The main character is objectively annoying, and if you don't find him at least a little bit funny and/or endearing, then this book is probably not a good fit for you.

Obviously (from my rating), I did find Avra both funny and endearing alongside annoying, and overall really enjoyed how completely absurd, silly, and ridiculous this book is. "Messy queers" doesn't begin to cover it. Glowing blue dogs, a sassy oracle deck, vicious horny sea serpents, the most elaborate cake competition you've ever dreamed of, a character with unerring luck who doesn't believe in luck... I cannot summarize it properly, you just have to read it.

I do wish there was a sequel or something to allow for more character growth. There are glimmerings of positive change toward the end, but it ends too abruptly! I suppose that's what fanfic is for.

Just fyi, for as much as the characters openly discuss sex—it comes up rather a lot—there are no explicit sex scenes, or at least no more than snippets.

I think this book had more dialogue in it than any other book I've ever read. This felt like as if bunch of quips and chaotic mewling got dressed up in a trench coat and decided to be a book. The plot was tissue paper thin, the characters a bit over-the-top, and the dialogue a bit repetitive at times, and yet I had a fantastic time reading it.

One of the biggest mysteries carried over from A Taste of Gold and Iron was their secret ship magic. How do the Arasti sail all year round, while every other nation is grounded for 5 to 6 weeks a year? This tale endeavours to answer that question, and it does, but in the weirdest and most roundabout way

There is an underlying plot for sure, but much of the story focuses on Avra and how much he really wants attention, specifically Tev's attention. Much of his jokes are crass and sexual in nature, but there is no spice whatsoever. There is a note of polyamory, and I enjoyed seeing the navigation of those relationships, but it very much leaves readers on the "will they, won't they" side of things. In the end though, we do see Avra figure out how to be a good friend and a mewling simp, rather than just the latter, and we find a cast of characters who put up with him because he is genuinely a good and loyal person.

I will say though, this book is funny as hell. I enjoyed the chaotic quips, the stupid songs, and the silly banter. It all was so easy to read and it made me laugh out loud very often. However, we cannot get by on quips alone, and there were points in the book where I asked myself, "Where on earth is this going?" It felt like a long book where nothing much was getting done, outside of a few side quests, but in the end it all came together well and that's either very masterful, or everything else was simply an Avra-shaped distraction.

All in all, a fun time, but not necessarily a productive time. Very much a fantasy book of good dumb fun and comedic dialogue, and a huge switch in tone from A Taste of Gold and Iron. I'd definitely say, if you're looking for the political intrigue and solemn tones of book 1, this is not the place to look (though Avra is very good at politics when he wants to be).

Rep: queer normative world; non-binary gay MC, gay MC, pan MC, polyamorous relationship, sapphic secondary character 

TW: death of an animal (not dog), violence, bullying, sexual content, death; mentions murder, cults, classism.

Plot: 3.5/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Tordotcom via Tor Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. 

Oh man. I just bought this book from my local bookstore, and it's a new release I've been hyped for since I saw it on NetGalley a while back. I was rooting for this one, but I just can't do it. The main character/narrator is impossible to deal with. I don't like any of the other characters either. I can't do 400 pages with these people and this writing. The humor is taking up so much time and is completely failing for me, it's a strange mix of juvenile slapstick and sex jokes? I feel like this would work better as a raunchy comic strip than an actual novel, but it still wouldn't be to my taste.

An absolute romp! Had me cackling over and over at different points. The main character is sex-obsessed goofball with a weakness for a pretty face and being bullied. Also he's supernaturally lucky and always pays his tab.

A potential love triangle with a satisfying conclusion and a mystery about sea serpents and a merchant country trying to hold a monopoly over safe travel across the oceans.

This irreverent queer pirate romp is unlike anything I’ve read before. I savored this book from start to finish - reading slowly so that I didn’t miss a second of the humor and often laughing out loud in public. Every character felt alive and three dimensional. I loved them all, but Avra will live rent-free in my brain for a long time. Truly a delight

Oh gosh, what a fun book!!!

I will admit that the start was a bit slow for me. It was funny, but there was nothing particularly grabbing me and I felt it lacked some depth.

But by the middle part, we were getting more heartfelt moments between the characters, which I really appreciated.

And the last bit with the cake competition and trying to figure out the missing clue really had me invested! (I particularly loved the cake competition and the lore, it was so fun! And I loved the found family of Scuttle Cove!)

Although I wish that we had at least gotten an epilogue. I don't usually mind open endings in stories, but I wanted more OT3 shenanigans!

A big thank you to Tor for sending me a copy of the ARC (which I won in a giveaway). All thoughts expressed in this review are my own.