The ocean’s brine coats my tongue and I savor its grit. Late summer’s heat has beaten the sea into submission; it barely sways as I stand against the starboard ledge.

On the very night she was supposed to demonstrate complete and utter mastery of Soul Magic...things go terribly wrong.

Did we miss something on diversity?

But the real power comes from bones. She smear a bone with blood or tie hair around it and tosses it into a fire and that bone in the enemy’s body is destroyed.

Amabons, ginnada, and dresses from the finest fabrics, all to woo the impressionable princess they believe I am. Boys in the kingdom think they can buy my love and title, and I let them believe it. Nothing can compare to the lavish trinkets of hungry suitors, and I’m not keen on ending their generosity.

See a Problem?

This is just conjecture. Musings… Questions to which I’d love the answer. Perhaps I’m too used to interviewing authors? Melodrama The world is in turmoil. I don’t think that there’s a writer that I know who is fully able to switch that off. Their quest: to prove Amora is worthy to rule the kingdom. Gradually this quest evolves. And they expose secrets. Representation Everything was all about Amora, though she consistently claimed it was all about Visidia. She kept too many secrets (one of which was used as a plot twist) but it became awful that she had faithful “friends” she consistently lied to and asked them to lie for her as well. I could call every reveal, every twist, every next step of the story. It follows the same formula as countless YA fantasies out there, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing!

When it comes to approaching those themes, it all depends on the extent of the conversation and how deeply you delve into it. If this were an adult book, it might be a little more graphic, there might be more specific politics involved. I think with Y.A. you have to be mindful that you’re presenting something to a younger audience. You do need to say something—you can’t just put on paper "oh all these characters are dying" and think that's fine. You can’t just leave it blank, because you’re talking to a very young audience. Handling those topics with care is so important. But I also did not want to pander to the audience. They are young, but very mature. They can think about these topics for themselves. We’ve shared an experience only a few people will understand, and it’s marked our souls. The sea is a beast more fearsome than even the lusca.” The story - this book is full of adventure and a few twists. The pacing is great from the get go and it is consistent throughout the story. I told myself I could only buy more YA books if I read any new ones right away and started to make some headway with the scores already completely littering my shelves. So here we are. In all seriousness, though, this book truly was spectacular, and there are no words in the English language that can properly express how much I loved it. It’s one of those books that falls under the “Had Me Bawling Into My Pillow At 3 AM” Category. There, THAT should give you an idea of how much I loved it. 😂Now, before I wrap this review up, can I please take a moment to express how glad I am that this series was written as a duology and not stretched out into a trilogy? Even though it absolutely tore my heart apart, the ending of All the Tides of Fate was absolutely PERFECT, and the story as a whole came to a very neat conclusion. So many series these days are unnecessarily long, which is why I’m happy that the author and publisher recognized that only two books were needed to tell this fantastic story. #DuologiesForTheWin I’m glad to see you’re confident,” Yuriel says between gooey bites of frosted fudge. “I’ll hold you to that.”

But as the plot progressed, Amora began to get on my nerves. Throughout the story, she was anything but meek. When she saw an opportunity to threaten others with her deadly magic, she gladly took it. Not even her friends were safe. And their feelings didn't matter because unlike Amora, they weren't the fated saviors of Visidia. Only those with soul magic could rule and "protect" the kingdom, and Amora didn't hesitate to the point that out. Unfortunately, All the Tides of Fate was not as good as its predecessor. There is still some nice world building here. There is creativity with the magics, the island descriptions, and the Barracudas and Shanty are a nice touch. However, that's about where the good stuff ends. And our heroine, Amora, she's a real piece of work, this one. Once again, the immature, bratty, know it all Hermione Granger typecast, holier than thou but still edgy warrior princess character gets to be mean and pushy and naïve but somehow gets every potential suitor to fall in love with her? She pushes people and constantly has snarky comments that are uncalled for. She tells her poor poor wet towel of a fiancé that she will never love him right in front of the guys she's been openly flirting with, completely embarrassing him and giving zero f**ks. There is a severely toxic relationship that portrays emotional and physical abuse (gripping too tightly/fingers digging into skin) in chapter 29.

Need Help?

The wind shifts with a gust of air, disturbing the sails and pushing the vessel an inch or so to the left. It’s not a big shift, but the ship is challenging me, and I’m not one to lose. I adjust my grip on the helm to correct it. In the island kingdom of Visidia, where each person is allowed just one type of magic, only the members of the royal Montara family have the ability to wield the dangerous soul magic. Princess Amora is next in line to be High Animancer, but she must first prove to her people that she is powerful enough to use her magic to protect them. But something goes terribly wrong during a critical public ceremony, and Amora runs away with dashing pirate Bastian, whose rescue comes with a price: She must help him recover his own magic, stolen away by a dangerous man leading a growing rebellion that could bring down the whole kingdom. Debut author Grace wields her own magic with a skillful balancing act between high-stakes adventure (here there be monsters, mermaids, and high-seas shenanigans), bloody fantasy, and character development in a story with a lovable found family at its core. Amora yearns for adventure just as she welcomes her right to command her kingdom; her ferocious sense of duty and legitimate need to do good shine through. The novel’s further unravelling of dark secrets long kept comes with a recognized need for accountability and making amends which adds a thoughtful extra layer to the rich worldbuilding. Amora has copper-brown skin and dark, curly hair; other characters have a range of skin tones in this diverse world. I received this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I was able to read it immediately after finishing the first novel in this duology, All the Stars and Teeth, which I enjoyed and gave 3 stars to.