Amora Montara is now Queen of Visidia, a position she takes very seriously and is ready to tackle head-on. However, after the events of All the Stars and Teeth, she faces extraordinary circumstances that challenge not only her confidence, but her mental health as well. On top of it all, she has to search for a spouse and king (or at least appear to). Author Adalyn Grace takes readers on another unforgettable journey in All the Tides of Fate as Amora faces the aftermath of the first novel – both within herself and outside forces. 

Read my review of the first novel in the duology, All the Stars and Teeth. 

Readers who have waited for the sequel will undoubtedly be rewarded with All the Tides of Fate. Amora is stepping into her role as Queen, even though some advisors from the other islands are not eager to trust her ability to rule. Additionally, she experiences some serious PTSD throughout the novel, due to the death of her father and scores of Visidians during the final battle against Kaven in the first book. Oh, and we can’t forget the fact that she is cursed and has lost her magic, with half of her soul living in Bastian. 

In order to earn the trust of her people and create a distraction, Amora agrees to find herself a King for Visidia and eventually produce an heir. All the Tides of Fate turns into yet another sea voyage and she heads on a tour of the islands to meet eligible bachelors who will try to win her over for the crown.

All of our favorite characters are ready for another journey, and we also get some new crew members we recognize from the first novel. Ferrick is Amora’s advisor. Vataea is a valuable crew member and friend, and Casem and Shanty join the journey as well. And while we know Bastian holds his own on a ship, Amora has no choice but to bring him along due to the curse that Kaven put on her in the first book; she physically cannot be separated from him or else she risks serious illness. 

Amora wouldn’t be the character we love if she didn’t have a secret mission underneath the ruse to find a King. In addition to earning back the trust of her kingdom, she uses the island tour to also search for a way to break her curse. Of course, this proves to be extremely challenging and unfortunately threatens the trust of those closest to her. 

Grace’s attention to detail and storytelling abilities are just as strong – if not stronger – in All the Tides of Fate. I love that we encounter consequences of the traumatic events that occurred in the first book – it adds to the realistic character development I look for in order to consider a story to be truly compelling. Grace also helps us imagine what it would be like for a character to miss a significant part of themselves, and feel it in someone else. Readers will also enjoy some new themes in All the Tides of Fate – including political strategies and unflattering PR that Amora and the crew have to be weary of. 

Of course I have to be spoiler free but foreshadowing in the book indicates that Amora will face some heartbreaking moments – one in particular that I needed a moment to grapple. I give Grace some credit for making some difficult choices in order to deliver the emotional impact. But after having finished the book about five days ago at the writing of this review, I’m still feeling it. In any case, this should be more of a reason to pick up completion to the duology. 

All the Tides of Fate is available for pre-order, and will be released on February 2, 2021. Stay tuned for a future Cantina Conversation of The Nerd Cantina podcast as we welcome back Adalyn Grace to talk about the sequel and how she has handled the past year.