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hhuntington's review against another edition
3.0
Full Confession: I have not read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. However, I do like retellings of classic novels, which is what made me interested in Unearth the Tides. But I can't really comment on how it is as a retelling.
What I Liked:
-The romance thread between Huxley and Willa was cute. It was there just enough to satisfy romance fans, but subtle enough to not turn away those who dislike romance.
-Monty is a fantastic best friend side character.
-20,000 Leagues Under the Sea seems to be one of the "lesser" known classics (to me at least). So props to Zavalianos to giving a classic some time to shine.
What I Struggled With:
-The novel drops right into the action of things, which is great for getting the story going. However, because things started off with an action scene, it took me a little bit to get my bearing and feel settled in the story world.
-I personally would have liked more about life aboard the Nautilus. The concept of it is really neat and lends itself to some fun and unique things. But I felt like whenever those unique aspects of life on the ship popped up, they were only told in summary.
-There is a change with a certain character (redacted because of spoilers) that I think could have maybe been foreshadowed a little more? Maybe I just missed the foreshadowing, but the changes caught me a little off guard.
Cautions: brief, non-graphic violence; light romance
*I received an eARC from the author and was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.*
What I Liked:
-The romance thread between Huxley and Willa was cute. It was there just enough to satisfy romance fans, but subtle enough to not turn away those who dislike romance.
-Monty is a fantastic best friend side character.
-20,000 Leagues Under the Sea seems to be one of the "lesser" known classics (to me at least). So props to Zavalianos to giving a classic some time to shine.
What I Struggled With:
-The novel drops right into the action of things, which is great for getting the story going. However, because things started off with an action scene, it took me a little bit to get my bearing and feel settled in the story world.
-I personally would have liked more about life aboard the Nautilus. The concept of it is really neat and lends itself to some fun and unique things. But I felt like whenever those unique aspects of life on the ship popped up, they were only told in summary.
-There is a change with a certain character (redacted because of spoilers) that I think could have maybe been foreshadowed a little more? Maybe I just missed the foreshadowing, but the changes caught me a little off guard.
Cautions: brief, non-graphic violence; light romance
*I received an eARC from the author and was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.*
samantha_morgan17's review against another edition
4.0
I received and eARC of this book… I wish I could give it 4.5 stars on here… what an awesome story… what a turn of events! The beginning of the book was a little confusing but once you get into it it was confusing for the character Hux as well, he had no clue what was going on… I love the characters in this book and how you grow to know why they are the way that they are, I went from hating The Captain to really understanding him and ending up liking him a lot. The slow burn romance that starts between Willa and Hux was very sweet and I wish we had more of their story together. This was my first read from Alissa J. Zavalianos and I can’t wait to pick up another one from her. I highly recommend this book!
hannuhreads's review against another edition
The first chapter was so good. I was so interested. A royal guard accused of treason and on the run. Love the set up. But then we went under water and it just felt super boring and slow. Nothing was happening and at 40% in, I wanted more at this point to keep me going.
cozycoffeebook_'s review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
3.5
Beautifully written
thelilyofshalott's review against another edition
4 ★ - (really liked it)
I wasn't sure how much I'd like this, having not read the classic and not planning to, but I jumped at the chance of getting a free ebook and I'm pleased to say that I did indeed like it! Very much actually. The main character, Huxley, was splendid. Very likeable, interesting, and comfortingly human. That's part of what I love so much about Alissa's writing, her characters feel so real :) And Willa is the most adorable ever oh my goodnesss. Who am I kidding, I thought all of the characters were wonderful and all of their relationships were adorable.
Now, if you're looking for a fast paced adventure: I don't think this is it. It starts with a lot of action and ends with the same, but the middle is pretty slow. And it did seem to be sort of rushed at the ending. But overall it held my attention with the secrecy and wanting to know how certain subplots unfolded. And I loved the nods to The Earth-Treader!! Wasn't expecting it and was pleasantly surprised since that's been one of my most favorite books this year and the first I read from the author.
The mercy! The grace!! I knew the themes were woven in but I did not expect it from a certain character towards another certain character.... and how it inspired Huxley.
I even teared up towards the end when Huxley is reunited with someone <3
CWs, or things that caught my attention: mentions/descriptions of injury (including broken limb), sickness. death, poisoning, a corpse, cruelty, manipulation, deceased parents, threat of death, propaganda, couple mentions of a past relationship resulting in heartbreak, claustrophobia, feeling trapped, couple very brief mentions of brothels (one line each time, includes mention of someone being put into one by order), a bit of magic.
But it's all *very* mild though, brief and vague if described or in passing comment :)
I wasn't sure how much I'd like this, having not read the classic and not planning to, but I jumped at the chance of getting a free ebook and I'm pleased to say that I did indeed like it! Very much actually. The main character, Huxley, was splendid. Very likeable, interesting, and comfortingly human. That's part of what I love so much about Alissa's writing, her characters feel so real :) And Willa is the most adorable ever oh my goodnesss. Who am I kidding, I thought all of the characters were wonderful and all of their relationships were adorable.
Now, if you're looking for a fast paced adventure: I don't think this is it. It starts with a lot of action and ends with the same, but the middle is pretty slow. And it did seem to be sort of rushed at the ending. But overall it held my attention with the secrecy and wanting to know how certain subplots unfolded. And I loved the nods to The Earth-Treader!! Wasn't expecting it and was pleasantly surprised since that's been one of my most favorite books this year and the first I read from the author.
The mercy! The grace!! I knew the themes were woven in but I did not expect it from a certain character towards another certain character.... and how it inspired Huxley.
I even teared up towards the end when Huxley is reunited with someone <3
CWs, or things that caught my attention: mentions/descriptions of injury (including broken limb), sickness. death, poisoning, a corpse, cruelty, manipulation, deceased parents, threat of death, propaganda, couple mentions of a past relationship resulting in heartbreak, claustrophobia, feeling trapped, couple very brief mentions of brothels (one line each time, includes mention of someone being put into one by order), a bit of magic.
But it's all *very* mild though, brief and vague if described or in passing comment :)
rr_author's review against another edition
5.0
Unearth The Tides is the second book I’ve read by Alissa, and I loved it even more than the first!
From the first page, I fell in love with the mysterious nautical atmosphere. The eerie mood and writing style reminded me of the ship in Frankenstein - though I realize that is a strange comparison. But it really drew me into the story, and was my favourite aspect of this book.
Huxley was a great main character, and the friendship between him and Monty brought out the best in both of them. I love mysterious Captains, and Captain Aldo played the role perfectly. He kept me guessing throughout the story. Willa was such a sweet character too!
“It’s a slow kind of fading when you allow your heart to be bought in by the world’s whims. So be careful what voices you heed lest they become yours, too.”
Even though there was a lot of mystery and suspense in this story, it was also gentle. The herb healing was so interesting and mirrored the emotional healing that Huxley went underwent.
I would have liked a few more chapters, as the epilogue tied everything up but felt a bit rushed. But, I really enjoyed the story and it has become my favourite by Zavalianos!
From the first page, I fell in love with the mysterious nautical atmosphere. The eerie mood and writing style reminded me of the ship in Frankenstein - though I realize that is a strange comparison. But it really drew me into the story, and was my favourite aspect of this book.
Huxley was a great main character, and the friendship between him and Monty brought out the best in both of them. I love mysterious Captains, and Captain Aldo played the role perfectly. He kept me guessing throughout the story. Willa was such a sweet character too!
“It’s a slow kind of fading when you allow your heart to be bought in by the world’s whims. So be careful what voices you heed lest they become yours, too.”
Even though there was a lot of mystery and suspense in this story, it was also gentle. The herb healing was so interesting and mirrored the emotional healing that Huxley went underwent.
I would have liked a few more chapters, as the epilogue tied everything up but felt a bit rushed. But, I really enjoyed the story and it has become my favourite by Zavalianos!
tale_of_tales's review
5.0
I’ve been following the author of this wonderful book on Instagram for a fee months now and I absolutely love her content and worldview!
This book is so well done! It’s less fantasy than I normally read, less romance than usually, but everything is so well balanced that I didn’t even mind the detour I took by reading it.
There are no boring chapters and everything builds up to the climax with absolutely no filler which is awesome and amazing! I read this book in less than 24 hours while on vacation!
It’s also the first five star read in quite a while
This book is so well done! It’s less fantasy than I normally read, less romance than usually, but everything is so well balanced that I didn’t even mind the detour I took by reading it.
There are no boring chapters and everything builds up to the climax with absolutely no filler which is awesome and amazing! I read this book in less than 24 hours while on vacation!
It’s also the first five star read in quite a while