Book Report: Tempest
By: Cassie Birk
Edited by Caelin Sullivan
Check out our report on YA legend Victoria Aveyard's adult debut!
BEFORE WE DIVE IN…
Genre: Romantic Fantasy and Historical Fantasy
Age Group: Adult, but perfect for the New Adult reader or as a transition from YA
Content warnings for the following described on page: Violence, Murder, Spousal Abuse, and Confinement
Spice Level: The barest taste. A bit of wish fulfillment self-pleasure is on page, but nothing is shown outside of our character’s fantasies
Page Count: 464 pages
Series: This is the first in a duology, with the second book forthcoming with no estimated release date at the time of this article. While the ending isn’t a complete cliffhanger, it definitely cuts off right before a lot of the major action kicks off, also leaving the romances and magic system to be addressed in the next book. Not for our completionists in the room.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Image Credit: @palinlineart
Split into dual timelines with alternating “Before” and “After” chapters, Tempest follows Cat, a Meridian lady in the unforgiving Lyrian Sea. “Before” follows Cat at 20, when she is the newly married Lady Rose during the first year uprooted from the comforts of her family’s home on the mainland struggling in the far-flung colonies where the Navy cannot keep piracy in check. With useless and penniless Lord Rose in tow, the young Cat has to survive at the mercy of the pirate Valerian Kane. “After” is Cat at 30, with a decade of survival and cynicism under her belt. To stay alive as the navy finally looks to conquer the sea, she must betray all her connections left flying under the black flag or be hanged. Both versions of Cat are torn between two sides: bowing to King Henry and his rule or crossing over into the dark world of piracy, and the two men that represent each world, Navy Captain Fell or the great pirate Val.
READER PROFILE
You might find this book a great fit for your TBR if:
You are a Pirates of the Caribbean girlie. The author has gone on record to say Tempest “is clearly inspired by my teenage love for Pirates of the Caribbean” (same Victoria, same) and I was humming that theme the entire read.
Sidenote: If you are not engaging with anything Johnny Depp, the movies were based on the book, On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers.
Enemies to lovers to enemies again is your favorite romantic trope. Think Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller or Beneath Black Sails by Claire Sager but you are rooting for the blond man.
You like a female lead who is not afraid to draw blood while on an adventure like Amina al-Sirafi in The Adventures of Amani al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty or Adra Dantes in The Devourer by Alison Ames
Mysterious water magic like Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long or All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace is a must for any swashbuckling sail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victoria Aveyard has long been a cornerstone in YA fantasy. It is hard to think about the genre without her Red Queen series coming to mind. She is also the author of the Realm Breaker trilogy and a screenplay writer. While the television adaptation of Tempest has been announced, no word yet on if Victoria is writing the adaptation herself. She is a dog mom and currently lives in LA. Connect with Victoria on Substack, Instagram, or TikTok.
WHAT READERS THINK
“Tempest is an achingly seductive, slow-burn romantasy that will keep you on edge the entire story. I found myself caught up in the swell of this swashbuckling storyline and at times I was holding my own breath with anticipation as to what would happen next! Aveyard never disappoints with her lyrical prose, fully fleshed-out characters and addictive banter. As I finished Tempest I found myself already craving a re-read and I cannot wait to see where she takes this story next!.” — caittschida via StoryGraph
“Pirates of the Caribbean was my bi awakening, and Tempest has relaunched my POTC obsession, I fear. I appreciated Victoria Aveyard's political, class, and social commentary in Tempest just as much as the tension and scheming between the three main characters. She even made me root for a blond man. It was a risk to tell this story in dual timelines ‘before’ and ‘after’ but... it worked for me. Book one, at least, felt more atmospheric than action-packed, but I absolutely ate up the worldbuilding and set-up for book two so I didn't mind the slower pace. cue Beyonce's ‘Tyrant’.” — Addy Adebambo via GoodReads
“An adventurous pirate romantasy centered around survival, rebellion, and a slow burn romance. Aveyard brilliantly juxtaposes yearning & escapism with strong commentary on colonialism, class, and the ethics of survival when you’re not in a position of power. The chapter structure made this book a page-turner, building tension and slowly unraveling the mystery. I’m looking forward to the next one (please don’t make me wait too long)!!!” — Hannah via Fable
BOOK REPORTER’S REVIEW
PIRATES! Ever since I read The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi as a kid, sailing the seas against the patriarchy has been a life goal. Or at least, Elizabeth Swann definitely helped with my bi awakening. Reading Tempest was like reading Charlotte Doyle if she grew up to be a stone-cold bitch with a gambling problem, which was fantastic. While I didn’t feel like Victoria was adding too much to the pirate historical fiction cannon, I am always happy for a new story to set me at sea. This entry into the duology is a lot of build-up, which didn’t bother me at all, but may frustrate the readers looking for the romance elements of a romantasy story who are expecting a spicy love triangle (which this is not). As more of a fantasy reader, I am hoping to see more magic in the next installment since we just got the barest taste of what it can do. Red Queen may have started a trend of adding romantic court fantasy into YA dystopia, but Tempest will hopefully lead to more pirate fiction in the future.
Thank you to the Harper Voyager team for providing an advanced reader copy for this report!
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