The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea

Thank you to InD'tale Magazine for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

When Margrete’s arranged marriage is announced, a small shred of hope blossoms. Count Casbian may be as bad as her abusive father, or he may be her chance at a better life. She’s willing to take the chance if it means escape. But as the wedding day dawns, pirates attack and capture Margrete. Bash, King of Azantian, seeks to ransom her away for a powerful item her father stole. At first resentful of her capture, Margrete does all she can to escape. Until she finds out the truth of her father’s deception. It’s not just her life on the line, it is the world itself. And something is calling out to Margrete, a whisper of terrible power.

Margrete has learned well to keep her outspoken side hidden. If she speaks even one word out of line, her father is quick to retaliate. He is an oppressive and controlling man, willing to do anything to achieve his goals. However, despite all she has endured, Margrete remains strong and willful. When Margrete is taken captive, her true self shines brilliantly. Bash and his companions have their hands full as Margrete lashes out at them. She has a fighting spirit no man can tame. And no matter what obstacles stand in her way, she is willing to face them if it means protecting those she loves.

Margrete is a powerful example of independence and inner strength. However, there were times she discovered things a bit too quickly. For example, when the court seer of Azantian was introduced to Margrete they were physically described. No other information was given. Margrete immediately knew they were a seer, and there was not enough information within the context of the story to support her claim. She was correct, but I could not understand how she came to her conclusion. There needed to be a bit more build-up and subtle cues to make Margrete’s discoveries believable.

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea incorporates Gods and magic but remains focused on developing Margrete’s relationships. The love and devotion she shows her younger sister are heartwarming. The harsh and violent relationship with her father will set a reader’s teeth on edge. And the risky relationship she develops with Bash will leave readers apprehensive and wondering in which direction it will go. Tension is laced within Bash and Margrete’s relationship, and the consequences of their actions are constantly hanging over their every move. With such a mix of emotions on the page, readers can’t help but feel the need to know more.

This first book in the Azantian Trilogy sets a strong foundation for future stories. The magical elements and lore woven into the story provide a wonderful accent to the storytelling and characters. The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea is a book for readers who enjoy romance and relationships between strong-willed individuals.

This was the Lost in Romance Book Club pick for September and yes, I am 3 months late reading it but at least I have finally read it. I struggled to get into this one at first. It was like there was a lot happening, but it felt like it was taking forever to get from one point to the next. After a while the book started to draw me in, and I quickly became immersed in the story especially the romance. Of course, I am going to get hooked on the romance. I loved the captor/captive enemies to lover's romance between Margrete and Bash. Their chemistry was off the charts and the angst!! OMG was this an angsty romance. The will they want they was driving me crazy. I loved the banter between the main characters as well and we do get some steamy scenes but once again there is lack of communication in this book, and I really hate that. Why is so hard for characters to just communicate with each other. I ended up really enjoying this one and was left really wanting to read the next book. 

Margrete has an abusive and violent father who controls her life. In one of her moments of desperation, she asks for help to the god of the sea. Why does he answer?

What I enjoyed:
- The plot felt original and I particularly liked the story of the gods and its connection with Margret and Azantia.
- The characters were likable and diverse and I hope to see them work as a team in the next novels. They were not too powerful witch limits the “mary and gary sue” potencial.
- I liked how Margret was able to find herself and the strength to keep fighting for freedom.
- Bash kept his people as priority instead of changing all his plans for Margret. This is not very romantic, and may hint something for the next books. However, I think it's the natural thing considering his position and responsibility towards his kingdom.
- The epilogue was great and let me very curious for the next book.

What I think it could have been done better:
- Being tortured while growing up, particularly with an Iron Maiden, I was expecting Margret to be a more troubled and scarred character. She felt more like a secluded girl than a torture victim. While we are able to see Margret grow and reach her potencial, it didn't feel like the victory it should be. I think this was also a missed opportunity to confer a greater depth to the story.
- We get some introductory bits of the worldbuilding but we never go into too deep. We don't know how Azantians are different from humans except from the aging and healing. Why would they be a myth? Just because of the sea monsters? Why does Bash hate humans? Is it just because of Margret father? How is Azantian culture and politics? This is common issue in romantic fantasy books but I think this story has potencial to be a bit more.
- Margret questions very little of Azantian life (and everything else in reality). Again, it feels like a missed opportunity to build the world. Why wouldn't she question the Bash's moving tattoos? And the voices in the stairs? Especially if she thinks Bash hears them. I hope the next book will clarify and correct these issues. The lack of questions also made me feel their relationship is mostly physical and that it resembles more Stockholm syndrome than romance.
- Margret's escape in the end felt too easy and her father villainy didn't live to the expectations. I would have liked to see a greater confrontation between the two.

Overall I think this was a great debut and I had fun reading it.
I was convinced this could have been a standalone but the epilogue let me intrigued with the series.
I recommend this book for fans of the bridge kingdom and Sarah H. Mass (while keeping in mind that is a debut novel).

The Girl Who Belonged to the Sea by Katherine Quinn
Book 1 in The Azantian Trilogy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars


Spoiler-free Review:

Slow-burn, enemies to lovers, pirate vibe- say no more! This book was such a pleasant surprise! I bought it because I saw it was on sale for Kindle, and I don't regret it at all! Margrete is a strong FMC and Bash is a dreamy MMC. I can't wait to see where this series goes. I think it's set up for a strong second book of the trilogy. Theres a slow burn romance, but the payoff is so good. The spice is very well written. The writing style was superb, and I found myself consumed by the story and unable to put it down. There were a few things I was confused about that I feel like could've been explained better (unless that's to come in future books). I also feel like the ending wrapped up rather quickly and for those reasons I gave 4/5 stars. Grab it while it's on sale!