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The Sea Beyond #1
The Eye of Leviathan
Not yet published
Expected 14 Jul 26From the author of The Mask of Mirrors comes a sweeping adventure set in a world where fae secretly walk amongst those who seek to persecute them.
In an alternate Spanish Golden Age, the Council of the Sea Beyond has risen to unrivaled power, exploiting the Otherworld’s most precious resources for their own gain. Estevan seeks to uncover their secrets, but he risks the exposure of his that he is a faerie, masquerading as a mortal.
The Hungry Girl is the human whose place he took. Lost among the fae and desperate to find some purpose for her existence, she leaps at the chance to help a group of Spanish explorers in the Sea Beyond…only to be horrified at the atrocities they commit.
A faerie pact has separated them– but only together can they bring down Spain’s worlds-spanning empire and save the homes they have both come to love.
In an alternate Spanish Golden Age, the Council of the Sea Beyond has risen to unrivaled power, exploiting the Otherworld’s most precious resources for their own gain. Estevan seeks to uncover their secrets, but he risks the exposure of his that he is a faerie, masquerading as a mortal.
The Hungry Girl is the human whose place he took. Lost among the fae and desperate to find some purpose for her existence, she leaps at the chance to help a group of Spanish explorers in the Sea Beyond…only to be horrified at the atrocities they commit.
A faerie pact has separated them– but only together can they bring down Spain’s worlds-spanning empire and save the homes they have both come to love.
555 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 14, 2026
23 people are currently reading
3172 people want to read
About the author
M.A. Carrick
12 books915 followersM.A. Carrick is the joint pen name of Marie Brennan(author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent) and Alyc Helms (author of the Adventures of Mr. Mystic). The two met in 2000 on an archaeological dig in Wales and Ireland — including a stint in the town of Carrickmacross — and have built their friendship through two decades of anthropology, writing, and gaming. They live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Want to Read
March 27, 2026oh my god, this synopsis is everything i've ever wanted in a book.
edit: the cover!! the old map, the wax seal with the ship, the sea monster, i'm literally in love.
edit: the cover!! the old map, the wax seal with the ship, the sea monster, i'm literally in love.
Want to Read
March 28, 2026“alternate Spanish Golden Age, the Council of the Sea Beyond” sounds so interesting i’m ngl
and i like that this seems like it’s from the perspective of the guy who is a fae
and i like that this seems like it’s from the perspective of the guy who is a fae
April 22, 2026
Thank you NetGalley, Orbit Books, and M.A. Carrick for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review!
4.5 stars
I was pretty nervous reading this just because I’m tired of the way fae is done in fantasy, but oh my god this was so good. This is a historical fantasy set in an alternate Spanish Golden Age where Spanish greed is not just limited by human lands but also the fae’s Sea Beyond and the magic that can be found there. When I say only M.A. Carrick can do so much in such few pages. The violence we see through the Inquisition, how religion is distorted for control, the affects of colonialism while also tying that to the magic system of this book, so well done and I can’t do it justice with my words, you’re just going to have to trust me and read this. This book is well-researched, so I had a good time reading how events and people would differ in this alternate world. The worldbuilding is so detailed, layered, and immersive without being info dumpy. We follow a changeling (Estevan) seeking to hide amongst the humans to discover how to stop the Spanish from hurting more fae in the Sea Beyond. This changeling switches places with a human girl who ends living among the fae with the name The Hungry Girl. Estevan’s POV chapters are historical sensory overload with the vibes in Spain during this time and I loved it! Really enjoyed seeing how much he wrestled with the guilt of complicity in the name of his mission. His relationships are so angsty and messy because of the role he plays (the potential of a romance had me screaming in delight). The Hungry Girl’s chapter are lush with fantastical magic and worlds that fae live in and I loved seeing how weird things could get and her development. This book was unique, but still had characters that felt real, who didn’t always make the “right” choice. I consumed this book in 3 days and I desperately wait for Book 2.
4.5 stars
I was pretty nervous reading this just because I’m tired of the way fae is done in fantasy, but oh my god this was so good. This is a historical fantasy set in an alternate Spanish Golden Age where Spanish greed is not just limited by human lands but also the fae’s Sea Beyond and the magic that can be found there. When I say only M.A. Carrick can do so much in such few pages. The violence we see through the Inquisition, how religion is distorted for control, the affects of colonialism while also tying that to the magic system of this book, so well done and I can’t do it justice with my words, you’re just going to have to trust me and read this. This book is well-researched, so I had a good time reading how events and people would differ in this alternate world. The worldbuilding is so detailed, layered, and immersive without being info dumpy. We follow a changeling (Estevan) seeking to hide amongst the humans to discover how to stop the Spanish from hurting more fae in the Sea Beyond. This changeling switches places with a human girl who ends living among the fae with the name The Hungry Girl. Estevan’s POV chapters are historical sensory overload with the vibes in Spain during this time and I loved it! Really enjoyed seeing how much he wrestled with the guilt of complicity in the name of his mission. His relationships are so angsty and messy because of the role he plays (the potential of a romance had me screaming in delight). The Hungry Girl’s chapter are lush with fantastical magic and worlds that fae live in and I loved seeing how weird things could get and her development. This book was unique, but still had characters that felt real, who didn’t always make the “right” choice. I consumed this book in 3 days and I desperately wait for Book 2.
to-read-forthcoming
April 14, 2026*high pitched screeching*
Want to Read
April 1, 2026Honestly, I really liked Rook & Rose trilogy, so I'd read anything from them, but Spanish Golden Age? Explorers? Fae?!
Who isn't tempted by that combo?!
Who isn't tempted by that combo?!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and to Orbit Books for the ARC of The Eye of the Leviathan by M.A. Carrick.
Readers of Leigh Bardugo's The Familiar will really enjoy the historical setting of the novel, while readers of H.G. Parry, Seanan McGuire, and Heather Fawcett will enjoy the fae lands setting and characterization. And, as someone who is a fan of Carrick's first trilogy, the Rook and Rose, previous readers will find this a very strong new duology in their bibliography taking place in another differently imagined historical European context.
The Eye of the Leviathan tells two storylines - one of the Hungry Girl living in the fae Otherworlds, and the other of her changeling Estevan, living in Spain in the late 1500s/early 1600s. The changeling exchange was with the consent of the Hungry Girl's mother on the day of her birth to protect her from the rage of her father who already had 6 daughters and no sons, but it leads to unintended consequences as Spain's leaders are persecuting the fae both through the fae homelands and on Spanish soil. Estevan's life is in constant danger, but he is motivated to find a way to free his people through the changeling bargain, meanwhile the Hungry Girl is passed from owner to owner in the Otherworlds, always feeling out of place and hoping to one day find a place to call home. When the Hungry Girl encounters Spanish conquistadors in the Otherworld, she finally sees a potential way back to her mother, only to come face to face with the brutality of those who see the only people she has ever known as evil. So much more happens in the book, but to provide more details would derail from the ways the plot twists and turns and the way the characters develop based on what they both know of humankind and the fae.
What really stands out with this book is the amount of incredibly in-depth research on Spanish history and religion. For me, this was really impressive, but it also was, at times, a bit overwhelming. It is needed to set the stage of the story, and I do think the second book in the duology will be a bit more free form given how much will be already be established. for worldbuilding/background. Estevan is focused on rising through the civil service ranks to join the Council of the Sea Beyond who set the policy and actions toward the Otherworld, but to do that he has to go to school and we are given an absolutely massive amount of detail on the religious persecutions, the aims of colonialism, the individual city history of Valencia, Madrid, etc. The Hungry Girl sections have similar interludes as well on Jewish persecution, the Moors, and other cultures. History buffs will absolutely love it, but at times it had me wishing for more action or more times spent with the Hungry Girl whose focus on survival made those sections much more plot driven than factual. I think, for me, having Estevan's chapters so couched in facts and figures made me feel more apart from him vs the Hungry Girl as his sections felt more like someone running an experiment while hers were driven by the nature of an unpredictable world and unpredictable people.
I do really like the way Carrick wrote the parallels between Estevan and the Hungry Girl - both outsiders in different lands, both trying to survive and find their way home, both struggling to connect with people and both seeing the dark and light of the others kind. I also liked the allies they make along the way and the super in-depth view of the ways we see different individuals with different backgrounds all trying to fight tyranny. The allies are all well developed even if they minimally appear on the page and they have important roles to play in the context of the overall story -- the book is long, but no words, characters, or actions are wasted. Carrick's Rook and Rose trilogy showed how essential building blocks are to their plotting and I have no doubt this duology is the same - when reading their work, all of it is relevant and is going to be needed in a later plot point and they have really set the stage for big growth in the next book.
Carrick also does a great job of keeping the story very unpredictable. I had multiple guesses while reading it about where the story was going, and was very happy with the route they ended up taking and the reveals they made along the way. I think the second book in the duology is going to be the real showstopper of the two, as so much needed to be established for this one, and I can't wait to read it.
Readers of Leigh Bardugo's The Familiar will really enjoy the historical setting of the novel, while readers of H.G. Parry, Seanan McGuire, and Heather Fawcett will enjoy the fae lands setting and characterization. And, as someone who is a fan of Carrick's first trilogy, the Rook and Rose, previous readers will find this a very strong new duology in their bibliography taking place in another differently imagined historical European context.
The Eye of the Leviathan tells two storylines - one of the Hungry Girl living in the fae Otherworlds, and the other of her changeling Estevan, living in Spain in the late 1500s/early 1600s. The changeling exchange was with the consent of the Hungry Girl's mother on the day of her birth to protect her from the rage of her father who already had 6 daughters and no sons, but it leads to unintended consequences as Spain's leaders are persecuting the fae both through the fae homelands and on Spanish soil. Estevan's life is in constant danger, but he is motivated to find a way to free his people through the changeling bargain, meanwhile the Hungry Girl is passed from owner to owner in the Otherworlds, always feeling out of place and hoping to one day find a place to call home. When the Hungry Girl encounters Spanish conquistadors in the Otherworld, she finally sees a potential way back to her mother, only to come face to face with the brutality of those who see the only people she has ever known as evil. So much more happens in the book, but to provide more details would derail from the ways the plot twists and turns and the way the characters develop based on what they both know of humankind and the fae.
What really stands out with this book is the amount of incredibly in-depth research on Spanish history and religion. For me, this was really impressive, but it also was, at times, a bit overwhelming. It is needed to set the stage of the story, and I do think the second book in the duology will be a bit more free form given how much will be already be established. for worldbuilding/background. Estevan is focused on rising through the civil service ranks to join the Council of the Sea Beyond who set the policy and actions toward the Otherworld, but to do that he has to go to school and we are given an absolutely massive amount of detail on the religious persecutions, the aims of colonialism, the individual city history of Valencia, Madrid, etc. The Hungry Girl sections have similar interludes as well on Jewish persecution, the Moors, and other cultures. History buffs will absolutely love it, but at times it had me wishing for more action or more times spent with the Hungry Girl whose focus on survival made those sections much more plot driven than factual. I think, for me, having Estevan's chapters so couched in facts and figures made me feel more apart from him vs the Hungry Girl as his sections felt more like someone running an experiment while hers were driven by the nature of an unpredictable world and unpredictable people.
I do really like the way Carrick wrote the parallels between Estevan and the Hungry Girl - both outsiders in different lands, both trying to survive and find their way home, both struggling to connect with people and both seeing the dark and light of the others kind. I also liked the allies they make along the way and the super in-depth view of the ways we see different individuals with different backgrounds all trying to fight tyranny. The allies are all well developed even if they minimally appear on the page and they have important roles to play in the context of the overall story -- the book is long, but no words, characters, or actions are wasted. Carrick's Rook and Rose trilogy showed how essential building blocks are to their plotting and I have no doubt this duology is the same - when reading their work, all of it is relevant and is going to be needed in a later plot point and they have really set the stage for big growth in the next book.
Carrick also does a great job of keeping the story very unpredictable. I had multiple guesses while reading it about where the story was going, and was very happy with the route they ended up taking and the reveals they made along the way. I think the second book in the duology is going to be the real showstopper of the two, as so much needed to be established for this one, and I can't wait to read it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Eye of Leviathan is changeling folklore with a knife pressed under its ribs.
M. A. Carrick takes a familiar fairy-tale bargain, a desperate mother, a stolen child, a faerie left in her place, and turns it into something far thornier. This is not whimsical fae trickery for the fun of it. It is survival, sacrifice, religious terror, imperial hunger, and one very dangerous lie forced to grow up inside a human body.
Estevan is such a fascinating lens for this story because his existence is both disguise and imprisonment. Watching an immortal faerie endure the indignities of childhood, learn the rules of a hostile society, and slowly understand just how efficiently humans can turn doctrine into a weapon gives the story a quiet, simmering dread. He is not just hiding what he is. He is studying the machinery built to destroy him.
The historical setting does a lot of heavy lifting here, and Carrick uses it with bite. Spain during the shadow of the Inquisition is already a pressure cooker, but adding the Sea Beyond makes it feel even more brutal. The human world does not simply fear the fae. It wants to name them, convert them, own them, and drain the magic out of them while calling it salvation. That detail alone gives the book its sharpest edge.
The parallel thread with the Hungry Girl, a mortal child raised in the faerie realm, adds a great mirror to Estevan’s story. He is fae trapped among humans. She is human surviving among fae. Neither world is clean. Neither side gets to be conveniently innocent. That tension keeps the story from flattening into a simple humans-bad/fae-good shape, which I appreciated.
This is dense, atmospheric, and politically loaded fantasy, but it has more pulse than the usual “intricate court maneuvering” setup. It is about identity under pressure, family as both refuge and wound, colonization dressed up as righteousness, and the ugly cost of belonging anywhere that demands you cut pieces off yourself first.
The Eye of Leviathan is eerie, intelligent, and beautifully unsettling. A fairy bargain, a historical pressure cooker, and a fantasy world where the most terrifying monsters are the ones holding the holy water.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and M. A. Carrick for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
M. A. Carrick takes a familiar fairy-tale bargain, a desperate mother, a stolen child, a faerie left in her place, and turns it into something far thornier. This is not whimsical fae trickery for the fun of it. It is survival, sacrifice, religious terror, imperial hunger, and one very dangerous lie forced to grow up inside a human body.
Estevan is such a fascinating lens for this story because his existence is both disguise and imprisonment. Watching an immortal faerie endure the indignities of childhood, learn the rules of a hostile society, and slowly understand just how efficiently humans can turn doctrine into a weapon gives the story a quiet, simmering dread. He is not just hiding what he is. He is studying the machinery built to destroy him.
The historical setting does a lot of heavy lifting here, and Carrick uses it with bite. Spain during the shadow of the Inquisition is already a pressure cooker, but adding the Sea Beyond makes it feel even more brutal. The human world does not simply fear the fae. It wants to name them, convert them, own them, and drain the magic out of them while calling it salvation. That detail alone gives the book its sharpest edge.
The parallel thread with the Hungry Girl, a mortal child raised in the faerie realm, adds a great mirror to Estevan’s story. He is fae trapped among humans. She is human surviving among fae. Neither world is clean. Neither side gets to be conveniently innocent. That tension keeps the story from flattening into a simple humans-bad/fae-good shape, which I appreciated.
This is dense, atmospheric, and politically loaded fantasy, but it has more pulse than the usual “intricate court maneuvering” setup. It is about identity under pressure, family as both refuge and wound, colonization dressed up as righteousness, and the ugly cost of belonging anywhere that demands you cut pieces off yourself first.
The Eye of Leviathan is eerie, intelligent, and beautifully unsettling. A fairy bargain, a historical pressure cooker, and a fantasy world where the most terrifying monsters are the ones holding the holy water.
Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit, and M. A. Carrick for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Fun story: I did make it through the whole Rook & Rose trilogy...but only because I was reading them to my partner as bedtime books and they were GREAT for knocking us both unconscious.
I was really hoping that this time would be different, but nope: something about Carrick's prose still puts me directly to sleep. It just feels heavy. There's nothing objectively wrong with it - although Estevan's plotline is incredibly dull, it's not badly written, and the Hungry Girl's chapters should be very interesting indeed. But I just can't keep my eyes open. I'm not holding it against Carrick, it's very clearly a me-not-you problem (otherwise I'd be able to point to SOMETHING about the writing/story as Not To My Taste, and I cannot); from what I can tell, it's objectively good, with the potential to be great (by which I mean, the bit I read was fine, but I think if I kept reading it would be great - IF I could keep my eyes open while reading).
If you do NOT experience this weirdness with Carrick's prose, and the premise sounds interesting to you, then go for it; the worldbuilding is fascinating, and I love the exploration of Christian theology as it applies to all things Faerie. (The humans think the fae are descended from the Nephilim! THAT'S SO COOL. The Faerie world being created by the Biblical leviathan - ALSO EXTREMELY EPIC. The horror of fae being subjected to baptism - if it's souls instead of bodies can we call it soul-horror rather than body-horror???)
Truly wish I could have read this, because I'm very sure I would have enjoyed it!
I was really hoping that this time would be different, but nope: something about Carrick's prose still puts me directly to sleep. It just feels heavy. There's nothing objectively wrong with it - although Estevan's plotline is incredibly dull, it's not badly written, and the Hungry Girl's chapters should be very interesting indeed. But I just can't keep my eyes open. I'm not holding it against Carrick, it's very clearly a me-not-you problem (otherwise I'd be able to point to SOMETHING about the writing/story as Not To My Taste, and I cannot); from what I can tell, it's objectively good, with the potential to be great (by which I mean, the bit I read was fine, but I think if I kept reading it would be great - IF I could keep my eyes open while reading).
If you do NOT experience this weirdness with Carrick's prose, and the premise sounds interesting to you, then go for it; the worldbuilding is fascinating, and I love the exploration of Christian theology as it applies to all things Faerie. (The humans think the fae are descended from the Nephilim! THAT'S SO COOL. The Faerie world being created by the Biblical leviathan - ALSO EXTREMELY EPIC. The horror of fae being subjected to baptism - if it's souls instead of bodies can we call it soul-horror rather than body-horror???)
Truly wish I could have read this, because I'm very sure I would have enjoyed it!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was a rich, tense, and engrossing historical fiction-fantasy following a human child and faerie changeling who are navigating the horrors of the Inquisition and colonialism and trying to save the marginalized fae and their home in the Sea Beyond. The meld of historical fiction, Greek mythology, Fae mythology, and political fantasy was exquisite. I love the alternate history take with the Fae as a marginalized community by Christianity along with Muslims and Jews.
The characters, both main and supporting, were complex and interesting. They did not always make sympathetic decisions, and Carrick does a great job of showing the anguish that can come with facing situations with no right answers.
The depiction of the Inquisition and the violence wrought was chilling, and Carrick’s adaptation of it to the Fae as well and what happens to them after baptism was extremely well done. The Hungry Girl and Estevan’s commentary on the hypocrisy of gender norms, powerful institutions, and misappropriation of religion for control were both hilarious and pointed. This was a fantastic start to the series, and I am already anxiously awaiting the next book so I can see what happens to everyone. Thank you NetGalley, M.A. Carrick, and Orbit Books for this E-ARC.
The characters, both main and supporting, were complex and interesting. They did not always make sympathetic decisions, and Carrick does a great job of showing the anguish that can come with facing situations with no right answers.
The depiction of the Inquisition and the violence wrought was chilling, and Carrick’s adaptation of it to the Fae as well and what happens to them after baptism was extremely well done. The Hungry Girl and Estevan’s commentary on the hypocrisy of gender norms, powerful institutions, and misappropriation of religion for control were both hilarious and pointed. This was a fantastic start to the series, and I am already anxiously awaiting the next book so I can see what happens to everyone. Thank you NetGalley, M.A. Carrick, and Orbit Books for this E-ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Eye of Leviathan is a richly-detailed historical adventure that reimagines the Spanish Golden Age with faeries in the mix. I love a good changeling story, and M.A. Carrick manage to make this one very fresh, what with the alternate-history setting, and quite fierce, by way of the horrors of the Inquisition more so than the typical fae grimmness. Complete with sharp commentary on the evils of Catholicism and colonialism, the result is a rollicking but thought-provoking adventure that's as complex and as it is fun.
For me, the story dragged a fair bit in parts - mostly Estevan's - and it relies a lot more on world-building than on action that moves the plot forward, but to some extent that's to be expected in a book like this (especially so since it's the first in a series). If you don't like historical fiction at all, you'll want to skip it. But if you enjoy your history rewritten with a side of faerie fantasy, The Eye of Leviathan absolutely nails it. This is a fantastic introduction to Carrick's new world, and I'm very excited to see where the story goes next!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
For me, the story dragged a fair bit in parts - mostly Estevan's - and it relies a lot more on world-building than on action that moves the plot forward, but to some extent that's to be expected in a book like this (especially so since it's the first in a series). If you don't like historical fiction at all, you'll want to skip it. But if you enjoy your history rewritten with a side of faerie fantasy, The Eye of Leviathan absolutely nails it. This is a fantastic introduction to Carrick's new world, and I'm very excited to see where the story goes next!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I fan-girled SO hard when I got approved for this ARC. Are you kidding me? The Rook & Rose trilogy is one of my favorite fantasy trilogies ever. I knew I was in for some nuanced, in-depth political based fantasy, and that’s exactly what I got.
The best part about this book is how well the fantasy Sea Beyond blends in with our own knowledge of conquering the New World. Riches can be obtained by conquering the Americas or the islands of the Sea Beyond. And the Hungry Girl’s Sea Beyond is as intricate and lived-in as Estevan’s Spain.
It’s a known trope - changelings - but done in such a unique way that still feels fresh and exciting. I love the way religion is explored as a destructive force and, for some characters, their only source of hope. Romance is a very sub-plot, and LGBTQ+ representation is incredible, as always with this pair.
I would not call this a light fantasy - it’s dense and packed with political intrigue, historical references (some of which definitely went over my head), and a whole lot of world building. If you liked their first series, or books like Babel/Katabasis by R F Kuang, I think this would be great fit for you.
The best part about this book is how well the fantasy Sea Beyond blends in with our own knowledge of conquering the New World. Riches can be obtained by conquering the Americas or the islands of the Sea Beyond. And the Hungry Girl’s Sea Beyond is as intricate and lived-in as Estevan’s Spain.
It’s a known trope - changelings - but done in such a unique way that still feels fresh and exciting. I love the way religion is explored as a destructive force and, for some characters, their only source of hope. Romance is a very sub-plot, and LGBTQ+ representation is incredible, as always with this pair.
I would not call this a light fantasy - it’s dense and packed with political intrigue, historical references (some of which definitely went over my head), and a whole lot of world building. If you liked their first series, or books like Babel/Katabasis by R F Kuang, I think this would be great fit for you.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The writing was incredibly well done, weaving the fae world with the Spanish Golden Age so intricately. Estevan's POV, particularly in the first half of the novel, felt like historical fiction with the level of detail of the time period, while seamlessly providing detail of the fae world as well.
Both plots, with Estevan in Spain and the Hungry Girl in the Sea Beyond, were well thought out and had notable side characters. There was specifically one side character at the end, who had become a favorite, that had my anxiety rising, wanting them to be okay.
The complexities of what Estevan and the Hungry Girl were dealing with felt authentic and understandable. It was excellent writing to evoke such emotion, from how Spain was treating fae and conquering their world, to all that our main characters had to deal with and maneuver.
I feel like I can't say much more without giving anything away and ruin the experience of reading it. I can’t wait for the second book to see how everything concludes!
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC!!!
Both plots, with Estevan in Spain and the Hungry Girl in the Sea Beyond, were well thought out and had notable side characters. There was specifically one side character at the end, who had become a favorite, that had my anxiety rising, wanting them to be okay.
The complexities of what Estevan and the Hungry Girl were dealing with felt authentic and understandable. It was excellent writing to evoke such emotion, from how Spain was treating fae and conquering their world, to all that our main characters had to deal with and maneuver.
I feel like I can't say much more without giving anything away and ruin the experience of reading it. I can’t wait for the second book to see how everything concludes!
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the eARC!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Eye of Leviathan is told in third-person dual POV—Estevan and the Hungry Girl–with alternating timelines that eventually converge. It's a light academia historical fantasy featuring traditional faerie folklore influences. There are strong themes of home, belonging, persecution, friendship, conquest, enslavement, and religious scrutiny. The storytelling has a fairy tale quality, especially the Hungry Girl’s chapters. Characters are well-rounded and intentionally-flawed while being resourceful and resilient.
The strength of The Eye of Leviathan lies in the meticulous historical research that's been blended with faerie folklore into an alternate and fantastical version of Spain. Estevan’s chapters contain the bulk of those components, and are written well. Anyone who loves that density of research brought forth onto the page will really enjoy this series. For me, those chapters became a bit of a grind and continued to be until the two storylines converged in the last quarter. That being said, everything was wrapped up very nicely with some things left open and set up to be resolved in book 2.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC.
The strength of The Eye of Leviathan lies in the meticulous historical research that's been blended with faerie folklore into an alternate and fantastical version of Spain. Estevan’s chapters contain the bulk of those components, and are written well. Anyone who loves that density of research brought forth onto the page will really enjoy this series. For me, those chapters became a bit of a grind and continued to be until the two storylines converged in the last quarter. That being said, everything was wrapped up very nicely with some things left open and set up to be resolved in book 2.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I received this ARC via a Goodreads giveaway!
I'll start by saying I loved the Hungry Girl sections, but I felt the Estevan chapters dragged until the halfway point. Really the only interesting thing for me there was the AU history changes. What are religions like if Faerie is real? What happens in history with colonization? But it felt like mostly here's another chapter where Estevan witnesses the same atrocities over and over. We don't get any development of the plot or the character. But once he was an adult things moved a lot faster.
I'll start by saying I loved the Hungry Girl sections, but I felt the Estevan chapters dragged until the halfway point. Really the only interesting thing for me there was the AU history changes. What are religions like if Faerie is real? What happens in history with colonization? But it felt like mostly here's another chapter where Estevan witnesses the same atrocities over and over. We don't get any development of the plot or the character. But once he was an adult things moved a lot faster.
April 19, 2026
Overall, I did enjoy this one, but it took me a while to fully immerse myself in the world. It’s full of political machinations and adventure, with a dual POV across different timelines that eventually converge.
I much preferred the Hungry Girl’s POV, as I found her storyline much more engaging than Estevan’s.
I much preferred the Hungry Girl’s POV, as I found her storyline much more engaging than Estevan’s.
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