Synopsis:
Her boat. Her rules. His music. Their hearts . . .
From the queen of cosy fantasy and acclaimed author of The Spellshop, Sea of Charms is a delightful fantasy romance about finding your crew, your family, and moreover, finding yourself.
Marin has always belonged on the great blue sea. Betrayed by love, she lives and works as a supply runner, sailing from island to island, delivering an array of goods with Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub as her crew.
On one of her routine trips to the capital, Alyssium, Marin finds a revolution underway — and a friend in the line of fire.
What starts as a rescue evolves into a deal: Marin will keep Dax on as a member of her crew if he pretends to be her boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home.
But against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile — and realizes that perhaps she isn’t saving him. Maybe it’s the other way around.
Set in the same beautiful, cosy world as The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse, this is the third standalone in Sarah Beth Durst’s beloved fantasy series – perfect for both fans and newcomers.
Review:
I read this cosy, island-hopping book whilst in Mexico, and it was the perfect choice.
Marin, a sailor/supply runner rescues a composer named Dax during an empire revolution. They strike a deal to become pretend lovers, accompanied by a sea serpent and a sentient plant.
Marin is someone with her shields up and very slow to trust as a former victim of romantic betrayal and financial ruin. Like all of her characters, Durst lets us see her softer side brought out by the romantic interest.
Although, it’s almost flipped here; here it is she who is the pessimistic, and he the hopeless romantic.
There was so much variation in the blue of the sea from the white of the breaking waves and the pale blue as they pulled away from shore to the dark green that hid seaweed just below its surface to the blue that rivaled the sky and more. It was a patchwork of beauty that she never got tired of, with moods and promises and dangers and invitations.
Durst is very aware of the romantasy tropes and uses them to her advantage to create a cosy, if not predictable story.
We got to explore more magical islands and see more of the revolution’s impact. We also get cameos of both The Spellshop and The Enchanted greenhouse. Whilst not necessary to read before this book as the events take place alongside each other, I think it would be more enjoyable to spot the Easter eggs.
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