A Stormy and Sultry Sea Review

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Katie McGarry is a talented writer. She creates captivating characters with excellent connections between them. This is where she shines, and this is where she should remain. Until this year, McGarry has always written young adult contemporary romance novels. While I am not opposed to McGarry writing adult novels, I wish she had stuck with romantic ones. In A Stormy and Sultry Sea, the second in the Witches of the Island series, McGarry attempts a supernatural, fantasy genre. I had high hopes that the second would be better seeing as the first one already gave me the backstory of the characters. But that was not the case and the second novel in the series was just as character driven as the first.

The story picks up right after A Wicked and Beautiful Garden ends with Cassie in her grandmother’s house with fellow witch, Wren; demon prince, Moloch; and the newborn demon queen. The three are tasked with taking care of the quickly developing, soul sucking demon while Orion is trying to find Cassie. As the story continues, it feels like the relationship between Orion and Cassie is the most important aspect of this novel rather than the impending doom of the world caused by the Fae, witches, and demons.

The fantasy genre is meant to be plot driven. Of course, well-developed characters are important and necessary for the novel to succeed; however, they are not what drives the story. It is the story that is meant to captivate and draw readers in rather than the characters in fantasy novels. In contemporary romance novels, it is the characters and their development that drive the story. Again, plot and characters are important in both genres, but it is which drives the story that determines the success of the genre intended. Though McGarry added supernatural elements to her novel in attempt to change genres, it was still character driven.

McGarry is a character-driven writer and that is where she should stay. The love story between Cassie and Orion is beautiful and it will be exciting to see how that continues to develop in the third book. But as a fantasy novel, the plot was lacking. I was not captivated by the story. There was no eagerness and desire to know what was going to happen next. It felt like the story was dragging. I had to groan my way through chapters of boring backstory and characterization to get to something interesting. When reading fantasy, I want to be on the edge of my seat unable to put the novel down.

Overall, McGarry is a strong writer. She has excellent characterization and writes captivating romantic storylines. And that is where McGarry should stay. This book was more of a supernatural romance than a fantasy book. While still great to have in the novel, romance should not be the main focus in the fantasy genre. It is a subplot. At least it should be. McGarry made it the main focus of A Stormy and Sultry Sea.

If you like contemporary romance, check out some of McGarry’s other novels: Echoes Between Us, Pushing the Limits, Dare you To, Say You’ll Remember Me, and many others. This is where McGarry shines, and I highly encourage you to read these instead.

-Cath