Amaya was sold to a debtor ship filled with children conscripted to pay off familial debts.  She spent 10 years diving for pearls, gutting fish, beaten and starved until she escaped.  With the help of Boon, a man she saved from drowning and who later saved her, they plot revenge to those that wronged them.  A primary target is the wealthy merchant and owner of the debtor ship whose son, Cayo, is to be used in the plot to destroy that family.  The plot gets a bit twisty.  We delve into Cayo’s backstory and of course discover he’s a likable though troubled sort.  This first book in the planned duology wraps a few things up, but all the players are in place for the next book.

Maybe I’m just drawn to books about plotting and revenge but it seems there are lots out there.  This one is good, the writing is well done, briskly paced, never plodding.  The bad guys are bad while the good guys are often in a state of puzzlement.  This reinvention of Count of Monte Christo is an engaging read and I look forward to reading the sequel.

eGalley review                                                      Publication date 1.7.20