Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing the latest from Tasha Suri, The Isle in the Silver Sea. I’ve loved some of Suri’s previous work. So, I was stoked to get an ARC of this one from Orbit. Did it live up to the hype in my head? Read on to find out!
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Tasha Suri comes The Isle in the Silver Sea, a heart-shattering romantasy of sapphic longing, medieval folklore and a love that spans the centuries.
In a Britain fuelled by stories, the knight and the witch are fated to fall in love and doom each other over and over, the same tale retold over hundreds of lifetimes.
Simran is a witch of the woods. Vina is a knight of the Queen’s court. When the two women begin to fall for each other, how can they surrender to their desires, when to give in is to destroy each other?
As they seek a way to break the cycle, a mysterious assassin begins targeting tales like theirs. To survive, the two will need to write a story stronger than the one that fate has given to them.
But what tale is stronger than The Knight and the Witch?
***Thank you to Orbit Books for providing an advanced copy of the book! My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
Ugh. I really wanted to be able to sit down and write that I absolutely adored The Isle in the Silver Sea. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark. The premise of this one was so interesting, and I was hooked by it all through part one of the book despite my quibbles with the execution of the details. Then part two happened. I’m convinced the two parts should have been fleshed out into a duology. The second part felt rushed while also pretty much resetting everything and negatively impacting the relationship development. I was just seriously underwhelmed.
Despite my general feelings of ambivalence about The Isle in the Silver Sea, I did love some things about the book. Suri’s writing was as beautiful as ever, and it made me want to keep reading even when I wasn’t loving other aspects of the book. The author also did a great job of using imagery, and the general premise of the story, to explore some fascinating themes. I really enjoyed the creativity Suri utilized in pointing out the dangers and horrors of colonialism/imperialism and the use of propaganda and censorship in consolidating power. Although, I do think the book often came across as being written specifically to portray a certain message rather than telling a good story in its own right.
That brings me to all of the things that didn’t work for me in The Isle in the Silver Sea. First and foremost, I wanted intense sapphic yearning, which I know Suri can deliver. Instead, I got barely any romance, and the little I did get felt forced and stiff thanks to the premise of the story. Furthermore, the world-building was rough and didn’t feel well thought out. There were different magical beings in this book, but I still haven’t figured out what exactly sets a witch apart from the others. By the end, I still had so many unanswered questions and parts of the plot didn’t really make sense to me.
All that being said, I didn’t hate The Isle in the Silver Sea. It was a fascinating story with beautiful writing and lots of important things to say. I mostly just wish the romance had a bit more teeth to it and the world was better defined. Therefore, I rate the book 3.5 out of 5 stars.
There you have it! My thoughts on The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri. Have you read this one yet? Did you enjoy it more/less than I did? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments!