Review: Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis

Apr 14, 2017 by Samantha Andrews in Reviews

Synopsis for Given to the Sea

Khosa is Given to the Sea, a girl born to be fed to the water, her flesh preventing a wave like the one that destroyed the Kingdom of Stille in days of old. But before she’s allowed to dance – an uncontrollable twitching of the limbs that will carry her to the shore in a frenzy – she must produce an heir. Yet the thought of human touch sends shudders down her spine that not even the sound of the tide can match.

Vincent is third in line to inherit his throne, royalty in a kingdom where the old linger and the young inherit only boredom. When Khosa arrives without an heir he knows his father will ensure she fulfills her duty, at whatever cost. Torn between protecting the throne he will someday fill, and the girl whose fate is tied to its very existence, Vincent’s loyalty is at odds with his heart.

Dara and Donil are the last of the Indiri, a native race whose dwindling magic grows weaker as the island country fades. Animals cease to bear young, creatures of the sea take to the land, and the Pietra – fierce fighters who destroyed the Indiri a generation before – are now marching from their stony shores for the twin’s adopted homeland, Stille.

Witt leads the Pietra, their army the only family he has ever known. The stone shores harbor a secret, a growing threat that will envelop the entire land – and he will conquer every speck of soil to ensure the survival of his people.

The tides are turning in Stille, where royals scheme, Pietrans march, and the rising sea calls for its Given.

I am not a picky reader in the least. I enjoy reading anything and everything. It’s nearly impossible for me to dislike a book, if my Goodreads ratings is any indication. I would rather not give low ratings to a book because I know how much time, dedication, and love has gone into every book ever written. However, I have to remain honest. I did not like Given to the Sea.

I tried. I always try. I try so hard to find something redeemable about a book. I think what threw me off the whole story was the characters and the romance between, literally, all of them. It was the worst love triangle – strike that, love square – I have ever read. I’ve said plenty of times how important the characters, especially romance between characters, are to me. I just could not wrap my head around what was going on between everyone.

So if I can’t enjoy any of the characters then I’ll take notice on the plot. Was there one? Did any of these characters really have a point? I have never had this problem before! I am saddened to have to be so harsh. Not even the world building could redeem Given to the Sea. It was mediocre at best.

This is, of course, my own personal opinion. I always encourage others to give a book a try despite its reviews because they may have a completely different opinion on things. For me, I just could not enjoy Given to the Sea.

I received this book in exchange for a honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book in any way.