There’s more to this than you’re telling me. But I’ll play your game, and I hope you give it your best shot with those boys. Because you’re going to be sorely disappointed when you discover that not one of them is me.

Put your hearteyes at the ready, because Bastian was a bloody charmer in book #1, All the Stars and Teeth [my review] and he continues to woo with gusto in All the Tides of Fate. Damn, Grace can write a delightful male character!

Love interests and longing sighs aside, the conflict of this book is a magical tough nut and trying to crack it, is our headstrong, stubborn Amora Montara, now Queen of Visidia.

Cato Montara was a coward. Aunt Kalea was a coward. Father was a coward. I will not be.

She’s one of those characters that makes you want to reach into the book and shake sense into them. Yes, she has a task at hand. A serious, important task, but damn, girl, if it takes a village to raise a baby, it takes people and loyal friends to sort out your kingdom. But you’ll love her. You’ll hope she will make the best of what has been left to her. She’s a tough cookie with a complicated family heritage and far from a pampered princess.

Naturally, I can’t delve much into detail here as we’re on book 2. But I promise you, what Grace has written up and bundled into YA Fantasy is completely swoon worthy both in character and adventure. I mean, doesn’t it scream volumes when the writing of sea adventures is so good, the description of character’s love for sailing is so evident, that you yourself want to set sail, ahoy!?! Totally!

I hate that my magic was nothing more than a lie.

Amora has a LOT to prove to a lot of folk and with the weight of it all on her shoulders it does not help the matter that her powers are gone, she is cursed and she is obsessively pining for her father. She is lost in the whirlwind of responsibility. And throughout it all, fighting the feelings for Bastian without knowing if those feelings are true. It’s quite edge of the seat stuff. The aforementioned wanting to shake Amora to stop being such a victim really was strong, but maybe falsely so.

I started thinking, as readers we expect the characters to always make the decision, whether right or wrong, but any decision to simply move on. Talk about hypocrisy, hey. Why shouldn’t the characters be altogether as human as you and me, unwilling to change the status quo for one reason or other, unwilling to accept the truth, accept help, open our heart, the list goes on. Is it frustrating for us to see characters suffering in their own, well, stupidity, because we want better for them than we are willing to do for ourselves? Heh. The mind runs away with thoughts.

One the other hand, as with All the Stars and Teeth, All the Tides of Fate truly delivered on the visual front. The lands and people Amora and her crew visit are each dazzling in their own unique way. Their magic and abilities are the perfect elements to create starry eyed excitement. Again, kudos to Grace for writing it all in a way to pull me into this amazing atmosphere.

Of course, Grace also reminds us the gruesome side of the magics and various creatures of the world she has created. These gruesome scenes are rare but they are a perfect and necessary remind of why it all started, and to be cautious of even the friends and allies Amora has made.

I drop the bloodied bones into the fire, and as they crackle the woman falls. Her spine twists sharply and her skull caves in. She takes one surprised gasp or air before she shudders to the ground, dead. Death by my hand is never painless – I don’t have the luxury of giving people that – but it can certainly be quick.

So, as vague as I am, again and always, I am sure you can get the idea that this is a rather wholesome reading experience. As far as YA Fantasy goes, with its love interest and a bit of royal politics, this is one of the best I’ve ever read. It flows with such ease, is full of stunning adventure and comes to an utterly satisfying ending. I applaud the author and I hope you’ll give this duology a try… I know I will certainly look forward to any new titles Adalyn Grace may publish in the future.

I am Amora Montara, and I will no longer be a pawn.