"When are you going to start living as Lucky?"

I really enjoyed the premise and the characters of this story. I loved the contrast of having the characters facing challenges in relation to the hardships and traumas of past and present, with the connections that are available to form from the comfort and safety that spins alongside it between the two leads and the interactions from other characters. I enjoyed having the complex emotions, behaviours and motivations present in the story.

The only thing that holds me back, personally, from further enjoying the story is the disjointed feeling I get as the story progresses. I appreciated that this story doesn't have 'quick fixes' to the challenges faced. However, I felt that in parts this attempt to show the characters needing to constantly battle against evils becomes a switching back and forth without a smooth flow between all the plot points. I wanted it to be a bit smoother through sections rather than the feeling of jumping from action point to the next action point.

Overall, a magical adventure showcasing a queer cast of characters and highlighting a story of found family.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton for this eARC, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

As always, please check trigger warnings before reading!

I was so excited to read this one. I love cozy fantasy so much. This was cute and I loved the hea, but it often felt slow and dragged at points.

Look at me, trying once again for a cozy fantasy story with great romance and nautical themes that I can finally fall in love with!
Spoiler alert: I did not fall in love with it. And I so so wanted to. I've read Black's previous novel and did enjoy some aspects of it, so I held hope for the author to blow me away next time. Sadly, <i>Fated Winds and Promising Seas</i> does get the exact same rating of two stars.

Once again, there is so much potential here. A deeply traumatised protagonist with a mysterious tragic past who's been held in a prison for the last ten or so years because he might have killed his own mother? I'm listening, I'm intrigued. Our protagonist, Lucky, escaping the prison because a giant leviathan attacks it and inadvertendly forces him to deal with his agoraphobia all while he's getting picked up by a crew of seafarers that include a very pretty guy and his two moms, one of them the captain of the ship? GO ON, I'm seated! Multiple mysteries surrounding aggressive leviathans, a religious cult, a murder and the maybe fated relationship between Lucky and said pretty guy? ALRIGHT! All the good stuff is here, but the execution is just so very lacking.

The writing is alright, though Black relies very heavily on dialogue and tends to get repetitive with it. The plot is honestly a bit convoluted and fragmented, and that isn't helped by the very barebones world building. What is there, the idea of fate and promises and a religion based on interpreting threads to know the future, is interesting. It just wasn't coherently told in a way that engaged me, and I was honestly left a little confused here and there as to how certain things in this world are supposed to work.
But my main issue are, once again, the characters. I'm a character driven reader, but also a novel like this that is heavy on the romance and the found family trope just doesn't work if the charactersdon't work. For me, they don't. Lucky starts out incredibly interesting, but then Black decides to throw these interesting bits to the wayside. The way he deals with his trauma and his mental illness is incredibly superficial, and his personality changes rather abruptly in the second part of the novel after there's been a small time jump. The other characters do react to that so it's clearly an active choice, but it took away a lot from his development. His love interest, Gabe, goes from protector to protected very quickly too. I did feel for Gabe and his trauma but once again didn't feel like it was explored deeply enough. Their whole dynamic changes and it doesn't feel organic, earned. I actually like the idea in theory but I didn't think it was well executed here.
Their romance was pretty instalovey and I admit I'm not the biggest fan of the fated lovers trope, but my main gripe is simply that I didn't feel the chemistry. I might have preferred them as friends, even. I enjoyed the rest of the crew, but didn't really feel the Found Family vibes at all. At some point Lucky talks about how he's finally found a home with these people and once again, this was told to us instead of showing us how this relationship develops.

I'm clearly in the minority here so take my review with a grain of salt. Maybe it's just a case of a book not fitting this particular reader. For me, it was just a meh reading experience but it absolutely does have great ideas.

I was instantly drawn by the premise (and promised tropes) and luckily I was not disappointed by the execution!

Found family? Check.
Troubled main characters who support each other? Check.
Fierce and funny rival? Check.

Also, for what reads as a cozy fantasy, I was pleasantly surprised to find a well-developed, interesting magic system and great world-building! And also, despite just calling it cozy, this book deals with some dark themes, but I thought they were handled with care and hope, which I loved.

I do hope some scenes could have been condensed and others expanded, as there were some moments where I felt it was getting just a bit repetitive, and other moments could have benefited from some more in-depth exploring to pack a more emotional punch. I appreciate the journey both Lucky and Gabe go through and their character development.

All in all, a really enjoyable read, that kept me intrigued til the very satisfying end. 4.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Found family, amnesia trope, swashbuckling adventure, and two loveable MCs. What more could you ask for? OH! And sapphic pirate captains

The premise of this novel had me rushing headfirst in. I love a good cozy queer low stakes fantasy. This book certainly hits all of those marks. It was a quick read, our MCs were predictable and knowing there was a HEA made getting through the slow parts worth it. I wish some parts were condensed or cut out, as it felt very repetitive. But overall, it was a decent read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for approving my request to read an arc of this book.

After getting to read an arc of Til Death Do Us Bard, I was so excited to get the chance to read an arc of Fated Winds And Promising Seas. The two books are very different but they both have the same level of love interwoven throughout the story,
Lucky was such an amazing character and I loved that we got to understand and find out his history along with him. The plot kept me engaged and guessing what could possibly come next. It was a rollercoaster ride and I was here for it!
Setting this book mainly on the sea was very interesting and I loved getting to know the crew of The Dreamer. Especially Gabriel. I loved his passion for the Leviathan and how he wanted to educate others on their demeanour and species.
Fated soulmates was such a fun trope and it had me hooked. I loved learning more about their past and their plans for the future.
The plot was so unique. I’ve never read anything like it. There was so much world building but it never got overwhelming. I felt like it was all explained well and definitely given justice.
I couldn’t stop reading and I enjoyed it so much!

CW’s mentions of past child abuse, mentions of self harm, abuse, violence, gore and depictions of a Leviathan being killed.

Delightful page-turner of a book ! Somewhat darker than 'Til Death do us Bard' but still rather cosy and comforting. If the beginning of the book is rather on the quiet and tranquil side action-wise (once the character is out of prison), it then proceed to quicker rhythm, shifting between various kinds of actions.

The Dreamer's crew is the perfect image of the found family, supportive, protective, full of banter and love despite their differences and challenges. Gabriel relationship with his mothers and Lucky's relationship with Poe are very touching.

Lucky's character development is well thought, touching and sometimes maddening. He is lost, a bit broken, and his search for stability sometimes leads him toward dangerous waters. His relationship with Gabriel is tender and soft, but not without struggles as the story advances, as Fate and Promises work against or with them. Seeing Lucky learn more about himself, find the strength to trust other and the world is a beautiful adventure. I would have enjoyed to have Gabriel's POV from time to time, but I understand it wasn't absolutely necessary, that the story needed to be told from Lucky's sole POV.

I must say I sometimes felt that the story lacked a bit of transition as it shifted, but it didn't trouble my reading, I still wanted to read more, to keep going to the next chapter, to see where the story was going and what was going on. The worldbuilding is great, serving the story with just enough balance between mystery and knowledge to keep being intresting. The way the author played with Fate and Promises was refreshing, yet still easy to follow.

All in all, a great and fun read ! I encourage everyone seeking a sea faring adventure with love and sea creatures to read this !

Fated Winds and Promising Seas is that girl of a book If you know what I mean. Such a good read. Entertaining. Exciting. Immaculate characters. Fabulous experience reading it.