Viper Review

Title: Viper
Author: Bex Hogan
Series: Isles of Storm and Sorrow #1
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Publication Date: 18 April 2019
Source: Pan Macmillan South Africa
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Pages: 336
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reading Timeline: 17 March 2019

Goodreads Synopsis:

Marianne has been training to be the Viper for her entire life - to serve and protect the King and the citizens of The Twelve Isles - but to become the Viper and protect the islands she loves she must find the strength to defeat her father. A new fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas.

He will make me a killer.

Or he will have me killed.

That is my destiny.

Seventeen-year-old Marianne is fated to one day become the Viper, defender of the Twelve Isles.

But the reigning Viper stands in her way. Corrupt and merciless, he prowls the seas in his warship, killing with impunity, leaving only pain and suffering in his wake.

He's the most dangerous man on the ocean . . . and he is Marianne's father.

She was born to protect the islands. But can she fight for them if it means losing her family, her home, the boy she loves - and perhaps even her life?

A brave heroine. An impossible dilemma. An epic new fantasy trilogy set on the high seas.

Book Review:

Pre-reading Thoughts:

I got this book unsolicited and honestly, I am so excited to jump into this. I love books about pirates and you know really story heroines.

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for an advanced readers copy of this book! Just a small disclaimer for those reading this review, I have received this book for free. Please note that this does not affect my opinion in any way. All thoughts are my own. 

Writing Thoughts:

For a debut, this book was well written and the world building is done well. There wasn't a lot of confusion and overall, I found the world believable. I loved the dialogue that took place between the characters and inside Marianne's head. Not only was it entertaining but it kept me on the edge of my seat. There were some moments that I wanted slightly more detail when it came to describing certain things.

Plot Thoughts:

The plot was incredible. It leaned more towards a slow-paced novel but it worked really well. This meant that the readers had time to not only get used the world building but also truly immersive themselves in the plot. The plot is laid out quite well. We have certain key moments that occur and they keep fuelling you to keep reading. I don't really have a lot of words other than; I could not put this book down to save my life.

Character Thoughts:

I really liked Marianne. I thought that not only was she accessible but she was an interesting character. She isn't posed as the chosen one instead, she chose this path for herself. Marianne is, in my opinion, a strong character. She makes this story believable and she made me want to keep reading. I found that I really liked the other characters in this book that aided Marianne. The characters in this novel were developed but I found our villain to be weak in comparison. A lot of his personality or substance relies on the actions that he commits in the novel.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I can't believe that I have to wait so long for the second book to come out. The book is well written and contains dialogue that kept me entertained through every moment. The plot is well thought out and gives the readers time to fully immerse themselves in the world. Marianne is a super likeable and accessible character that will steal the hearts of many readers. Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan South Africa for providing me with a copy of this book!

Yours in Reading,

Melleny