Of the Stars and Sea

Book Review: Of the Stars and Sea by Brianna Remus

Genre: Romantasy

Length:410 pages

Book 1 of unknown – Ongoing series known as A Divine Trinity

Currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

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What is it?

Of the Stars and Sea by Brianna Remus is the first book in a planned series known as A Divine Trinity. It’s the author’s debut in the genre, having previously focused on romance novels. Of the Stars and Sea is described as an epic fantasy novel where Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Mummy.

It is currently unclear how many books are going to be in this series. However, this book was recently picked up by a traditional publisher. What does this mean? It means the series was originally independently published and will now be able to reach a larger audience. It also means that book one, Of the Stars and Sea, will be rereleased. This will push back the publication date of book two in the series. Briana Remus has made a statement saying that book two is planned to be released early 2028.

This means the author has more time to work on and perfect the story. However, if you do not like books that end in soul-crushing cliffhangers, you may want to wait until closer to the release of the second book to read this one.

*** This is a fantasy romance book intended for adults. It may not be suitable for all readers. Be sure to check the trigger warnings provided by the author to determine if the book is a good fit for you.

Official Blurb

A traitorous pirate lord. A bounty hunter with a score to settle. And an epic treasure that will grant them both the freedom they desire…unless they destroy each other first.

Rowenya Stone is captain of the once fearsome pirate ship, the Trinity. Bound to her father’s old debts, Rowenya has been forced to break the Pirates’ Code by capturing her own kind in exchange for money. Tired of being shackled to her father’s past, Rowenya hatches a plan to steal an ancient artifact, said to unveil a map to the greatest treasure ever known to man.

But the plan goes awry when Grayson Tyde, the most ruthless and feared pirate lord in the Southern Realm, intercepts them. When Grayson discovers Rowenya has one thing he does not—knowledge of the old gods’ language inscribed upon the artifact—he forces her onto his ship.

However, they are not the only ones in search of the artifact, and as the threat of their enemies looms, Rowenya must trust the one person she’s always feared. But what terrifies her more is her perilous attraction to Grayson.

In a world where love is a traitorous thing and danger lurks around every corner, Rowenya must decide if finding the treasure is worth losing her heart.

What I did like?

Of the Stars and Sea was such a fun time! Pirates of the Caribbean was my favorite movie growing up. So, naturally, when I heard about a book that promised to be an epic adventure where Pirates of the Caribbean meets The Mummy, I HAD to check it out. It ended up being similar to a classic pirate adventure with a heavy focus on the romance. It was kind of refreshing to read this kind of timeless story in the romantasy genre. If you are also a romantasy reader and are looking for a book that is a little bit different than everything else you have been reading, I would definitely recommend Of the Stars and Sea.

The characters in this book were a little bit older than you typically see in the romantasy genre. They were already established in who they were as people which was kind of refreshing from the other books I’ve been reading lately. Often when characters are a little older in stories (late 20s early 30s) it feels like an afterthought. In Of the Stars and Sea, it was very clear that the characters were intentionally older. They felt mature and confident in themselves.

There wasn’t a lot of information about the magic system or the politics in this world yet. And, there is a ton of mystery surrounding the characters, so I’m excited to see where this series goes. I cannot wait to find out more about Rowenya and Grayson.

This was the author’s first time writing fantasy. It was an awesome debut novel. However, some elements felt a little random to me. The male main character, Grayson, is basically immortal, but there is no real information about this. It feels like he’s really old simply because it’s something readers of the genre are used to. There is also mention of vampyres and other random magical creatures in the beginning of the book that are never addressed again. Again, this feels completely random and like it was thrown in there just to have more fantasy elements.

However, there are still more books to come and plenty of time to explore the magic and the magical elements of the world. I have found that aspects of stories are very rarely random or without significance, so I look forward to learning more about the world as it expands to the reader.

The romance in this story wasn’t my favorite. I found it to be very fast moving and lust focused, especially at the beginning of the book. When I was done reading, I really couldn’t remember much about the romance or the relationship between Rowenya and Grayson before they were decidedly together. However, this is definitely a personal preference- I prefer slow-burn, yearning romances in stories.

That being said, I am definitely going to be reading book two and am excited to see where this pirate adventure takes us!

Prepare yourself though! If you do not like gut-wrenching cliffhangers, you may want to wait until book two is released.

What to expect/ Tropes

Rivals-to-lovers

Pirate adventure

Forced proximity

Older characters

Mystery

Is it spicy?

Yes. There are a few chapters in the book with very tense moments and several chapters with spicy scenes. I will list the spicy chapters below for your reference. If you are trying to skip the spicy chapters, it is usually obvious they are about to happen and can easily be skipped over.

Of the Stars & Sea Spicy Chapters:

Chapter 22

Chapter 24

Loved this book?

Be sure to check out other books by the same author!

You can find a full list of books by Briana Remus on her website: https://www.briannaremus.com/

Did you like the book because of the pirates? Be sure to check out these other romantasy books about pirates and sea creatures!

The Ever King by LJ Andrews

A Wraith Beneath the Tides by Emilia Jae

Bloody Black by Rhiannon Hargadon

In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy