About the Book
-
Author:
- Angela Montoya
- Genres:
- Boy-Girl Romance
- Fantasy
Cover Story: Sin Is In
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You and Eventually
Talky Talk: Ahoy, Amigas
Bonus Factors: Majestics, Bad Religion, Sea Creatures,
Relationship Status: Smooth Sailing
Cover Story: Sin Is In
I’m getting so much of a telenovela or throwback drugstore romance vibe from this, and I LOVE IT. (Major props to designer Trisha Previte and artist Zarin Baksh!) This is practically a heaving bosom cover! Which is probably why the characters read a little older to me; if I didn’t know otherwise, I wouldn’t have assume this was YA on first sight.
I only have the smallest of quibbles about MARIANO’S HAIR. I suppose it’s on theme, since it resembles FYA Nemesis* Orlando Bloom’s from Pirates of the Caribbean, and it’s canonically supposed to be waxy. But Rosa’s hair game is far superior.
*For those of y’all who remember Teen Heartthrob Madness lol.
The Deal
Each year, the wealthiest and most powerful men in the Kingdom of Coronado descend upon Sinner’s Isle in pursuit of their very own Majestic: young women imbued with magic who are essentially imprisoned on the island until they’re bound to the highest bidder. With exceptional ability and beauty, Rosalinda seems to be the favourite to be picked by the new king — which is precisely why she needs to gtfo.
As the son of a legendary pirate, Mariano has been building quite the reputation of his own. When he washes ashore on Sinner’s Isle, an enchanted family heirloom guides him to cross paths with Rosa. Mariano has no intention of sticking around — and neither does Rosa, with him as the key to her escape plan.
BFF Charm: Let Me Love You and Eventually
Rosa has a lot of internalized shame towards her power, and she has BEEN. THROUGH. IT. (And is STILL going through it, in fact!) But she’s the kind of courageous and determined friend you’d love to have in your corner because she’ll always have your back — even if it’s against her own best interest.
I’ll admit it: at this point, I’m just reflexively wary of nepo babies until proven otherwise! And it didn’t help Mariano’s cause that he was introduced while complaining about his uncles taking over his father’s ship by mutiny. (Which: … yeah, y’all are pirates. They did a pirate thing!) Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to win me over with more swashbuckling antics.
Swoonworthy Scale: 5
From the instant they lay eyes on each other, Rosa and Mariano are horned up — obvs, since they’re both scorching hot. Their romance does build nicely beyond surface level, but then the concept of soulmates bursts in like the Kool-Aid Man. Maybe it’s because I’m an Old, but I find love as a choice to be more romantic than love as destiny. In a novel filled with magical powers and sea creatures, I simply cannot suspend disbelief for something as far-fetched as SOULMATES.
Talky Talk: Ahoy, Amigas
Along with influences from Mexican folklore, the story contains seamless usage of Spanish words. The chapters alternate between Rosa and Mariano’s perspectives, providing an especially fun contrast when they cover the same experience.
For a book that mostly takes place on land, I could practically see the transportive seascapes on Sinner’s Isle. Although I wouldn’t have minded spending more time at sea; I barely had time to get my sea legs!
Bonus Factor: Majestics
Majestics are born with their magic, like the shadowy phantoms that Rosa can control or her best friend Juana’s gift of prophecy. Fantastical as their powers might be, Majestics have also been conditioned to hate that aspect of themselves instead of embracing and accepting it, measuring their own worth only by the tithe that their services can earn for the church.
Bonus Factor: Bad Religion
Oppression through religion is nothing new, but Coronado’s church has its own awful version of it. To call the church corrupt would imply the presence of any redeeming qualities, but the entire system is malicious: exploiting countless Majestics, abducting them as children, and tearing families apart. Sinner’s Isle even has an Aunt Lydia in Doñia Lucia, a Majestic herself who effectively acts as warden to her own kind.
(I’m still classifying this as a bonus factor as a searing allegory of systemic oppression.)
Bonus Factor: Sea Creatures
As if sailing the open seas wasn’t treacherous enough: these waters are teeming with dangerous creatures!
Relationship Status: Smooth Sailing
There was so much to take in during my visit to Sinner’s Isle! I could have even kept exploring this intriguing world after the story ended.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from my local library. I received neither money nor gelato for writing this review (dammit!). Sinner’s Isle is available now.
