Scavenge the Stars (Scavenge the Stars #1)

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My Opinion

“I’d rather spend my money on useful things. Like a pocket watch, or a hit man.”

(4 / 5) This book is a gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Christo. I grew up on this story because my dad loved it. The story always struck me as odd that the entire plot was around revenge. Then he gets revenge and I remember thinking, “That’s it? That’s the end?” I’ve never understood living your life only to seek revenge. However, while this story follows that general outline, it didn’t leave me with the same questions. It didn’t drag the revenge out as long, it didn’t focus on it as much and it wrapped it up better at the end. Revenge is still the main idea, but there are other plot lines playing in as well.

Sim does a great job weaving the old story with her new one and bringing in characters to root for. I love that the time was broken up between life on a ship and life on land. I did find that Amaya learned skills and “land life” a bit too quickly and I still have a few questions about her family but none that will keep me from reading the next book.

The content was fairly mild with little details describing each category. There are 2 F words.

Scavenge the Stars (Scavenge the Stars #1)

Tara Sim

When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide.

Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one…

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings. 

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***- 2

H***-  8

S***- 6

A**- 6

B****- 1

D***- 10

Bas****- 9

Religious Cursing-

J****-

Chr***-

G**- 6

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

A man sneaks alcohol to a young woman.

Champagne is served at a party. 

A group sometimes smokes jaaga leaf together. 

A man smokes a cigarillo and has the raspy voice of one who has smoked for years. 

Drinks are served at a party. A young man plans to get very drunk. 

A woman drinks wine. 

A young man smokes a cigarillo.

A young woman drinks wine and gives some to a young man.

A young woman drinks brandy. 

A man drinks alcohol and pretends to be drunk. A young woman sips an alcoholic drink. Then another. Another young woman downs a drink next to her. 

A man drinks from a bottle of wine. 

A young man drinks gin. Then, him and his friends drink shots. They drink throughout the night. He smokes a cigarillo. A young man puts a tablet in his mouth. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

A young man has a male lover. It is brought up a few times. 

A young woman goes diving in just underwear.

A young woman is taught to “always aim for the cock and balls first” when fighting a man.  

Two women are in a relationship. 

A young man sees a young woman swimming in her underwear. He notices her curves. 

A young woman kisses a young woman. Another offers her “services” to a young woman. 

People who are not gender specific wear a specific pin, then they will be called “they” instead of he/she. 

A man says a boy needs to learn “tricks” to earn money. 

A man gently kisses a young woman after asking her if he can. They kiss more, his hands in her hair, her grabbing him tight, their tongues touching. 

When drunk, a young man kisses a young man, using tongue.

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

A man smacks a young woman, she falls. 

A young woman was placed in a cell for bad behavior and nearly died from dehydration as the man forgot about her for days. 

A father was previously hanged for something he didn’t do. 

A man shoots a gun at a young woman. 

A father drags a man out of a building for spilling on his daughter. His bloated body was found days later. 

A man has a jar with a young man’s eyeballs in it.  It was the young man’s punishment.

A young woman holds a knife to a man. He has a pistol aimed at her gut.  She maneuvers and holds a knife to his eye. 

A man attacks a young woman, landing on top of her. She kicks him in the groin.  He is stabbed, he convulses and dies, blood pooling. 

A man gives a girl a black eye for stealing food. 

A young woman stabs a man upwards in his belly to reach his heart. Blood soaks his shirt, he falls and dies, still staring at her. 

A man hits a boy with a walking stick, then kicks him in the stomach. 

A brother and sister are taken captive and tied. 

A young boy has been shot. Blood is pooled around his body, limbs awkward, lifeless eyes staring. A young girl’s body is found also, slumped with blood.

A young woman slits a man’s throat. A man and young woman fight with swords and knives. 

Potentially Intense Themes

A man had previously fallen from a ship’s mast and died, crunching bones on the way down and leaving a blood stain on deck. 

A man tells his crew to not help a man that is overboard. 

An illness called ash fever is taking over a city. It is eventually fatal.

Men, sometimes parents, sell children to labor for years. Most are abused in some way, a lot die. 

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.