Review by Booklist Review
When Amaya saves Boon from drowning, she thinks his shiny gold coat buttons will pay her way out of servitude, but instead she escapes on her own and is drawn into his plans for revenge. They seem to be after the same people; however, Amaya soon realizes that one of the marks, a young lord named Cayo, may have more in common with her than expected. Sim, author of the Timekeeper series, creates a rough-and-tumble world of wealth, gambling, slavery, and family and power struggles that's populated by diverse, flawed characters caught in schemes largely inherited from their parents. Lower-middle-class Amaya, aka Silverfish, and upper-class Cayo collide as the result of a revenge plot, unearthing troubling discoveries about their families. Each chapter is introduced by quotes from the literature or mythology of various geopolitical entities and foreshadows what follows. The plot of this Count of Monte Cristo remix, first in a planned duology, hints at political unrest, but its main focus is on character introductions, world building, and adventure involving family ties, loyalty, and revenge.--Cindy Welch Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--Amaya has worked for years on a debtor ship, cleaning fish and searching for pearls in order to pay off the debts of her parents. On one of her last days on the ship, she rescues a mysterious man who offers her riches and a chance at revenge. Masquerading as a wealthy countess in the city of Moray, Amaya is quickly drawn into a world of subterfuge and plots. Meanwhile Cayo, a rich man's son, finds himself forced into a deal in the seedy underworld of Moray's thieves and gamblers in order to save his sister. Each working toward their own ends, they find themselves caught up in schemes larger than they imagined and discover secrets stretching back to their childhoods. Often at odds, they nevertheless cannot deny the attraction between them. This retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo features a cast that is not assumed white or straight, and a new world waiting to be explored in the sequel. While the plot twists and turns are, at times, not as nail-biting as might be desired, Amaya and Cayo are both interesting characters with real flaws that add depth to the story. VERDICT Recommended for readers seeking retellings in fantasy settings.--Zoë McLaughlin, Michigan State University, East Lansing
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A rags-to-riches story with the promise of revenge.At 17, Amaya "Silverfish" Chandra is a prisoner aboard a debt collector's ship, where she has been worked to the bone under the watchful eye of Capt. Zharo. When she ignores the captain's orders and rescues a mysterious manwho goes by the name Boonfrom drowning, Silverfish is told that her sentence aboard the ship will be extended. Boon offers her a unique opportunitymore wealth than she can begin to imaginein exchange for her help exacting revenge upon Kamon Mercado, a merchant in the multicultural city of Moray. Silverfish undergoes a makeover and rigorous training under Boon's tutelage and learns to not only behave like a lady, but also to con and manipulate people. Told alternatingly from the perspectives of Silverfish and Kamon Mercado's son, Cayo, the first novel in Sim's (contributor: Color Outside the Lines, 2019, etc.) new duology is rich in detail and well written despite its rushed ending. The romance is between a man and a woman, but the book creates a world in which people who are culturally and racially diverse and/or nonbinary are fully accepted and unremarkable; Amaya is brown-skinned, and Cayo is bisexual. While there are few descriptions of Moray and the lands around it, the historical setting brings to mind a subtropical land under European influence.Captivating worldbuilding and empathetically etched characters make Scavenge the Stars a light and enjoyable read. (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
