Name: Song of the Abyss
ISBN: 9780544968585

Makiia Lucier

When men start vanishing at sea without a trace, seventeen-year-old Reyna, a Master Explorer, must travel to a country shrouded in secrets to solve the mystery before it is too late.

Song of the Abyss

Colleen

5 Stars

*A exhilarating journey with all the hallmarks of a grand adventure*
 
Last year I read Isle of Blood and Stone and thoroughly enjoyed it. So I was excited to read the sequel. Although they can be read as standalones, I would recommend reading them in order. There is a lot of worldbuilding in the first book. And many of the characters from the first book are also in Song of the Abyss.

The one grumble about Isle of Blood and Stone was that while it was an enjoyable quest, it didn’t have the scope of a grand adventure. And I said I wanted to see more of the surrounding world. Well, Lucier certainly delivered on that! Song of the Abyss has everything a good adventure needs. (Well, it could have used a bit more swashbuckling.) But the story has a mysterious quest, sailing, mythological elements, possible love, and best of all, a dauntless heroine. 

The story takes place eight years after the first book. Reyna is all grown up and struggling to make her mark as a cartographer despite massive gender biases. When her ship is attacked and her friends taken prisoner, Reyna sets off to lands unknown to try to save them. The story was fun and exciting and exactly the escapist adventure that I was in the mood for! I’m excited to see what Lucier does next!


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 5 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Song of the Abyss

Author: Makiia Lucier

Book Series: Tower of Winds Book 2

Rating: 2/5

Publication Date: August 27, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (some violence, some gore)

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Pages: 352

Amazon Link

Synopsis: They came in the night as she dreamt, in her berth, on a ship sailing home to del Mar. After, they would be all Reyna thought about: two carracks painted scorpion black. No emblem on either forecastle, no pennants flying above the mainmasts to hint at a kingdom of origin.

Never a good sign.

As the granddaughter of a famed navigator, seventeen-year-old Reyna has always lived life on her own terms, despite those who say a girl could never be an explorer for the royal house of St. John del Mar. She is determined to prove them wrong, and as she returns home after a year-long expedition, she knows her dream is within reach. No longer an apprentice, instead: Reyna, Master Explorer.

But when menacing raiders attack her ship, those dreams are pushed aside. Reyna's escape is both desperate and dangerous, and when next she sees her ship, a mystery rises from the deep. The sailors--her captain, her countrymen--have vanished. To find them, Reyna must use every resource at her disposal . . . including placing her trust in a handsome prince from a rival kingdom.

Together they uncover a disturbing truth. The attack was no isolated incident. Troubling signs point to a shadowy kingdom in the north, and for once, the rulers of the Sea of Magdalen agree: something must be done. But can Reyna be brave enough to find a way?

Review: This book was a gorgeous read. The world building was very well done and the plot was what drew me to this book.

However, this book just fell flat for me. The story was very flat, it had almost a textbook reading to it. The book actually kind of reads like a historical fiction, which doesn’t do well for the genre it is (YA Fantasy). The characters are also very flat and uninteresting in my opinion and the pacing was very discombobulated. The book felt so slow throughout the majority of it, and then at the end it felt super rushed and disjointed. It really could have used some more depth and more development, with the story leaning away from the historical aspects of the book and into the story at hand.

Verdict: Not for me, but gorgeous at least!

Liz Griffin

A beautiful tale with an effortless voice. Reyna is exactly the sort of protagonist I want to accompany on an adventure.