Name: Emma Hak-Kovacs's review of All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace
Item: All the Stars and Teeth
Rating: 0.5
Author: Emma Hak-Kovacs

Adalyn Grace

Adalyn Grace, Inc

“Fierce and unrelenting...Do yourself a favor and get lost in this beautiful book!” — Tomi Adeyemi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone 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 stow-away 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. An Imprint Book “Vicious and alluring, All the Stars and Teeth is a force to be reckoned with." —Hafsah Faizal, author of We Hunt the Flame "Jam-packed with swashbuckling adventure, swoonworthy romance, and dark, lush magic. Amora Montara and the crew of Keel Haul will drop anchor in your heart and refuse to leave.” —Christine Lynn Herman, author of The Devouring Gray “A deliciously twisted fantasy that keeps your heart jumping from page to page....Richly imaginative and full of political intrigue, I loved every moment of this fast-paced adventure!” —Akemi Dawn Bowman, author of Starfish and the upcoming The Infinity Courts

All the Stars and Teeth

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Fierce and unrelenting...Do yourself a favor and get lost in this beautiful book!” —Tomi Adeyemi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone 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. An Imprint Book “Vicious and alluring, All the Stars and Teeth is a force to be reckoned with." —Hafsah Faizal, author of We Hunt the Flame “Jam-packed with swashbuckling adventure, swoonworthy romance, and dark, lush magic.” —Christine Lynn Herman, author of The Devouring Gray “If an epic sea fantasy filled with strange pirates and vengeful mermaids speaks to your interests, well...we may have found your favorite book ever....a tale of magic and second chances that’s fresh and thrilling in equal measure.” –Entertainment Weekly One of Buzzfeed's "Most Anticipated YA Books of 2020"

Mabel Palomera

 "I've a collection of men who I intend to repay for how generous they were to me." Vataea's smile gleams wicked. "Dismemberment for anyone who ever tried to touch me. The tongue flayed from those with wicked mouths. And the hearts eaten from any man who’s ever told me to smile.”

Rachel Stinson

Jennifer Diz

Emma Hak-Kovacs

Tatiana

All the Stars and Teeth: 4/5

I didn't have many expectations going into this book, the only thing I knew was that it was about a girl who wants to take back her kingdom. I was pleasantly surprised with this. This book is less than 400 pages, and that kind of made me weary because how good can a fantasy book really be if it's that short. BOY WAS I WRONG. 

Nothing about this story seems rushed. The world-building is really incredible and is kinda like Avatar the Last Airbender meets Throne of Glass if it took place on the sea. I haven't read many pirate/ocean voyage fantasy books but this really delivered. It has badass mermaids, pirates, islands, everything a reader could want.

This book also excels in the magic department, with a system that is unique and engaging along with enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing throughout the entirety of it. Lastly, the romance is really great. Bastian? Love him. He needs more hype!

Obviously the book isn't perfect, some topics were continuously repeated, as well as some plot points being blatantly spelled out for the reader and recapped which was kind of annoying, but overall this didn't really hinder much from the entire experience of the book.

If you want a quick read, that will grab you from the beginning? This is it. ALSO HOLY CLIFFHANGER! I'm glad I saved this for January because I don't think I could wait a whole YEAR for the sequel.

Janice

A beautifully written book that got me on the edge of my seat at times and melted my heart at other times. Even though the idea, heroine sets out on a journey to save something, is nothing new, Adalyn gives her own and unique twist to it. 

The only reason why I did not give this book 5 stars is because at the beginning the language is a bit too difficult and the descriptions of things are way too long. However, the more the story progresses, the less this happens so that is good.

i’m convinced adalyn grace can do no wrong. this book literally had me on the edge of my seat (or would’ve if i wasnt reading it laying down in bed) pretty much the whole time. 

samantha lias

Lacy W

Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

tw: killing, murder, torture (a very graphic scene happens in the first 50 pages), genocide, regicide, blood

This is my first book that I received from Owlcrate and boy, it didn’t disappoint. I wasn’t sure what to expect as they send a book based on what the theme of the month is. They give some clues as to what the book is but you don’t really know until you get the box. But honestly, I shouldn’t have been worried. This was such a fantastic book and I was in love with it the minute I read the first page. It made me want to find all the pirate books and devour them. 

One of the reasons I loved this book so much was because of Amara. She was amazing. I loved how confident she was in herself. She didn’t let anybody make her feel less about herself because she was a girl. Amara fought hard to be seen and to be respected as a person. Her duty and loyalty to her country was incredibly admirable, almost borderline obsessive. She loved her people and wanted to do anything and everything she could to make sure she was the best ruler for her people.

Bastian also stole the show for me. He was so sassy and had a quip for everything. Any interaction he had with Amara was my favorite. He was quick to knock her down a couple pegs when she got a little too high and mighty, which happened from time to time. He was also very soft and broke down Amara’s walls that she didn’t even realize she had. It was so swoonworthy. I could read an entire book about just him and his adventures at sea with his beloved ship. 

I do have to say that this book is very dark. It has themes that could be considered in the adult genre. There is a lot of murder and basically genocide. I will also put out a warning for the after effects of war. Lots of hunger and death relating to war. There is also an incredibly difficult scene to read involving torture. It happens in the first 50 pages or so. It’s graphic so be warned. 

One last positive about this book was the magic system. There were so many different types of magic. At times it was hard to keep up because there seemed to be magic for nearly everything. This book would benefit from a table or some information in the beginning so that way I could reference back. Because there were some islands that had specific magics that could be used. There were some islands that allowed double magic, where the person could have two different types of magic. I

Overall, in case you couldn’t tell, I loved the heck out of this book. I can’t wait until the next one that unfortunately comes out next year but best you believe that I am counting down the days until I have the next book in my hands.

Fatima Kadri 

This book was so refreshing to read. It took everything I love about fantasy and then surprised me. I didn’t expect the book to go the way it went but I loved every second of it. 

The characters were complex and so amazing. Their stories were familiar but were carried out in new ways that defied stereotypes and had me guessing how they would react every time something happened. I honestly was shocked by how real these characters felt compared to characters from other books I love. 

The story itself gave me more than I bargained for. I wasn’t expecting such a well-woven fantasy but that’s what I got. It was like ATLA but pirate themed and with more complex magic. Immersive and totally badass. The fast pace never felt too fast and it never lagged either, which is what I love for a fantasy novel. 

The last 100 pages had me shocked nearly every time I turned the page and the ending was satisfying and frustrating at the same time— which is the perfect way to end any book that has an upcoming sequel in my opinion. 

I can’t wait to see what happens next in this series!!

Courtney

2.75⭐️First off, if it wasn’t for the last like 3 chapters of this novel, I think it would have been a 2/5 for me. The plot dragged on and on. The characters were average with no real depth. The love interest was very 2D. The whole “love triangle” was pointless. I did enjoy the magic build and how there were 6 different types of magic. I hope book 2 picks up and doesn’t drag.

Named as one of Entertainment Weekly's most anticipated books of 2020, 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. 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 stow-away she never expected... or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.

Yora

AAAAAA PIRATESSSS, I LOVE A BADASS FEMALE PIRATEQUEEN. Zoals je misschien hieruit al had opgemerkt vond ik het een heel leuk boek. Super badass female characters en een leuke love interest, ook een interessant verhaal. Het krijgt echter 4 sterren omdat ik nog steeds geen fuck snap van die magiewereld, al is t wel heel cool, ik zag de helft van de tijd terug te bladeren van wtf bedoelen ze hier. Maar al met al, i loved it

Katie

Things I loved:

Characters: If there is one thing that Grace did right in this book was writing strong characters. Not once did I not feel an attachment to every single one. The main character, Amora, goes through possibly the best character growth I have read in a fantasy. From being someone who was kept out of the light of what her father was doing and believing that she is the best thing for the kingdom to realizing that everything was lie and that she is in fact the only thing that will keep kingdom together was fantastic to see. Bastian was great to see his growth, and Ferrick totally deserved better.

World Building. For a book mostly set at sea, the world building was phenomenal. While reading it really felt like I was immersed into the story and never once felt a lack of not being in a kingdom at sea. Which I was afraid of going into this and knowing what I did (about it being set at sea) and not really knowing how I would feel about it. But the world building is *chef’s kiss*.

The Banter: It was filled with banter and let me tell you….it was spot on. It was great to see so much banter between all the characters on the ship. I’m sure that is what helped make the whole story feel more real since the majority of the characters are between 19 and 25. I’m saying 25, cause of the mermaid (whose name I can’t spell to save my life and apparently google is letting me down right now) they pick up in the story.

Things I disliked:

Pacing. Sometimes it felt as if I didn’t really know how many minutes/hours/days/weeks/months went by. It would be like one thing happened and that chapter ended and then boom the next chapter is somewhat dealing with what happened, but throwing us into a totally different act. The fight scenes seemed to go by way too fast and not as drawn out as they could’ve been. It was more as if the action was crammed packed and then nothing else.

The Ending. Okay, more like an epilogue. I understand what Grace was trying to do with the whole epilogue and everything that happened to Amora throughout the story. But just know how she currently feels about Bastian after everything they went through almost brings back the previous Amora at the start of the story with her feelings with Ferrick. I don’t know, it would be nice to know that while that happened (it’s a spoiler and it’s a pretty dang good one that is found out in the epilogue. So, it’s not a total bust) she didn’t have to totally just think about Bastian like that.

Overall, it’s a must read and a book I’m still thinking about now.

Nicole Dykeman

The premise of this book had me excited, but the execution of the story just wasn’t great. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with the writing, but the pacing felt a bit off—too fast, I think—and I never felt truly attached to the characters or their struggles. Still, I’ve been very busy the last two weeks or so and that may have something to do with it—it took me a lot longer to read this than I thought. It’s worth a try if you like pirates and seafaring adventures.

Megan Lowe

This was an okay book. It started interesting, got gruesome, like really gruesome, and then it totally lost me in the end.
I liked bastien and I think he could’ve been a really interesting love interest, but the ending? Killed that.
The magic system and amora’s use of it was gross. It totally turned me off, and felt a little off with what is a ya fantasy.
I’ve had this book on my tbr for ages, and even bought the second, but I have no desire to read it and was disappointed with this book.

Dee B. 

Brandyn

** spoiler alert **
           I was looking forward to reading this book because the concept sounded quite intriguing, however I wasn’t as thrilled with it as I thought I’d be. The beginning of the book was slow, taking about 100 pages or so for me to get into it. It was also quite repetitive in the beginning, the author constantly mentioning what would happen if Amora does not prove her mastery of soul magic (even though that is the whole premise of the book) and repeating the name of the ship even when they could have used other words to state that they were referring to the ship. Once the story got going though, I was more invested. While reading I was intrigued and excited to see where to story would go. But when I wasn’t reading, and reflecting on what I read, I wasn’t as impressed as I thought. For a debut novel, the author did a great job! Although I had my qualms with it, I look forward to reading the next book and any others by this author.

Shereen Evans

I was intrigued by the synopsis of the book since they are all things I like to read about. The beginning of the book kept my interest. It was a bit predictable. Just because this wasnt a book that I loved does not in any way mean this book was bad. It just was not entirely something that kept my focus.

Livia

Another win for pirate stories! This one was very interesting because it's still kingdom-based, but also island kingdoms with a unique blend of magic. No elaboration because saying more will be a spoiler but the story and setting are very interesting. The characters are also intriguing. Even though I find Amora's naivety a bit too much (as in there is almost no way she is THAT clueless about everything because let's be honest, teenagers always have ears for court gossip, it's a wide-known fact), I understand why she is the way she is. I like Bastian our savvy pirate, Ferrick our resident soft-boy protector, but mostly the one that stole my heart is Vataea. She stole the show and she's not even that prominent, which I hope will be fixed in the sequel (yes? yes.). The romance was pretty cute, although it developed way too quickly for my liking, but hey, not blaming them!

(And there is NO way Amora isn't bi. She legit got bi panic when she first saw Vataea, it's so obvious)

Sophia Wolf

It was pretty fun, since it had a unique magic system. I thought some things were unnecessary, but besides that I liked it.

ellie chase

"Her spirit is one of adventure."

Finally, a pirate story that I love wholeheartedly (here's to finding more in the future- I'm eyeing you, Fable. Soon.) I adore the pirate aesthetic and the ocean, but nautical stories are typically difficult for me to enjoy (perhaps the trauma of reading Robinson Crusoe for school in 4th grade?).
This one was amazing, though. The political intrigues, Keel Haul, Amora's dynamics, and the magic system? All perfect. I really can't wait to read the sequel to this duology.

Ana m santos

Entertaining read, fun story 
I did enjoy it .

anika.

4.5 stars. The beginning was a bit slow, but once Amora and crew made it onto Keel Haul, it picked up and improved a lot

Sabetha Danes

If you're going to read a YA book this is the one you should read. I am not one to typically enjoy YA, but the cover/blurb caught my attention, and the story didn't let me go. The author wove the words in the most entrancing way to create an epic adventure. 

The main character, Amora, is a work of art. She is strong, yet flawed. A product of her upbringing, but has the ability to rise above what she thought she was destined for. Her journey of discovery was enthralling. I felt every emotion with her, and cheered her on through all the struggles. All of her crew mates hold their own burdens, and are just as thoughtfully created down to their core. While there was a bit of sexual tension in the story, it was in no way a romance, or insta-love. Very well written and and believable characters, with many layers to each of them.

I will be looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Amora.

The world is amazing, I loved the twist on magical abilities, and the lesson in folklore/history, jealousy and greed. So many layers to discover and the story peeled them back perfectly. 

I received this book via NetGalley.

Sheila Masterson

I liked that the magic system was darker than most other YA.

Courtney 

I really enjoyed this book! The characters felt well-developed, the magic systems was really creative and amazing to explore, especially the lore behind it. Overall it was a good read that I highly recommend to anyone who wants a magic-filled adventure.

Jennifer Diz &
All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

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