SYNOPSIS

Rosalinda and her best friend, Juana, are Majestics (witches with a special power) in a world where Majestics are groomed to be sold and bonded to the highest bidder. Rosa and her friend want to escape before the days long Offering begins. Their plans are ruined and her friend is kidnapped and hidden by the headmistress in charge, until Rosa successfully completes the Offering.

Meanwhile, Mariano’s, the Prince of Pirates, ship gets attacked. His father leaves him a magic necklace that should lead him to his hearts desire. By chance, he ends up on Sinner’s Isle.

What could happen?

RECAP AND REVIEW

This is a standalone young adult, romance and fantasy book with pirates, witches, and magic. It’s told in the third person from both Mariano and Rosalinda’s perspectives.

Mariano is a wanted pirate, who has to start over. Rosa is a witch with shadow creatures, looking to escape the island. They meet when Mariano stumbles upon one of their ceremonies. Rosa does what she’s taught by using seduction to get what she wants. She convinces and lowkey blackmails Mariano to help her find her friend.

The book is slow paced to me and the romance between the two is a slower burn. They had good banter, but I honestly wouldn’t read this book for the romance aspect. Even though the romance between them was entertaining and sweet at times, it’s secondary in my opinion, because they only have a few moments alone together.

There’s a lot of moving parts and a few important characters to remember. Santi is my favorite with his humor and gender bending. It was difficult to tell what the King was thinking until closer to three end.

The world building was what I found interesting. Majestics are groomed to marry and bond (a ceremony) with powerful men who want to use them for their power. Bonding means that their lives are intertwined. If one dies, the other does too.

Rosa and her best friend aren’t interested in the archaic system. They don’t want to be tied to someone who wants to use them and their power, especially to do harm, which happens more often than not.

The world building and the story lends itself to social and political commentary. The Majestics are being sold for their special powers, different in strength and ability for each girl, in the name of the church.

I got from it how woman are groomed, used, and abused. How a scorned person can inadvertently take out their frustrations and heartache out on others and become pessimistic. How some lean into the systems put in place for survival, either hoping to rise to the top for protection or because it’s all they know.

How some suffer silently, and others scheme a way out. It shows how you can be manipulated into muting your own power.

How dictators can manipulate your peers to spy on you for “the greater good.” The book is full of real life situations that parallel dynamics in our real world, and it’s honestly told overtly. If someone misses it, it’s because they’re choosing to.

OVERALL

Overall, I give this a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The world building was immersive to me and I enjoyed the themes being shown. It read a little slow to me but I like how everything was addressed in the end. I came into this book thinking it was romance heavy and that wasn’t my experience, so I think that’s part of my reaction.