The Sunken City

Just finished the book and I'm looking forward to the sequel. The book is geared for the YA audience but I'm decades older than young adults and absolutely loved ''The Sunken City" so please don't let the YA rating stop you from reading it.The writer Emma Noyes is an exceptional storyteller. She crafts scenes that play in your head like a movie as you read. There are also loads of surprises and plot twists and even though it's fantasy the book has some wonderful themes that will make you remember your own magic.

The Sunken City is the perfectly crafted love-child of the Percy Jackson series and Pirates of the Caribbean, in a way that is both familiar and totally unique. There is no doubt that Emma Noyes brings a voice all her own -- a voice that is captivating, suspenseful, and all-around just incredibly fun.Each character is captivating and, as an immense credit to Emma's writing style, completely relatable. Every reader can, I bet, see pieces of themselves play out in every character throughout the novel -- a fact which makes it even that more more of an entertaining page turner. On top of it all, the world of the Sunken City is completely and totally immersive, as Emma paints of picture of what it's like not only to step into this underwater world, but to sneak into bars, go to rock-concerts, navigate the busy market at the city's center -- all familiar in a way which transports the reader into Emma's fictional world.Not only do I highly recommend that everyone pick up a copy of The Sunken City, but also that this is the first of many of Amare's journeys in the Sunken City - as each one, I'll be eager to read.

Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, showstopper, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before! There are not enough words to describe how utterly fantastic this book is! The book is really easy to get into and once you start reading you will not be able to put the book back down until you've finished reading it. A twist on every other page!The author creates a remarkable world filled with magic, mystery and a whole lot of intrigue. She'll draw you in and then throw you through a loop, but every capricious plot line serves it's own special purpose. Altogether the story is a carefully curated masterpiece and I sincerely hope there will be a sequel coming soon because I need to know what Amare does next!

This debut novel from Emma Noyes has so much excitement and intrigue packed in that I can’t stop thinking about it. The author has crafted a unique fantasy world full of pirates and witches and regular old friendships and lovers and used it to make readers fall in love with our hero, Amare. While I was reading, I found myself empathizing with heroes and villains alike, always guessing what move was next and always impressed with what Emma Noyes came up with. The ending has me desperate to read the sequel!

This book was just what I needed to start off 2022. Emma really brings a strong heroine to the scene with this book and the concept is so interesting. The personalities of all of the main characters were so distinct and made me want to join them on their adventures. Can’t wait for the sequel!

This book is fantastic! Emma is such a gifted storyteller and the world she has created just left me wanting more. The pacing is perfect, fast enough that you’re left wonderfully breathless and instantly sucked in, with enough breathing room for beautiful relationship development and in depth world-building. I cannot wait for the sequel and for whatever Emma writes next!

The author creates a wonderful magical underwater world full of great characters. There are twist and turns, a real page turner. My 14 year old and I can't wait for the next book in a hopefully long series!

Already eagerly awaiting the sequel!! Emma V. R. Noyes welcomes us into an enchanting underwater world and a quest for the ages. Characters as deep and a plot as unpredictable as the ocean in which they swim! I'll be thinking about this one for a while -- love it, highly recommend!

Noyes creates an airtight world centered around a fierce female protagonist, Amare—from the minute you open the book, you feel like you've always known Amare. An absolute must read for adventurous young women, for a story about self-discovery and learning to trust yourself along the way.

Ever since I was a child, I was a huge fan of tales like Pirates of the Caribbean and Sinbad, and I carried this love through my adulthood. As far as books go, I’ve found some stories that I liked, but didn’t love—until this book. The Sunken City immediately immersed me into that seafaring/pirate-y atmosphere I love thanks to the author’s beautiful writing and the characters that were so vivid in my mind, as if they were alive on the page. I was a few chapters in and I turned to my sister saying, “This book is so good!”Amare is a wonderful main character. She’s a girl who had to learn fast how to live in a world of men. She’s strong and fierce, resourceful and curious, yet there were also moments where her vulnerability and empathy shone through. Seeing life aboard a pirate ship through her eyes made me feel as if I’d been on a ship all my life, but at the same time, everything felt so vibrant and new. Once the focus shifts to the Sunken City, life under the sea was not what I was expecting. I was expecting mermaids, instead I was surprised by an original world that resembles our own in terms of advancement—with some clever variations to fit the underwater life.The book’s strengths are many. The writing, I’ve already mentioned, but there’s also an amazing cast of characters to support Amare. There’s a point while Amare is in the Sunken City, away from her pirate family, that I felt like the plot slowed down a little, which is normal in a book. I missed the pirate side of the story, but the arrival of a particular character—*cough* Lukas *cough*—and the return of pirates made everything pick up again. As far as the romance goes, there’s a love triangle, and while I like both brothers, I love only one and have chosen my side. (Have you ever watched The Vampire Diaries? I was Team Damon. That’s clue enough.)I seriously need the sequel tomorrow!

The Sunken City was an absolutely breathtaking and magical read! This is a YA fantasy with enemies to lovers, pirates, underwater kingdoms, witches and demons and a ton of magic!From the very beginning the story is mesmerizing, pulling you in with it's beautiful writing. We follow the story of Amare, an orphan girl who is raised on a pirate ship. She must learn the hard way how to fend for herself; a pirate ship is no place for a girl. Until one day she comes across a sunken treasure that turns her world upside down... Literally.Amera has sunk deep into the ocean.. not only does she discover that she is one of the Sereia (i love it that it's also the Portuguese word for mermaid) but also a princess, the long lost heir to the throne of the Sunken City. She must face the reality that the life she knew is gone and take up her place as the next queen of Sunken City.<I> "But i was not raised to be a princess; i was raised to be a pirate."</i>I looove arranged marriage trope and enemies to lovers so we get BOTH which had me bursting in joy. I am team Lukas all the way (can't resist a bad boy!). The descriptions of the underwater world are vivid and detailed which made it easy to picture everything clearly in my mind. One of my favorite elements is Amares' friendship with Osha, you can slowly witness as she finds herself a new family for herself in Sunken City. A beautifully written fantasy that stays with you long after you've finished.