I may never look at a crab again without shuddering. Great imagination in this first of a trilogy. Strong characters, vivid baddies, both human and otherwise, lots of tension and a great, slow build between Isoka and Meroe. ( )

Eh. The blurb turns me of.

I will bold (that is not a verb you noob~~ past me) the things I'm iffy about.

“Fit for the big screen.” —Morgan Rhodes, NYT bestselling author of Falling Kingdoms ~~Not a fan of her writing

Ship of Smoke and Steel is the launch of a cinematic, action-packed epic fantasy trilogy for fans of Leigh Bardugo and The Legend of Korra. ~~YOU CAN'T COMPARE THE TWO. Sjeez. One is okay for a quick read and the other has so much depth and is written for everybody with no nonsens about ticking the diversity box. It's more like: HERE ARE THE PEOPLE, DEAL WITH IT. Seriously in 20 years Leigh Bardugo will be one of thousands who have written a amusing story but not very special. Avatar and the Legend of Korra on the other hand will go down in history because they did it right the first time. Sjheez. I'm way too passionate about this.

In the lower wards of Kahnzoka, the great port city of the Blessed Empire, eighteen-year-old ward boss Isoka comes to collect when there's money owing. When her ability to access the Well of Combat is discovered by the Empire—an ability she should have declared and placed at His Imperial Majesty's service—she's sent on an impossible mission: steal Soliton, a legendary ghost ship—a ship from which no one has ever returned. If she fails, her sister’s life is forfeit.

“Truly epic, fierce, and exhilarating, Ship of Smoke and Steel will capture you and lock you away. With magical combat sequences fit for the big screen, the action is almost as breathtaking as the intrigue.” —Morgan Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of the Falling Kingdoms series ~~Such a pet peeve of mine when I see this in relation with a book. I don't care it's fit for the screen. WHY WOULD SOMEBODY WRITE THE STORY THEN? Sjeez.

adult/teen action/adventure-fantasy series fiction (teen with magical powers sets out to steal a slaver "ghost ship" in order to save her sister in a fantasy Asia-esque world; she likes men but gradually falls in love with a brown-skinned princess)

strong female characters and action-filled plot, with interesting twists and world-building. Pay no attention to the title (thanks for nothing, Marketing!) as there is not that much smoke, and no one cares much for the steel. "Ghost Ship" would've been more apt. ( )

I reeeeallly liked this. Fascinating magic system and world, but I particularly loved Isoka. The story is action packed, violent, and twisty, and I think it would be a good fit for fans of dystopians as well as fantasy readers. For comparisons, there were bits that reminded me of [b: Throne of Glass|7896527|Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1495278054s/7896527.jpg|11138426], [b: Mistborn: The Final Empire|21699011|Mistborn The Final Empire (Book One) A BookCaps Study Guide|BookCaps|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|40985302], and Pirates of the Caribbean. Will definitely read more in this series. ( )

An awful lot of worldbuilding going on here, in an entertaining way. There are different “Wells” of mystical power; our heroine possesses one that lets her make lightning swords out of her arms. She’s eking a living out as a mob enforcer, keeping her sister in a respectable house, when she’s grabbed by the Empire and sent as a sacrifice to a ghost ship, with the mission of taking command of the powerful ghost ship or her sister will suffer the ordinary fate of pretty young girls without protectors. The ship itself seems to be something like a haunted mystical computer. She falls in with another young woman whose well is healing, which is reviled because when it goes wrong it creates plagues and worse. Romance, adventure, and further mystery follow. I liked it! ( )