Wow, I really wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did but it really worked for me! I was immediately transported into this world; it's kind of a Little Red Riding Hood retelling but with pirates, which made for a really unique retelling that felt completely fresh and compelling. I loved Mersey and Golde - they both felt distinctive and fierce, and I loved their dynamic together, While the plot felt a tad predictable, particularly in terms of who the villain was, it was easy to read and I had a great time!

A Sea of Wolves was a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable journey across the sea with curses, murder, messed up families and a bit of magic.

Sarah Street knows how to write the type of book that utterly sweeps you off your feet and into its wild and whirling world. This is a page turner and a half. I was glued to the pages, needing to know how Mersey would be able to get through the next scenario. It is not a book that plays around as well – mired in blood and guts and gore. It is dark and unrelenting at times, with a sharp sense of stakes. Everything may come to ruin and you must know how it will all play out. In that sense, I really enjoyed the Red Riding Hood inspiration that ran throughout the book. This is nowhere near the story you know, but you may recognise a few motifs. It is cleverly done.

I have a real soft spot for stories about pirates and this had a great sense of found family amongst the crew, though it is also darker with the curse looming over them all. I was intrigued by the Pirate King and am glad to discover he has his own book, which I instantly reserved from my local library. The shining stars of this book for me though were Mersey and Golde. This was an exceptional enemies to lovers arc and I relished every second of it. You can tell it is doomed and yet Street infuses it with the cruellest of emotions, hope. It is just such a wonderful story to get lost in. They both have these uncaring exteriors, forged by trauma and bloodshed, as survival tactics but both are deeply caring people who love their family, chosen or born into. They would do anything for the people they love and therein lies the tragedy. Their opposing sides and the small matter of some magic give them overwhelming odds to face. You also have them trying to kill or harm one another for much of the book. Street builds their dynamic in a way that feels organic and that you completely root for.

A Sea of Wolves is a beautiful, bittersweet and bloody YA fantasy that I would highly recommend.

It was great to be back in the world of the Heartless King, this time 50 years before A Curse of Salt and discovering Golde’s story. There’s some familiar faces here but you could definitely read it as a standalone book. It’s jam packed full of pirates, betrayal and sword fighting to keep us on our toes. There are times when it pulls at the heartstrings, and times where it fires you up to be a fearless pirate, giving this story a fantastic combination of emotions to ride - along with a romance that can’t be called sweet as two strong and fiery women resist what may be a doomed love.

Mersey doesn’t have an easy time of things and I was channelling some rage and heartbreak for her. I didn’t fully connect to her or Golde as characters but I did admire her determination, resourcefulness and general penchant for being sneaky. It was a good read and it was interesting seeing more of Golde’s relationship with Aron and Sebastien here as well, but I did prefer A Curse of Salt overall.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

It took me a while to get into the story, and even then, I found myself losing interest. I think this was because I couldn't connect with the characters. Rather than making me feel what they felt, the narrative seemed to just show me their emotions. Despite this, it was an interesting read overall. The worldbuilding was well done, and the characters were intriguing, but it lacked an emotional depth.

The moment I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it one way or another. I love fairytale retellings. You barely can go wrong with a fairytale retelling. And I especially love the story of little red riding hood. Luckily Hachette's Children's Group granted my request for a review copy via Netgalley. I had actually planned to read the other book in this shared universe verse, but like so often a million other books begged to be read first. But, this week it was time to dive into this one.

I really can't explain why this book didn't work for me. I totally understand that it's a me issue and not a book issue. The book is very well written, the characters are layered, complicated and interesting. The romance is well done. The world building was exactly what the story needed, not too detailed and not too vague. There were a few nice plot twists, although naming a character Fern does make some things a little obvious. The writing also was nice and flowed perfectly well.

And yet, the book never really grabbed me. It was as if I could never really connect with the story, the world and the characters. I was reading their story and yet it never felt like I was part of their story. And although the author told me all about their emotions, feelings and inner monologues, I never really felt those emotions. It felt like there was a certain distance between me and this book. I know some people like that. I personally don't.

I also think it's a pity. Because the emotions, doubts and character growth are clearly the most important part of this story. Both point of view characters are clearly struggling with quite a lot of things and have a lot of choices to make. If I could have felt all those emotions, doubts and worries, maybe I would have shed a few tears by the end of the story. And I think that's my biggest issue with this book. It feels like I should have felt something while reading the ending and I actually didn't.

However, I will still give the other book in the universe a chance. I now know what to expect. Maybe that will help me to read it at the perfect time and moment!

I liked this story, but it was not one that kept my interest all the way along. This is possibly, because I have not read the first in the series, but the world felt incomplete and the characters a little flat.
However I would read the first book of the series and then re-read this again to see if my opinion changed as I enjoyed the pirates and some of the fantasy elements of the world.

Set in the same world as Sarah’s first book this book follows Mersey as she has to save her home!

It had enemies to lovers, pirates, romance , battles it had me hooked from the first page definitely recommend for anyone who like me is in their pirate era