Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic
When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears
her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship
where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved
offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a
perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world
opulence and desperate gamblers collide.
Amaya wants one thing: revenge
against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had.
But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her
path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring
down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she
realizes she must trust no one…
Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo.
Revenge... It was a word of fire and blood, of a knife's whisper and the priming of a pistol.
Tara Sim's Scavenge the Stars is the first installment in the authors Scavenge the Stars duology. Apparently, this is a retelling of the Count of Monte Cristo. In
the city state of Moray, children bear their parent's debts. 7-years ago, Amaya Chandra aka Silver Fish, was sold to a debtor ship Brackish to pay off her father's debts. For years, Amaya has been trying to save enough money to pay off her debts and she is really close. Thanks to a great find, she soon has enough money to go free. Then, after she rescues a mysterious man named Boon who claims he is rich, and is willing to help her.
It not only costs her 4 more weeks of her sentence, but also sends her on a journey that will see her become an entirely different character. Come to find out, Boon is one of the landless, people who were banished and now have no kingdom to call their own. Amaya chooses a path of vengeance against the man who put her there and those who ruined her father and sent her mother scurrying to pay off her debts the only way she knew how. There is a huge jump from the time Amaya meets Boon to when she suddenly appears as Countess Yamaa in Moray.
The story also follows Cayo Mercado. Much of the story actually takes place on Moray which is like an island state but with casino's, fabulous wealth, crime, and Ash Fever that is slowly consuming people of all ages and status. Cayo is trying to pull his life together. He's been known to gamble, drink heavily, and have sex with whomever he ends up with be it man or woman. With his sister sick from Ash Fever, and no way to pay for her treatments, Cayo feels as though his life is being torn apart by secrets and feeling like he can't do anything about it. His path keeps
intersecting with the mysterious Countess Yamaa, and as he struggles to
bring down the evil infecting his city she might be his only hope.
For the most part, Amaya's ruthlessness, desire for revenge, and desperation in needing to understand what
happened to her family seven years ago made her completely captivating.
She was strong-willed, stubborn, and unapologetically determined to
right all of the wrongs that had been done to her. But, she has a soft spot for those like Roach, Beetle, Weevil and others like herself. While
revenge is what she expected, Amaya finds herself tangled in a
dangerous game of deception as she grapples with the truth of her past
amid the perilous streets of Moray.
Cayo is totally different. Cayo, heir to a wealthy family in Moray, has been blamed by his father for gambling away their money. He spends most of the time trying to repair his image, save his sister, and do what's right for the family even though there is clearly something wrong which leads to some interesting scenes with characters who don't necessarily have his best interest at heart.
Why only 3 stars you ask? Simple: World Building. This is a world that has many curious places we know nothing about. We get a glimpse of Moray, but there's also the Sun Empire, the Rain Empire, Republic of Rehan etc. One hope is that the story ends with the main characters plus several others heading for the Sun Empire where there is hope for Cayo's sister. But, will Amaya get her revenge against Boon? Will Cayo get answers from his father about his deal with the Slum King? While there is a hint, or a simmer of a romance between the main characters, they both have way too much baggage to overcome to rush into anything firm.
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