Book 1 Synopsis – All the Stars and Teeth:
Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice.
She will reign.
As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer — the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.
When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.
But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder — and more peril — than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.
I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.
Book 2 Synopsis – All the Tides of Fate:
Through blood and sacrifice, Amora Montara has conquered a rebellion and taken her rightful place as queen of Visidia. Now, with the islands in turmoil and the people questioning her authority, Amora cannot allow anyone to see her weaknesses.
No one can know about the curse in her bloodline. No one can know that she’s lost her magic. No one can know the truth about the boy who holds the missing half of her soul.
To save herself and Visidia, Amora embarks on a desperate quest for a mythical artifact that could fix everything―but it comes at a terrible cost. As she tries to balance her loyalty to her people, her crew, and the desires of her heart, Amora will soon discover that the power to rule might destroy her.
Awards/Nominations:
- All the Stars and Teeth debuted at #2 on the New York Times Bestsellers List
- ALL THE STARS AND TEETH was a semi-finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards
- All the Stars and Teeth was Barnes & Noble’s YA monthly pick in February 2021
- ALL THE TIDES OF FATE is one of Goodreads best books of 2021
My Editions:
Hardcover
My Thoughts:
The All the Stars and Teeth series kept me entertained. I definitely enjoyed the adventure-fantasy-on the high seas that All the Stars and Teeth offered more than the straight gotta-save-the-kingdom-fantasy of All the Tides of Fate, but I enjoyed them both enough that I might re-read the series later.
It’s interesting – of the major players (Amora, Bastian, Vatea, and Ferrick), I think I actually liked Amora the least. She is equal parts altruistic ruler looking to do what’s best for her people and insufferably selfish new adult jerkass. Like, I get that as part of the story, Amora has to go through some stuff that causes her considerable grief – and I get that grief can cause people to react in unexpected or even contradictory ways. BUT – she went from “anything for my kingdom” to “I’ll do anything to see SPOILER again. Literally anything – even doom my entire kingdom” so many times I feel like I got whiplash. She was a frustrating character. But, in that respect, I have to give Adalyn Grace some credit, because 17 and 18 year old people are frustrating and unpredictable. So, I guess although she was my least favorite of the major players, she was definitely written in a way that is realistic for someone of her age and upbringing (I don’t expect royals to be particularly well-adjusted people, if we’re being honest).
I think I liked Vatea best. Vatea is a rescued mermaid who joins the crew to help them reach their end goal in book one. She is still around in book 2 though, where I feel she becomes a much more well-developed character. She’s fun. She can be kinda terse, and a little bit murdery, which I like. And book 2 introduces Shanty as a member of the crew (we meet her in book 1, but she’s just a side character). Shanty is also a lot of fun because she uses enchantment magic for, let’s say, less than pure reasons. Think of her as the crew’s Rikku (FFX-2, anyone? Probably not, right? *sigh* she’s the party’s default thief). Except unlike Rikku, Shanty has the power to make herself look like whoever she wants – in fact, she can whole-cloth invent a look for herself. That makes for some pretty entertaining interactions with and for her.
This is a well-paced, well-plotted series. The only beef I have with the stories is that I wish Amora had struggled a tiny bit less with her ultimate decision in book 2. I mean, she spent 100% of book one on this one quest, that in book 2, she is almost completely derailed from because someone who lied to her for her entire life (and many, many other people) about some very important stuff (for everyone in the whole world) died. Idk, it just rung a little hollow for me, I guess. But, I admittedly don’t much remember being 18, so maybe that’s really how your brain works. And I’m not going to say I don’t like a series just because a character doesn’t jive with me. She’s well-written, she’s just…frustrating. Overall, I think Adalyn Grace did a fantastic job of world- and character-building. I think that if you like fantasy adventures, and you don’t mind protagonists on the young side (17 to early 20’s seems right), you very well might dig this series. Think Pirates of Dark Water meets one of those modern fantasy stories about princesses coming into their own after going on a dark and dangerous journey of self-discovery (I’ll be damned if I can think of a single one, but I know those types of stories are currently quite popular).
Anyway, the whole gist of this series seems to be that sometimes your family does shitty stuff. And people in power tend to be a lot more interesting in hoarding their power than the well-being of the people their supposed to be protecting the well-being of. I can get behind that messaging.
Oh, and also that chosen families are valid, rad, and important.
Rating:
Overall, this was a pretty solid, entertaining series. If you’re looking to be sucked into a story with pirates, monsters, magic and the power of friendship for a few hours, All the Stars and Teeth is a solid choice of books. And since the series is only 2 books, you don’t have to devote the rest of your life to it!
All the Stars and Teeth
All the Tides of Fate
All the Stars and Teeth series
By Adalyn Grace
Imprint
All the Stars and Teeth published: February 4, 2020
All the Tides of Fate published: February 2, 2021
ISBNs: 9781250307781, 9781250307811
Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, E-book
373 & 368 pages respectively
