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Hidden Sea Tales #1
Child of a Hidden Sea
One minute, twenty-four-year-old Sophie Hansa is in a San Francisco alley trying to save the life of the aunt she has never known. The next, she finds herself flung into the warm and salty waters of an unfamiliar world. Glowing moths fall to the waves around her, and the sleek bodies of unseen fish glide against her submerged ankles.
The world is Stormwrack, a series of island nations with a variety of cultures and economies—and a language different from any Sophie has heard.
Sophie doesn't know it yet, but she has just stepped into the middle of a political firestorm, and a conspiracy that could destroy a world she has just discovered… her world, where everyone seems to know who she is, and where she is forbidden to stay.
But Sophie is stubborn, and smart, and refuses to be cast adrift by people who don't know her and yet wish her gone. With the help of a sister she has never known, and a ship captain who would rather she had never arrived, she must navigate the shoals of the highly charged politics of Stormwrack, and win the right to decide for herself whether she stays in this wondrous world . . . or is doomed to exile
The world is Stormwrack, a series of island nations with a variety of cultures and economies—and a language different from any Sophie has heard.
Sophie doesn't know it yet, but she has just stepped into the middle of a political firestorm, and a conspiracy that could destroy a world she has just discovered… her world, where everyone seems to know who she is, and where she is forbidden to stay.
But Sophie is stubborn, and smart, and refuses to be cast adrift by people who don't know her and yet wish her gone. With the help of a sister she has never known, and a ship captain who would rather she had never arrived, she must navigate the shoals of the highly charged politics of Stormwrack, and win the right to decide for herself whether she stays in this wondrous world . . . or is doomed to exile
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 2014
61 people are currently reading
8194 people want to read
About the author
A.M. Dellamonica
48 books296 followersI live in Toronto, Ontario and make my living writing science fiction and fantasy; I also review books and teach writing online at UCLA. I'm a legally married lesbian and in my spare time I take pictures with Toronto Photo. My wife's name is Kelly and we have two cats, Lorenzo and Chinchilla, born in spring of 2014.
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February 26, 2016
Sophie Hansa regains consciousness in a body of water, disoriented, thinking only of keeping herself afloat. She quickly realizes her new-found aunt is with her as well. The situation makes no sense to her–one minute fighting off attackers in a San Francisco alley, next minute treading water to survive. Child of a Hidden Sea comes out of the ‘parallel world’ school of fantasy, where the main characters discover there’s a fantasy world loosely connected to ours (think The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe).
Slowly, oh-so-slowly, she reorients to her new reality. A carved spell gives her the ability to communicate in the common tongue, so she can begin conversing with her rescuers. From her long history as a diver, she approaches the world through her water experience, comparing the sea and its denizens to the world she knows. For those who enjoy the outdoors, it is a fun way to learn about the world of Stormwrack. For those who enjoy diving learning about a culture through human interactions, it might be more disappointing, as Sophie doesn’t have an anthropological frame of mind.
The starting point to her otherworld travels occurred because Sophie went searching for her birth mother. Though she grew up in a family that loved her, and has a close relationship with her younger brother Bram, she’s determined to connect to her birth parents. It didn’t go well, but Sophie is undeterred, stalking mom’s house and then following someone who looks like an aunt. She was saving the aunt from being attacked in an alley when the transfer happened.
As Sophie attempts to understand the world–or at least the biological creatures in it–she has to navigate issues with her new-found family. It turns out her aunt and half-sister live in Stormwrack, and her mother is a refugee from there. While it gives Sophie a legitimate connection to the world, it also creates a new-adult feel, a questioning of identity and family so common to those years. Even more, Sophie is particularly naive about connecting with them; she’s convinced everyone will love her if they just give her a chance. She is also grossly self-centered; as her aunt briefly regains consciousness with a knife hilt poking out of her chest, Sophie asks about her dad. Though Sophie isn’t an unlikable character–her endless curiosity and positive energy are assets–she is quite thoughtless, self-centered and generally heedless of consequences.
I feel like I grew up on those portal fantasies, so the issues about connected worlds was less disjointing than it might be for others. However, unlike the protagonists I admire, Sophie persists far too long in thinking she’s on Earth, trying to match local fauna and flora to her memories of different countries. Really–it’s more plausible to assume you’ve suddenly been transported 2000 miles? It’s a barrier for her that takes time to reconcile. Generally, I enjoyed the world-building, but I’m of biologist bent, so the focus on sea life was enjoyable. However, human cultural individuation and details on the magical system were lacking. I’d be willing to blame it on Sophie, however, as she was more focused on photographing sea life and taking samples than she was at observing human relationships.
Speaking of human relationships, I found her lust interest (“Captain Tasty”) entertaining but somewhat out of place (although also strangely naive; did she think about pregnancy? Social implications? New parasites?). She eventually develops a crush–that she unfortunately shares with her half-sister. It was hard to get a grip on Sophie’s personality. Given that she is searching for her birth parents to the extent of stalking her mother, it seems strange that she has the opportunity to talk with a half-sister and doesn’t take it. Granted, the sister is angry about an inheritance Sophie receives, but it didn’t stop her from harassing her mother. The odd thing is that I can’t tell if the shortcoming is in Dellamonica’s writing or Sophie’s character.
Writing is decent. Paragraphs are short and choppy at the beginning, mirroring Sophie’s confused state. The description is generally solid, and at a couple of points, I felt like a solid scene was conveyed–I particularly liked the otter raft. The political angles seemed the weakest; again, not sure if it is the result of Sophie’s self-involved narration or vague world-building. You aren’t going to get much sophistication from someone who refers to others cultures as “the bad guys,” or wonders if the rest of the world is as backwards as the Steele Islanders.
At the end of the day, it’s an interesting story set in an intriguing world. However, I’m indifferent on my concern for Sophie and unconvinced she is best suited to carry a plot about being exposed to a new world. Come to think of it, she reminds me of the self-centered, immature heroine in Darkfever. There’s also a number of nit-picky points that might bother those who note details (the fact that tech works in Stormwrack, that it is ‘secret’ and that the residents there are generally unperturbed by it). Honestly, I’d call this about the same on my rating scale as Leviathan, with about the same interest at picking up the sequel. Which is to say, it’s not an impossible idea, but I’ll probably need someone to provide photos from another world to convince me.
Slowly, oh-so-slowly, she reorients to her new reality. A carved spell gives her the ability to communicate in the common tongue, so she can begin conversing with her rescuers. From her long history as a diver, she approaches the world through her water experience, comparing the sea and its denizens to the world she knows. For those who enjoy the outdoors, it is a fun way to learn about the world of Stormwrack. For those who enjoy diving learning about a culture through human interactions, it might be more disappointing, as Sophie doesn’t have an anthropological frame of mind.
The starting point to her otherworld travels occurred because Sophie went searching for her birth mother. Though she grew up in a family that loved her, and has a close relationship with her younger brother Bram, she’s determined to connect to her birth parents. It didn’t go well, but Sophie is undeterred, stalking mom’s house and then following someone who looks like an aunt. She was saving the aunt from being attacked in an alley when the transfer happened.
As Sophie attempts to understand the world–or at least the biological creatures in it–she has to navigate issues with her new-found family. It turns out her aunt and half-sister live in Stormwrack, and her mother is a refugee from there. While it gives Sophie a legitimate connection to the world, it also creates a new-adult feel, a questioning of identity and family so common to those years. Even more, Sophie is particularly naive about connecting with them; she’s convinced everyone will love her if they just give her a chance. She is also grossly self-centered; as her aunt briefly regains consciousness with a knife hilt poking out of her chest, Sophie asks about her dad. Though Sophie isn’t an unlikable character–her endless curiosity and positive energy are assets–she is quite thoughtless, self-centered and generally heedless of consequences.
I feel like I grew up on those portal fantasies, so the issues about connected worlds was less disjointing than it might be for others. However, unlike the protagonists I admire, Sophie persists far too long in thinking she’s on Earth, trying to match local fauna and flora to her memories of different countries. Really–it’s more plausible to assume you’ve suddenly been transported 2000 miles? It’s a barrier for her that takes time to reconcile. Generally, I enjoyed the world-building, but I’m of biologist bent, so the focus on sea life was enjoyable. However, human cultural individuation and details on the magical system were lacking. I’d be willing to blame it on Sophie, however, as she was more focused on photographing sea life and taking samples than she was at observing human relationships.
Speaking of human relationships, I found her lust interest (“Captain Tasty”) entertaining but somewhat out of place (although also strangely naive; did she think about pregnancy? Social implications? New parasites?). She eventually develops a crush–that she unfortunately shares with her half-sister. It was hard to get a grip on Sophie’s personality. Given that she is searching for her birth parents to the extent of stalking her mother, it seems strange that she has the opportunity to talk with a half-sister and doesn’t take it. Granted, the sister is angry about an inheritance Sophie receives, but it didn’t stop her from harassing her mother. The odd thing is that I can’t tell if the shortcoming is in Dellamonica’s writing or Sophie’s character.
Writing is decent. Paragraphs are short and choppy at the beginning, mirroring Sophie’s confused state. The description is generally solid, and at a couple of points, I felt like a solid scene was conveyed–I particularly liked the otter raft. The political angles seemed the weakest; again, not sure if it is the result of Sophie’s self-involved narration or vague world-building. You aren’t going to get much sophistication from someone who refers to others cultures as “the bad guys,” or wonders if the rest of the world is as backwards as the Steele Islanders.
At the end of the day, it’s an interesting story set in an intriguing world. However, I’m indifferent on my concern for Sophie and unconvinced she is best suited to carry a plot about being exposed to a new world. Come to think of it, she reminds me of the self-centered, immature heroine in Darkfever. There’s also a number of nit-picky points that might bother those who note details (the fact that tech works in Stormwrack, that it is ‘secret’ and that the residents there are generally unperturbed by it). Honestly, I’d call this about the same on my rating scale as Leviathan, with about the same interest at picking up the sequel. Which is to say, it’s not an impossible idea, but I’ll probably need someone to provide photos from another world to convince me.
March 1, 2015
Great fun! I challenge you to read this book and come away from it without wishing that you, too, could acquire a travel pass to the world of Stormwrack!
Sophie Hansa, 24, is procrastinating about defending her thesis, feeling a bit like she's in her brilliant younger brother's shadow, and having a bit of existential ennui. In an attempt to contact her birth family (she's adopted), she gets a bit stalker-ish... and then ends up accidentally catapulted into a world other than our own - and into the midst of a huge mess encompassing family drama, lawsuits, trade agreements, magical curses and even murder. The plot's fast-paced and twisty, and I enjoyed Sophie's reactions, her scientific and natural curiosity and her modern, progressive sensibilities.
The whole thing is not just fantasy in the genre sense, but also in the wish-fulfillment sense. However, I have zero problem with that. It reminded me of a more mature version of any number of childhood favorites in the 'portal fantasy' genre - it's not nearly as juvenile as the cover art might indicate.
Stormwrack - an archipelago world which may or may not be a far-future Earth - has a near-infinite number of cultures and settings, with hundreds of independent island-nations. It's got a lot of potential for future books - I hope to get the opportunity to go back and visit again! This was the second book I've read by Dellamonica, but I feel that here, she's really hit her stride.
Copy provided by NetGalley. Much appreciation for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are unaffected by the source.
Sophie Hansa, 24, is procrastinating about defending her thesis, feeling a bit like she's in her brilliant younger brother's shadow, and having a bit of existential ennui. In an attempt to contact her birth family (she's adopted), she gets a bit stalker-ish... and then ends up accidentally catapulted into a world other than our own - and into the midst of a huge mess encompassing family drama, lawsuits, trade agreements, magical curses and even murder. The plot's fast-paced and twisty, and I enjoyed Sophie's reactions, her scientific and natural curiosity and her modern, progressive sensibilities.
The whole thing is not just fantasy in the genre sense, but also in the wish-fulfillment sense. However, I have zero problem with that. It reminded me of a more mature version of any number of childhood favorites in the 'portal fantasy' genre - it's not nearly as juvenile as the cover art might indicate.
Stormwrack - an archipelago world which may or may not be a far-future Earth - has a near-infinite number of cultures and settings, with hundreds of independent island-nations. It's got a lot of potential for future books - I hope to get the opportunity to go back and visit again! This was the second book I've read by Dellamonica, but I feel that here, she's really hit her stride.
Copy provided by NetGalley. Much appreciation for the opportunity to read. As always, my opinions are unaffected by the source.
November 16, 2014
Before I begin this review, let me state for the record: this book was okay, but I wanted to like it so much more than I actually did. I am not too proud to admit that the cover sucked me in, and I completely bought into its promises of pirates, swashbuckling, and swoon-worthy romance. I was disappointed on all counts, but pleasantly surprised by some other aspects.
When I first began Child of a Hidden Sea, it took me a few chapters to get used to Sophie’s first-person narration, since it seemed so awkward at first. She kept asking herself rhetorical questions about the cultural elements of Stormwrack’s nations, its geography, and magic. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that Sophie’s narrative voice – her questions, concerns – actually reminded me of my own thought process when I begin reading an SF/F novel. Just as readers need time to digest the cultural, political, and magical systems of a new universe, so too did Sophie.
And man, was there a lot to digest. Child of a Hidden Sea has excellent world-building, with a rich tapestry of peoples, cultures, and several types of magic. I loved the concept of the fleet, essentially a floating city comprised of hundreds of ships belonging to the different island nations of Stormwrack. The system of inscribing names and “intents” onto items and then utilizing these items as focuses for magical power was already really cool. It’s pretty fitting that names are so important in a book where the protagonist is desperate to find her birth parents.
My one complaint about the otherwise flawless world-building is about the portal between Earth and Stormwrack. Maybe it’s just the nature of portal fantasy to be a bit vague on the details, but I would have liked more explanation as to why exactly technology from Earth or “Erstwhile” worked in Stormwrack with few problems. Sure, Sophie’s cell didn’t have service, but her video camera worked fine. Obviously a lot of SFF requires you to suspend your disbelief, but I think Dellamonica was asking a bit much when she expected readers to buy the fact that no one batted an eye at Earth’s technology. Stormwrack seriously needs to tighten up their security if they want to remain a secret.
Sophie’s insecurities made her both sympathetic and mildly annoying. Yes, we get it, your little brother’s a genius and you have a complex about it. Deal with it, girl! She’s no slouch herself, with a practically encyclopedic knowledge of flora and fauna and advanced scuba diving skills. I found it frustrating that Dellamonica constantly dithered about Sophie’s intellectual insecurity but couldn’t find the space to make the explicit connection between her career on Earth as an adventurer-at-sea and the fact that Sophie’s parents belong to a world LITERALLY ON THE SEA. I suspect the lack of commentary on the subject was intentional, but clearly Demllamonica is a ‘teller’ and not a ‘shower’ so I’m not sure what that was about.
Although I thought Sophie was a fairly weak character, her brother Bram was wonderful. He encompasses many extremes but somehow avoids caricature status, remaining realistically three-dimensional. He’s a gay genius with a killer sense of style and a dry sense of humor whose favourite alkaloid is coffee. That’s kind of a lot to process, but it totally works. I also liked his catch phrase, “sub-optimal,” since it fit his geeky/droll sense of humour perfectly.
I liked this enough to read the sequel (if there is one), but I won’t be re-reading it. Here’s hoping that both Dellamonica’s writing, and her protagonist, become a bit more adult by then.
When I first began Child of a Hidden Sea, it took me a few chapters to get used to Sophie’s first-person narration, since it seemed so awkward at first. She kept asking herself rhetorical questions about the cultural elements of Stormwrack’s nations, its geography, and magic. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that Sophie’s narrative voice – her questions, concerns – actually reminded me of my own thought process when I begin reading an SF/F novel. Just as readers need time to digest the cultural, political, and magical systems of a new universe, so too did Sophie.
And man, was there a lot to digest. Child of a Hidden Sea has excellent world-building, with a rich tapestry of peoples, cultures, and several types of magic. I loved the concept of the fleet, essentially a floating city comprised of hundreds of ships belonging to the different island nations of Stormwrack. The system of inscribing names and “intents” onto items and then utilizing these items as focuses for magical power was already really cool. It’s pretty fitting that names are so important in a book where the protagonist is desperate to find her birth parents.
My one complaint about the otherwise flawless world-building is about the portal between Earth and Stormwrack. Maybe it’s just the nature of portal fantasy to be a bit vague on the details, but I would have liked more explanation as to why exactly technology from Earth or “Erstwhile” worked in Stormwrack with few problems. Sure, Sophie’s cell didn’t have service, but her video camera worked fine. Obviously a lot of SFF requires you to suspend your disbelief, but I think Dellamonica was asking a bit much when she expected readers to buy the fact that no one batted an eye at Earth’s technology. Stormwrack seriously needs to tighten up their security if they want to remain a secret.
Sophie’s insecurities made her both sympathetic and mildly annoying. Yes, we get it, your little brother’s a genius and you have a complex about it. Deal with it, girl! She’s no slouch herself, with a practically encyclopedic knowledge of flora and fauna and advanced scuba diving skills. I found it frustrating that Dellamonica constantly dithered about Sophie’s intellectual insecurity but couldn’t find the space to make the explicit connection between her career on Earth as an adventurer-at-sea and the fact that Sophie’s parents belong to a world LITERALLY ON THE SEA. I suspect the lack of commentary on the subject was intentional, but clearly Demllamonica is a ‘teller’ and not a ‘shower’ so I’m not sure what that was about.
Although I thought Sophie was a fairly weak character, her brother Bram was wonderful. He encompasses many extremes but somehow avoids caricature status, remaining realistically three-dimensional. He’s a gay genius with a killer sense of style and a dry sense of humor whose favourite alkaloid is coffee. That’s kind of a lot to process, but it totally works. I also liked his catch phrase, “sub-optimal,” since it fit his geeky/droll sense of humour perfectly.
I liked this enough to read the sequel (if there is one), but I won’t be re-reading it. Here’s hoping that both Dellamonica’s writing, and her protagonist, become a bit more adult by then.
March 7, 2017
I received Child of a Hidden Sea for review from NetGalley shortly before it was released in June. It looked interesting - a seafaring-based portal world with political intrigue, mystery, and magic. It is also not a Young Adult novel, which definitely appealed. The synopsis promised to have plenty for me to love. Well, I liked it ok enough, but I can’t say I loved it. It was entertaining, and I am interested enough to read a sequel if there is one, but I also feel kind of ambivalent about it and am having a hard time putting my finger on why.
I enjoyed the sea-faring aspect, and the descriptions of the natural world were vivid and breathtaking. Sophie is a Marine Biologist in her life on Earth, and her excitement at the new species she encounters is infectious. It’s a world I would love to see for myself during a sea adventure - on a real, old fashioned ship without engines, of course. She is also a diver, which comes in handy a couple times during this adventure (I wonder what would have happened if she didn’t know how to dive or have equipment - but that’s beside the point).
Sophie's curiosity about this new world gets her in trouble, though, because curiosity is not encouraged here at all. The world is full of unfriendly, stuck up, or downright hostile people, so I found it difficult to like anyone or their cultures. This is an aspect of world building that I usually enjoy. Instead, all of the wonder is reserved for the pristine environment, and her difficulties adjusting to the new world are a lot closer to real life culture shock - without anyone sympathetic enough to help her find her way and learn the ways of the peoples. Also without even a common level of politeness. So I struggled to care about the fate of this completely thankless world full of prejudice, the heroine’s newly found family being the worst of them all.
The mystery is about Sophie’s history before she was adopted on Earth, as well as who was trying to kill her aunt and why. She has to learn the politics, history and culture well enough to put it together without much help from the natives, some of whom are jealous, suspicious and aggravatingly condescending. Again, I really just enjoyed the adventure of being at sea more than the intrigue of these incredibly rude and hostile people.
I did like the juxtaposition of magic and technology, and how technology is viewed as inferior on this world but Sophie uses it to help her solve the mystery and force the natives to accept her findings when they would gladly throw her under the bus - er, ship. I do feel as if Sophie is on her way to winning over some of the hostile people so that her future adventures might include some actual friendships and therefore a better appreciation for the more positive sides of the world’s cultures - hopefully.
I also discovered that there's something about portal fantasies in general that bothers me, that I’ve felt before when reading others but couldn’t identify. It's that the ported character has to speak realistically for someone from our world, with accent, slang, cultural references, etc. Obviously this is to be expected, but I find it jarring to have someone with an American accent referring to fast food restaurants, texting, and the internet while in a fantasy world. This is just me, but is another reason I felt some ambivalence about the story.
Overall, it was an entertaining read, a little different from other fantasies I’ve read lately. I will be interested in reading a sequel, if there is one. The ending was left open enough while still feeling complete. [Edit: Time passed, and I lost even the vague feeling of interest in the sequel.]
**Received free arc for review.
I enjoyed the sea-faring aspect, and the descriptions of the natural world were vivid and breathtaking. Sophie is a Marine Biologist in her life on Earth, and her excitement at the new species she encounters is infectious. It’s a world I would love to see for myself during a sea adventure - on a real, old fashioned ship without engines, of course. She is also a diver, which comes in handy a couple times during this adventure (I wonder what would have happened if she didn’t know how to dive or have equipment - but that’s beside the point).
Sophie's curiosity about this new world gets her in trouble, though, because curiosity is not encouraged here at all. The world is full of unfriendly, stuck up, or downright hostile people, so I found it difficult to like anyone or their cultures. This is an aspect of world building that I usually enjoy. Instead, all of the wonder is reserved for the pristine environment, and her difficulties adjusting to the new world are a lot closer to real life culture shock - without anyone sympathetic enough to help her find her way and learn the ways of the peoples. Also without even a common level of politeness. So I struggled to care about the fate of this completely thankless world full of prejudice, the heroine’s newly found family being the worst of them all.
The mystery is about Sophie’s history before she was adopted on Earth, as well as who was trying to kill her aunt and why. She has to learn the politics, history and culture well enough to put it together without much help from the natives, some of whom are jealous, suspicious and aggravatingly condescending. Again, I really just enjoyed the adventure of being at sea more than the intrigue of these incredibly rude and hostile people.
I did like the juxtaposition of magic and technology, and how technology is viewed as inferior on this world but Sophie uses it to help her solve the mystery and force the natives to accept her findings when they would gladly throw her under the bus - er, ship. I do feel as if Sophie is on her way to winning over some of the hostile people so that her future adventures might include some actual friendships and therefore a better appreciation for the more positive sides of the world’s cultures - hopefully.
I also discovered that there's something about portal fantasies in general that bothers me, that I’ve felt before when reading others but couldn’t identify. It's that the ported character has to speak realistically for someone from our world, with accent, slang, cultural references, etc. Obviously this is to be expected, but I find it jarring to have someone with an American accent referring to fast food restaurants, texting, and the internet while in a fantasy world. This is just me, but is another reason I felt some ambivalence about the story.
Overall, it was an entertaining read, a little different from other fantasies I’ve read lately. I will be interested in reading a sequel, if there is one. The ending was left open enough while still feeling complete. [Edit: Time passed, and I lost even the vague feeling of interest in the sequel.]
**Received free arc for review.
June 24, 2014
This review was originally posted on Avid Reviews: www.avidfantasyreviews.wordpress.com
It has been a while since I have read a “portal to another world” fantasy, so I found myself looking forward to reading Child of a Hidden Sea, which is the first book in a new series. I found myself quite surprised when reading this book, as it was nothing like my expectations. Even though I did have some problems with the novel, overall I found it to be a fresh perspective on a familiar fantasy trope, and a book with a pretty decent plotline.
Child of a Hidden Sea is told from the perspective of twenty-four year old Sophie, a resident of San Francisco who is suddenly dropped into an ocean on an unfamiliar world after a failed attempt to reunite with her birth mother. Sophie soon learns that she is in the world of Stormwrack, a place where magic is possible, despite its uncanny similarities to Earth. Stormwrack is a world made up of island nations, and upon Sophie’s arrival the political climate between several different cultures is highly strained. Now Sophie must help to solve a murder and prevent a war, all the while dealing with people who seem to take great offense at her presence in their world.
As I mentioned before, this book surprised me. One of the elements I was not expecting this story to have was a good number of gay and bisexual characters. It was not until fairly recently that diversity in sexual orientation was found in fantasy, and though I do not think that every fantasy book needs to/ calls for such diversity, it is nice to see progression in the genre. Also, in this particular story, I thought that the addition of these characters added a whole lot to the story, and were not simply there for the sake of diversity.
Another surprising element of this novel was Sophie’s scientific curiosity. She looks at the world through the eyes of a biologist (who is also well versed in several other scientific fields), and her journey to Stormwrack is incredibly exciting to her from a scientific standpoint. As someone with a degree in Environmental Science, this is very similar to how I view the world, and I found Sophie’s inquiries into the local wildlife and landscape very similar to how I would act if I were suddenly dropped in another world. It always bothers me in these types of books when the protagonist is dropped into a new world and either is completely oblivious to or not concerned at all with how this new world is different from his own (besides the obvious “this world has magic and mine doesn’t”). I found this scientific examination of a different world to be one of the things that I enjoyed the most about this novel, and it is also the reason that I will continue to read more books in this series, even though I did have some issues with the story.
My biggest issue with this book is that it took me a while to get used to Sophie’s first person narrative. In the first few chapters I found her narrative to be quite awkward, and I was pretty convinced that I was not going to enjoy the story. Fortunately, her narrative does get much better, and by a third of the way through the book the plot picks up in pace. There are still some sections of the book that drag, but even in these parts I found I was still entertained, even if I was not fully engaged in the story.
In addition to this, I had some problems with Sophie as a character. I love a strong female protagonist, and even though she was an endearing character, her constant questioning of all her words and actions was a bit of a bummer. I love the curious scientist aspect of her, but I do not like the insecure young girl stereotype. I also found that despite the many unique aspects of this book, the world building and the magic system were both rather average. They were not bad, I just would have liked to see something a little more exciting or distinctive.
I would recommend this book to anyone likes fantasy and doesn’t mind a female protagonist who is insecure. This was a good book, though not a great one, and I found it to be an enjoyable read.
Overall I would give this book a 7.25/10.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
It has been a while since I have read a “portal to another world” fantasy, so I found myself looking forward to reading Child of a Hidden Sea, which is the first book in a new series. I found myself quite surprised when reading this book, as it was nothing like my expectations. Even though I did have some problems with the novel, overall I found it to be a fresh perspective on a familiar fantasy trope, and a book with a pretty decent plotline.
Child of a Hidden Sea is told from the perspective of twenty-four year old Sophie, a resident of San Francisco who is suddenly dropped into an ocean on an unfamiliar world after a failed attempt to reunite with her birth mother. Sophie soon learns that she is in the world of Stormwrack, a place where magic is possible, despite its uncanny similarities to Earth. Stormwrack is a world made up of island nations, and upon Sophie’s arrival the political climate between several different cultures is highly strained. Now Sophie must help to solve a murder and prevent a war, all the while dealing with people who seem to take great offense at her presence in their world.
As I mentioned before, this book surprised me. One of the elements I was not expecting this story to have was a good number of gay and bisexual characters. It was not until fairly recently that diversity in sexual orientation was found in fantasy, and though I do not think that every fantasy book needs to/ calls for such diversity, it is nice to see progression in the genre. Also, in this particular story, I thought that the addition of these characters added a whole lot to the story, and were not simply there for the sake of diversity.
Another surprising element of this novel was Sophie’s scientific curiosity. She looks at the world through the eyes of a biologist (who is also well versed in several other scientific fields), and her journey to Stormwrack is incredibly exciting to her from a scientific standpoint. As someone with a degree in Environmental Science, this is very similar to how I view the world, and I found Sophie’s inquiries into the local wildlife and landscape very similar to how I would act if I were suddenly dropped in another world. It always bothers me in these types of books when the protagonist is dropped into a new world and either is completely oblivious to or not concerned at all with how this new world is different from his own (besides the obvious “this world has magic and mine doesn’t”). I found this scientific examination of a different world to be one of the things that I enjoyed the most about this novel, and it is also the reason that I will continue to read more books in this series, even though I did have some issues with the story.
My biggest issue with this book is that it took me a while to get used to Sophie’s first person narrative. In the first few chapters I found her narrative to be quite awkward, and I was pretty convinced that I was not going to enjoy the story. Fortunately, her narrative does get much better, and by a third of the way through the book the plot picks up in pace. There are still some sections of the book that drag, but even in these parts I found I was still entertained, even if I was not fully engaged in the story.
In addition to this, I had some problems with Sophie as a character. I love a strong female protagonist, and even though she was an endearing character, her constant questioning of all her words and actions was a bit of a bummer. I love the curious scientist aspect of her, but I do not like the insecure young girl stereotype. I also found that despite the many unique aspects of this book, the world building and the magic system were both rather average. They were not bad, I just would have liked to see something a little more exciting or distinctive.
I would recommend this book to anyone likes fantasy and doesn’t mind a female protagonist who is insecure. This was a good book, though not a great one, and I found it to be an enjoyable read.
Overall I would give this book a 7.25/10.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
January 8, 2017
Even thou I rated this two stars I read the sequel and am about to buy the third book. I would still recommend it to certain readers.
Reason for two stars-
-the MC is meant to be 24 years old but the narrative voice was closer to that of a 16-17 year old protagonist.
- the mc lacked emotional depth, the way some of the characters acted was terrible and the mc seemed to take it laying down. An example; right at the beginning the mc is violently rejected by her birth mother and the rest of her birth family. I'm not sure the author understood how psychologically catastrophic that would be for a person. Having had a similar personal experience it was borderline offensive.
- I want to believe. I predominantly read fantasy and sci-fi. I want to stretch my imagination and engage with a fantastic and crazy world. I found the world and plot far fetched NOT because it was a fantasy but because the author didn't successfully sell me on the believability.
- the romance (including its development in the second novel) is kind of weak. It's ok but it was a bit childish. This is a woman who engaged in causal athletic sex with someone she just met in the beginning of the first book but then blushes and carries on like a twit over a dude her birth sister is in love with.
What I liked and why I would still recommend it to someone else:
- sea-faring society, diving, photography, wildlife and biology. Awesome.
- MC was sweet and the focus on the relationship with the adoptive brother was a delight. They had a pretty healthy relationship and communicated in a mature, kind and psychologically sound way. So rare.
- At first I was dubious but by the end I was very engaged with the legal thriller plot. It was funny.
- the lack of destiny with a capital D was funny and a great subversion of the trope.
Reason for two stars-
-the MC is meant to be 24 years old but the narrative voice was closer to that of a 16-17 year old protagonist.
- the mc lacked emotional depth, the way some of the characters acted was terrible and the mc seemed to take it laying down. An example; right at the beginning the mc is violently rejected by her birth mother and the rest of her birth family. I'm not sure the author understood how psychologically catastrophic that would be for a person. Having had a similar personal experience it was borderline offensive.
- I want to believe. I predominantly read fantasy and sci-fi. I want to stretch my imagination and engage with a fantastic and crazy world. I found the world and plot far fetched NOT because it was a fantasy but because the author didn't successfully sell me on the believability.
- the romance (including its development in the second novel) is kind of weak. It's ok but it was a bit childish. This is a woman who engaged in causal athletic sex with someone she just met in the beginning of the first book but then blushes and carries on like a twit over a dude her birth sister is in love with.
What I liked and why I would still recommend it to someone else:
- sea-faring society, diving, photography, wildlife and biology. Awesome.
- MC was sweet and the focus on the relationship with the adoptive brother was a delight. They had a pretty healthy relationship and communicated in a mature, kind and psychologically sound way. So rare.
- At first I was dubious but by the end I was very engaged with the legal thriller plot. It was funny.
- the lack of destiny with a capital D was funny and a great subversion of the trope.
zzz-books-not-for-me
February 7, 2016Read in February 7 till February 26, 2016. DNF: 16% ... I tried.
Positives
Child of Hidden Sea is one of those books that grabs you from the start with its fast pacing and original premises! Oh yes, there are plenty of books about young women being transported to another world and so on, but I rather enjoyed being in Sophie's head. Overall, the world is intriguing and colorful, my mind was having a feast imagining the white beaches, vast sea and the underwater scenery! The heroine was intelligent, curious and very proactive. The plot was heading...somewhere, I suppose, but this is where my biggest complain comes along.
Negatives (aka. Why I stopped reading)
This book...didn't flow very well. Maybe it's just me, but I found it very hard to keep track of what's happening, where the characters are at the moment and what they are talking about. The story seemed to be moving super fast, almost as if skipping important bits of information. Despite the beautiful movie going on inside my mind, I spent far too much time being confused and rereading previous pages.
Positives
Child of Hidden Sea is one of those books that grabs you from the start with its fast pacing and original premises! Oh yes, there are plenty of books about young women being transported to another world and so on, but I rather enjoyed being in Sophie's head. Overall, the world is intriguing and colorful, my mind was having a feast imagining the white beaches, vast sea and the underwater scenery! The heroine was intelligent, curious and very proactive. The plot was heading...somewhere, I suppose, but this is where my biggest complain comes along.
Negatives (aka. Why I stopped reading)
This book...didn't flow very well. Maybe it's just me, but I found it very hard to keep track of what's happening, where the characters are at the moment and what they are talking about. The story seemed to be moving super fast, almost as if skipping important bits of information. Despite the beautiful movie going on inside my mind, I spent far too much time being confused and rereading previous pages.
August 11, 2016
(I got an ARC through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
2.5 stars. This book gave me trouble, although I should've liked its setting and themes. When I had to put it down, and then wanted to pick it up again, geting back into the story was a little hard.
I quite liked the world of Stormwrack, which seems fairly rich and complex, full of political intricacies, bureaucracy antics, and red tape tactics. There's a lot of potential in there, a potential that doubles up with the Fleet—a literal fleet of ships representing every nation, basically a federation existing on sea only, and acting as a central government of sorts. I don't doubt readers who like stories with a lot of sea travel and exploration will enjoy this side of the novel. A lof of Stormwrack's system rests on notions such as honour, giving one's word, having one's origin speak for their character; this is partly cliché ("the Sylvanners are thieves", "the Tiladenes are promiscuous"), yet also leaves room for misinterpretation, culture clashes, and having to speak up for oneself, without resorting to family support.
My main problem lay with Sophie. I couldn't warm up to this character, and thought her rather immature for a 24-year-old woman who's had experience in "delicate" situations such as diving, which for me implies knowledge and responsibility. While this was part of her character development, I was constantly reminded of what I'm going to call her "tourist mentality", and in the end, she was still going strong enough about it (obssessed with bringing back samples and pictures, etc.). She first ended up on Stormwrack after saving the life of Gale, a woman who had turned out to be her biological aunt, and that chain of events already hinted at a dangerous world. I could understand Sophie's desire to go back there and learn more; I had less understanding for the way she did it, ignoring everyone's recommendations, and involving her brother Bram in the muddle. It felt as if she just didn't think, only considering the pretty shiny things in the sea, and never the bigger picture and the potential dangers she might put Bram in.
And this very attitude indeed put people in danger, and/or ruined lives. Granted, said people never really explained either how she was such a "threat" to them, not until it was too late, so I don't blame Sophie for not getting it sooner. However, I do blame her for not thinking it through. For instance, when the bad guys threatened her with magic, demanding she retrieved an item for them, not once did she consider that they may get after other people if she didn't move fast enough to their liking. Guess what? Someone got kidnapped, and put in harm's way. The "I have your wife" trope is already tricky enough as it is, since it forces characters to make callous choices (let the loved one die, or let the rest of the world suffer), but when the character herself dive into it head-first, it's even harder.
Moreover, Sophie had a meandering mind, and after a while, it became distracting (perhaps this was part of the reason why I could never get back into the story easily?). She'd be doing something important to free the aforementioned person, but thinking of the flora and fauna right in the middle of the "mission". I don't how it goes for other people; my own mind tend to wander a lot, too; but when something really important pops up, I focus on the task at hand. Maybe I shouldn't expect characters to react like that, but... I can't help it. If Mum gets kidnapped, who would be worrying about hiding wasp samples and whatnot inside their skirts? Not me. Similarly, in the beginning, Sophie goes about voicing out whatever goes through her head, when she's in the middle of an unknown sea, trying not to drown with Gale. Her narrative voice was therefore a little troublesome, although I finally got used to it.
Another problem was how she managed to investigate. As a person thrown in a world whose geopolitical complexities she didn't know, sometimes she did the math too quickly, more quickly than people who were born and raised on that world. This didn't strike me as very logical, and made the other characters seem a little dumb. It felt as if they had been dumbed down for the protagonist to show how clever she was, instead of Sophie just being, well, smart. (The connections she made could've been made by Verena, who knows Earth technology, and would've been just as able, if not more, to connect the dots.)
World-building quibbles of mine:
1) The time travel aspect. It is heavily implied that Stormwrack is future!Earth, but I didn't see the point. The story would've worked just as well if it had been a bona fide other world, and this left me wondering, only to close the book with no more answers about that in the end. Was it really important? Is there going to be a sequel, resting more on this specific matter?
2) The secrecy. Stormwrack people aren't supposed to know about Erstwhile (Earth), but some of them had the portal magic/technology, and seemingly Gale was acting as courier between both worlds, which also implied that other people from Stormwrack lived in Erstwhile. Why? Who were they? If there's a post service, it means there's a need, so how many of them were there? Why the secrecy? As a reader, I don't want to be told "it's hush-hush business": I want to know why it is.
On the other hand, bonus point for deconstructing "the Chosen One/Destroyer of Worlds" trope here.
All in all, an interesting setting, but one I would've liked more answers about, just I would've liked Sophie to be less of a "tourist".
NB: ARC version, with a few errors that may be gone by the time the book hits the shelves. (Verena is called "Thorna" a couple of times: a remnant of a former version, or some subtlety I didn't catch?)
2.5 stars. This book gave me trouble, although I should've liked its setting and themes. When I had to put it down, and then wanted to pick it up again, geting back into the story was a little hard.
I quite liked the world of Stormwrack, which seems fairly rich and complex, full of political intricacies, bureaucracy antics, and red tape tactics. There's a lot of potential in there, a potential that doubles up with the Fleet—a literal fleet of ships representing every nation, basically a federation existing on sea only, and acting as a central government of sorts. I don't doubt readers who like stories with a lot of sea travel and exploration will enjoy this side of the novel. A lof of Stormwrack's system rests on notions such as honour, giving one's word, having one's origin speak for their character; this is partly cliché ("the Sylvanners are thieves", "the Tiladenes are promiscuous"), yet also leaves room for misinterpretation, culture clashes, and having to speak up for oneself, without resorting to family support.
My main problem lay with Sophie. I couldn't warm up to this character, and thought her rather immature for a 24-year-old woman who's had experience in "delicate" situations such as diving, which for me implies knowledge and responsibility. While this was part of her character development, I was constantly reminded of what I'm going to call her "tourist mentality", and in the end, she was still going strong enough about it (obssessed with bringing back samples and pictures, etc.). She first ended up on Stormwrack after saving the life of Gale, a woman who had turned out to be her biological aunt, and that chain of events already hinted at a dangerous world. I could understand Sophie's desire to go back there and learn more; I had less understanding for the way she did it, ignoring everyone's recommendations, and involving her brother Bram in the muddle. It felt as if she just didn't think, only considering the pretty shiny things in the sea, and never the bigger picture and the potential dangers she might put Bram in.
And this very attitude indeed put people in danger, and/or ruined lives. Granted, said people never really explained either how she was such a "threat" to them, not until it was too late, so I don't blame Sophie for not getting it sooner. However, I do blame her for not thinking it through. For instance, when the bad guys threatened her with magic, demanding she retrieved an item for them, not once did she consider that they may get after other people if she didn't move fast enough to their liking. Guess what? Someone got kidnapped, and put in harm's way. The "I have your wife" trope is already tricky enough as it is, since it forces characters to make callous choices (let the loved one die, or let the rest of the world suffer), but when the character herself dive into it head-first, it's even harder.
Moreover, Sophie had a meandering mind, and after a while, it became distracting (perhaps this was part of the reason why I could never get back into the story easily?). She'd be doing something important to free the aforementioned person, but thinking of the flora and fauna right in the middle of the "mission". I don't how it goes for other people; my own mind tend to wander a lot, too; but when something really important pops up, I focus on the task at hand. Maybe I shouldn't expect characters to react like that, but... I can't help it. If Mum gets kidnapped, who would be worrying about hiding wasp samples and whatnot inside their skirts? Not me. Similarly, in the beginning, Sophie goes about voicing out whatever goes through her head, when she's in the middle of an unknown sea, trying not to drown with Gale. Her narrative voice was therefore a little troublesome, although I finally got used to it.
Another problem was how she managed to investigate. As a person thrown in a world whose geopolitical complexities she didn't know, sometimes she did the math too quickly, more quickly than people who were born and raised on that world. This didn't strike me as very logical, and made the other characters seem a little dumb. It felt as if they had been dumbed down for the protagonist to show how clever she was, instead of Sophie just being, well, smart. (The connections she made could've been made by Verena, who knows Earth technology, and would've been just as able, if not more, to connect the dots.)
World-building quibbles of mine:
1) The time travel aspect. It is heavily implied that Stormwrack is future!Earth, but I didn't see the point. The story would've worked just as well if it had been a bona fide other world, and this left me wondering, only to close the book with no more answers about that in the end. Was it really important? Is there going to be a sequel, resting more on this specific matter?
2) The secrecy. Stormwrack people aren't supposed to know about Erstwhile (Earth), but some of them had the portal magic/technology, and seemingly Gale was acting as courier between both worlds, which also implied that other people from Stormwrack lived in Erstwhile. Why? Who were they? If there's a post service, it means there's a need, so how many of them were there? Why the secrecy? As a reader, I don't want to be told "it's hush-hush business": I want to know why it is.
On the other hand, bonus point for deconstructing "the Chosen One/Destroyer of Worlds" trope here.
All in all, an interesting setting, but one I would've liked more answers about, just I would've liked Sophie to be less of a "tourist".
NB: ARC version, with a few errors that may be gone by the time the book hits the shelves. (Verena is called "Thorna" a couple of times: a remnant of a former version, or some subtlety I didn't catch?)
February 6, 2015
Find this and many other reviews at Geekritique!
It’s become an annual tradition of mine to head over to New York Comic Con each year, buy a bunch of stuff that I tell myself I’ll read, use, etc., and then never do it. I’ve got piles of books from NYCC over the years that have totally gone untouched due to time and moving on to the next thing. One of these books, as you can probably already guess, is Child of a Hidden Sea – A. M. Dellamonica’s latest fantasy novel. I found it perched nicely in its own pile next to Words of Radiance, Lock In, Goblin Emperor, and so on. And it caught my eye. Because wow. What a beautiful cover. Seriously tremendously gratifying to behold. Probably the best cover of 2014. I had to have it.
But unlike 75% of the novels, I really wanted to read this one. I promised myself I’d get to it. And I’m so happy I did. Child of a Hidden Sea takes portal fantasy to a place I’ve never been before. Following in the footsteps of the great C.S. Lewis, Dellamonica pushes the genre further, makes the protagonist a far more realistic one, and delivers a superb book.
Sophie Hansa, said protagonist, is adopted and searches out her biological family. Upon finding her mother in San Francisco, who gets very angry for her sudden reappearance, Sophie gets caught in an alley brawl and ends up saving her biological aunt, Gale’s, life. Next thing she knows she’s in the middle of the ocean, getting rescued by sailors straight out of a pirate story. It turns out she’s travelled to a world known as Stormwrack. The attempted murder or Gale Feliachild is soon discovered to be part of a conspiracy that could shake the world out of its current hundred-plus years of peace and into war.
Stormwrack is, as far as this narrative suggests, entirely a water-world, with small islands here and there. The way Dellamonica portrays how a society that lives on ships could work, fantastical and primitive as it is, is grandly thought out. One of the most imaginative ideas this book has to offer is the Fleet, a giant island-esque massing of ships from all the different nations, essentially taking the place of another book’s city.
The lingering mystery about the world of Stormwrack and how it came to be is hugely interesting. Many times throughout the novel we’re led to believe this is actually the same Earth Sophie grew up on, just changed. Whether it’s the future, a parallel universe, or other, is never fully realized. But some characters who are aware of the Earth or place Sophie is from refer to it as Erstwhile. This suggests Stormwrack does exist in the future, as well as does the title Stormwrack – it makes it sound as though a great storm wracked the earth. They even have their own version of the Noah’s ark legend, and the language of Fleetspeak has ties to Italian, as more corroborating evidence.
There is a magic system to be developed here; scripping as it’s known. To scrip something means to literally write down a spell or order that sets a certain thing or intention into motion. Scripping can be used in any number of ways, as the book will show you, as long as you have someone or something’s full name. These spells won’t work unless the full name is spoken. I think there’s a lot to be said about the efficiency of the system, but think the boundaries of what can and can’t needs to be a little tighter, a little stricter. You can turn people into monsters, you can make someone ageless and pretty, you can make them die, teach them different languages or skills… What can’t you do? I hope the next book goes into that a bit better.
Sophie Hansa is a great character, proactive and relatable. In many ways, as the voice of the book, I feel this is also A.M. Dellamonica’s voice as a writer. It has a sort of wonderment, a whimsy. As Sophie discovers the world and all its magic brilliance, so too does Dellamonica. But when it comes to some of the other characters – Tonio, Parrish, Annela – I feel their voices, their dialogue is interchangeable. And on occasion I felt they took and understood Sophie’s strange phrasings and colloquialisms (many of which would never appear in your average fantasy novel, as they’re 21st century terms) far too well. Only on occasion would they say to her something along the lines of “I don’t understand.” I’d have liked to see this occur more often, and have Sophie, in turn, try and speak in a fashion easier for them to understand. Sophie does do better in this respect by the end of the novel.
The cover depicts a half ferret, half snake hybrid, and I really wanted this to show up more prominently, but it only showed up on occasion. But all in all, what a fun novel. I wish I would’ve read this last year, as this totally would’ve made it higher on my 2014 list. If you need a break from the pervasive grimdark we see all over the place, take a load off your shoulders and just enjoy Child of a Hidden Sea.
It’s become an annual tradition of mine to head over to New York Comic Con each year, buy a bunch of stuff that I tell myself I’ll read, use, etc., and then never do it. I’ve got piles of books from NYCC over the years that have totally gone untouched due to time and moving on to the next thing. One of these books, as you can probably already guess, is Child of a Hidden Sea – A. M. Dellamonica’s latest fantasy novel. I found it perched nicely in its own pile next to Words of Radiance, Lock In, Goblin Emperor, and so on. And it caught my eye. Because wow. What a beautiful cover. Seriously tremendously gratifying to behold. Probably the best cover of 2014. I had to have it.
But unlike 75% of the novels, I really wanted to read this one. I promised myself I’d get to it. And I’m so happy I did. Child of a Hidden Sea takes portal fantasy to a place I’ve never been before. Following in the footsteps of the great C.S. Lewis, Dellamonica pushes the genre further, makes the protagonist a far more realistic one, and delivers a superb book.
Sophie Hansa, said protagonist, is adopted and searches out her biological family. Upon finding her mother in San Francisco, who gets very angry for her sudden reappearance, Sophie gets caught in an alley brawl and ends up saving her biological aunt, Gale’s, life. Next thing she knows she’s in the middle of the ocean, getting rescued by sailors straight out of a pirate story. It turns out she’s travelled to a world known as Stormwrack. The attempted murder or Gale Feliachild is soon discovered to be part of a conspiracy that could shake the world out of its current hundred-plus years of peace and into war.
Stormwrack is, as far as this narrative suggests, entirely a water-world, with small islands here and there. The way Dellamonica portrays how a society that lives on ships could work, fantastical and primitive as it is, is grandly thought out. One of the most imaginative ideas this book has to offer is the Fleet, a giant island-esque massing of ships from all the different nations, essentially taking the place of another book’s city.
The lingering mystery about the world of Stormwrack and how it came to be is hugely interesting. Many times throughout the novel we’re led to believe this is actually the same Earth Sophie grew up on, just changed. Whether it’s the future, a parallel universe, or other, is never fully realized. But some characters who are aware of the Earth or place Sophie is from refer to it as Erstwhile. This suggests Stormwrack does exist in the future, as well as does the title Stormwrack – it makes it sound as though a great storm wracked the earth. They even have their own version of the Noah’s ark legend, and the language of Fleetspeak has ties to Italian, as more corroborating evidence.
There is a magic system to be developed here; scripping as it’s known. To scrip something means to literally write down a spell or order that sets a certain thing or intention into motion. Scripping can be used in any number of ways, as the book will show you, as long as you have someone or something’s full name. These spells won’t work unless the full name is spoken. I think there’s a lot to be said about the efficiency of the system, but think the boundaries of what can and can’t needs to be a little tighter, a little stricter. You can turn people into monsters, you can make someone ageless and pretty, you can make them die, teach them different languages or skills… What can’t you do? I hope the next book goes into that a bit better.
Sophie Hansa is a great character, proactive and relatable. In many ways, as the voice of the book, I feel this is also A.M. Dellamonica’s voice as a writer. It has a sort of wonderment, a whimsy. As Sophie discovers the world and all its magic brilliance, so too does Dellamonica. But when it comes to some of the other characters – Tonio, Parrish, Annela – I feel their voices, their dialogue is interchangeable. And on occasion I felt they took and understood Sophie’s strange phrasings and colloquialisms (many of which would never appear in your average fantasy novel, as they’re 21st century terms) far too well. Only on occasion would they say to her something along the lines of “I don’t understand.” I’d have liked to see this occur more often, and have Sophie, in turn, try and speak in a fashion easier for them to understand. Sophie does do better in this respect by the end of the novel.
The cover depicts a half ferret, half snake hybrid, and I really wanted this to show up more prominently, but it only showed up on occasion. But all in all, what a fun novel. I wish I would’ve read this last year, as this totally would’ve made it higher on my 2014 list. If you need a break from the pervasive grimdark we see all over the place, take a load off your shoulders and just enjoy Child of a Hidden Sea.
June 20, 2014
I received this Kindle ARC through NetGalley from the publisher, Tor.
The story starts with the protagonist Sophie being tossed into the sea by a tornado, kind-of like Dorothy and Oz. One moment, she is in her home town San Francisco, and the next she is falling into salted water. Good thing she is an excellent swimmer and a trained diver, but all the same she feels as disoriented as the reader. What’s going on, she wonders, and I wondered with her.
It took some time for the story to hit its stride, but once it did, and the confusion cleared, it became apparent that Sophie has been catapulted into a parallel world of Stormwrack through a magical portal. The world has many similarities with Earth but it’s also vastly different.
One of the major differences is that it doesn’t have any familiar continents, just a scattering of islands, each with its own nation, in the huge ocean. Another difference: magic permeates every sphere of life on this world, while technology is low, and steel is practically unknown. But despite the medieval trappings of sailing ships, slaves, and oil torches, an entry visa is required for travelers from Earth. Not many on Stormwrack are aware that Earth exists, but some do, and the transportation back and forth is formalized. And as odd as it sounds, Sophie seems to belong on this world; she has relatives here.
She has always known that she was adopted, but as soon as she started looking for her biological family, and found it too, she was flung through the portal into the new adventure. As she tries to unravel the mysteries of Stormwrack and the convoluted secrets of her biological family, the plot twists like a deranged pretzel, and misfortunes pile up. Sophie has to deal with a murder, an unwanted inheritance, a kidnapping, and a charming sea captain. And all the while magical spells swirl around her – some benevolent, others not so much.
Sophie is a charming protagonist. A marine videographer, she has cruised the Earth seas for years. When she lands on Stormwrack, armed only with her wits and her waterproof camera, she starts with photographing every new species she encounters and every book and map that comes her way. She collects data like a trained researcher and blithely disregards the orders for secrecy from the officials. When out of choices, she even resorts to smuggling her data back to Earth. The idea of losing any of her footage is almost tragic to her. Her relentless pursuit of a murderer and her actions to save Stormwrack from a devastating war seem almost an afterthought to her cravings to record the unfamiliar crab species or the pink, helpful octopi.
The plot moves fast, the secrets are original, to say the least, the writing professional, and the magic system absolutely unique, based on the true name (which is common) and spider webs (which is not.) There is a plethora of fascinating secondary characters in the story, some of which are depicted very well. But Sophie outshines them all. Kind and quick-thinking, always trying to help others, she is an adventurous spirit, overflowing with curiosity. She wants to know the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of everything she encounters on Stormwrack: from geography and politics to her beloved marine fauna and the cultural traditions of the island nations.
This light new fantasy with a dollop of casual humor was a fun and easy read.
3.5 stars
The story starts with the protagonist Sophie being tossed into the sea by a tornado, kind-of like Dorothy and Oz. One moment, she is in her home town San Francisco, and the next she is falling into salted water. Good thing she is an excellent swimmer and a trained diver, but all the same she feels as disoriented as the reader. What’s going on, she wonders, and I wondered with her.
It took some time for the story to hit its stride, but once it did, and the confusion cleared, it became apparent that Sophie has been catapulted into a parallel world of Stormwrack through a magical portal. The world has many similarities with Earth but it’s also vastly different.
One of the major differences is that it doesn’t have any familiar continents, just a scattering of islands, each with its own nation, in the huge ocean. Another difference: magic permeates every sphere of life on this world, while technology is low, and steel is practically unknown. But despite the medieval trappings of sailing ships, slaves, and oil torches, an entry visa is required for travelers from Earth. Not many on Stormwrack are aware that Earth exists, but some do, and the transportation back and forth is formalized. And as odd as it sounds, Sophie seems to belong on this world; she has relatives here.
She has always known that she was adopted, but as soon as she started looking for her biological family, and found it too, she was flung through the portal into the new adventure. As she tries to unravel the mysteries of Stormwrack and the convoluted secrets of her biological family, the plot twists like a deranged pretzel, and misfortunes pile up. Sophie has to deal with a murder, an unwanted inheritance, a kidnapping, and a charming sea captain. And all the while magical spells swirl around her – some benevolent, others not so much.
Sophie is a charming protagonist. A marine videographer, she has cruised the Earth seas for years. When she lands on Stormwrack, armed only with her wits and her waterproof camera, she starts with photographing every new species she encounters and every book and map that comes her way. She collects data like a trained researcher and blithely disregards the orders for secrecy from the officials. When out of choices, she even resorts to smuggling her data back to Earth. The idea of losing any of her footage is almost tragic to her. Her relentless pursuit of a murderer and her actions to save Stormwrack from a devastating war seem almost an afterthought to her cravings to record the unfamiliar crab species or the pink, helpful octopi.
The plot moves fast, the secrets are original, to say the least, the writing professional, and the magic system absolutely unique, based on the true name (which is common) and spider webs (which is not.) There is a plethora of fascinating secondary characters in the story, some of which are depicted very well. But Sophie outshines them all. Kind and quick-thinking, always trying to help others, she is an adventurous spirit, overflowing with curiosity. She wants to know the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of everything she encounters on Stormwrack: from geography and politics to her beloved marine fauna and the cultural traditions of the island nations.
This light new fantasy with a dollop of casual humor was a fun and easy read.
3.5 stars
August 5, 2022
This book deserves more hype thanks
June 24, 2014
I left Child of a Hidden Sea feeling very, well, satisfied. This book is a lot of fun, and many of the complex topics are handled with poise and grace. The world building was well done, despite the fact that some points will require readers to leave their questions at the door and just accept some things as they are presented. However, Dellamonica did the impossible by making portal fantasy work this well. I’m not sure if this is the first book in a series, but I hope it is. There is plenty of room for Dellamonica to grow the world and develop the characters and situations, plenty of questions that could be answered while more questions are presented. There is a lot of potential here.
read my full review here:
http://www.bookwormblues.net/2014/06/...
read my full review here:
http://www.bookwormblues.net/2014/06/...
June 26, 2015
Sophie is determined to find her birth parents. But when she finds her mother, there isn't the grand reunion she was hoping for. Not ready to give up yet, Sophie happens across her aunt being attacked in a San Francisco alleyway and rushes to intervene.
The next second she finds herself in the middle of an ocean surrounded by glowing moths, along with her aunt, who has been stabbed, with only Sophie to save her.
Sophie does save her aunt, but unknowingly sets off a chain of events that disrupt the lives of the people who surround her.
The place where Sophie finds herself is Stormwrack, a world that is mostly sea, and its nations the islands that litter said sea. But that's not the only thing that sets it apart from the Earth she knows. Stormwrack has magic.
Sophie's curiosity about this new world sets her apart from the people of Stormwrack, who don't seem to wonder about much. She's a photographer and the unique flora and fauna of this world astonishes her. She's clever and feisty, and has her own ideas about how things should work. Even if she can't quite bring herself to defending her thesis and finally getting her degree.
A.M. Dellamonica's new portal fantasy, CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA, is not groundbreaking, but is has easy-to-read prose and a PoV narrator whose curiosity fuels the forward movement of the story. A couple years ago I reviewed her BLUE MAGIC, which was unique and interesting. In CHILD I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Sophie and her brother Bram.
And that's about it. It's kinda fun to read, but nothing really wow. And eventually I got bored because it got repetitive. Here's where I differ from the Amazon.com reviewers who said it was great world building--it wasn't. Stormwrack is like Earth, except where it isn't. The flora and fauna are slightly different. The nations are stereotyped caricatures of different segments of Earth populations: the homophobic religious zealot nation, the semi-legit pirate nation, the matriarchal nation, the promiscuous nation. Really? Is that all she could come up with? Sophie's adventures take her through these varying cultures, although time constraints mean we don't see everything. But I can guess what the other nations will be like. Perhaps a nation of scholars, a nation of farmers, a nation of sheepherders, and a nation of athletes. See? I should write the sequel.
And they are policed by a fleet of ships all the nations contribute to. It's true that the fleet's city on the water was interesting, and the way they work around moving from ship to ship was clever. But then the story gets bogged down by a bureaucracy that is constrained by laws--except where they can bypass laws according to certain individuals' reputations or position. Or by dueling. Because of course an alternate Earth with magic can't use metal, but they can still use swords.
As mentioned, Sophie's relationship with her brother Bram is a cute part of the story, but then I realized that his genius-boy intelligence feels conveniently like having a computer in a world with no technology or Google. Dellamonica can write interesting characters, such as the half-sister Verena who feels cheated by Sophie's sudden appearance and Parrish the handsome ship's captain who must help Sophie find her aunt's attackers. Unfortunately, by the end the cast got a little unwieldy, and I was losing track of who was who.
Perhaps the most disappointing of all was the magic. Early on we're teased with inscription, and someone magics Sophie with the ability to learn the language using her name and a seashell. We're given bits and pieces about how inscription uses the inherent characteristics of an item, along with words, to cast a spell. People can be given abilities such as strength by using their names. But there's a price. Yet information about how it's done, who does it, and other limitations aren't really explained. I was super interested at first, but got frustrated when this part of the world-building didn't go anywhere.
There's politics, adventure, storms at sea, monsters, and a dysfunctional family Sophie never knew--and she begins to think that perhaps San Francisco would be a better place to live, after all. At least it would be more realistic.
Recommended Age: 16+
Language: A scattered handful
Violence: A few fight scenes, but not particularly gory
Sex: Referenced
***Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com***
The next second she finds herself in the middle of an ocean surrounded by glowing moths, along with her aunt, who has been stabbed, with only Sophie to save her.
Sophie does save her aunt, but unknowingly sets off a chain of events that disrupt the lives of the people who surround her.
The place where Sophie finds herself is Stormwrack, a world that is mostly sea, and its nations the islands that litter said sea. But that's not the only thing that sets it apart from the Earth she knows. Stormwrack has magic.
Sophie's curiosity about this new world sets her apart from the people of Stormwrack, who don't seem to wonder about much. She's a photographer and the unique flora and fauna of this world astonishes her. She's clever and feisty, and has her own ideas about how things should work. Even if she can't quite bring herself to defending her thesis and finally getting her degree.
A.M. Dellamonica's new portal fantasy, CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA, is not groundbreaking, but is has easy-to-read prose and a PoV narrator whose curiosity fuels the forward movement of the story. A couple years ago I reviewed her BLUE MAGIC, which was unique and interesting. In CHILD I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Sophie and her brother Bram.
And that's about it. It's kinda fun to read, but nothing really wow. And eventually I got bored because it got repetitive. Here's where I differ from the Amazon.com reviewers who said it was great world building--it wasn't. Stormwrack is like Earth, except where it isn't. The flora and fauna are slightly different. The nations are stereotyped caricatures of different segments of Earth populations: the homophobic religious zealot nation, the semi-legit pirate nation, the matriarchal nation, the promiscuous nation. Really? Is that all she could come up with? Sophie's adventures take her through these varying cultures, although time constraints mean we don't see everything. But I can guess what the other nations will be like. Perhaps a nation of scholars, a nation of farmers, a nation of sheepherders, and a nation of athletes. See? I should write the sequel.
And they are policed by a fleet of ships all the nations contribute to. It's true that the fleet's city on the water was interesting, and the way they work around moving from ship to ship was clever. But then the story gets bogged down by a bureaucracy that is constrained by laws--except where they can bypass laws according to certain individuals' reputations or position. Or by dueling. Because of course an alternate Earth with magic can't use metal, but they can still use swords.
As mentioned, Sophie's relationship with her brother Bram is a cute part of the story, but then I realized that his genius-boy intelligence feels conveniently like having a computer in a world with no technology or Google. Dellamonica can write interesting characters, such as the half-sister Verena who feels cheated by Sophie's sudden appearance and Parrish the handsome ship's captain who must help Sophie find her aunt's attackers. Unfortunately, by the end the cast got a little unwieldy, and I was losing track of who was who.
Perhaps the most disappointing of all was the magic. Early on we're teased with inscription, and someone magics Sophie with the ability to learn the language using her name and a seashell. We're given bits and pieces about how inscription uses the inherent characteristics of an item, along with words, to cast a spell. People can be given abilities such as strength by using their names. But there's a price. Yet information about how it's done, who does it, and other limitations aren't really explained. I was super interested at first, but got frustrated when this part of the world-building didn't go anywhere.
There's politics, adventure, storms at sea, monsters, and a dysfunctional family Sophie never knew--and she begins to think that perhaps San Francisco would be a better place to live, after all. At least it would be more realistic.
Recommended Age: 16+
Language: A scattered handful
Violence: A few fight scenes, but not particularly gory
Sex: Referenced
***Find this and other reviews at Elitistbookreviews.com***
December 16, 2014
Sophie rescues her estranged aunt from being attacked only to find herself swept away to a strange yet familiar world. Stormwrack appeals to her inquisitive and adventurous nature but the more questions she asks about her family ties the more she is met with opposition and threatened with exile. A political conspiracy gives her the opportunity to further explore the world she's become fascinated with and forge her own place within it.
Child Of A Hidden Sea is a combination of familiar fantasy tropes within a wonderful setting. I loved the world building within this book. Stormwrack is an alternate earth with larger seas, numerous islands, fantastical creatures, diverse cultures and a honor based legal system. It's an intriguing mixture of familiar and new. I liked how the magic system was simple but had numerous effects. The portal connection was vaguely explained but I enjoyed how it created additional opportunities and complications with the incorporation of modern technology. The world building was further enhanced by the main character having a scientific outlook and inquisitive personality.
I loved these elements of the story and I thought it had a strong beginning. However, the story soon settled and lost some of it's charm for me. Mainly to do with characterization inconsistencies of the main character. I didn't care much for the sleuthing aspects of the investigation or subsequent trial. Overall, I thought Child Of A Hidden Sea was an okay story that possessed wonderful world building.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Tor Books, through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.]
Child Of A Hidden Sea is a combination of familiar fantasy tropes within a wonderful setting. I loved the world building within this book. Stormwrack is an alternate earth with larger seas, numerous islands, fantastical creatures, diverse cultures and a honor based legal system. It's an intriguing mixture of familiar and new. I liked how the magic system was simple but had numerous effects. The portal connection was vaguely explained but I enjoyed how it created additional opportunities and complications with the incorporation of modern technology. The world building was further enhanced by the main character having a scientific outlook and inquisitive personality.
I loved these elements of the story and I thought it had a strong beginning. However, the story soon settled and lost some of it's charm for me. Mainly to do with characterization inconsistencies of the main character. I didn't care much for the sleuthing aspects of the investigation or subsequent trial. Overall, I thought Child Of A Hidden Sea was an okay story that possessed wonderful world building.
[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Tor Books, through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.]
November 23, 2017
I picked this one up because for some reason I expected pirates and adventures at sea, but instead I got a story about... lawyers? I ended up enjoying the story and worldbuilding, but it took me 40% of the book to finally decide not to abandon it.
Anyway, Sophie grew on me and I liked her never ending curiosity, I'll probably read the next book just to know what happens with her and Parrish xD
Overall an entertaining story and quite original fantasy world, just don't expect what the cover promises!
Anyway, Sophie grew on me and I liked her never ending curiosity, I'll probably read the next book just to know what happens with her and Parrish xD
Overall an entertaining story and quite original fantasy world, just don't expect what the cover promises!
November 17, 2017
This is one of those fantasy books where someone from our world ends up in another world. Not a new concept, but I was delighted by the originality of this new world, its societies, and its magic system.
The thing I liked most, besides the originality, was that among all the political machinations and people trying to kill them, the biggest enemy that Sophie needs to defeat is her own fear of public speaking (to testify at a trial - because her testimony could tip the scales). Just a personal preference, but I'm much more impressed with a character who overcomes something within herself than one who only needs to overcome an external enemy (whether by strength or wit).
My one issue with the book, was that the protagonist sounded too young to me. She's 24 years old, but she uses a lot of new teen slang, like "oh em gee" and such. Then again, I don't know a lot of young people; do today's 24-year-olds talk like that? Maybe I'm just old...
She also seemed a bit too competent at the beginning, but we soon learn that her hobbies are diving and rock climbing - which require both physical endurance and being able to stay calm when things go wrong - and she's been doing it long enough that I can accept without reservation that she has the necessary experience, and from there I found her competence believable.
The thing I liked most, besides the originality, was that among all the political machinations and people trying to kill them, the biggest enemy that Sophie needs to defeat is her own fear of public speaking (to testify at a trial - because her testimony could tip the scales). Just a personal preference, but I'm much more impressed with a character who overcomes something within herself than one who only needs to overcome an external enemy (whether by strength or wit).
My one issue with the book, was that the protagonist sounded too young to me. She's 24 years old, but she uses a lot of new teen slang, like "oh em gee" and such. Then again, I don't know a lot of young people; do today's 24-year-olds talk like that? Maybe I'm just old...
She also seemed a bit too competent at the beginning, but we soon learn that her hobbies are diving and rock climbing - which require both physical endurance and being able to stay calm when things go wrong - and she's been doing it long enough that I can accept without reservation that she has the necessary experience, and from there I found her competence believable.
June 25, 2014
3 stars
Child of a Hidden Sea is my first try of Ms Dellamonica's books. I request this title on NetGalley because I love the cover (it scream "adventure!!) and the premise about a woman who transferred into another world is one of my favorite theme. The story of Child of a Hidden Sea is about Sophie Hansa, 24 year old chick that swept away from her home in San Fransisco into another realm called Stormwrack. In Stormwrack she discover a realm that so much resembled Earth (called Erstwhile) but consist of so many archipelagos and big ocean. The world in Stormwrack is like.. if I put it well like in the Pirates of Carribean movies. And yes, there are pirates here.
The magic system in Stormwrack make Sophie can go back to Earth (after she saved by a ship, her aunt warn her to not come back and she also have a brief affair with fellow passanger). But when Sophie's step sister that she never know, Verena Feliachild confront her, Sophie and her adopted brother Bramwell go back to Stormwrack. There, Sophie found that her aunt Gale, murdered and people who kill Gale demand Sophie to give them the Heart of Temperance. Together with Bram, Verena, Gale's friend, Captain Garland Parrish (whose Sophie called "Captain Tasty") investigate the truth behind Gale's murder and a conspiracy that lead into a war that will brewing in Stormwrack.
I feel.. a little bit confused, maybe because some English words in this book is a little bit fancy and English also not my native. I think that the world in Stormwrack is fascinating and some of the nations in Stormwrack like Verdanii, Tallon, etc resemble some nations and race in the Earth. Stormwrack more like a once-upon-a-time steampunk version of Earth. And I read some review that maybe Stormwrack is the future version of what happen to Earth. It explain why the citizens called English as Anglay, prove that this languange once exist, but they just not use it anymore. Also, some of the people also aware with the exist of the Earth, like Sophie's aunt Gale. Heck, Sophie's biological mother is live in the Earth.
Ms Dellamonica write the magic system, languange, habitat (the flora and the fauna), noble system and the politic in Stormwrack court well. Her imagination is so huge and make her world believable. Even there are some thing that make me confused. Like when Sophie bring her phone and DLSR camera, I wonder why those thing did not run out of electricity? From what I gather, the world of Stormwrack didn't have electricity and they rely on diesel and steam. So why Sophie can record a video, send texts to Bram (even there's no signal) and took pictures in Stormwrack, while she spent time there in one month? It's seems like plothole for me. Or maybe Sophie bring some extra batteries or something like that but the author forget to write about it. Another thing that lacked from this book is there was no map! And glossarium! I would love to Ms Dellamonica to insert those things, so it's easy for reader to understand the world that she created.
I see that this book somehow put into YA books list in Goodreads, while I think that Child of a Hidden Sea can be categorized into NA/Adult book. Even Sophie is already in her 24-ish, sometimes she act immature, like send Bram text over and over. I think this kinda childish. But, I see that Sophie is a strong-willed, witty and independent woman. I love the fact that she is a scientist and I enjoy the way she explain about Stormwrack ecosystem and its citizen dynamic. I see too, that in Sophie, Ms Dellamonica insert her insight about homophobic and gay rights into Sophie without feeling forced.
One mistake that bugged me is a typo for Verena's name. I forget what chapter, but when Sophia met her biological father, Verena introduced herself as Thorna. Then it back again to Verena. Later, in some chapter, the name back to Thorna. I don't know if this just a typo, but if yes, it's a fatal typos.
I feel that the ending somehow too rushed. It do not give a satisfying ending, no satisfying result for Gale's murder and the conspirary that Sophie faced. Her relationship with Parrish also left open, no hint of romance even it's apparent that Sophie find him interesting. Turn that Child of a Hidden Sea is the first of the series, from what I gather in Ms Dellamonica's Q&A, called the Hidden Sea tales. It explain the abrupt ending. While I think that Child of the Sea just okay for me, I want to know more what happen to Sophie next. How she will able to go to Stormwrack again, her romantic relationship with Parrish (and I smell love triangle hint there), her relationship with her estranged biological parents and much more.
Thanks for NetGalley and Tor for provided the e-ARC for honest review
Child of a Hidden Sea is my first try of Ms Dellamonica's books. I request this title on NetGalley because I love the cover (it scream "adventure!!) and the premise about a woman who transferred into another world is one of my favorite theme. The story of Child of a Hidden Sea is about Sophie Hansa, 24 year old chick that swept away from her home in San Fransisco into another realm called Stormwrack. In Stormwrack she discover a realm that so much resembled Earth (called Erstwhile) but consist of so many archipelagos and big ocean. The world in Stormwrack is like.. if I put it well like in the Pirates of Carribean movies. And yes, there are pirates here.
The magic system in Stormwrack make Sophie can go back to Earth (after she saved by a ship, her aunt warn her to not come back and she also have a brief affair with fellow passanger). But when Sophie's step sister that she never know, Verena Feliachild confront her, Sophie and her adopted brother Bramwell go back to Stormwrack. There, Sophie found that her aunt Gale, murdered and people who kill Gale demand Sophie to give them the Heart of Temperance. Together with Bram, Verena, Gale's friend, Captain Garland Parrish (whose Sophie called "Captain Tasty") investigate the truth behind Gale's murder and a conspiracy that lead into a war that will brewing in Stormwrack.
I feel.. a little bit confused, maybe because some English words in this book is a little bit fancy and English also not my native. I think that the world in Stormwrack is fascinating and some of the nations in Stormwrack like Verdanii, Tallon, etc resemble some nations and race in the Earth. Stormwrack more like a once-upon-a-time steampunk version of Earth. And I read some review that maybe Stormwrack is the future version of what happen to Earth. It explain why the citizens called English as Anglay, prove that this languange once exist, but they just not use it anymore. Also, some of the people also aware with the exist of the Earth, like Sophie's aunt Gale. Heck, Sophie's biological mother is live in the Earth.
Ms Dellamonica write the magic system, languange, habitat (the flora and the fauna), noble system and the politic in Stormwrack court well. Her imagination is so huge and make her world believable. Even there are some thing that make me confused. Like when Sophie bring her phone and DLSR camera, I wonder why those thing did not run out of electricity? From what I gather, the world of Stormwrack didn't have electricity and they rely on diesel and steam. So why Sophie can record a video, send texts to Bram (even there's no signal) and took pictures in Stormwrack, while she spent time there in one month? It's seems like plothole for me. Or maybe Sophie bring some extra batteries or something like that but the author forget to write about it. Another thing that lacked from this book is there was no map! And glossarium! I would love to Ms Dellamonica to insert those things, so it's easy for reader to understand the world that she created.
I see that this book somehow put into YA books list in Goodreads, while I think that Child of a Hidden Sea can be categorized into NA/Adult book. Even Sophie is already in her 24-ish, sometimes she act immature, like send Bram text over and over. I think this kinda childish. But, I see that Sophie is a strong-willed, witty and independent woman. I love the fact that she is a scientist and I enjoy the way she explain about Stormwrack ecosystem and its citizen dynamic. I see too, that in Sophie, Ms Dellamonica insert her insight about homophobic and gay rights into Sophie without feeling forced.
One mistake that bugged me is a typo for Verena's name. I forget what chapter, but when Sophia met her biological father, Verena introduced herself as Thorna. Then it back again to Verena. Later, in some chapter, the name back to Thorna. I don't know if this just a typo, but if yes, it's a fatal typos.
I feel that the ending somehow too rushed. It do not give a satisfying ending, no satisfying result for Gale's murder and the conspirary that Sophie faced. Her relationship with Parrish also left open, no hint of romance even it's apparent that Sophie find him interesting. Turn that Child of a Hidden Sea is the first of the series, from what I gather in Ms Dellamonica's Q&A, called the Hidden Sea tales. It explain the abrupt ending. While I think that Child of the Sea just okay for me, I want to know more what happen to Sophie next. How she will able to go to Stormwrack again, her romantic relationship with Parrish (and I smell love triangle hint there), her relationship with her estranged biological parents and much more.
Thanks for NetGalley and Tor for provided the e-ARC for honest review
February 28, 2022
So what starts out as a simple (all right slightly stalkery) mission to track down her birth mother turns out to be a huge political fiasco that almost lands her birth family's world into total chaos. Honestly from what I read in the book about Sophie, it makes complete sense that she would nearly cause that.
To lay it out, as a child I absorbed and loved "portal" fantasies (or portal science fiction books, cause hey they exist). Blame Pamela Dean and Joyce Ballou Gregorian (not oddly CS Lewis, I didn't read the Narnia books until well into my late late teens) as their books in particular sparked my interest (along with the "Unicorn Queen" books). CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA fits that love of mine perfectly.
Granted there was a lot of doublespeak political mumbo-jumbo that occurred, making it sometimes hard to follow the narrative flow easily, but Sophie (and Bram and Verena and Parrish and Tonio...) were so enjoyable to read about. Sophie and Bram with their insatiable curiosity, Verena with her awkward discomfort of whether she should be happy she has a sister or bitter, Parrish with his tight-lipped honor and slight smiles, Tonio with his resigned attitude that no matter what Sophie is leading him towards angering Parrish. They were such fun to read about.
Sophie is an easy character to relate to. Though intelligent, personable and kind hearted a lifetime of wondering 'Why?' in relation to her birth family and the abysmal first meeting with her birth mother left her feeling inadequate. Add to it that her beloved younger brother is a certified child genius and a general feeling of not quite right, well it makes sense that she's searching desperately for something to ground her. Something that is hers irrefutably. Dellamonica doesn't shove into our face that Sophie is clever and quick. Bram (her brother) says it very often, but Sophie sees connections others didn't. Some of it is obvious stuff that people so close can't see--she knows so little about "Stormwrack" so for her the obvious connections stand out.
The books covers a lot of plots--the A plot being based around something that Gale knew and that would turn the tide of the Cessation with the biggest subplot being Sophie's birth family. Amazingly Dellamonica most of them into each other with the resolution solving the majority of the problems at hand. As mentioned earlier the doublespeak takes a little getting used to. Near the end it becomes really heavy--as legal concerns are tossed around and such stakes as honor are heaved out. Its rapid fire, twisty and with Sophie's despairing inner monologue coloring the reader's subjective perception it can feel endless.
Parts of the book felt more exposition happy then others. Sophie and Bram's curiosity meant they asked a lot of questions and did a lot of research. While this gave the reader a good idea of the world/culture, it sometimes felt redundant as the society at least was presented organically throughout. Also for a non-science lover like myself the more technical aspects of Sophie's observations went straight over me and had flashbacks of school running through my head.
Insofar as romance goes its light and doesn't really distract. Sophie is old enough to understand where flirtations lead and young enough to find it all an adventure. Though Verena comes off angsty at times, in regards to her object of affection, she's a legit teenager grappling with a whole boatload of issues so that's acceptable. I found the LGBT characters (there's two out and out gay guys, and an entire race who loves pleasure in any form) to be handled well and the general attitude towards such treated without fanfare. There's the haters, the indifferent folk and the supporters, and though we get very little background about why certain races felt one way or the other, Dellamonica never makes the discussion the focal point.
The ending can be seen as either an open invitation to more adventures or a satisfying conclusion to Sophie's journey. There's two short stories set in this world (that predate this novel - one is directly about Gale I believe, and is referenced obliquely by Parrish at one point and the other is more of a set in the same world deal I believe) and I hope to see more in the future.
To lay it out, as a child I absorbed and loved "portal" fantasies (or portal science fiction books, cause hey they exist). Blame Pamela Dean and Joyce Ballou Gregorian (not oddly CS Lewis, I didn't read the Narnia books until well into my late late teens) as their books in particular sparked my interest (along with the "Unicorn Queen" books). CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA fits that love of mine perfectly.
Granted there was a lot of doublespeak political mumbo-jumbo that occurred, making it sometimes hard to follow the narrative flow easily, but Sophie (and Bram and Verena and Parrish and Tonio...) were so enjoyable to read about. Sophie and Bram with their insatiable curiosity, Verena with her awkward discomfort of whether she should be happy she has a sister or bitter, Parrish with his tight-lipped honor and slight smiles, Tonio with his resigned attitude that no matter what Sophie is leading him towards angering Parrish. They were such fun to read about.
Sophie is an easy character to relate to. Though intelligent, personable and kind hearted a lifetime of wondering 'Why?' in relation to her birth family and the abysmal first meeting with her birth mother left her feeling inadequate. Add to it that her beloved younger brother is a certified child genius and a general feeling of not quite right, well it makes sense that she's searching desperately for something to ground her. Something that is hers irrefutably. Dellamonica doesn't shove into our face that Sophie is clever and quick. Bram (her brother) says it very often, but Sophie sees connections others didn't. Some of it is obvious stuff that people so close can't see--she knows so little about "Stormwrack" so for her the obvious connections stand out.
The books covers a lot of plots--the A plot being based around something that Gale knew and that would turn the tide of the Cessation with the biggest subplot being Sophie's birth family. Amazingly Dellamonica most of them into each other with the resolution solving the majority of the problems at hand. As mentioned earlier the doublespeak takes a little getting used to. Near the end it becomes really heavy--as legal concerns are tossed around and such stakes as honor are heaved out. Its rapid fire, twisty and with Sophie's despairing inner monologue coloring the reader's subjective perception it can feel endless.
Parts of the book felt more exposition happy then others. Sophie and Bram's curiosity meant they asked a lot of questions and did a lot of research. While this gave the reader a good idea of the world/culture, it sometimes felt redundant as the society at least was presented organically throughout. Also for a non-science lover like myself the more technical aspects of Sophie's observations went straight over me and had flashbacks of school running through my head.
Insofar as romance goes its light and doesn't really distract. Sophie is old enough to understand where flirtations lead and young enough to find it all an adventure. Though Verena comes off angsty at times, in regards to her object of affection, she's a legit teenager grappling with a whole boatload of issues so that's acceptable. I found the LGBT characters (there's two out and out gay guys, and an entire race who loves pleasure in any form) to be handled well and the general attitude towards such treated without fanfare. There's the haters, the indifferent folk and the supporters, and though we get very little background about why certain races felt one way or the other, Dellamonica never makes the discussion the focal point.
The ending can be seen as either an open invitation to more adventures or a satisfying conclusion to Sophie's journey. There's two short stories set in this world (that predate this novel - one is directly about Gale I believe, and is referenced obliquely by Parrish at one point and the other is more of a set in the same world deal I believe) and I hope to see more in the future.
June 19, 2015
There was so much buzz about this book when it came out, but it took ages for me to actually find a copy. I had heard nothing but good things about this book, so I was really excited to start.
I really enjoyed reading about Sophie's adventures in Stormwrack. Portal fantasies are fun because you get a glimpse of our familiar world and a new fantasy world, and the main character is just as clueless about the new world as you are! Sophie discovers that she has more ties to this magical world than she anticipated, and ends up trying to survive in the middle of a political machinations and assassination attempts.
The world of Stormwrack is unlike any other fantasy world I have read about. Stormwrack is an archipelago full of little island states, each with its own culture and politics. Names have power here, which is a typical fantasy trope, but magic is also channeled through unique flora and fauna. As a biologist, Sophie is inherently curious about all the new creatures she sees in Stormwrack, and it's an endearing way to learn about this new world.
I really liked Sophie. She was a curious, stubborn young woman who was just trying to figure out who her biological parents were, but even when she gets more than she bargained for, she never loses her focus or her excitement for discovery. I loved her teasing relationship with her brother, Bram; it's not often that more than one person jumps through a portal into a fantasy world. Both of them are so geeky and adorable, and it was refreshing that neither of them were willing to suspend their intellectual curiosity over the course of the story (nerds will always be nerds! whooo!). They fight like siblings and make fun of each other, but they also have each other's backs no matter what craziness ensues.
I'll admit that this book took a while to grow on me, and it had a pretty slow start, but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more of A.M. Dellamonica's books.
I really enjoyed reading about Sophie's adventures in Stormwrack. Portal fantasies are fun because you get a glimpse of our familiar world and a new fantasy world, and the main character is just as clueless about the new world as you are! Sophie discovers that she has more ties to this magical world than she anticipated, and ends up trying to survive in the middle of a political machinations and assassination attempts.
The world of Stormwrack is unlike any other fantasy world I have read about. Stormwrack is an archipelago full of little island states, each with its own culture and politics. Names have power here, which is a typical fantasy trope, but magic is also channeled through unique flora and fauna. As a biologist, Sophie is inherently curious about all the new creatures she sees in Stormwrack, and it's an endearing way to learn about this new world.
I really liked Sophie. She was a curious, stubborn young woman who was just trying to figure out who her biological parents were, but even when she gets more than she bargained for, she never loses her focus or her excitement for discovery. I loved her teasing relationship with her brother, Bram; it's not often that more than one person jumps through a portal into a fantasy world. Both of them are so geeky and adorable, and it was refreshing that neither of them were willing to suspend their intellectual curiosity over the course of the story (nerds will always be nerds! whooo!). They fight like siblings and make fun of each other, but they also have each other's backs no matter what craziness ensues.
I'll admit that this book took a while to grow on me, and it had a pretty slow start, but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more of A.M. Dellamonica's books.
August 11, 2014
As thrilling as stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia, Dellamonica’s CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA marries our modern world to to it’s exotic, magical alter-ego. Dropped into the warm oceans of a fantasy world, Stormwrack, Sophie Hansa needs every drop of the curiosity, intelligence, and adrenaline seeking skills she learned at home to adapt to the challenges ahead.
And it was just this mix of personal ability and magic that made this book irresistible. While exploring a new world is nothing new for contemporary fantasy, Sophie and her brother Bram do so with zest and personal abilities, not through the emergence of heretofore unknown magical legacies. Their very human approach, albeit aided by considerable intellect and prior knowledge in natural sciences, opens up this new world in a very believable fashion. From examining wildlife to untangling the maritime society that dominates Stormwrack, Sophie and Bram paint a vivd picture of this world.
Against the photojournalistic splendor of Stormwrack, it is no surprise that the characters themselves sometimes seem a bit thin. While Sophie doesn’t lack for drive and depth, the simple language that shows off biological and magical phenomena leaves the human element of this story to be a little understated. Despite this imbalance, the strong plot and world more than carry the characters forward, to the point when readers have time to fall in love with all three equally. Fans of Marie Brennan’s blend of magic and science will love this book, and CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA left me wanting another trip back to Stormwrack.
Sexual Content: References to sex.
And it was just this mix of personal ability and magic that made this book irresistible. While exploring a new world is nothing new for contemporary fantasy, Sophie and her brother Bram do so with zest and personal abilities, not through the emergence of heretofore unknown magical legacies. Their very human approach, albeit aided by considerable intellect and prior knowledge in natural sciences, opens up this new world in a very believable fashion. From examining wildlife to untangling the maritime society that dominates Stormwrack, Sophie and Bram paint a vivd picture of this world.
Against the photojournalistic splendor of Stormwrack, it is no surprise that the characters themselves sometimes seem a bit thin. While Sophie doesn’t lack for drive and depth, the simple language that shows off biological and magical phenomena leaves the human element of this story to be a little understated. Despite this imbalance, the strong plot and world more than carry the characters forward, to the point when readers have time to fall in love with all three equally. Fans of Marie Brennan’s blend of magic and science will love this book, and CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA left me wanting another trip back to Stormwrack.
Sexual Content: References to sex.
November 27, 2016
I was expecting more of a swashbuckler type of story, and this was not that.
While I liked the setting and the premise, I couldn't warm up to the heroine, Sophie. At the age of 24 she's an experienced diver, rock climber and field biologist with a thorough knowledge of every type of marine life you can imagine. She had the skillset of a more mature character but she often behaved like a much younger one, indulging her curiosity at inappropriate times and treating the struggles of Stormwrack like afterthoughts to her own journey of discovery.
It was also a tedious read at times. I actually like fantasy novels with a hefty dose of politics, but don't promise me high seas adventure and then give me endless natural science observations with a dash of courtroom intrigue. Especially when the plot is so dependent on people explaining every little thing to the protagonist.
The worldbuilding is strong enough for me to give the sequel a shot. Hopefully there'll be room for more action with all this exposition out of the way.
While I liked the setting and the premise, I couldn't warm up to the heroine, Sophie. At the age of 24 she's an experienced diver, rock climber and field biologist with a thorough knowledge of every type of marine life you can imagine. She had the skillset of a more mature character but she often behaved like a much younger one, indulging her curiosity at inappropriate times and treating the struggles of Stormwrack like afterthoughts to her own journey of discovery.
It was also a tedious read at times. I actually like fantasy novels with a hefty dose of politics, but don't promise me high seas adventure and then give me endless natural science observations with a dash of courtroom intrigue. Especially when the plot is so dependent on people explaining every little thing to the protagonist.
The worldbuilding is strong enough for me to give the sequel a shot. Hopefully there'll be room for more action with all this exposition out of the way.
October 24, 2014
I am getting lazy about writing my reviews! I read Child last weekend. Bad Dr Susan!
I liked Child of a Hidden Sea. The world was unique enough to be intriguing, and the magic system was fun. The animals, natural and made, were very interesting. I did find myself thinking several times that Sophie was too stupid to live, but the book, as a whole, held my interest to the point that I was irritated with interruptions. I look forward to reading more of Sophie's adventures.
I liked Child of a Hidden Sea. The world was unique enough to be intriguing, and the magic system was fun. The animals, natural and made, were very interesting. I did find myself thinking several times that Sophie was too stupid to live, but the book, as a whole, held my interest to the point that I was irritated with interruptions. I look forward to reading more of Sophie's adventures.
tbr-maybe
August 22, 2017Unsure about reading this because of: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Also unsure if I should read Darkfever...
Also unsure if I should read Darkfever...
November 8, 2019
Ultimately, I guess I had fun with this book, so I'm grudgingly giving it three stars. But man, it baaaaarely scraped by. This book managed to be both too simple and too complicated at the same time, which is kind of impressive. The cover is pretty misleading - you think you're in for a swashbuckling pirate tale, and I guess that's what's happening? But it's kind of lost behind a story devoid of actual emotion, a supposedly adult MC who talks like a 13 year old, and a conflict that's based on boring judicial courtroom back-and-forth. Very odd combination for what's supposed to be a rollicking seafaring tale ... I'm actually going to stop here, before I reconsider my three star review.
dnf
May 23, 2019This is just not interesting me. I put it down for a few weeks and had pretty much zero desire to pick it up again even though I'm like 100 pages in. Plus, I still have no idea who the guy on the cover is; he's either white-washed, has the wrong hair colour, and/or too old to be any of the main male characters in the book. How annoying.
September 3, 2020
In one sense, you could see this as a somewhat typical visitation fantasy. Person gets transported from our world to fantasy land, gets in trouble, has adventures, comes back home.
As ever, the secret is in the details. Stormwrack has some apparent relationship with Earth, as both the stars and the moon are the same. But, it is a water world, with little land, that doesn't seem to bear any relation to our landmasses. What exactly is going on is discussed early, but never resolved, as the main plot overcomes these explorations.
But the main character, Sophie, and her brother, do look into it. She also looks at all the marine life around her (she is a post-graduate in marine biology), some familiar, and some less so. In fact, a major theme of the book is the exploration of this new world, and trying to figure out what's going on. The fact that parts of it get dropped just shows an intent for sequel books.
Parallel to this is the fact that it is quickly made clear that this is not a one-off thing, and there is semi-regular travel between Earth and Stormwrack. The bulk of both worlds are unaware of this, but some people do know, and most of the population of Stormwrack carefully doesn't ask many questions about 'mummer technology'. Just where and how this attitude comes from isn't gone into (yet), but it is made obvious that the people at the top in the Fleet on Stormwrack are doing everything they can to keep knowledge from leaking out.
And one of the decidedly good points is just what we do see of the power structures here. There is a tenuous peace that has been held together by the threat of force for about a hundred years, and the types of schemes that brings out are well thought out. At the same time, the mainspring of all the action are extremely personal motivations on Sophie's part. There's a fair amount of action and adventure along the way, but it should say a lot that the climax is more in the nature of a trial. Overall, it's a good book, and very well plotted.
As ever, the secret is in the details. Stormwrack has some apparent relationship with Earth, as both the stars and the moon are the same. But, it is a water world, with little land, that doesn't seem to bear any relation to our landmasses. What exactly is going on is discussed early, but never resolved, as the main plot overcomes these explorations.
But the main character, Sophie, and her brother, do look into it. She also looks at all the marine life around her (she is a post-graduate in marine biology), some familiar, and some less so. In fact, a major theme of the book is the exploration of this new world, and trying to figure out what's going on. The fact that parts of it get dropped just shows an intent for sequel books.
Parallel to this is the fact that it is quickly made clear that this is not a one-off thing, and there is semi-regular travel between Earth and Stormwrack. The bulk of both worlds are unaware of this, but some people do know, and most of the population of Stormwrack carefully doesn't ask many questions about 'mummer technology'. Just where and how this attitude comes from isn't gone into (yet), but it is made obvious that the people at the top in the Fleet on Stormwrack are doing everything they can to keep knowledge from leaking out.
And one of the decidedly good points is just what we do see of the power structures here. There is a tenuous peace that has been held together by the threat of force for about a hundred years, and the types of schemes that brings out are well thought out. At the same time, the mainspring of all the action are extremely personal motivations on Sophie's part. There's a fair amount of action and adventure along the way, but it should say a lot that the climax is more in the nature of a trial. Overall, it's a good book, and very well plotted.
March 25, 2016
I tried really hard to like this book. Child of a Hidden Sea has a lovely cover and the blurb caught my attention. It begins with a young woman named Sophie who's inexplicably fallen into an ocean with the unconscious body of her aunt. She was raised as an adopted child and had recently found her birth mother. However Sophie's birth mother turns her away. Upon finding her mother's sister attacked in an alley, Sophie intervenes and then suddenly both her and her aunt are in this mysterious ocean. Turns out this is some kind of new world which is clear to the reader, but not the protagonist. Sophie talks about not recognizing animal species frequently without giving any background as to Sophie's previous education or knowledge. Everyone speaks a strange language which gets somehow fixed quickly through some kind of system not explained very well. Then Sophie and some characters begin talking about each other's culture with Sophie still not comprehending that she's in another world. Then somehow there's a grenade which Sophie recognizes and saves some people as they didn't know what it was. And then I promptly just gave up on this book.
I had no idea what was going on, Sophie didn't seem to have much personality aside from having some kind of authoritative knowledge of animal species, and then there's a bunch of information dumping that left me still pretty confused. It just left me frustrated and therefore not really interested in what was going on so I gave up.
I had no idea what was going on, Sophie didn't seem to have much personality aside from having some kind of authoritative knowledge of animal species, and then there's a bunch of information dumping that left me still pretty confused. It just left me frustrated and therefore not really interested in what was going on so I gave up.
January 31, 2016
This book is about a woman that get accidentally transported to another "world" (Im a bit confused over where exactly its located) after being rejected by her mother. And everyone basically tells her to "LEAVE NOW YOU DONT BELONG HERE"
Edit: I forgot to mention this gem. "Parrish ran a hand along his chin, looking thinky. " And now that I THINKY about it, the main characters comments sometimes sounds more like something an 16 year old would say, and considering shes 24 years old, and an educated explorer.. KIND OF ODD.
Edit: I forgot to mention this gem. "Parrish ran a hand along his chin, looking thinky. " And now that I THINKY about it, the main characters comments sometimes sounds more like something an 16 year old would say, and considering shes 24 years old, and an educated explorer.. KIND OF ODD.
July 14, 2014
I wanted to like this book, as it is right up my alley reading-wise, but it was just ok for me. (Spoiler alert-spoilers follow). It hit all the basic plot points: plucky girl finds herself in strange new world (apparently based on the Renaissance), has a series of misunderstandings and adventures, has a brother kidnapped (bro-jep), and finally reaches a conclusion. In addition, the main character, Sophie Hansa, is adopted and this story is based on what happens when she tries to find her mother, which is an interesting idea. But the characterization just wasn't there for me. Sophie was hard to understand, being alternately low-impulse-control and abjectly afraid/low self esteem. And she is in fear of her life from magic, yet can hardly keep her hands off "Captain Tasty"?! At first I liked her frequently avowed love for her brother, but, after he got kidnapped, it felt that the author had only put those avowals in there for kid brother-jeopardy, a twist on the normal girl-jep. After all, she never thinks of her adoptive parents during the course of the novel except when they're coming home in 2 hours at the end. I think this is a good young teen book...in those, the flat characterization doesn't matter as much, and the plot does keep things happening.
December 12, 2017
Really interesting world, a smart (like, sciencey smart) protagonist, political intrigue, and a good story. I'm excited to read the next in the series.
Portal stories can be hard when the MC spends too much time *not* believing that they're in a totally different, magical world. This was the case here. She was trying to rationalize where she was a bit too much. When it turned into a legitimate curiosity about when and where they were, it was fine, but until then, meh.
Not a romance, but an attraction and enough open threads to make you want more there.
Overall, I thought this was great, but was occasionally put-downable, which is why it gets 4 stars.
Portal stories can be hard when the MC spends too much time *not* believing that they're in a totally different, magical world. This was the case here. She was trying to rationalize where she was a bit too much. When it turned into a legitimate curiosity about when and where they were, it was fine, but until then, meh.
Not a romance, but an attraction and enough open threads to make you want more there.
Overall, I thought this was great, but was occasionally put-downable, which is why it gets 4 stars.
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