Oh, how I fear I'll never be the same. This was my first Aveyard book. Yes, I am a newbie. And while in a way that really sucks, what a hell of a way to walk on. Tempest, what can I even say? This book was five stars. Six stars? A sky full of stars. In a time when the market is being inundated with dragons, and shadow-people, we're thrust instead into the spray of the sea and the salty sun. This is one of the most incredible books I've ever read, hands down. Cat Rose was an incredible protagonist. Uniquely muddled in her morals, and smart as a whip. Often, the traps she set for others made my jaw drop in their execution. The way Cat sees the world is beautiful and raw; a total pleasure to witness. I could've sat with my toes tucked in a pool for ages, watching the way this character thinks and what motivates her. Aveyard clearly understands how to craft a multi-layered, realistic heroine in a way that has me kicking myself for not having read her before. Though each person has their soft spot, and for Cat, that's our hero. Enter Valerian Kane. The last great hope of the pirate nation, and deeply beloved by his people. Critics of this book will say we were not given enough of Val, and they would be right. There is a large part of the book that our protagonist spends hunting for him, but do not let this dissuade you. This was the furthest from bored I can remember feeling in a long, long time. Let Cat entertain you, and carry you away with her moral quandaries. And in truth, a whole ten book epic wouldn't have been enough for me-I LOVE Val's character. He so clearly adores Cat, but also sees her exactly as she is. Did this give POTC vibes? Oh yeah, but in a unique way. It was rugged and raw in a way that Disney would never stretch for. There is no Jack Sparrow to comedically relieve the raids and battles. People drown, or are hung, or are torn apart (literally). The moral arguments this book makes are far darker than anything Disney could patch together, and it serves the plot brilliantly. I'll leave you with this: If there's one book you read this fall-just one-let it be this one. Victoria, I'll be sending you my therapy bill. 9/8/2026

exhausting repetitive naval gazy prose that didn’t go anywhere. sadly there’s only a single tension hook that this book revolves around (and it’s literally LAND politics) which completely paralyzes all the characters in this book. so as the reader you’re stuck in this narrative loop that keeps just going around and around and around and dragging you down cause nothing changes. when i thought we were finally moving forward, the same stuff was recycled and we went through the same circle of thought over and over again. this book tried so hard to sound pretty and smart at the expense of pacing and substance. it tried to be lush and atmospheric and yet i was hammered over the head with overused analogies like salt this, wind that, endless tides there, timber here, it sharpened blah blah blah. if i never hear “his tempest eyes” & “the song of the sea” for the rest of my life i literally will be so happy. i was so bored and so many times i really wish i DNFd it and really i should’ve. the dual timeline, while initially fascinating, definitely did not help this book at all. so much of this was tell vs show. you’re telling us in one timeline of what we should know and imagine about these characters yet nothing was showed in either timelines. seriously didnt care about anyone except maybe ana who is very cool. im so disappointed cause i really wanted to like this.

As a fantasy AND romantasy fan, I was so excited to finally discover what Victoria Aveyard could do in the adult sphere...! That didn't last for long. I was first hit with the prose, which I found to be exceedingly young for an adult fantasy ("Cat Rose"? That's the best name we can come up with in the year 2026?), if not amateur. It's repetitive, insecure, constantly telling you what the characters are thinking or feeling instead of trusting the reader to understand anything through atmosphere, action or subtext. It also pulls some very obvious scenes and plot points from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which is baffling coming from an adult fantasy book. Baffling that one of the only influence you can pin-point in there other than "welp this totally how the big romantasies are written", is a children's movie. The massive, decades-old literary canon of FANTASY was not consulted prior to, say, 2023. The other work that was HEAVILY lifted is the TV show Black SAILS, down to the name of the MMC. Vane becomes V. Kane. But to go back to the prose, I was bewildered by its lack of style, melody or quirks you would expect from a seasoned author. Mechanical, repetitive, young, always looking your way, hoping to get a reaction. Don't worry! The next mega-popular trope or one-liner will totally get you, just you wait! Overall this felt less like adult fantasy romance and more like YA with heavier world-building and marketable tropes. What I can't get over is the complete disconnect from art or meaningful subjects, substance, prose for the sake of it. I could never get immersed in it. Every time I tried, I could feel the author trying to marionette her way into a marketable romantasy instead of writing from any real love for the story, the characters, or the genre. It's an assemblage of all the ingredients that are supposed to sell right now... but without the authenticity or feelings needed to make them feel alive. Worldbuilding, romance, tension... All technically there on the pages, somewhere in the letters, but none had weight. That's really the one thing I can't get past when it comes to art, or literature specifically: this did not feel like a story that NEEDED to be told. Like something that came from a deeper place than selling an item. It really felt like a product built around what the romantasy market currently rewards, and I believe that people who really love and respect the genre can tell the difference. Altogether, Tempest read like a cynical opportunity to hop on the romantasy craze. I believe Victoria Aveyard is far better suited to fast-paced YA that relies on fast-paced action and plot twists, because this did not convince me she can write an adult fantasy with the skill or maturity the genre requires.