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Island of Spirits
A dangerous world of magic. An island at war. A princess who holds the key to peace or destruction.
Magic kills on Blackley Island. So when Princess Sirran's older brother, Crown Prince Accolon, is cursed by a powerful enchanter from across the sea, she's faced with an impossible choice. Does she use the terrible spells that are her birthright and risk the lives of everyone she loves or stand aside and watch as her home is conquered by the cruel Witch Queen's army?
With time running out to save Blackley Island, Sirran must ally with hidden outcasts and forbidden spirits to prevent the apocalypse that's coming. Too bad her own people don't trust her. Too bad the enchanter she's up against is so powerful. The odds are stacked from the beginning, but Sirran is stubborn.
Let the fight for Blackley Island's future begin ...
Magic kills on Blackley Island. So when Princess Sirran's older brother, Crown Prince Accolon, is cursed by a powerful enchanter from across the sea, she's faced with an impossible choice. Does she use the terrible spells that are her birthright and risk the lives of everyone she loves or stand aside and watch as her home is conquered by the cruel Witch Queen's army?
With time running out to save Blackley Island, Sirran must ally with hidden outcasts and forbidden spirits to prevent the apocalypse that's coming. Too bad her own people don't trust her. Too bad the enchanter she's up against is so powerful. The odds are stacked from the beginning, but Sirran is stubborn.
Let the fight for Blackley Island's future begin ...
- GenresFantasy
318 pages, Paperback
Published September 21, 2024
8 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Flynn
9 books46 followersMaureen Flynn lives on the East Coast of NSW on Dharawal nation land. She is an avid speculative fiction and crime fiction lover, writer and fan. She has finally taken up freelance work so she can dedicate more hours of her day to working on novels and short stories. Her short stories have featured in publications by CSFG, Specul8 and Deadset Press and she is working on two YA fantasy novels in 2020.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 12, 2024
I really enjoyed this book, I loved the magic systems and lore and I found the book to be very descriptive and easy to follow. I did struggle to get in to the story at first but once I was settled it, there were no issues. It’s definitely a slow opener but I’m glad I kept with it
The world building was strong and as mentioned above, I began to understand more of the systems in place, which I love in a fantasy book because I hate when I just don’t understand what is going on, but that wasn’t an issue here.
I enjoyed Sirran as a main character, there were definitely some naiveties to her character but that matched very well with her age.
I loved the premise of this book and the plot line to it, which I thought was a really strong aspect to the whole story.
Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC of this book ❤️
The world building was strong and as mentioned above, I began to understand more of the systems in place, which I love in a fantasy book because I hate when I just don’t understand what is going on, but that wasn’t an issue here.
I enjoyed Sirran as a main character, there were definitely some naiveties to her character but that matched very well with her age.
I loved the premise of this book and the plot line to it, which I thought was a really strong aspect to the whole story.
Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC of this book ❤️
October 12, 2024
4.5 stars!
This was an enjoyable read! I ended up contacting the author directly because of a tech kerfuffle with the ARC and she couldn't have been nicer about it! Top notch customer service to go along with great writing!
Anyway, to the review. I liked this book a lot. The FMC is younger than I usually like my main characters to be (she's 16) but it is a young adult novel after all. Her age only cropped up a couple of times, mostly for being idealistic or naive.
I read the first half of the book in one sitting and liked the character development. It was around chapter 20 when it got a bit dicey for me. Characters were acting, well... out of character and that annoyed me a little. I could go into detail but I'm trying to keep this spoiler free so let me just say that some characters made decisions or justified actions in a way that didn't jive with their established personalities. It wasn't bad or broke my focus, more confusing than anything.
The plot was interesting and for the most part didn't pull punches. I love an underdog story especially one centred on magic and forbidden practices. There was a teensy bit of the 'chosen one' trope towards the end but I didn't mind it too much.
The end was a bit too neat for my liking but on the flip side if x and y hadn't been addressed I would have been more annoyed and/or disappointed. I kept waiting for something to happen to thwart the resolution (one character I didn't trust at ALL) and I'm surprised it didn't happen. I'm glad that it didn't and I suppose my anxious feelings about it are a testament to the author creating such tension with those characters previously.
I'm glad it didn't end on a severe cliffhanger. It's a small cliffhanger (a hillhanger?) with enough resolution that I'm not irritated that the second book isn't out already. I did yell in my head at the FMC a few times towards the end of the book about how she handled a few things/didn't put the pieces together but remembering she's only 16 helped tamper that frustration down. I feel like the author did a great job at writing a teenager going through all of this without making her too adult.
I loved the queer rep (despite it being so chaste but it's not like the rest of the book was smutty in any sense of the word) and that it wasn't a Big Deal. The magic system was fascinating and I liked that there were still things to discover about it towards the end of the book.
One thing I didn't like and don't think was necessary was the use of the f slur to describe a bundle of sticks. You know the one. It happened twice and I was shocked to read it and I'm not someone who is easily scandalised. I understand the usage of it as it's not used as a slur but to describe something but ultimately I don't think it was necessary to use that word.
One additional note about the plot and characters - I like how the plot and actions of FMC subverted my expectations. I'm thinking of one scene in particular (haystack, IYKYK) and I found the FMC's response and actions so refreshing.
This is getting overly long so I'll cut it short here. Great book, some issues with it but I enjoyed it overall. I will definitely read the next book in the series whenever that comes out!
Thank you to the author for letting me read their novel before the publish date! All opinions here are my own and this review was left voluntarily.
This was an enjoyable read! I ended up contacting the author directly because of a tech kerfuffle with the ARC and she couldn't have been nicer about it! Top notch customer service to go along with great writing!
Anyway, to the review. I liked this book a lot. The FMC is younger than I usually like my main characters to be (she's 16) but it is a young adult novel after all. Her age only cropped up a couple of times, mostly for being idealistic or naive.
I read the first half of the book in one sitting and liked the character development. It was around chapter 20 when it got a bit dicey for me. Characters were acting, well... out of character and that annoyed me a little. I could go into detail but I'm trying to keep this spoiler free so let me just say that some characters made decisions or justified actions in a way that didn't jive with their established personalities. It wasn't bad or broke my focus, more confusing than anything.
The plot was interesting and for the most part didn't pull punches. I love an underdog story especially one centred on magic and forbidden practices. There was a teensy bit of the 'chosen one' trope towards the end but I didn't mind it too much.
The end was a bit too neat for my liking but on the flip side if x and y hadn't been addressed I would have been more annoyed and/or disappointed. I kept waiting for something to happen to thwart the resolution (one character I didn't trust at ALL) and I'm surprised it didn't happen. I'm glad that it didn't and I suppose my anxious feelings about it are a testament to the author creating such tension with those characters previously.
I'm glad it didn't end on a severe cliffhanger. It's a small cliffhanger (a hillhanger?) with enough resolution that I'm not irritated that the second book isn't out already. I did yell in my head at the FMC a few times towards the end of the book about how she handled a few things/didn't put the pieces together but remembering she's only 16 helped tamper that frustration down. I feel like the author did a great job at writing a teenager going through all of this without making her too adult.
I loved the queer rep (despite it being so chaste but it's not like the rest of the book was smutty in any sense of the word) and that it wasn't a Big Deal. The magic system was fascinating and I liked that there were still things to discover about it towards the end of the book.
One thing I didn't like and don't think was necessary was the use of the f slur to describe a bundle of sticks. You know the one. It happened twice and I was shocked to read it and I'm not someone who is easily scandalised. I understand the usage of it as it's not used as a slur but to describe something but ultimately I don't think it was necessary to use that word.
One additional note about the plot and characters - I like how the plot and actions of FMC subverted my expectations. I'm thinking of one scene in particular (haystack, IYKYK) and I found the FMC's response and actions so refreshing.
This is getting overly long so I'll cut it short here. Great book, some issues with it but I enjoyed it overall. I will definitely read the next book in the series whenever that comes out!
Thank you to the author for letting me read their novel before the publish date! All opinions here are my own and this review was left voluntarily.
October 28, 2024
I loved this book! It has a fascinating world and people. I will definitely read the next book in the series when it comes out!
November 5, 2024
Even though I had read the prequel novella I still wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into book one. I knew I was thoroughly intrigued by the brief taste I had had of Flynn’s world building. I wanted to explore that world further and I especially wanted to learn more about the magic. And I knew that I liked Sirran well enough. But Island of Spirits is a YA Fantasy and I have struggled to enjoy that particular genre for quite some time despite enjoying it in the past. If fact most of the YA I have picked up recently has ended up on the DNF pile. I just thought it was a genre I was growing out of.
But I can happily say that Island of Spirits was like being visited by an old, dearly missed friend. Flynn takes you into Sirran’s world with a gentle but deft touch. There is little hand holding here but nether is it hard to grasp the threads of story and make sense of the breadcrumbs she slowly deposits as you venture forth.
For the most part I liked Sirran though sometimes she was a little rash (and a little naive), and she made mistakes but she also owned those mistakes with a certain amount of maturity and what’s more she learned from them. And I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout the challenges she faced.
I wanted to learn more about the magic and we got that in spades, it is a wonderfully refreshing take on a magic system too. I enjoyed the connection to the spirits and that the relationship needed to be one of mutual respect.
I also really enjoyed the inclusion of queer characters and relationships that felt real and an not as though they were added as an afterthought to tick some kind of box. That kind of inclusion always makes me happy.
I can’t wait to see what adventures await Sirran in Hollian.
But I can happily say that Island of Spirits was like being visited by an old, dearly missed friend. Flynn takes you into Sirran’s world with a gentle but deft touch. There is little hand holding here but nether is it hard to grasp the threads of story and make sense of the breadcrumbs she slowly deposits as you venture forth.
For the most part I liked Sirran though sometimes she was a little rash (and a little naive), and she made mistakes but she also owned those mistakes with a certain amount of maturity and what’s more she learned from them. And I really enjoyed watching her grow throughout the challenges she faced.
I wanted to learn more about the magic and we got that in spades, it is a wonderfully refreshing take on a magic system too. I enjoyed the connection to the spirits and that the relationship needed to be one of mutual respect.
I also really enjoyed the inclusion of queer characters and relationships that felt real and an not as though they were added as an afterthought to tick some kind of box. That kind of inclusion always makes me happy.
I can’t wait to see what adventures await Sirran in Hollian.
December 9, 2024
A great tale of secrecy, magic and twists and turns along the way.
When I first read this, it felt like I was in the mists of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. The more I read, the more I couldn’t put it down. Sirran’s character was written very well and I felt very attached to them in their various dilemmas.
One thing I will say is that if you need to be heavily invested in this story will keep you on your toes.
I will highly recommend it.
When I first read this, it felt like I was in the mists of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. The more I read, the more I couldn’t put it down. Sirran’s character was written very well and I felt very attached to them in their various dilemmas.
One thing I will say is that if you need to be heavily invested in this story will keep you on your toes.
I will highly recommend it.
October 31, 2024
I usually don't go for YA books but this one was super good, I did take a star because it was a slow start and took me some time getting into! But after sitting and reading i was hooked! I loved it so much! And can't wait for the author to push out book to( hopefully it's another book lol)
October 13, 2024
Fantastic book, was slow to get into but picked up, love the characters, once I got into the book, couldn’t put it down
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews