A Kiss of Salt & Sea

Darkstone Academy, Book 1

By: Bliss Devlin

Narrated by: Beth Roeg, Hugo Locke

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

I'm alone, far from home, and surrounded by dangerous enemies.

My name is Jacinthe. I'm the orphaned daughter of a powerful witch healer, but I was born without any magic of my own. I want revenge on the evil stepfather who sold me into slavery.

But first, I have to survive toiling in the kitchens at the Darkstone Academy for Magical Arts. The human students here are the rejects from other academies, out-of-control psycho mages. And then there are the supernaturals. They hate humans and aren't shy about showing it.

But then I meet three powerful supernatural guys who don't want to be here either. They will do anything to keep Darkstone Academy from breaking me.

As students and supernaturals begin dying all around us, I'm plunged into a vortex of murder and political intrigue. Are my new protectors the solution to the problem... or the cause?

©2023 Bliss Devlin (P)2023 Bliss Devlin

Seems to be an interesting twist on a Cinderella

I have started to listen to these books and have found myself fascinated by the story. I have always enjoyed fairy tale retellings and the synopsis of the book led me to believe it had the making of a Cinderella type story. However the author has built a much more complex world for this series and I cannot wait for her to finish the series.

Jacinthe is the main character, She is living with her step-father while her mother and half sisters are heading to the Imperial Academy to enroll. She was told she has no magic which is why she has not enrolled into an academy herself. They were told that her mother's ship was lost at sea with no survivors, and not even a week later, her step-father is now engaged to her mothers rival. The new family treat her little better that a servant until the day that her step-father tries to sell her into indentured servitude. He lied to the officials and wound up having to pay a steep fine, yet Jacinthe still became a servant heading off to Darkstone Academy. At least there she hopes they will treat her better that her step family did.

Upon boarding the ship she gets put in charge of the younger children who are also indentured to Darkstone. She also winds up befriending a Merfolk Lord against the advise of the ship captain. Arriving at the Academy it seems rumors abound about her friendship with the merfolk lord and she begins to feel ostracized by every but the children who arrived on the boat with them and the other "Monsters" that are being held as political prisoners'.

I don't want to go into more detail than that without giving away too many spoilers of the book but I would definitely give this a listen to.

Loved it

A great story. I really liked the characters and their stories. The narration was great too, can't wait for book 2.