Scavenge The Stars

No lie, I have been in a massive reading slump this year. It seems like the world is in complete chaos. You would think being stuck at home, I would have hit some massive reading records or something. While I love books, the truth is I barely scraped by. I couldn't bring myself to sit down and focus long enough to get through a couple of pages at a time. So while I purchased a bunch of new books, I found them collecting dust months after they arrived to my house.

Each month I get a subscription box called OwlCrate. Inside it contains their top choice for the month, plus a bunch of bookish goodies. I found this to be an ingenious concept, considering I get a headache just being surrounded by all these choices and not knowing what to pick. Plus they include exclusive items in the box that can range from candles to bookmarks, truly a book lovers dream. While all the bookish goodies found their home, this book had found a place on my TBR shelf (To Be Read) and was not to be picked up until November of 2o20.

Scavenge The Stars by: Tara Sim is a contemporary YA, by retelling the classic tale The Count of Monte Cristo but with a female lead.

" When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she had been held captive for years. Instead, the man she save offers her unimaginable wealth, a new identity, and the promise of retribution against Kamon Mercado, the powerful merchant who ruined Amaya's family and stole the life she once had.

Cayo Mercado, heir to his father's empire, is well acquainted with the grit beneath the grandeur of Moray. In this opulent coastal city-state, where the corrupt Slum King pockets gold from desperate gamblers and deadly ash fever spreads like rot, Cayo is desperate to shake his disreputable past. But when his sister falls ill, Cayo will do anything to save her life-even if it means making a deal with the Slum King.

As Amaya and Cayo become entagled in a dangerous game of deception-one of them set on protecting the Mercado family at any cost, and the other set on destroying it- they find themselves unexpectedly drawn to one another. But the more Amaya discovers about her past, the more she realizes she must trust no one.

I can see why this novel was chosen for their Revenge themed box. Its packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, dueling identities and breath taking betrayals. However in the end this book fell flat for me. This book was really intended to be a massive character build up for the second book. Really laying out the world in which the characters reside. It was a solid book, it just didn't do it for me.

I thought this would be more deceptive and throw me for a loop, but this came off as a literal retelling leaving me more disappointed rather than excited. I will most likely read the second book in the duology when she finally puts it out just to see where this will go. I like that the author did all of this from a female's perspective. I also felt that this book was relatable even now to me, due to the illness called "ash fever" which has people dying right and left. People are being studied in the hopes of coming up with a cure, which is what we are currently going through with our own Pandemic.

I ultimately gave this book a 3 out of 5 stars for the overall rating. I am sincerely hoping that the second book will be more thrilling and exciting. I am also eager to see if she ends up alone, or if she will move into a relationship with either of the other 2 male lead characters. Which could spice up this novel ALOT. Ravage The Dark is set to release in 2021.

Want to subscribe to all the OwlCrate action? You can use my link below and join in on the awesome picks monthly too! They even have a middle grade box called OwlCrate Jr. Same concept as the YA box, just more age appropriate items! Cheers!

- Kayla