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Heart of the Sea
Sometimes you have to trust the one sent to destroy you in order to save the one you love. Willing to do whatever it takes to save her sister, Nerissa Elliot commandeers the ship of notorious pirate, Cyrus Crow.
But Crow has a mission: kill Nerissa and earn his freedom from the Queen who's controlled him half his life. However, Nerissa harbors powers over the sea. Powers she can't control. Powers that threaten to consume her.
With nothing but a tenuous façade of an alliance and sparks between them, they set sail to face sirens, sea dragons, betrayal, and Nerissa's own uncontrollable ability. Can they find the strength to trust each other? Or will they destroy one another for the sake of their quests?
But Crow has a mission: kill Nerissa and earn his freedom from the Queen who's controlled him half his life. However, Nerissa harbors powers over the sea. Powers she can't control. Powers that threaten to consume her.
With nothing but a tenuous façade of an alliance and sparks between them, they set sail to face sirens, sea dragons, betrayal, and Nerissa's own uncontrollable ability. Can they find the strength to trust each other? Or will they destroy one another for the sake of their quests?
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2023
33 people are currently reading
1123 people want to read
About the author
Moriah Chavis
12 books210 followersMoriah is the author of the young adult fantasy Heart of the Sea and various short stories. She is a two-time graduate from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and a Master’s in Library and Information Science. It's been said you can find perusing bookstores, attempting to persuade strangers to read her favorite books, oscillating between watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (her husband’s favorite) or Harry Potter (hers), and keeping her books from the clutches of her two feisty cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 126 reviews
June 6, 2023
In which Marquise read what she thought was a Little Mermaid retelling, and got pirates instead.
Moriah Chavis is one new author I've liked from the first story of hers I've read, she is very imaginative and does dialogue well, so I did expect to like this story as much as the first. But it was unfortunately not the case. And the pirates were to blame.
Before you gals in the pirate-lovin' crowd throw stones at me for dissenting, it wasn't only the pirates! It was mostly the pirates!
In this story, which is more of a sea adventure and quest for a lost beloved plot than a Little Mermaid plot (which was entirely my assumption, let's be clear, it wasn't sold to me as a retelling of the tale), we have two pirate protagonists: the female pirate that is one by necessity as much as by inclination, and the male pirate that is one by compulsion as much as by inclination.
The positives: No eye patch and no cursing parrot. Oh, and no pirate slang conveyed in pseudo-Scottish dialect.
The negatives: Stereotypical characterisation for both pirates, she a hyper-competent masculinised yet hot can-do girl and he a 10/10 hottie that somehow doesn't have rotten teeth or scurvy or skin cancer or . . . etc.
The What the...?: If two cooks spoil the broth, how do two captains not sink the ship? Beats me. The solution must be that when both captains are, erm, sharing the captain's cabin and sheets, it all works fine.
The story starts in media res, and it works backwards from there in flashbacks, which was the second major problem for me. We are dropped in the middle of the action when Nerissa kidnaps a ship (with captain included) to go to a cursed land accessible by sea through a very dangerous route, looking for someone she loves. From thence on, we are made privy to her reasons as well as the identity of the beloved through her memories and flashback chapters interspersed throughout the entire novel. But the problem is that these are so info-dumpy and placed in such a way that they appear when Nerissa needs to explain something, and it goes all "Oh, it happened 2 years ago!" It's all two years ago this, two years ago that. And yes, it does explain the present, but it makes the story such a chore to read, always waiting to be told what happened before so the now makes sense.
And it's not just in the flashback chapters, you might be in the middle of Nerissa's POV and suddenly she has one convenient memory flash that explains current things. It's extremely grating to me to get these loads of info dumped on me from all three sides: dedicated flashback chapters from 2 years ago, Nerissa's memories lasting for paragraphs upon paragraphs sometimes, and dialogue that veers into the 'splainin' too.
This isn't what I had expected to read, I know the author is a better writer from her other story. This one read like it wasn't as planned as they might've hoped or maybe they didn't think much about how the flashback and the info-dump structure would read in the final draft. Because, even taking my lack of appreciation for piratical stories, this narrative style can sink the ship for some readers. Personally, I'd have placed the flashbacks differently and less intrusively.
As for the plot itself, it's a sea adventure and quest, as I was saying. It went down as expected, so I can't say there were any surprises. I could predict they'd reach their objective with a few bumps, fall in love within a few chapters, find the beloved person, fight and vanquish the baddie, reject the throne, and sail happily ever after mock-squabbling over the captaincy. You can never have a hot pirate without a romance, after all, even if little unromantics like yours truly can never stop thinking of the likes of Blackbeard instead of appreciating the fictional pirates' hotness.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Moriah Chavis is one new author I've liked from the first story of hers I've read, she is very imaginative and does dialogue well, so I did expect to like this story as much as the first. But it was unfortunately not the case. And the pirates were to blame.
Before you gals in the pirate-lovin' crowd throw stones at me for dissenting, it wasn't only the pirates! It was mostly the pirates!
In this story, which is more of a sea adventure and quest for a lost beloved plot than a Little Mermaid plot (which was entirely my assumption, let's be clear, it wasn't sold to me as a retelling of the tale), we have two pirate protagonists: the female pirate that is one by necessity as much as by inclination, and the male pirate that is one by compulsion as much as by inclination.
The positives: No eye patch and no cursing parrot. Oh, and no pirate slang conveyed in pseudo-Scottish dialect.
The negatives: Stereotypical characterisation for both pirates, she a hyper-competent masculinised yet hot can-do girl and he a 10/10 hottie that somehow doesn't have rotten teeth or scurvy or skin cancer or . . . etc.
The What the...?: If two cooks spoil the broth, how do two captains not sink the ship? Beats me. The solution must be that when both captains are, erm, sharing the captain's cabin and sheets, it all works fine.
The story starts in media res, and it works backwards from there in flashbacks, which was the second major problem for me. We are dropped in the middle of the action when Nerissa kidnaps a ship (with captain included) to go to a cursed land accessible by sea through a very dangerous route, looking for someone she loves. From thence on, we are made privy to her reasons as well as the identity of the beloved through her memories and flashback chapters interspersed throughout the entire novel. But the problem is that these are so info-dumpy and placed in such a way that they appear when Nerissa needs to explain something, and it goes all "Oh, it happened 2 years ago!" It's all two years ago this, two years ago that. And yes, it does explain the present, but it makes the story such a chore to read, always waiting to be told what happened before so the now makes sense.
And it's not just in the flashback chapters, you might be in the middle of Nerissa's POV and suddenly she has one convenient memory flash that explains current things. It's extremely grating to me to get these loads of info dumped on me from all three sides: dedicated flashback chapters from 2 years ago, Nerissa's memories lasting for paragraphs upon paragraphs sometimes, and dialogue that veers into the 'splainin' too.
This isn't what I had expected to read, I know the author is a better writer from her other story. This one read like it wasn't as planned as they might've hoped or maybe they didn't think much about how the flashback and the info-dump structure would read in the final draft. Because, even taking my lack of appreciation for piratical stories, this narrative style can sink the ship for some readers. Personally, I'd have placed the flashbacks differently and less intrusively.
As for the plot itself, it's a sea adventure and quest, as I was saying. It went down as expected, so I can't say there were any surprises. I could predict they'd reach their objective with a few bumps, fall in love within a few chapters, find the beloved person, fight and vanquish the baddie, reject the throne, and sail happily ever after mock-squabbling over the captaincy. You can never have a hot pirate without a romance, after all, even if little unromantics like yours truly can never stop thinking of the likes of Blackbeard instead of appreciating the fictional pirates' hotness.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
This book is everything a pirate fantasy should be: a page-turner storyline, a heart-melting romance, and high-stakes action. The themes of family relationships, forgiveness, and hope were so accurately portrayed and beautifully done.
Some favorite quotes:
“Hope is like a bird. You have to let go of its wings before it can soar.”
“Family isn’t always blood. It’s loyalty and the unwavering belief in one another—knowing we’re stronger together.”
“Family is important, even the family we cannot trust. We don’t pick who we’re related to, but we do pick how we treat them and how we choose to love them.”
Thank you to the author for an eARC! 💛
This book is everything a pirate fantasy should be: a page-turner storyline, a heart-melting romance, and high-stakes action. The themes of family relationships, forgiveness, and hope were so accurately portrayed and beautifully done.
Some favorite quotes:
“Hope is like a bird. You have to let go of its wings before it can soar.”
“Family isn’t always blood. It’s loyalty and the unwavering belief in one another—knowing we’re stronger together.”
“Family is important, even the family we cannot trust. We don’t pick who we’re related to, but we do pick how we treat them and how we choose to love them.”
Thank you to the author for an eARC! 💛
August 27, 2024
I don’t know how to feel about this book. I totally see why so many have enjoyed it, but I was definitely uncomfortable with some parts. That said, I was pulled in to the story and wanted to know the ending. (I probably should have just skipped to the end, truly.) But I nearly stopped reading multiple times because I honestly started to dread typing up the main content for this review. (I sincerely do not want to type up content, someonepleasesaveme)
This book is strange. Very strange. It was interesting and different, but strange. Very strange.
Edgier than what I typically read and some parts I didn’t like. Witches, mermaids, sirens are in this book galore and while they’re all evil/bad, it still made me uncomfortable at times. Particularly because Nerissa has to make deals with them. Which, yes, dear reader, is just as bad as an idea as you think—perhaps worse when you learn that mermaids eat humans and whatever they can & then sirens are the original thought of sirens in the luring men to their deaths so they can eat them. (I’m making a 🤢 face, if you can’t tell.) Also, there are giant cats that have been trained to torture and eat people. Also also, there were some deaths of animals (horses, giant cats, etc.) that I know some readers are just going to hate.
I see some different reviewers mention about this book being info-dumpy and though I feel like I notice that often in books, I honestly didn’t pay attention to that element? I guess I was just along for the ride. Hiding behind my fingers at times and tip-toeing around bleeding bodies, but there, I suppose.
I have to admit that while the ending made sense in different ways, I didn’t love certain aspects of it. Villains died too easily throughout the book and our main girl was a little too perfect warrior maiden with her skills with a blade.
I’m glad to have gotten this book off of my physical TBR, but I don’t know how to feel about the book itself. I guess you could say it was a bit edgier than I prefer? I think those who have read lots of secular YA books, pirate stories, etc. would probably be totally fine with this story.
The Light vs Darkness part of the plot was interesting, but it wasn’t very clear to me? Maybe because of loyalties and betrayals and evil characters, but I’m walking away from this book slightly confused about how it all went down in that regard.
This book was intense, but like in a pirate way. I would easily call it PG-13 between all the fighting, killing, and couple of make-out sessions.
...I guess I'll be back with content details. My 518 Kindle highlights are going to burry me alive. Send the search and rescue dogs if I haven't posted in two business days.
Main Content-
(I am be wrong in some of the details of minor things as I don’t fully understand everything, I’ll be honest. Going to do my best and explain what I can *takes deep breath*)
Nerissa has a magical gift (which she and her mother call a curse often) that allows her to be one with the water, this includes her being able to create storms, breath underwater, throw people/creatures around in the water, and even killing others by the force of the water when upset (some are afraid of her because of this, up to more than a handful of sentences about all of this); Nerissa later thinks of her power of being Light-blessed, but her curse; Nerissa’s mother tried to force Nerissa’s powers away and *Spoiler* .
Cyrus, on the other hand, had a crow as his “familiar” and is able to take with it in his mind plus have other crows do his bidding (this is also a heredity ability) and be able to see what his familiar sees.
A villain character, the Queen Weylan, has a power over her animals (giant cats) but it comes from a “different, darker place” than Cyrus’ power (more on this in the fighting/gore details) and how she uses them to torture and kill others who go against her (up to a few sentences in the details of how this happens).
There’s some kind of orb that is able to take someone to another time? And then another blue-light orb that can heal someone; Also a witch is able to shoot a ball of light from her hands? Idk.
A major part of this story is “The Prophecy of the Sisters” which tells of two sisters that have a massive choice to make and that one of the sisters is the chosen one that will break a curse from a land and another will be subject to the Darkness; Some people say that this special land is cursed by the Darkness, but others say it has been protected by the Light to keep the Darkness—and everyone else—out; There’s a section shared from “The Chronicles of the Light” that talks about the Light being where all goodness began and letting the Light be your anchor.
Lots of magic/powers/abilities that aren’t fully explained but seem to be heredity and thus something you’re born with; That said there’s also quite a few magical items like a map that’s writing/pictures move and a necklace that stores a mermaid’s voice against her will; A few mentions of wishing on stars; A mention of rosemary keeping someone from using magic.
Nerissa makes a deal with a witch (implied a sea witch) to gain an important item from her; As they approach Siren’s Cove, the men have to be tied down and their ears filled with magic black sand so they do not hear the Siren’s songs (which lured them to their death and then the Sirens will eat them; Sirens hate men and want to end them; Nerissa brings a chunk of lamb to the sirens as a bribe as it’s said that it “tastes like male children” and is relieved they don’t require an alive sacrifice); The sirens and mermaids both have sharp teeth and evil intentions, some are said to have soulless black eyes; Some sirens are able to transform into having legs; A siren harms Cyrus and sucks on his blood; A Siren tries to seduce Cyrus and is mostly successful for a time as he finds his body aching with “need” for the siren, yearning for her touch, kissing him hard (more than a handful of sentences), thinking she’s beautiful, and having “pleasure” rush through him at her touch (he eventually recognizes that the siren is dangerous and snaps out of it).
The Siren Queen has a menagerie of different creatures including mermaids, one that is being held there for years and has her voice taken from her (*Spoilers* ; A man with magic takes one of Nerissa’s memories which leaves her in pain & with a hollow spot in her mind.
*Spoiler*
A leviathan is seen, fought, & injured by our main characters (describing it last a handful+ of sentences plus it’s injuries/screams are a few sentences); Some of these creatures are described as otherworldly; Cyrus and his crew has hunted for monsters like sirens, mermaids, and leviathans under the Queen’s orders.
Nerissa says she trusts the Light and believes in Him; She comments that “We all have to believe in something. The Light would not have to test us if the Darkness didn’t try to tempt us.”; “Light be with you” is said as a phrase showing extreme thanks; Someone says that some will have to pay for the sins of their father.
The Light is referred to with capital ‘H’s; There’s a few mentions/thoughts of people going to the Light if they’ve passed and are a believer; It’s said that both the Light and the Darkness work in prophecies; Nerissa is told that the Darkness can give people back what they wanted but it will have a major cost (including bringing back to life what has passed (including dreams)); Later, it’s added that the Darkeness can give you whatever you want, but for a price. “Once the price is paid, his followers never discuss what they traded.” and their soul is the Darkness’, but then The Light doesn’t ask to give anything up.
*Spoiler* ; *Major Spoiler*
Plenty of curses are said but not written out; No actual cursing, but plenty of made-up ones like: Light-blessed, Blessed Light, For the love of the Light, By the Light!, Light-forsaken places and things, Keels, keeling, newk (insult), newked it up (screwed it up), I swear to the Light, by the sea, For the love of the sea, glitz, what the glitz - (all of these are called curses in this world and you can easily replace Light with God and be taking His name in vain); Minor words like ‘blasted’, ‘stupid’ and ‘idiot’ are said; Plenty of lies are said; Sarcasm & Eye rolling.
Lots (I mean, lots) of fighting & killing with also holding people at knife-point, threats, tying people up, injuries, blood/bleeding, pain, passing out, knocking others out, deaths, & seeing bodies (including almost all of these done to our main characters as well; up to a handful of sentences to multiple paragraphs); *Spoiler but not really* ; Cyrus recalls seeing his mother being killed (a few sentences): Nerissa threats others are knife-point & recalls killing someone (which wasn’t on purpose); Recalling that accidental death, the blood, & guilt (up to a handful of sentences); Nerissa recalls being taught about how to kill someone; Birds attack Nerissa and others (details of this seeming like out of an Alfred Hitchock movie with people being surrounded by the birds and their screams of pain, up to a handful of sentences); A fire, someone being badly scarred, & the person’s personality completely changing as if she died in the fire (and she wants revenge on someone and *Spoiler* ); A side character dies after a ship is attacked (a few sentences); Seeing the death of a loved one (up to a few paragraphs of the blood and grief).
Someone lists off ways to kill others that annoy her; Mentions of executions (including in front of the person’s loved ones); Mentions of people being tortured, killed, and eaten by giant beats under the evil queen’s orders; Mentions of throwing up; A mention of some woman using mouse fake for beauty treatments; Animals are killed by main characters and other animals (including a bird being attacked by another bird and cat; horses stabbed and shot by main characters and villain’s minions and are also eaten by giant cats; killing a couple giant cats; up to a few blunt sentences each).
Nerissa has a negative voice in her head telling her that she can’t do it a couple of times; Nerissa’s mother has passed but there’s no lost love for Nerissa for her mother (she’s pretty bitter and resentful of her mother because of her mother forcing her to have lessons about stuffing her powers/magic down and drinking tonics that will also stun her powers; Nerissa recalls her mother yelling at her when Nerissa couldn’t do what she wanted; Nerissa views her mother’s actions as keeping her from what she was supposed to be; Nerissa’s sister grew jealous and resentful towards Nerissa for being the main attention of their mother); Nerissa recalls towards the end of her mother’s left when she found her mother submerged in the tub and saying to “let her go” (implied possible suicide); *Spoiler* ; Nerissa reminds her mother as always looking over her shoulder, waiting on her to make a mistake; A few mentions of a certain country’s parents holding their children at arm’s length.
Mentions of deaths & grief; Mentions of wars; Mentions of fires, injuries/scars, & someone being scarred and being incredibly distraught; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, taverns, & smoking; Mentions of hatred & jealousy; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of crazy plans being like suicide; A couple mentions of possible drownings; A couple mentions of a man treating his servants like animals; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of the death penalty.
When fighting, Nerissa and Cyrus straddle the other a few times (this makes them very close and noticing the others’ appearance); Nerissa knees Cyrus in the groin twice and another man as well;
2 head kisses,
1 kiss lasting a sentence,
1 kiss lasting a couple sentences,
1 kiss lasting a few sentences,
1 kiss/make-out season under a siren’s influence (see above content listed about Cyrus being seduced by a siren);
2 make-out session that last up to a few paragraphs and gets touchy or mention tongue;
Remembering kisses (up to a couple sentences).
Staring at another’s lips (up to a couple sentences); Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (up to a few sentences); Yearning & Longing for another with those emotions (up to a few sentences); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth/Shivers, Sparks, Nearness, & Smelling (up to a handful of sentences); Falling asleep in a guy’s lap; Noticing (including muscles, up to a few sentences); Blushes & winks.
Nerissa recalls a young man trying to force himself on her (him cornering her and then she knees him in the groin); *Spoiler* ; Nerissa (under a guise) swishes her skirts to get some men to not pay attention to her face; Nerissa tells Cyrus to get out of the room so she can change because she’s “not showing you any part of me hidden by these clothes” (which makes him blush).
Mentions of a young man forcing himself on girls & Nerissa being sure that he won’t be faithful to his wife (also a comment by her that every girl on their island has had him); Mentions of crushes, rejections, & jealousy; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A couple mentions of other couples kissing; A mention of a woman’s cleavage; A mention of a man leaving his wife; A mention of “bad things” often happening to delicate girls.
This book is strange. Very strange. It was interesting and different, but strange. Very strange.
Edgier than what I typically read and some parts I didn’t like. Witches, mermaids, sirens are in this book galore and while they’re all evil/bad, it still made me uncomfortable at times. Particularly because Nerissa has to make deals with them. Which, yes, dear reader, is just as bad as an idea as you think—perhaps worse when you learn that mermaids eat humans and whatever they can & then sirens are the original thought of sirens in the luring men to their deaths so they can eat them. (I’m making a 🤢 face, if you can’t tell.) Also, there are giant cats that have been trained to torture and eat people. Also also, there were some deaths of animals (horses, giant cats, etc.) that I know some readers are just going to hate.
I see some different reviewers mention about this book being info-dumpy and though I feel like I notice that often in books, I honestly didn’t pay attention to that element? I guess I was just along for the ride. Hiding behind my fingers at times and tip-toeing around bleeding bodies, but there, I suppose.
I have to admit that while the ending made sense in different ways, I didn’t love certain aspects of it. Villains died too easily throughout the book and our main girl was a little too perfect warrior maiden with her skills with a blade.
I’m glad to have gotten this book off of my physical TBR, but I don’t know how to feel about the book itself. I guess you could say it was a bit edgier than I prefer? I think those who have read lots of secular YA books, pirate stories, etc. would probably be totally fine with this story.
The Light vs Darkness part of the plot was interesting, but it wasn’t very clear to me? Maybe because of loyalties and betrayals and evil characters, but I’m walking away from this book slightly confused about how it all went down in that regard.
This book was intense, but like in a pirate way. I would easily call it PG-13 between all the fighting, killing, and couple of make-out sessions.
Main Content-
(I am be wrong in some of the details of minor things as I don’t fully understand everything, I’ll be honest. Going to do my best and explain what I can *takes deep breath*)
Nerissa has a magical gift (which she and her mother call a curse often) that allows her to be one with the water, this includes her being able to create storms, breath underwater, throw people/creatures around in the water, and even killing others by the force of the water when upset (some are afraid of her because of this, up to more than a handful of sentences about all of this); Nerissa later thinks of her power of being Light-blessed, but her curse; Nerissa’s mother tried to force Nerissa’s powers away and *Spoiler* .
Cyrus, on the other hand, had a crow as his “familiar” and is able to take with it in his mind plus have other crows do his bidding (this is also a heredity ability) and be able to see what his familiar sees.
A villain character, the Queen Weylan, has a power over her animals (giant cats) but it comes from a “different, darker place” than Cyrus’ power (more on this in the fighting/gore details) and how she uses them to torture and kill others who go against her (up to a few sentences in the details of how this happens).
There’s some kind of orb that is able to take someone to another time? And then another blue-light orb that can heal someone; Also a witch is able to shoot a ball of light from her hands? Idk.
A major part of this story is “The Prophecy of the Sisters” which tells of two sisters that have a massive choice to make and that one of the sisters is the chosen one that will break a curse from a land and another will be subject to the Darkness; Some people say that this special land is cursed by the Darkness, but others say it has been protected by the Light to keep the Darkness—and everyone else—out; There’s a section shared from “The Chronicles of the Light” that talks about the Light being where all goodness began and letting the Light be your anchor.
Lots of magic/powers/abilities that aren’t fully explained but seem to be heredity and thus something you’re born with; That said there’s also quite a few magical items like a map that’s writing/pictures move and a necklace that stores a mermaid’s voice against her will; A few mentions of wishing on stars; A mention of rosemary keeping someone from using magic.
Nerissa makes a deal with a witch (implied a sea witch) to gain an important item from her; As they approach Siren’s Cove, the men have to be tied down and their ears filled with magic black sand so they do not hear the Siren’s songs (which lured them to their death and then the Sirens will eat them; Sirens hate men and want to end them; Nerissa brings a chunk of lamb to the sirens as a bribe as it’s said that it “tastes like male children” and is relieved they don’t require an alive sacrifice); The sirens and mermaids both have sharp teeth and evil intentions, some are said to have soulless black eyes; Some sirens are able to transform into having legs; A siren harms Cyrus and sucks on his blood; A Siren tries to seduce Cyrus and is mostly successful for a time as he finds his body aching with “need” for the siren, yearning for her touch, kissing him hard (more than a handful of sentences), thinking she’s beautiful, and having “pleasure” rush through him at her touch (he eventually recognizes that the siren is dangerous and snaps out of it).
The Siren Queen has a menagerie of different creatures including mermaids, one that is being held there for years and has her voice taken from her (*Spoilers* ; A man with magic takes one of Nerissa’s memories which leaves her in pain & with a hollow spot in her mind.
*Spoiler*
A leviathan is seen, fought, & injured by our main characters (describing it last a handful+ of sentences plus it’s injuries/screams are a few sentences); Some of these creatures are described as otherworldly; Cyrus and his crew has hunted for monsters like sirens, mermaids, and leviathans under the Queen’s orders.
Nerissa says she trusts the Light and believes in Him; She comments that “We all have to believe in something. The Light would not have to test us if the Darkness didn’t try to tempt us.”; “Light be with you” is said as a phrase showing extreme thanks; Someone says that some will have to pay for the sins of their father.
The Light is referred to with capital ‘H’s; There’s a few mentions/thoughts of people going to the Light if they’ve passed and are a believer; It’s said that both the Light and the Darkness work in prophecies; Nerissa is told that the Darkness can give people back what they wanted but it will have a major cost (including bringing back to life what has passed (including dreams)); Later, it’s added that the Darkeness can give you whatever you want, but for a price. “Once the price is paid, his followers never discuss what they traded.” and their soul is the Darkness’, but then The Light doesn’t ask to give anything up.
*Spoiler* ; *Major Spoiler*
Plenty of curses are said but not written out; No actual cursing, but plenty of made-up ones like: Light-blessed, Blessed Light, For the love of the Light, By the Light!, Light-forsaken places and things, Keels, keeling, newk (insult), newked it up (screwed it up), I swear to the Light, by the sea, For the love of the sea, glitz, what the glitz - (all of these are called curses in this world and you can easily replace Light with God and be taking His name in vain); Minor words like ‘blasted’, ‘stupid’ and ‘idiot’ are said; Plenty of lies are said; Sarcasm & Eye rolling.
Lots (I mean, lots) of fighting & killing with also holding people at knife-point, threats, tying people up, injuries, blood/bleeding, pain, passing out, knocking others out, deaths, & seeing bodies (including almost all of these done to our main characters as well; up to a handful of sentences to multiple paragraphs); *Spoiler but not really* ; Cyrus recalls seeing his mother being killed (a few sentences): Nerissa threats others are knife-point & recalls killing someone (which wasn’t on purpose); Recalling that accidental death, the blood, & guilt (up to a handful of sentences); Nerissa recalls being taught about how to kill someone; Birds attack Nerissa and others (details of this seeming like out of an Alfred Hitchock movie with people being surrounded by the birds and their screams of pain, up to a handful of sentences); A fire, someone being badly scarred, & the person’s personality completely changing as if she died in the fire (and she wants revenge on someone and *Spoiler* ); A side character dies after a ship is attacked (a few sentences); Seeing the death of a loved one (up to a few paragraphs of the blood and grief).
Someone lists off ways to kill others that annoy her; Mentions of executions (including in front of the person’s loved ones); Mentions of people being tortured, killed, and eaten by giant beats under the evil queen’s orders; Mentions of throwing up; A mention of some woman using mouse fake for beauty treatments; Animals are killed by main characters and other animals (including a bird being attacked by another bird and cat; horses stabbed and shot by main characters and villain’s minions and are also eaten by giant cats; killing a couple giant cats; up to a few blunt sentences each).
Nerissa has a negative voice in her head telling her that she can’t do it a couple of times; Nerissa’s mother has passed but there’s no lost love for Nerissa for her mother (she’s pretty bitter and resentful of her mother because of her mother forcing her to have lessons about stuffing her powers/magic down and drinking tonics that will also stun her powers; Nerissa recalls her mother yelling at her when Nerissa couldn’t do what she wanted; Nerissa views her mother’s actions as keeping her from what she was supposed to be; Nerissa’s sister grew jealous and resentful towards Nerissa for being the main attention of their mother); Nerissa recalls towards the end of her mother’s left when she found her mother submerged in the tub and saying to “let her go” (implied possible suicide); *Spoiler* ; Nerissa reminds her mother as always looking over her shoulder, waiting on her to make a mistake; A few mentions of a certain country’s parents holding their children at arm’s length.
Mentions of deaths & grief; Mentions of wars; Mentions of fires, injuries/scars, & someone being scarred and being incredibly distraught; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, taverns, & smoking; Mentions of hatred & jealousy; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of crazy plans being like suicide; A couple mentions of possible drownings; A couple mentions of a man treating his servants like animals; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of the death penalty.
When fighting, Nerissa and Cyrus straddle the other a few times (this makes them very close and noticing the others’ appearance); Nerissa knees Cyrus in the groin twice and another man as well;
2 head kisses,
1 kiss lasting a sentence,
1 kiss lasting a couple sentences,
1 kiss lasting a few sentences,
1 kiss/make-out season under a siren’s influence (see above content listed about Cyrus being seduced by a siren);
2 make-out session that last up to a few paragraphs and gets touchy or mention tongue;
Remembering kisses (up to a couple sentences).
Staring at another’s lips (up to a couple sentences); Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (up to a few sentences); Yearning & Longing for another with those emotions (up to a few sentences); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth/Shivers, Sparks, Nearness, & Smelling (up to a handful of sentences); Falling asleep in a guy’s lap; Noticing (including muscles, up to a few sentences); Blushes & winks.
Nerissa recalls a young man trying to force himself on her (him cornering her and then she knees him in the groin); *Spoiler* ; Nerissa (under a guise) swishes her skirts to get some men to not pay attention to her face; Nerissa tells Cyrus to get out of the room so she can change because she’s “not showing you any part of me hidden by these clothes” (which makes him blush).
Mentions of a young man forcing himself on girls & Nerissa being sure that he won’t be faithful to his wife (also a comment by her that every girl on their island has had him); Mentions of crushes, rejections, & jealousy; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A couple mentions of other couples kissing; A mention of a woman’s cleavage; A mention of a man leaving his wife; A mention of “bad things” often happening to delicate girls.
November 27, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
This book was so fun! From high-stakes adventures, a meaningful magic system, a backstory that pulled on your heartstrings, and so much hope, I think there's a little something for everyone in this story.
This book was so fun! From high-stakes adventures, a meaningful magic system, a backstory that pulled on your heartstrings, and so much hope, I think there's a little something for everyone in this story.
June 17, 2023
“I fought every day, the Darkness telling me lies and the Light shining in with His truth—the truth. He told me that you would come—you would save not only me but this place.”
I really enjoyed this book. Fantasy books containing pirates and sirens are my favorite! The pacing of this book was great. I never felt like parts moved too slow or were rushed. The world building wasn’t overwhelming and was easy to understand (even thought I’m sure I mispronounced most of the kingdom’s names). There were some flash backs, but they’re necessary to the story and they’re clearly marked. The romance was perfect for a YA novel and I’d feel comfortable letting my younger teens read this. I read a lot of it aloud to my younger kids and they enjoyed it.
I rarely highlight passages in books and I highlighted several in HOTS. I wish I could share all my favorites, but I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone else.
I really enjoyed this book. Fantasy books containing pirates and sirens are my favorite! The pacing of this book was great. I never felt like parts moved too slow or were rushed. The world building wasn’t overwhelming and was easy to understand (even thought I’m sure I mispronounced most of the kingdom’s names). There were some flash backs, but they’re necessary to the story and they’re clearly marked. The romance was perfect for a YA novel and I’d feel comfortable letting my younger teens read this. I read a lot of it aloud to my younger kids and they enjoyed it.
I rarely highlight passages in books and I highlighted several in HOTS. I wish I could share all my favorites, but I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2023
“There’s nothing wrong with having a heart, even if it does break,”
Heart of the Sea is a great high stake sea adventure. Thank you for the ARC, I enjoyed it. Nerissa and Cyrus's banter and connection were so enjoyable to read. The side characters' dialogue was very entertaining. I was chuckling and smiling. (Duncan and Brecci 💙) I enjoy multiple POV, Nerissa and Cyrus's story of loss, hope, and love was heartwarming. It is action pack, too, with a quick pacing that makes it a good page turner. I liked the magical elements with the sea and crows.
Dual POV
Enemies to lovers
Hidden Prince
Sister bond
Pirates
Quest
Family lies and secrets
Light/Darkness
Healing and Love (the most important one)
Heart of the Sea is a great high stake sea adventure. Thank you for the ARC, I enjoyed it. Nerissa and Cyrus's banter and connection were so enjoyable to read. The side characters' dialogue was very entertaining. I was chuckling and smiling. (Duncan and Brecci 💙) I enjoy multiple POV, Nerissa and Cyrus's story of loss, hope, and love was heartwarming. It is action pack, too, with a quick pacing that makes it a good page turner. I liked the magical elements with the sea and crows.
Dual POV
Enemies to lovers
Hidden Prince
Sister bond
Pirates
Quest
Family lies and secrets
Light/Darkness
Healing and Love (the most important one)
April 26, 2023
ENDORSEMENT:
Fans of C.J. Redwine's Rise of the Vicious Princess and Tricia Levenseller's Daughter of the Pirate King will swoon at Chavis' fast-paced debut! With a rogue pirate, a prophetic quest, and a heart-wrenching bond of sisterhood, this high seas adventure is clean pirate fantasy at its finest!
Fans of C.J. Redwine's Rise of the Vicious Princess and Tricia Levenseller's Daughter of the Pirate King will swoon at Chavis' fast-paced debut! With a rogue pirate, a prophetic quest, and a heart-wrenching bond of sisterhood, this high seas adventure is clean pirate fantasy at its finest!
June 5, 2023
I cannot get over the twists and turns throughout this book. The raw emotions, growth, sorrow, and everything in between. It even seemed to have a haunted, yet lovely ending. I cannot recommend this book enough for pirates and adventure lovers everywhere!
December 17, 2024
3.5 stars. Parts were confusing but it was fun.
Fav quotes:
"Hope is dangerous," I mumble, grabbing my sword and readying my stance.
"Hope is like a bird. You have to let go of its wings before it can soar."
Throw all your cares to the wind."
"I have too many cares that need to be attended to. I can't lose them in the wind,"
Fav quotes:
"Hope is dangerous," I mumble, grabbing my sword and readying my stance.
"Hope is like a bird. You have to let go of its wings before it can soar."
Throw all your cares to the wind."
"I have too many cares that need to be attended to. I can't lose them in the wind,"
May 2, 2023
Heart of the Sea
🫂🪶🏴☠️⚓️✨🧜♀️🗡️🐍🌊🤍
arc review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
if you like:
- strong female leads
- found family
- pirates
- quests and prophecies
- dual POV & dual timelines
- fantasy with a side of romance
- enemies to lovers
- magical abilities
you’ll love this Ya fantasy :)) 🤍
This book made me want to throw on a bandana, grab a sword, and scream “KEELS” at everything. That’s how I know this was a good fantasy book. 🥰
Nerissa is willing to do whatever it takes to save her sister, including stealing a ship, fighting a siren queen, and slaying giant snakes. Following a prophecy, a witch and a nap, issa sets off to find Cyrus Crow who she supposedly needs.
“you need Crow. But forget this not, Crow needs you, too.”
Crow is on a mission to kill Issa and gain his freedom from the queen controlling his life. He lets her take over his ship and they form an alliance. But what happens if Cyrus begins to save her life instead of ending it? And what if she begins to care for him back?
“He doesn’t matter.
Until he does.”
The story is YA and i do tend to like NA fantasy more but this was amazinggg!! I loved the authors writing style, it was complex yet flowed easily. The world building was so well done and easy to follow along. If you’re just trying to step into the fantasy genre, this is perfect for you. The characters were so enjoyable, Nerissa and Cyrus have my whole heart and I want to wrap them in a warm hug. THE BANTERRRR between them was so good and had me screaming.
“You only wish you could be so lucky as to die at my hand, Cyrus Crow,”
Although most of the story is action, I loved getting to see little snippets of their relationship. I loved the family they created with their crew, it honestly made my tear up. The quests and adventures gave me vibes from the Odyssey and i’m 100% here for it.
highly recommend this book!! Our August 2, 2023! 🌊🤍🏴☠️
🫂🪶🏴☠️⚓️✨🧜♀️🗡️🐍🌊🤍
arc review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
if you like:
- strong female leads
- found family
- pirates
- quests and prophecies
- dual POV & dual timelines
- fantasy with a side of romance
- enemies to lovers
- magical abilities
you’ll love this Ya fantasy :)) 🤍
This book made me want to throw on a bandana, grab a sword, and scream “KEELS” at everything. That’s how I know this was a good fantasy book. 🥰
Nerissa is willing to do whatever it takes to save her sister, including stealing a ship, fighting a siren queen, and slaying giant snakes. Following a prophecy, a witch and a nap, issa sets off to find Cyrus Crow who she supposedly needs.
“you need Crow. But forget this not, Crow needs you, too.”
Crow is on a mission to kill Issa and gain his freedom from the queen controlling his life. He lets her take over his ship and they form an alliance. But what happens if Cyrus begins to save her life instead of ending it? And what if she begins to care for him back?
“He doesn’t matter.
Until he does.”
The story is YA and i do tend to like NA fantasy more but this was amazinggg!! I loved the authors writing style, it was complex yet flowed easily. The world building was so well done and easy to follow along. If you’re just trying to step into the fantasy genre, this is perfect for you. The characters were so enjoyable, Nerissa and Cyrus have my whole heart and I want to wrap them in a warm hug. THE BANTERRRR between them was so good and had me screaming.
“You only wish you could be so lucky as to die at my hand, Cyrus Crow,”
Although most of the story is action, I loved getting to see little snippets of their relationship. I loved the family they created with their crew, it honestly made my tear up. The quests and adventures gave me vibes from the Odyssey and i’m 100% here for it.
highly recommend this book!! Our August 2, 2023! 🌊🤍🏴☠️
May 28, 2023
This was a fun pirate adventure! The story is fast-paced and jumps right into the action. It took a little bit for me to warm up to Nerissa because she comes across a little harsh (I mean, she is a pirate), but the more I read, the more I liked her. The girl has had it rough, and the more you understand her story, the more you understand her. I liked how you learned about Nerissa's back story as the story went along. It was also like a mystery you had to keep reading to find out, because her story was revealed, bit by bit. I also really enjoyed the dual POV. I love Cyrus Crow! He is a great character and ends up being a perfect counter to Nerissa. Their love story is cute, and it was a fun one to watch develop! I really became invested in these characters and wanted to know what happened next! I also loved the cast of supporting characters! I really enjoyed this sea-faring adventure!
May 4, 2023
Heart of the Sea is a wonderfully adventurous pirate fantasy full of prophecy, romance, found family, and betrayal. I easily give it 4.5 stars.
Thank you Moriah for the eARC.
There is a religious element to HotS - light vs dark and how that plays into the prophecy - and while it's thankfully not shoved down one's throat, it is present. I think it's handled beautifully, but I wanted to make it known so there are no unwanted surprises for others.
The only real issue for me was the pacing. I like dual POV stories, however, it wasn't always easy to know whose POV I was reading until halfway down the page. Throw in the flashback chapters and the POV switches not being evenly distributed (1:1) between Nerissa & Crow, I found myself at times out of the story trying to get my bearings.
Thank you Moriah for the eARC.
There is a religious element to HotS - light vs dark and how that plays into the prophecy - and while it's thankfully not shoved down one's throat, it is present. I think it's handled beautifully, but I wanted to make it known so there are no unwanted surprises for others.
The only real issue for me was the pacing. I like dual POV stories, however, it wasn't always easy to know whose POV I was reading until halfway down the page. Throw in the flashback chapters and the POV switches not being evenly distributed (1:1) between Nerissa & Crow, I found myself at times out of the story trying to get my bearings.
April 27, 2023
This is a wonderful fantasy novel. I’m not usually a fan of this genre, but this one pulled me in.
July 24, 2023
Perfect summer adventure or any time of year. Right from the beginning you set sail this story never drags you are turning oage after page wanting more. I love how there is an air of mystery woven throughout the story. We dont get all the info upfront, we learn, grow, and remember with the characters. I loved the duel POV. I love the found family troup, the enemies to lovers, strong male and female mc's, clean romance. It was a refreshing and exciting read with epic fight scenes and high stakes. I look forward to more books from Moriah.
September 17, 2023
If you loved pirates of the Caribbean—consider this your sign to jump into this book. Much like Captain Jack Sparrow’s ever-changing compass our characters must navigate an ever-changing map. The story jumps back and forth between two characters, their destinies, and the past. All of it concludes in a final battle that ties up loose ends but leaves a bit of wiggle room for any subsequent sequels.
A great summer read!!🌊🌊🌊
A great summer read!!🌊🌊🌊
August 2, 2023
I am so torn on how to rate this book! On the one hand, I love the world and the story. On the other, there was room for improvement. I’d say 3.5 rounded up. Maybe in a couple weeks once the story sits with me, it will be a solid four. UPDATE: it’s release day and it’s definitely a solid four. Little things that weren’t my preference have been forgotten and it’s just a lovely, salty story!
Heart of the Sea drew me in right away and the cast of characters was great. Chavis did AMAZING building a feeling that was so complex. I loved it! It was salty and sultry, mysterious and exciting.
If I could draw you a graph for HOTS, a red line for the romantic HEAT would shoot straight up right away but then level out (almost stagnate?) after the first third. It was kind of tortuous. A blue line for action would inch slowly uphill until the home stretch. When the characters reach their final location, my reader-heart soared! “This is the action I’ve been waiting for!”
The spurts of action were well-done and super enjoyable. There were sentences here and there that I felt could use some editing love for clarity’s sake. But HOTS scratches all of the nautical story itches— sea monsters, salty crew, voices on the wind… I could go on!
Quill & Flame proclaims they publish “heat without the scorch”, but whew 😰 🥵, I was feeling it! If a heart-throbbing romance is your thing, you’ll enjoy this nice-spice without sex scenes. Buuuut I also wouldn’t hand this to a anyone struggling to avoid lust as I feel like the sexual tension is decently high through most of it.
Several of the things I didn’t love seemed connected to the fact the the main characters could magically feel each other’s emotions. Though it was well written and not cringy, I still had this feeling it was cheap. It seemed like we as readers were deprived the joy of watching them figure out what the other was feeling and the author didn’t have the challenge of writing the dramatic irony. It was a unique take, and I wouldn’t rate the book down any for it. But some of the effects ended up drawbacks for me.
All around, I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy and a (quite) warm romance on the seas!
Heart of the Sea drew me in right away and the cast of characters was great. Chavis did AMAZING building a feeling that was so complex. I loved it! It was salty and sultry, mysterious and exciting.
If I could draw you a graph for HOTS, a red line for the romantic HEAT would shoot straight up right away but then level out (almost stagnate?) after the first third. It was kind of tortuous. A blue line for action would inch slowly uphill until the home stretch. When the characters reach their final location, my reader-heart soared! “This is the action I’ve been waiting for!”
The spurts of action were well-done and super enjoyable. There were sentences here and there that I felt could use some editing love for clarity’s sake. But HOTS scratches all of the nautical story itches— sea monsters, salty crew, voices on the wind… I could go on!
Quill & Flame proclaims they publish “heat without the scorch”, but whew 😰 🥵, I was feeling it! If a heart-throbbing romance is your thing, you’ll enjoy this nice-spice without sex scenes. Buuuut I also wouldn’t hand this to a anyone struggling to avoid lust as I feel like the sexual tension is decently high through most of it.
Several of the things I didn’t love seemed connected to the fact the the main characters could magically feel each other’s emotions. Though it was well written and not cringy, I still had this feeling it was cheap. It seemed like we as readers were deprived the joy of watching them figure out what the other was feeling and the author didn’t have the challenge of writing the dramatic irony. It was a unique take, and I wouldn’t rate the book down any for it. But some of the effects ended up drawbacks for me.
All around, I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy and a (quite) warm romance on the seas!
August 4, 2023
I loved this pirate, sibling-duty, uncontrollable magic quest! And there were CROWS! I love crows.
Nerissa and Cyrus were the enemies to lovers I don’t mind: they had very differing goals that set them at odds with each other. And Cyrus’s conflict was so awesome. I won’t go into it because spoilers, but…it was very much a trope I enjoy.
Some of the ending felt a little convoluted, which knocked off a star, but other than that I loved this seaworthy adventure!
Did I mention the crows? Classic. Gotta love ‘em.
Nerissa and Cyrus were the enemies to lovers I don’t mind: they had very differing goals that set them at odds with each other. And Cyrus’s conflict was so awesome. I won’t go into it because spoilers, but…it was very much a trope I enjoy.
Some of the ending felt a little convoluted, which knocked off a star, but other than that I loved this seaworthy adventure!
Did I mention the crows? Classic. Gotta love ‘em.
August 3, 2023
A fantastic pirate fantasy filled with monsters, magic, hope, sibling/family love, fast paced action & a splash of romance!
This was such a fun adventure!!! I had a great time reading this & getting to know these characters. I enjoyed the magic & monsters especially.
This was such a fun adventure!!! I had a great time reading this & getting to know these characters. I enjoyed the magic & monsters especially.
September 30, 2024
So Good!!
I have been wanting to read this book since Moriah was advertising about it and met every single one of my expectations! I loved the charters, storyline, and plot so much!! I highly recommend this book!!
I have been wanting to read this book since Moriah was advertising about it and met every single one of my expectations! I loved the charters, storyline, and plot so much!! I highly recommend this book!!
August 9, 2023
This was such a great book!!! It was packed with action from the start of the book that grows as the book goes on. I hadn’t expected it to be so full of action in a good way though.
A story about love, family, forgiveness, hope, trust adventures and friendships.
The ending just wow, hadn’t expected it to end this way.
A story about love, family, forgiveness, hope, trust adventures and friendships.
The ending just wow, hadn’t expected it to end this way.
October 11, 2023
Book Review: Heart of the Sea by Moriah Chavis
(@moriahchavis on instagram)
Content Rating: Teen
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy - Romance
Themes: Pirates - Adventure - Magic
Spice Level: 1
Pace: Fast
Recommend?: YES
I was drawn to this story immediately. Promises of pirates, mermaids, prophecies, and stories of saviors, plus trials only a shipwright's daughter and a pirate can complete – yes, please.
When Nerissa “Issa” loses her sister to the Darkness spreading its inky tendrils, her only hope of reading the enchanted map leading to her sister is found in the Crow Pirate Cyrus.
He’s a handsome devil - and a daredevil to boot. The entire story, these two go toe-to-toe against everything the sea can throw at them as they sail on a treasure hunt notched in time.
I can’t praise Moriah Chavis enough, I enjoyed this so much, that it was hard to put down and allow reality to filter back into my day. Her writing style flows so effortlessly; I felt like I was aboard the ship and under the water fighting for breaths and then losing them again wrapped in Cyrus’s arms.
(@moriahchavis on instagram)
Content Rating: Teen
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Fantasy - Romance
Themes: Pirates - Adventure - Magic
Spice Level: 1
Pace: Fast
Recommend?: YES
I was drawn to this story immediately. Promises of pirates, mermaids, prophecies, and stories of saviors, plus trials only a shipwright's daughter and a pirate can complete – yes, please.
When Nerissa “Issa” loses her sister to the Darkness spreading its inky tendrils, her only hope of reading the enchanted map leading to her sister is found in the Crow Pirate Cyrus.
He’s a handsome devil - and a daredevil to boot. The entire story, these two go toe-to-toe against everything the sea can throw at them as they sail on a treasure hunt notched in time.
I can’t praise Moriah Chavis enough, I enjoyed this so much, that it was hard to put down and allow reality to filter back into my day. Her writing style flows so effortlessly; I felt like I was aboard the ship and under the water fighting for breaths and then losing them again wrapped in Cyrus’s arms.
July 28, 2023
This was an awesome ride all the way through! The magic of the sea and crows the main characters possessed was perfection. And I absolutely loved the found family trope that became such a prominent part of this story. The ending was surprising, yet satisfying.
If you love pirate adventures with a side of magic and romance, then definitely give Heart of the Sea a read!
If you love pirate adventures with a side of magic and romance, then definitely give Heart of the Sea a read!
July 6, 2024
4.5⭐️ Such a fun adventure! I loved every bit of this story and was hooked from the first page. High-stakes pirate adventure, strong (yet complex) sisterly bond, and plenty of fantastical elements that gives a little something for everyone. Great read!! Can’t wait to read more from Moriah.
January 21, 2024
"Dance, Elliot. Throw all your cares to the wind."
"I have too many cares that need to be attended to. I can't lose them to the wind."
(i felt that too deeply ow)
High-seas adventure, intriguing characters, and one of the coolest takes on sirens I've ever read combine to make a very fun debut. Pirate stories always catch my curiosity, and I was interested to see what Moriah would do with one. Happy to report, I enjoyed it!
As a certified "enemies-to-lovers anti-fan" I was hesitant about Cyrus and Nerissa. But if I'm honest, I could've used a little more of them being enemies? Which is not something I ever thought I'd say, lol. Granted, their goals align pretty quickly, and it takes awhile for Nerissa, specifically, to warm up to Cyrus. But while they're attracted to each other immediately, idk, I would've preferred a slower burn.
The flashbacks to Nerissa's plotline were very sad and very info-heavy, but did keep me curious to what was going to happen between the history and the current day. There were also a LOT of characters and sometimes I struggled keeping them straight (also they're all cousins of somebody? which I guess we all are, but the word "cousin" was used a lot and I already struggle with family trees don't do this to me 😂)
Ultimately, it's a solid debut. I'm curious to see what Moriah has in store next! 4 stars from me!
**I received a copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**
"I have too many cares that need to be attended to. I can't lose them to the wind."
(i felt that too deeply ow)
High-seas adventure, intriguing characters, and one of the coolest takes on sirens I've ever read combine to make a very fun debut. Pirate stories always catch my curiosity, and I was interested to see what Moriah would do with one. Happy to report, I enjoyed it!
As a certified "enemies-to-lovers anti-fan" I was hesitant about Cyrus and Nerissa. But if I'm honest, I could've used a little more of them being enemies? Which is not something I ever thought I'd say, lol. Granted, their goals align pretty quickly, and it takes awhile for Nerissa, specifically, to warm up to Cyrus. But while they're attracted to each other immediately, idk, I would've preferred a slower burn.
The flashbacks to Nerissa's plotline were very sad and very info-heavy, but did keep me curious to what was going to happen between the history and the current day. There were also a LOT of characters and sometimes I struggled keeping them straight (also they're all cousins of somebody? which I guess we all are, but the word "cousin" was used a lot and I already struggle with family trees don't do this to me 😂)
Ultimately, it's a solid debut. I'm curious to see what Moriah has in store next! 4 stars from me!
**I received a copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.**
August 2, 2023
This is a refreshingly unique fantasy, with enough twists and turns to satisfy the mystery lover in me. The characters capture your heart from the beginning, and you can't do anything other than root for them as grow and learn throughout the story. The magic is intriguing, the side-characters unusual and mysterious, and I hope we get to explore more in this world!
August 1, 2025
How different this book was compared to the ARC I read earlier! Rather than in a Bridgerton era society, we find ourselves deep in the world of the stormy sea with not only pirates but also mermaids and sirens. This book dives into more fantasy than her other book, but I loved that part. Of course I am always one for a good dark adventure, and there was plenty of that to go around. More violence this time alive, but maybe that says something about me that I was having fun. I do love heart racing scenes in books, or books where there are menacing bad guys. The story follows Nerissa and Cyrus most closely. Nerissa reminded me a little of Moana only in her connection to the water, though she has more powers. However, Nerissa’s mother was not a fan of these powers. Cyrus has his own eerie powers, with being able to ‘warg’ into the mind of crow for lack of better words and see the world through the crow’s eyes. So we start with characters who both have powers, and one would think they’d be on the same team, but alas, Cyrus has his own problems to sort out.
This is kind of a chosen one story in a very classic way, where a prophecy foretells a fate between two sisters. Where that dictates Nerissa’s plot, Cyrus finds himself at odds because he has his own goal to free himself from the control of the Queen. There is a lot of magic in this book, but it leans on soft. In that, you are aware there are different powers, and much revolves around the idea of Light and Dark. Either that or the magic involves different types of creatures, from witches to sirens, and deals made with them. However, despite in essence knowing what these powers do and the overall consequences and history behind them, the magic system is a little fuzzier. Ultimately I can see this aligning with readers in different ways. Personally I like more of a robust magic system where I know the rules, where magic is treated like an ironclad science, but I also am the kind of high fantasy reader that tries to untangle all the knots in a magic system and that’s my own thing. So when a magic system is on the softer side or has less robust ground rules, or things simply work because people are born with certain abilities and there isn’t a lot of explanation other than that, I find myself wanting a little more. However, it didn’t massively affect my involvement in the story. There was so much action, so many shady deals to be made, and so many evolving goals from the characters that I simply had to see it through. It helps too that this book is on the shorter side of a fantasy. It is also more young adult than new adult or adult, so that could be another reason why the magic system was a “you see what you get” kind of thing. For younger readers, maybe mid-teens who can stomach their fair share of violence, blood, and gore, but who might not have the fantasy experience or even desire to sit through the intricacies of how magic works in x, y, z ways, it will probably work very well. Considering as well that Nerissa feels out of control with her own magic abilities, it makes it a little less necessary for the kind of deep understanding I’d look for. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any explanations, though, in fact you end up learning a lot about Nerissa’s own family history involvement with magic, both from her mom and her sister.
It was truly these relationships, how they set the characters up across the novel, that exceeded my expectations. The way Nerissa’s relationships and history with both her mom and sister set her up to make decisions, the self-talk she uses, and even how she views her own abilities was done very well. Of course Cyrus was a wonderful addition too and very necessary to the overall relationship with Nerissa. There were a couple of, more minor, times where the characters felt like the kinds I often read in young adult adventure fantasy: tough girl for the sake of being tough, rough man (my best comparison is Elizabeth Swan, Will Turner and the like—not stereotypical from a parrot standpoint, but from a pop culture pirate standpoint, maybe a little bit). I truly don’t quite mind this though, for me, if the characters are likable enough and I genuinely want to follow their stories, the originality of their archetypes isn’t something I overly concern myself with. For people wanted a brand new, fresh take on the pirate fantasy genre, this might not be it, but for a grand, sometimes violent, and fast-paced time, there is no doubt in my mind you will find it here.
Lastly, I just really love how this author writes. She has a style in both the books I’ve read from her that brings you along easily. I never feel like I’m second guessing myself, or that things won’t tie up, or that the story will feel incomplete, because she’s earned my trust. Likewise, her style is refreshing to read. I can’t tell you how much I loathe getting knocked over the head with overly fancy prose but not here. It’s elegant but not overdone. That makes all the difference to me. Personally, I absolutely love learning more about characters’ backstories through memories and flashbacks. How else would we learn, if not just explaining it outright? It gives good insight into events, people, and happenings outside the plot time frame and I was invested.
All in all if you are looking for a hard to put down book with plenty of action to go around, but also quite strong characters especially with family members then you are in for a grand treat. It is great especially if you love books that include classic creatures from the sea like sea witches and sirens. I always love when those show up in books because it brings such an eerie yet magical feel to things. Pair that with the heart racing time and I rarely knew what I was in for except and enjoyable and thrilling time.
This is kind of a chosen one story in a very classic way, where a prophecy foretells a fate between two sisters. Where that dictates Nerissa’s plot, Cyrus finds himself at odds because he has his own goal to free himself from the control of the Queen. There is a lot of magic in this book, but it leans on soft. In that, you are aware there are different powers, and much revolves around the idea of Light and Dark. Either that or the magic involves different types of creatures, from witches to sirens, and deals made with them. However, despite in essence knowing what these powers do and the overall consequences and history behind them, the magic system is a little fuzzier. Ultimately I can see this aligning with readers in different ways. Personally I like more of a robust magic system where I know the rules, where magic is treated like an ironclad science, but I also am the kind of high fantasy reader that tries to untangle all the knots in a magic system and that’s my own thing. So when a magic system is on the softer side or has less robust ground rules, or things simply work because people are born with certain abilities and there isn’t a lot of explanation other than that, I find myself wanting a little more. However, it didn’t massively affect my involvement in the story. There was so much action, so many shady deals to be made, and so many evolving goals from the characters that I simply had to see it through. It helps too that this book is on the shorter side of a fantasy. It is also more young adult than new adult or adult, so that could be another reason why the magic system was a “you see what you get” kind of thing. For younger readers, maybe mid-teens who can stomach their fair share of violence, blood, and gore, but who might not have the fantasy experience or even desire to sit through the intricacies of how magic works in x, y, z ways, it will probably work very well. Considering as well that Nerissa feels out of control with her own magic abilities, it makes it a little less necessary for the kind of deep understanding I’d look for. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any explanations, though, in fact you end up learning a lot about Nerissa’s own family history involvement with magic, both from her mom and her sister.
It was truly these relationships, how they set the characters up across the novel, that exceeded my expectations. The way Nerissa’s relationships and history with both her mom and sister set her up to make decisions, the self-talk she uses, and even how she views her own abilities was done very well. Of course Cyrus was a wonderful addition too and very necessary to the overall relationship with Nerissa. There were a couple of, more minor, times where the characters felt like the kinds I often read in young adult adventure fantasy: tough girl for the sake of being tough, rough man (my best comparison is Elizabeth Swan, Will Turner and the like—not stereotypical from a parrot standpoint, but from a pop culture pirate standpoint, maybe a little bit). I truly don’t quite mind this though, for me, if the characters are likable enough and I genuinely want to follow their stories, the originality of their archetypes isn’t something I overly concern myself with. For people wanted a brand new, fresh take on the pirate fantasy genre, this might not be it, but for a grand, sometimes violent, and fast-paced time, there is no doubt in my mind you will find it here.
Lastly, I just really love how this author writes. She has a style in both the books I’ve read from her that brings you along easily. I never feel like I’m second guessing myself, or that things won’t tie up, or that the story will feel incomplete, because she’s earned my trust. Likewise, her style is refreshing to read. I can’t tell you how much I loathe getting knocked over the head with overly fancy prose but not here. It’s elegant but not overdone. That makes all the difference to me. Personally, I absolutely love learning more about characters’ backstories through memories and flashbacks. How else would we learn, if not just explaining it outright? It gives good insight into events, people, and happenings outside the plot time frame and I was invested.
All in all if you are looking for a hard to put down book with plenty of action to go around, but also quite strong characters especially with family members then you are in for a grand treat. It is great especially if you love books that include classic creatures from the sea like sea witches and sirens. I always love when those show up in books because it brings such an eerie yet magical feel to things. Pair that with the heart racing time and I rarely knew what I was in for except and enjoyable and thrilling time.
November 5, 2025
Ready to set sail on a pirate adventure? This book features a high-seas quest, unique magic, and a tentative alliance. Will either of them in this dual POV get what they seek?
I've been reading more pirate books recently and I'm particularly enjoying the boat setting in general. In particular, I love the MMC, Crow, has the inherited ability to control/speak to crows! It's just a cool ability I don't see enough in fantasy and wasn't expecting on a high-seas adventure.
If you enjoyed Daughter of the Pirate King you will probably enjoy this one! I really enjoyed the powers and how they developed throughout the story. Both main characters grew and learned from their quest. There were some heart-wrenching moments and some sweet moments. This book was worth checking out!
I've been reading more pirate books recently and I'm particularly enjoying the boat setting in general. In particular, I love the MMC, Crow, has the inherited ability to control/speak to crows! It's just a cool ability I don't see enough in fantasy and wasn't expecting on a high-seas adventure.
If you enjoyed Daughter of the Pirate King you will probably enjoy this one! I really enjoyed the powers and how they developed throughout the story. Both main characters grew and learned from their quest. There were some heart-wrenching moments and some sweet moments. This book was worth checking out!
September 7, 2023
Moriah Chavis is a brilliant author whose career you will want to follow! Heart of the Sea is a captivating tale full of sea monsters, intrigue, mermaids, pirates, and a colorful world that you will want to explore! This story holds visceral experiences for you within the familial, friendship, and romantic relationships as well as the dangers and adventures within!! As soon as I picked up the book I couldn't set it down - I had work to do but found myself repeatedly drawn to learn more about these characters and their stories! Do yourself a huge favor and read this book...then recommend it to your friends and family because you love them! ;)
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June 13, 2024A fun pirate-y adventure/quest across the seas!
October 6, 2024
A swashbuckling adventure full of heart and the depths one will go for family and found family alike.
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