Skullrunner

Overall Rating: 4,5/5

I admit, when I first started this, I did not expect to fall in love as quickly as I did with Skullrunner.

Sapphic pirates? Consider me sold.

During the revolution, Commander Gavon slew the tyrant god of memory and took the god's powers as his own. He built what is now known as the Golden Republic... a seemingly fair and just place of truth... to live a perfect life in....and with him are his two children... who are in fact fosterlings... echos of a goddess once feared...

But life in the Republic may not be as perfect as it seems. Evazina, the commander's foster daughter.... is feared and hated by most citizens of the Republic for what she is... and she is viewed as a danger...kept safe only by her father... who has that same magic that she too fears... the ability to split an echo such as herself ... to fuel the magic that he stole from the god so long ago...and the seemingly-perfect Republic has its major flaws.. flaws that are also covered up by her father's magic...

And yet she tries to live her life as best as she can... until the night of her brother's birthday, when she is supposed to celebrate him as she watches him become a Godreaper... watches as he takes the Skullrunner's power as his own.... but the night shifts as they are attacked... and Evazina steals the Skullrunner's power for herself...and uses it to escape her father after her echo brother sets her free... but also sets free the pirate her father captured alongside her...

And as she settles into her new life as a pirate, alongside her new captain... and their journey to free the memories her father stole and ... hopefully peacefully remove him from his position of power... and as Evazina's feelings stir for the captain... they discover that if they truly wish to be free... they must turn their ship around and fight.

There are a few odd errors here and there with typos and wording, but I didn't feel as though they detracted enough from the story to dock more than a half point off of the star rating. Vyvre has truly outdone themselves, spinning a tale far more than worthy of being told on the seas. I loved the fact that there is so much lore that we can explore, from the Republic to the nearby surrounding nations... to the mythology and the idea of Godreaping.... to be able to wield what was once a god (or goddess) 's powers for your own...and yet, while there is so much lore and potential built into the world that Vyvre has created, it does not once feel overwhelming... or detract too much from the story that is going on...

And the MEMORIES. The fact that I can feel the raw emotions of trying to find oneself... of trying to come to terms with your past...goodness... I don't know what you've created Vyvre, but I want to know more... and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.