The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri

 Introduction 

The Isle in the Silver Sea is a story about stories, and follows the lady knight Vina and the witch-scribe Simran as they try to break the chains of their story that will force them to one day fall in love and tragically kill one another. This is the story boiled down to the bone, but so much more is needed to understand the full picture of the world the main characters live in. The premise of the book is a bit hard to grasp but at its surface it is easy to see where the story wants to take us but the journey was an unexpected pleasure. A story about stories is one of my absolutely favourite tropes and I was not disappointed - I have long since craved something that could satisfy me after A Dark and Drowning Tide. Either way, there is not much to say about this book without getting into the details, so let us begin.

World building 

One of best (and worst) aspects of this book is without a doubt the world building. In the beginning, absolutely nothing made any sense, and I recall a deep frustration that I might not be able to get through the book. Luckily, it was short-lived as thought the first chapter with Vina gave a much better an simpler explanation than Simran's chapter. It almost felt like Simran's chapter was supposed to be a bit weaker and magical in its description, but knowing that a clearer description and explanation was needed, Vina had a chat with her father that helped set the scene. However, I still struggled (and perhaps still do) a bit with understanding all the different skills and who can do what. It took me awhile to realise that Simran was incredibly special, as it was hard to determine which of skills were due to her status as a witch and which were due to skills as a scribe. I have seen people describe her as a incarnate-witch-scribe which is true, hence adding to a great deal of confusion of my part. 

That being said, I enjoyed the atmosphere immensely. There was magic in people's blood, in the air, in fantastical forests, animals, libraries and, of course, in all stories. The only downside was the need to have setting in a magical version of Britain. Personally, I did not care one bit that Suri had the need to include vague landmarks of London in the story, as it added nothing to the story. If nothing else, it made it easier for her to avoid having to expand on the physical world and make new place names, and hence describe then. She could stick to what she actually wanted to describe. Naturally, I do not blame her, but I could have been without. It took me out of the story - a nameless old city would have worked just as fine. 

Lastly, I did enjoy that the travel time between places did not take up much time - if it is not relevant for the story, there is no need for the reader to suffer through weeks of painful travelling. However, I did struggle sometimes with how they travelled. Unless I misremember, I could have sworn that Vina and Simran took a bus at some point which seemed oddly out of place. The classic "there is only one horse" would have been just fine, thank you. That said, the world building was great and expansive in a way that made sense, and anyone saying otherwise need to pay more attention when they read. 

Characters 

The story has a dual POV from Simran and Vina but this time I do not feel like making a long character description of both women. The are poplar opposites - from other another and from the destiny they are both running from. Vina is no man, apparently the first woman ever to be come a knight, and Simran is the first incarnate who is also a scribe. In this first, some people are destined to complete their tale, their story, as many before them, and these people are called incarnate. An incarnate cannot scribe, meaning they cannot tattoo magic into others, changing their fates, however minor they are. My main issue was that it was difficult to keep straight with who could do what. Simran has the full package: she is an incarnate-witch-scribe. Far from everyone is an incarnate, and some incarnate are witches but you do not have to be if you desire to become one. Normally, incarnates cannot become scribes (as Simran is the first to break this pre requisite) but to my understanding you do not need to be a witch to be a scribe. Do you see where the confusion is? It is a bit of a mouthful and something that I am not sure if I understood correctly even after having finished the book. It also made the 'twist' that Simran was special a lesser reveal since I barely understood how that worked. Either way, I am not saying that Simran should not have been this three-in-one person but perhaps a clearer explanation and better comparison to other characters with similar skills would have been helpful. 

Talking about other characters, this book had two very strong main characters and an ocean of do-they-really-matter-for-the-story characters. I was very pleased the first time I met Hari, and he is without a doubt the most important person after the two women. But we never really get time to settle with him, to figure out who he is before he is gone, returned and then the time-skip happens. And for everyone else, it is almost near impossible to remember who they are as you spend so little time with them, and when they return in part two, you are unsure how to feel about them - and you are unsure if you are supposed to remember them at all.  Considering how little some of them aided with the final battle (in a way that we actually saw) many of the minor characters could have been cut out without any problems. It would have been a more pleasant read if they had. 

Next up is Garath. He felt like a red herring, leading us astray and returning as a family man still thirsting for blood. I ever truly understood his connection with Hari, so much happened off screen, and his importance simply vanishes for a huge part of the book until his return in the end where he wants to play the hero. This book did not have room for Hari and Garath and they deserve their own novel - I am sure it would be an interesting read.

All that being said, I still liked our main characters. They have distinct personalities, but they are also fighting against fate that are telling them who they ought to be and how they ought to behave. Simran literally has to enslave people against their will to work for her, because she as well is enslaved by her story. It physically and mentally harms her to try and ignore her story, and yet she still succeeds in rewriting it. Vina, on the other hand, takes the backseat but the book is still incomplete without her. Simran would never act on anything without Vina's presence. She would never change the Isle and her fate if it wasn't for Vina to push her forward. And let's not forget that Vina actually slays the Eternal King in the end! The women complete each other in every sense, and I as a reader absolutely adore it.

My thoughts on other people's thoughts

Some criticise the lack of depth in the relationship between the women, whereas I am of the opinion that people need 'depth' spoon-fed before they think it is present. Vina and Simran exist in a grey area where they are their own persons, but also fated to be someone else. They both pick their occupation based on their story - in a way they do not have a choice. I believe asking for more in a book that is almost 500 pages already in unrealistic. The women still has pockets of calm and talk with one another, and their love can never be clearly described as their story and their own love are too intertwined. The duality is the beauty of their relationship. 

One thing I do agree with is the setting. I already touched upon it and I am pleased to see that others also deem it unnecessary and somewhat annoying that we are in some magical London that only share landmark names with it real life counterpart. A story, or more a fairy tale in this world, works because it is more vague and can be transformed with relevant names and places by whoever tells it. For this book, I would have been pleased with naming London, 'The Capital' and be over with it. Vagueness should not have been taken for granted here. 

Lastly, something that parts the waters. Some people like part one versus part two of this book, other despise it. I personally think it is an excellent choice that suits the story perfectly. It is an iconic fairy tale trope to have the characters reborn, having to wait 20 plus years until the action picks up again and of course, Vina and Simran completely their story by killing one another. I hated it reading it, but by God was it perfect. I would not have it any other way. The story slowed down, but that was also necessary to get to the point we needed. The execution was not perfect, but the idea in itself was incredible, Suri deserves all the credit for that move.

Overall rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐★★★

This book was both a confusing and a pleasant read. The basic idea is great, I adore the overall story and separate story arcs, but alas, it is not perfect. However, it is rare to find a book that touches perfection and even within the confusion I still had a lovely time reading about two women destined to both love and kill each other. I have already recommended this book to friends, I would continue to do so. My review might highlight the problematic parts, but overall this book was a good read. Nothing beats a good story about stories in my eyes. The language was also lovely, not too awkward but also not too artistic which would have been a poor choice for this book. All in all, I would love to read other books by Suri.