Need I say more?)

Overall, this was an interesting and thought-provoking read, and I’m highly anticipating the next book in the series.

There are certain things that you come to expect from fantasy stories after you've read a few of them, tropes that not only become synonymous with the genre, but are something of a comfort, stuff that makes you feel at home when you read it. Even when books don't include all of these there are usually some, and as such it feels like a really rare thing to come across a story that feels so fresh and original that it throws these tropes out of the window and creates something completely new. This is what The Forever Sea does, and it's absolutely stunning because of it.

The story follows Kindred, a young woman who works on board a ship that travels across the Forever Sea. It's her job to keep the magical fire on board the ship going, a fire with strange, multicoloured flames that uses enchanted bones to move the ship. This is already different and strange enough, but then you learn about the Forever Sea itself, and it's a thing of wonder. Instead of a regular, water filled sea, its made of grass. Grass and flowering plants make up this massive sea that stretches on seemingly forever, a sea that's so deep that no one has ever seen the bottom. The ships that sail this sea use their magical fires to not just move across this sea, but to stay afloat, rather than sinking into the monster filled depths below.

This set up is one of the most unique I've read, and the Forever Sea itself makes for an amazing and wondrous location, with the scenes where our characters are traversing its infinite expanse some of the most compelling and engaging scenes I've read in a long time. However, unfortunately for Kindred and her crew they can't just keep sailing the sea, gathering the unique plants to sell in town. When a local official sets into motion events that result in Kindred and her crew being wanted people. Forced to flee into the Forever Sea, they set out to find the mysterious Once-City, a giant floating city out in the wild 'Roughs' of the sea, home to pirates and magics.

There's a good portion of the book given over to this part of the story, where Kindred and her crew are forced to flee for their lives, and it 's full of a sense of wonder and excitement as they have to avoid the ships chasing them, dodge vicious pirate vessels, and even contend with the creatures that make the grasses of the Forever Sea their home. But it's not all the book gives us, there's a huge sense of mystery to the book, one that begins with the loss of Kindred's grandmother, who stepped out into the Forever Sea and vanished, that accompanies the reader right up to the final pages. It's a journey of faith, one where Kindred has to learn to follow her heart, to trust her instincts, and discover her place in the world.

There's so much about this book that I want to talk about, about the amazing world building, the moments of beauty and wonder, as well as the moments of horror, about the amazing journeys the characters go through, about their entire views on the world changing; but I can't, not without spoiling big portions of the story. I'm not going to do that, because I feel like I've already said too much about the book already, and this is very much a book where the journey through reading it, the things that the reader gets to see and discover along the way, makes up an important part of the experience.

What I will say is this, the book has a lot of excitement in it, lots of action and adventure, but it also has slower moments, times where its characters are allowed to take a breather and given the room they need to grow and expand. No one is the same come the end of the book as they were when it started, the Forever Sea changes them, and I think it weirdly has a strange effect on the reader too. It gives you a sense of wonder and amazement unique to itself, and lets the beauty and strangeness of its setting really get under your skin. Despite being nearly 500 pages long by the time it ended I wanted to stay in that world, I wanted to learn more about the mysteries it held, and to see what happens next to the characters; luckily this is the first in a series, but the wait for the next books is going to be one that really tests my patience.

Can you give me half an hour while I rave about the imagination behind "The Forever Sea"? Please?! I was convinced "Joshua Phillip Johnson" was the pen name for a writing duo (minimum - it wouldn't have surprised me to find there was a whole collective of minds behind this book). The characters and world-building can't be faulted. It is an incredibly rich and vivid tale that was so easy to sink into (pardon the pun), and I can't wait for more.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

The Forever Sea is set in a world in which the ocean is not a great expanse of water but rather an endless carpet of grassland, prairie, and forest that stretches out over the horizon and down into the depths. The ships that sail over this grassy sea are held up by magical hearthfires, controlled and guided by those who can sing to the fire to affect the ship’s speed, direction, and ability to stay aloft. Kindred, our main character, is one of those people, a hearthfire keeper, and she is one of only two who can actually hear the fire’s music and understands the flame’s words. She is our bridge into this magnificently strange world, since she has enough knowledge to be a good guide, but is young enough that she is also learning alongside the reader.

There are a lot of plots twisting through the book, the main one being that Kindred’s grandmother, the famous Marchess, has walked off of her ship and into the sea, from which no one ever returns. This sparks in Kindred a desire to understand why, and she gives in little by little into the call of the prairie sea, trying to find a way to reach the bottom without dying, in the hopes of finding the Marchess and discovering what lies beneath the surface. There are a lot of other factors pushing the story forward, and Johnson has done a really good job balancing everything together so that it is all connected and all important enough that the reader wants to follow every path to its completion.

The world is really well built, and there are a lot of allusions to other places that we don’t explore in the narrative, and mentions of legends and stories that have influenced this society; myths of what lies beneath the prairie grasses, of those who have gone beyond the horizon and found a land of magic, of the mysterious Once-City, home to the pirates that terrorise the seas. The story is also framed in a way I really like, by having someone called ‘the storyteller’ travelling in a dark and dangerous land, eventually coming across a camp full of people trying to survive their harsh surroundings, and they are the ones listening to Kindred’s story alongside us, the readers. I won’t say too much about this setting, because it is slowly revealed over the course of the novel between breaks in the storyteller’s tale, and presents its own intriguing plot that I’m hoping will continue in the next book.

My only criticism of The Forever Sea is that sometimes there was a little too much inner monologuing by Kindred, and there were times when the story would have benefitted form moving faster instead of having the character stop and reflect in an aside while the action unfurls around her, but I think that’s an easy habit to get into, as a writer, because there is so much information you need to convey, and overall it wasn’t a terrible use of the technique. I just wanted a bit more action at times!

As I said at the start, this book has my whole-hearted recommendation, and I am eagerly awaiting the continuation of the story to find out where Kindred will end up.

THE FOREVER SEA is completely original and unique.

It takes all the elements you love from pirate stories and reworks it along with science-fiction and dystopian elements in a world built around environmental scarcity.

The world-building is top notch and incredibly creative.

Cities woven together from nature itself.

A sea of grasses that goes hides monsters in it’s depths.

Magical fires that drive the ships, powered by songs and the bones of dead Captains.

I had two (small) quibbles with THE FOREVER SEA. The pacing was a tad slow in places and I wasn’t a fan of the second POV as a framing device. Other than that, the book was really strong.

The cast of characters are good fun, led largely by various strong women. The romance was a minor element but handled nicely, with good chemistry between the characters. It’s a great coming-of-age story in a world with loads of potential to explore.

Clever, memorable and well-worth picking up.

This was such an exciting, unpredictable & entertaining adventure, & I wish I could dive straight back into it. I loved this world of grass oceans & fire fuelled ships, with pirates living in trees & trees stealing the living. I was so excited to start this book but it still completely blew me away & I just want to know more about this incredible universe that the author has created. I was never 100% sure where the plot would go, & my guess about where the rest of the series would go changed half a dozen times because the story just kept morphing into something different & surprising, but I loved every minute of it. I started this days before a university deadline, but had I been able to, I would’ve gone without sleep to finish this book in one sitting. Just brilliant. So, so brilliant.

⚠️ References to suicide (it does not happen in the story though), violence, ableism, burns, fires, surgical scenes, references to mental illness, battle scenes & death ⚠️