All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace ISBN: 9781250307798
Series: All the Stars and Teeth #1
Published by Imprint on February 4, 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
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Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice, Adalyn Grace’s All the Stars and Teeth is a thrilling fantasy for fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval and Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series.
She will reign.
As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer—the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.
When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.
But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder—and more peril—than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stowaway she never expected... or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.
I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.
Characters: 7, As you’d expect for a YA fantasy, perhaps, the characters were fun, diverse, but most weren’t very developed. The MC has an interesting moral compass and a pretty intense dedication to her belief in her destiny, but we’re given a (small) chance to glimpse her inner flaws as well. The other characters are less full, though only a few serve as plot dressing. I appreciated that most of the characters are described as non-white, and there’s some diversity in character sexuality. On the less-great side of things, the Big Bad wasn’t even remotely developed as a character, which took the wind out of the tension handily.
Atmosphere: 8, It took me a bit to understand the distances in this novel, as the kingdom is comprised of several islands, but the events of the book take place over roughly 15 days. So they’re tiny islands, apparently, like an archipelago. But the cultures were described enough, the magic was described enough (and logical), and the non-human things were easy to picture. There’s some intense description of torture, which I was surprised by, but it did serve to create an atmosphere appropriate to the actions of the MC.
Writing: 7, Nothing great, nothing bad- I’d read another book by this author if I were in the mood for a relatively light, fantastical YA.
Plot: 6, The pacing was one of two big issues I had with this book. And the second issue became apparent near the very end, so when I tell you it took me 23 days to read this book, which I almost DNFed several times, know that it’s primarily due to pacing. The action sequences are intense, griping, and beautifully paced for tension and to keep you caring about an ensemble cast. And some of the romance (including the subtle B-roll, off-camera stuff) is similarly well-paced and keeps you invested. However, the points in between? I couldn’t care less about what was happening. I’d put the book down and forget about it for days.
Intrigue: 5, To give this book due credit, it did keep surprising me with unorthodox choices. Some things were very tropey, rote plot and character choices that you’ve read a thousand times in dystopian, scifi, and fantasy YA. But then the author would throw in something that flew in the face of the trope train tracks, and I’d be pleasantly surprised by it. Ultimately, the ending felt intensely rushed and disappointingly easy- I honestly thought it’d end on a cliffhanger and the resolution would be in the second book of this duology….but no, it wrapped itself up in 2 chapters. And now we come to the second thing I greatly disliked with this book: the villain. Specifically, the fact that the villain was painted as being SO evil/misguided that an entire island of people couldn’t or wouldn’t fight against his tyranny. People who had weapons and power, and were described as being proficient with them. But then the villain is laughably easily defeated. Which, to be honest, removed some of my earlier enjoyment of the book.
Logic: 6, The magic system and political system are pretty logical, and the characters all seemed to act in accordance with their motivations. I’d be intrigued to revisit the secret society of badass ladies on that Hunger-Games-Capitol island, which felt like it had intrigue and might add some more layers to the world building. But aside from that, it was very WYSIWYG.
Enjoyment: 6, The ending took this score down further than what it otherwise would’ve been. Ultimately, it’s not a bad read- I have high expectations for most novels- but I’m disinclined to continue the duology.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- MerMay
Dude, I just cannot decide whether I care about this one! Apparently I took it off my TBR, so I guess not bwhaha. But man, those covers draw me in! That said, since it was pretty basic YA fare, I think I am content with my decision to skip it. Great review, it definitely helped me decide!
Happy to help! Yeah, with your limited time, you could do MUCH better than this. Though you’re right, the covers are lovely.