RAVAGE THE DARK

In the sequel to Scavenge the Stars (2020), Amaya “Silverfish” Chandra and Cayo Mercado flee their hometown of Moray for Baleine, a port city in the Rain Empire, for completely different reasons.

When Amaya’s mysterious benefactor, Boon, gives her chests of gold—which she later discovers contain counterfeit money that causes the deadly epidemic ash fever—and asks her to spread it far and wide disguised as Countess Yamaa, she does so without questioning him because she is blinded by an overwhelming need to avenge her dead parents. However, Amaya feels betrayed by Boon and is determined to find him, discover the truth about her father, and make him admit to his crimes. Cayo, meanwhile, is a recovering gambler who has lost everything but his sister, Soria. Desperate to find a cure for Soria’s ash fever, he takes her to a hospital in Baleine. Amaya’s and Cayo’s feelings toward each other have been complicated ever since Amaya tricked Cayo into believing she was a countess, but they need to work together to stay ahead of the corruption in their world. While the design of this sequel is grand, the worldbuilding feels flimsy and the plot, overly complicated while the characters lack conviction and sufficient motivation. The cast is diverse in ethnicity and sexuality.

An interesting premise, but the execution leaves much to be desired.