The Isles of the Gods is the first book in a new fantasy series by Amie Kaufman, and it’s a riveting adventure set high at sea in a world of spirit magic, slumbering gods and political plots. I’d read Kaufman’s sci-fi collaborations with Jay Kristoff, and this was the first time I’d read a novel by her as a sole and fantasy author.
The Isles of the Gods was a thrilling read – the stakes were high, and there were some shocking turns of events. The five main characters have a lot of depth, each with their own motivations, detailed background story, and some history between various characters. The narration starts out with each character’s individual POV, and it takes a good chunk of the narrative for threads to interweave and sides to be drawn.
On the one side, there are the sailor, the prince and the scholar. While Selly’s and Leander’s voices stand out more, Keegan offered balance to the trio. On the other side, there are the gangster and the bare-knuckle fighter. We get a good insight into Jude’s motivations, which make him a potentially redeemable villain. Laskia’s motivations take her into the darker spectrum of the morally grey, but her need for validation is relatable.

This was an adventurous and intense start to a new series, and I’ll certainly be here to find out how it continues!

This is the first in a series, so be aware of that if you are thinking of reading it. It also has a map! I love a book with a map, it makes it much easier to track what's going on.

This book follows five characters - some more than others - as their countries dance on the edge of war. It took me a while to sort out the characters, but that's quite common for me. It also features insta love! But it's the kind of insta love where they hate each other at first, and then the plot happens. This isn't a diss on the trope, by the way, I quite enjoyed it - there's something of the David Eddings about this book, which was great to read. (Classic Eddings, not the most recent stuff.)

I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next - and I'm making a preemptive plea for a recap in the next book! There's a lot going on here and it'll be tricky remembering it all.

Great fantasy read. Definitely give it a try.

Magic, romance, and slumbering gods clash in the start of a riveting fantasy series that spans gangsters’ dens, forgotten temples, and the high seas.

Such a gorgeous story that kept me captivated from beginning to end. Fantasy readers will love this fast-paced, gripping narrative full of heart and thrill with the most fabulous characters!

I absolutely devoured it!

4.85 dazzling stars

⚓️The Isles of the Gods⚓️

By Amie Kaufman @amiekaufmanauthor

Description:

Selly has salt water in her veins. So when her father leaves her high and dry in the port of Kirkpool, she has no intention of riding out the winter at home while he sails to adventure in the north seas. But any plans to follow him are dashed when a handsome stranger with tell-tale magician's marks on his arms commandeers her ship under cover of darkness: He is Prince Leander of Alinor, and he needs to cross the Crescent Sea without detection so he can complete a ritual on the sacred Isles of the Gods.

Selly has no desire to escort a spoiled prince anywhere, and no time for his entitled demands or his good looks. But what starts as a leisure cruise will lead to acts of treason and sheer terror on the high seas, bringing two countries to the brink of war, two strangers closer than they ever thought possible and two dangerous gods stirring from centuries of slumber...

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I loved the Illuminae Files and the Aurora Cycle, so when I heard about this one I was keen to read it.

I’m very glad I did! This is a brilliant seafaring adventure with solid world building and well-developed characters that are easy to root for - or against!

The story is fast paced and exciting, with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the overall premise and I thought it was well executed. The book ends with a big cliffhanger so I am very excited for the next one!

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Thanks to @netgalley and @rocktheboatnews for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. The Isles of the Gods is out now!

The story is complex keeps you engaged. The pacing is well-done, with a good balance of action, suspense, and character development.
The characters were definitely a highlight for me!

4/5 stars! I really loved this author's Illuminae Files so I was excited to read this book. This is more fantasy than science fiction compared to her other works and she still did a really great job. I enjoyed Selly as a character and she has some of the sass Kaufman's works are known for. I was left wanting more but am ready to see what the sequel has in store.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

I've not ready any book only written by Amie Kaufman before this book (only the Aurora Cycle with Jay Kristoff - which I loved). And I'm thoroughly impressed with this read!
The Isle of the Gods is a fantastic start to this series. The world building was great.
I loved the characters. And I've learnt I loved Amie Kaufman's writing style.
Whilst I look forward to the next instalment of this series, I will definitely be checking out Amie's other solo works.

A multi POV fantasy with high seas adventure following our five main characters - the spoiled prince, the ship hand, the scholar, the exiled lordling, and the gang leader's sister. Despite a lot of POVs I didn't find it overwhelming as they all come together to form part of two storylines and each character voice is distinct - the characterisation is truly excellent and I loved each and every one of the five MCs.
The plot revolves around slumbering gods and high seas adventure in this amazing tale of action, magic, betrayal, heartbreak, and romance.
In this fantasy world, there are different countries who each worship their own god but five hundred years ago all these gods left the world of humans and went to sleep. One god in particular was put to sleep, Macean god of risk, and he is only kept that way by the goddessof Alinor. However, she needs a "sacrifice" every twenty five years from the royal family of Alinor to give her power and help her keep Macean asleep, but Laskia decides to kill Prince Leander on his sea voyage to preform the sacrifice, hoping that by preventing the sacrifice Macaen will wake up and save her country. Adventure and romance ensues in a well paced and enthralling fantasy story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oneworld publications for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

An beautiful fantasy tale with fantastic world building and description that makes you feel like you're actually on a boat, this book was a delight to read. I loved the characters, the world, the themes. It was really good.

The themes of grief and personal growth were really interesting to read. The characters all had roles they had to grow into and bad habits they had to move on from. It gave it a coming of age style of narrative to the book, that really added a level of realism to the characters.

This book was seriously almost perfect. The only thing that gave me pause was the fact that both queer characters were on the villain side. There was a hint that a third character was asexual, which would add some balance to it, but I wasn't sure. I'm hoping that in the next book one of the characters will switch sides, but I'm not sure if he will or not. All the characters were well rounded and didn't seem like tokens at all, but I'd like to see at least one LGBTQ+ character on the side of our heroes.

Overall I enjoyed it and I'm really looking forward to the next book!

What would you risk to save the world?

Selly wants one thing, to prove herself to her father as a sailor, since she’s never been able to prove herself as a magician. She’s indescribably close to sneaking aboard a ship to him when her crew clandestinely leaves port in the middle of the night with a mysterious stranger aboard.
Soon Selly will discover their passenger is more than he appears, and a terrifying series of events will require them to work together in a way neither has had to before. The fate of their country, and the wider world, depends on them and their ability to keep the gods where they belong… asleep.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Isles of the Gods despite some dark and shocking turns of events. I like a book where it feels like there are real stakes, and Kaufman certainly delivered in that respect - nobody felt safe!

The characters were vivid and intriguing, all with their own relatable motivations, desires, and experiences. All developing and growing as the story progressed.

I found the plot fast paced and interesting. The idea of multiple gods who had once been part of the world before they faded away but are now re-emerging is one I’ve come across before, but I liked the twist of the sacrifices required to continue strengthening one god to guard another, and the way their power was shown to be strong and/or faded.

The multiple storylines began as distinct, but I loved the way they interwove as the story progressed, and I can’t wait to see where our POV characters go in the next book in the series.

Overall, The Isles of the Gods was a great fantasy read on the high seas, and I will definitely read the next book when it comes out.

What a fabulous new series from a superb Y/A writer. I was absolutely hooked by this story and can't wait for the next episode. This will appeal to anyone fascinated by ancient gods, whether Greek, Roman, Norse or otherwise. What brilliant world building an the characters draw you in to the action.

If you love a Ship on the Seas book, this one has everything you need. Following 5 POV's, this one really sucks you in. 3 POV's feel more like the MC's, with the other two being on the other side of everything. I adored Selly the most and she was who I felt most connected to. This is a very character-driven plot and I am all for it with these ones.

{AD|GIFTED} THE ISLES OF THE GODS was pure fun from start to finish. It's a perfect example of YA fantasy offering its readers a sense of escapism. The plot builds slowly but then the action becomes non-stop and the pace grips the reader and never relents. The race-against-time element keeps you turning the pages and it quickly became impossible to put down.

There are five POVS but sailor Selly stands out as the main character. She's capable, focused and ambitious but sometimes forgets to think about the bigger picture. Similarly, Prince Leander must come to terms with his past behaviour and his dereliction of duty. Add in the scholar Keegan and these three characters help each other grow as people and take up their space in the world. Their dynamic was perfect and I can't wait to see how they fare in the next book.

This book also has magic (with elemental spirits), plenty of scenes set on ships, romance, slumbering gods, and a brewing war. A fantastic YA fantasy that I'd definitely recommend.

The Isles of the Gods is a proper high-stakes sea adventure and I loved it! I really like books set at sea, I've totally fallen in love with the genre recently. The Isles of the Gods is the latest book that makes me want to set sail and have a grand adventure, although I'm certain I wouldn't survive this adventure in particular.

Selly, Leander and Keegan are a wonderful group of characters, they have a bit of a journey to trusting each other which makes the sense of found family so lovely. Their characters are all very different and each of them has their own goals and priorities, so it means a lot for them to cast everything aside and work together for the greater good.

Selly and Leander's romance is pretty subtle, it was a gentle growth and incredibly sweet. I really hope the next book explores that further because I just want them to be happy!

The lore is so rich and well thought out, the different gods, religions, and magic were explained right from the start so it all worked really well. What confused me was the mixture of modern-day and fantasy/historical world, the characters used boats with sails to travel around but there are also big steam-powered warships, cars and guns and when Selly gets dressed up she's put in a dress that sounds like it's from the 1920s. Personally, I would've preferred the world to just be an older fantasy world, the modern elements were jarring and didn't really add anything to the story. One character towards the end uses a gun where it could easily have been magic - especially as he's already proven himself to be a magician before that. The choice of a gun just seemed really out of place and even underpowered for the situation.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and characters and I definitely want to read the sequel to find out what happens next, that cliffhanger!

Wow, a lot really can happen in less than a week. This book is packed with action that never lets your heart rest. The mix of pirate style sailing, magic, gods, and political games makes for an amazing read. The world building here is great, and I really enjoyed the magic system with the spirits.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Amie Kaufman, and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book.

The book follows 5 POVs, 3 on one side of the brewing war, and 2 on the other. I must admit I felt more invested in the 3 than the others, most likely because that's where more of the action was. Selly and leander give you magic and romance while keegan gives you a scholar. It is a perfect combination for a high stakes adventure to uphold an obligation to sacrifice to a God.

Jude gives you an insight into what it's like to be on the other side while also presenting a "villain" we can sympathise with. He also gives the author the chance to build a character who has a connection to both sides and can compare the two later on.

I've gone with 4 stars because I really could have done without laskia's point of view. Given the ending, I'm sure it will come into play a bit more as the series goes on, but in this book, it just felt like an attempt to make us understand why she did these things. Sadly, for me, it just acted as an interruption to POVs I was enjoying.

Now that the world has been set up, the next book will hopefully be able to cover more time with less information needed to set the scene and explain what's happening. I look forward to reading the sequel.

If you want a book that really makes you feel the waves beneath your feet and the salt in your hair, Amie perfectly captures the life and essence of being at sea. Any time I picked this book up, I was transported to a place where the world sways beneath my feet, even though I know in reality that my feet are firmly planted on the ground. I could taste the salt of the sea on my lips and feel the breeze. It was very hard to put the book down and come back to reality.

The story is beyond words. I loved the constant tension of the chase across islands, and also between characters. I feel that the characters could have been explored more but I'm hoping all will be revealed in the next book. What was Keegan's story? What motivated Laskia to try define her place and make her willing to kill people? We are told a little bit about their background but not really any detail on the why.

I loved Leander's cheeky and charming personality. He was always the lighthearted mood lifter to a dark scene. The spirits are also something I would love to see more detail about! Maybe when Selly finally talks to them?

~thank you netgalley and one world publications
~4.75 ⭐️
~I loved the mythology and all of the world building in this book!! There is such an amazing world and absolutely brilliant characters. I loved how they develop and the relationships they form, it is some of the best I have ever read!! This book follows Selly as her goal to finally see her father again after a whole year apart collapses when her crew has to go on a mission across the sea to make a sacrifice to the gods and stop a war. This is a really solid fantasy book that I really enjoyed reading!! I would definitely recommend this book!!

Well written and a great concept, but this one simply didn't work for me. I found it hard to connect to any of the characters, and the POV switching only made that harder. The writing is gorgeous, however!

‘Selly has salt water in her veins. So when her father leaves her high and dry, she has no intention of riding out the winter at home. Prince Leander needs to cross the Crescent Sea to complete a ritual on the sacred Isles of the Gods. But what starts as a leisure cruise will lead to acts of treason and sheer terror on the high seas.’

I am a sucker for a pirate book, give me a story set on the open waves and I’m already invested. With rich world building prepare to get lost in this world of gods, mortals and pirates! Once the book gets going I found it a nice enjoyable read.

However, there are multiple POV (I think 5) which at times felt excessive but perhaps they will pay off in later books. It just slowed down the pacing a bit and you don’t get real depth of character from it.

I thought the magic system was really interesting and different, having to treat all the elements differently was a nice touch and now I wonder which element I would prefer to have…

All in all I thought it was a good read but absolutely YA (tropes and all) so as long as that is your bag you should like it! I just wanted it to maybe stray from those tropes a bit more, also less hand holding.

Thank you to Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for the advanced digital copy.

A good classic concept, sleeping gods awaken for a war. The vibes and general atmosphere for this plot fit really well, and the writing flows but it is a slow start. Once things gets going it gets really good, but it takes a little while of slow intro to get into gear. This is very character driven, and the characters themselves are very well written. I'm really excited to see what's next. Strong emotions and an excellent storyline really round this off