Item: The River Against the Sea
Author: Gina

The River Against the Sea by Z. Lindsey | Book Review ~ Excerpt ~ Meet the Author ~ $20 Gift Card Available |

@GoddessFish @Z.lindsey_fiction/ #NewAdult #Fantasy

A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.

Today is my stop on the Goddess Fish Book Promotion tour for The River Against the Sea by Z. Lindsey. I invite you to learn more about the book, meet the author, read an excerpt, and be sure you scroll to the bottom to enter the author’s giveaway.

Book Details

The River Against the Sea by Z. Lindsey
Published by Independent on December 18, 2023
Genres: Fiction, New Adult Fantasy
Format: eBook
Pages: 322

Some heroes have swords. Essimore Darkenchyl has a pen. But it’s a magic pen.

Some wizards have spellbooks. Essie has Gossen’s Guide to Shipping Law. But it’s a current edition.

Some sailors have . . . experience. Essie has a new diploma and a year-long contract, and her people have won wars with less.

And that’s good, because between stolen weapons, a coup, and a strange disease creeping in around her and the crew, she might need to win a war.

The River Against the Sea is the action-packed, sometimes silly, sometimes scary, occasionally apocalyptic story of a young everywoman (who happens to be a devil) adjusting to life outside of college. In a world that blends traditional fantasy with the Age of Exploration, Essie knows a pen is mightier than a sword, especially since hers sometimes shoots lightning.

But what she thinks is a routine political dispute turns out to be something much, much more, and she may have finally met the one problem she can’t talk her way out of.

Source: Goddess Fish Promotions

The River Against the Sea

Amazon Kindle Edition
Lindsey, Z. (Author)
English (Publication Language)
322 Pages - 12/18/2023 (Publication Date)

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Excerpt from The River Against the Sea

Essie cleared her throat. From her backpack, she removed the letter of service that granted her travel permission to sail on the ship. It was folded neatly into thirds, with a glittering blue wax seal on it.

“Essimore Darkenchyl at your service, sir. I’m your new fully licensed shipping coordinator with Power of the Pen. It’s an honor to be aboard.”

The captain took the letter without opening it, folded it in half with no regard for the beautiful wax seal, folded it messily again, and jammed it into his pocket. The whole time, Essie winced.

“Right-o.” As he smiled, the older man’s cheeks dimpled and his white teeth shined in the sun. “Well, I thought we were leaving without you, but here you are. Good on you. Great. Yeah.” The captain turned to the teenager at his side. “Grab her bag and get her stuff to her room. She can hang out there til dinner.”

As the teenager shouldered her bag and grunted, she and the captain looked at each other, the captain with his beaming smile. Once the teenager left, she said, “Thanks for welcoming me onto your ship.”

“Yeah. Fully licensed, you say?”

“Absolutely!”

“Okay. Have a nice one. See you at dinner.”

“Don’t we need to . . . uh . . . onboard?”

“You’re already on board. You managed that just fine.”

“But . . . signing things. Paperwork. Reviewing the staff log. Staff log, sir!”

The captain’s smile faded, but reappeared so fast she wasn’t sure if she’d seen it go.

“Okay, fine. Let’s talk in my cabin.”

Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.

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Purchase Links for The River Against the Sea

Amazon – OneLink for every country

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The River Against the Sea by Z Lindsey book cover — Click the link or image for more info

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My thoughts on The River Against the Sea

Lindsey’s “The River Against the Sea” is a delightful foray into the world of New Adult Fantasy, blending traditional fantasy elements with the Age of Exploration. The story centers around Essimore Darkenchyl, a unique everywoman with a devilish twist, armed not with a sword but with a magic pen that occasionally shoots lightning.

Lindsey’s world-building is a standout feature of the book, seamlessly blending traditional fantasy elements with the excitement and danger of the Age of Exploration. The author weaves a tapestry of odd details that enrich the narrative, bringing the story to life in a vivid and captivating manner. The result is an immersive experience that keeps readers hooked from start to finish.

The protagonist, Essie, is a completely engaging character, and Lindsey skillfully navigates the challenges of portraying a young devil adjusting to life outside of college. Essie’s journey is action-packed, sometimes silly, sometimes scary, and occasionally apocalyptic, making for a rollercoaster of emotions that captivate readers of all ages.

“The River Against the Sea” is not only an excellent fantasy adventure but also a humorous and witty tale filled with banter that adds a layer of entertainment for readers aged 12 and up. The novel successfully combines elements of humor with moments of tension, creating a well-rounded and enjoyable reading experience.

In conclusion

“The River Against the Sea” is a gem in the realm of New Adult Fantasy. Z. Lindsey’s masterful storytelling, excellent world-building, engaging characters, and a perfect blend of humor and tension make this a must-read for fantasy enthusiasts of all ages. Essie’s adventures are sure to leave readers eagerly anticipating more from this imaginative and talented author.

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!

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About Z. Lindsey

Z. Lindsey -

Zac Lindsey is an anthropologist and a linguist who focuses on the Maya people of Quintana Roo. Since childhood, he's had a not-so-secret love of weird, silly, and well-structured fantasy. When other people's parents were reading them picture books, his mom was reading him Terry Brooks. He typically writes hopeful and character-driven fantasy.

Today, he lives in Quintana Roo, Mexico with his wife, daughter, and various stray cats.

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Instagram

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Guest Post from Zac Lindsey, author of The River Against the Sea

Culinary Controversies: Dismantling Eurocentrism in fantasy food narratives

There was a feisty debate on a Facebook group I follow after a woman said her editor recommended she cut the word kimchi from her Korean-inspired fantasy. The explanation was that fantasy is unreal, so real foods should be avoided. Rather than use kimchi, she was advised to write out a description of the process or invent a new word.

But because fantasy is typically European-inspired, this creates a situation where only European foods are normalized in fantasy stories. For example, George Martin mentions meat pies in his stories. While pie crust has roots in Egypt, our idea of meat pies comes from European foodways, and the style of crust and the process of mincing and baking are European. If we can’t use the word kimchi, the word pie is also suspect.

This made me think of my stories. I say my works are serious plots with funny characters, but this isn’t entirely true. They can be funny because the world they live in is ruled by a complicated bureaucracy that is ripe for humorous misunderstandings. Sometimes I follow the rule of funny — realism can (sometimes) take a backseat to a good joke. For example, there is a joke in the third book of my current trilogy about inflation impacting the number of churros someone can buy.

The editor who complained about kimchi recommended the writer describe the creation process . . . but churros are choux pastry dough, which is also a regionally-specific method of pastry making. So to make my joke about churros costing more because of inflation, should I instead say “you used to be able to get six fried unleavened bread sticks with sugar on them for this price”? Uf, the joke sure loses its punch! I could make up a word, but then I need to waste words explaining it when the whole point was a one-sentence joke about inflation.

But using foods from other cultures can reinforce ugly stereotypes. A well-known example of this is the second Indiana Jones film, where Indian people eat monkey brains and live snakes. From a primarily vegetarian culture, this dinner choice is not only racist but absurd.

Fantasy has often included European-style food without a blink of an eye, so I think there are ways we can use foods from other cultures, even by name, as long as it’s done sensitively.

First, describing foods from other cultures as gross is a big no-no. If you’re going to use a real culture’s food that is not your own, don’t make it a gross-out situation. Menudo (a tripe stew) might be a bit weird to outsiders and many Mexicans, but as someone who wasn’t born in Mexico, I won’t use it for shock value in my books.

Second, eat it! If real food appears in your books, you should have eaten it. This is one reason the writer in the kimchi example was so frustrated: She apparently eats kimchi frequently. It wasted space to describe the production process rather than calling it kimchi and moving on, and it alienated a food that, to her, was normal.

Third, remember that food is often environmentally specific. My main character’s ancestors are inspired by a few cultures including Andean culture, so they eat llama jerky. But they don’t live in the mountains, they live in the desert near mountains. So they don’t eat freeze-dried potatoes. There’s no way to freeze things!

With all cultural traits, I recommend avoiding copy-paste. Don’t say, “My world is based on Korea, so naturally they’ll have kimchi.” Decide if the environment and the background supports things like kimchi. If the environment supports it, and if you’ve eaten it, and you’re not using it to gross out your readers, use it! If you still disagree with the use of the word kimchi, you better investigate pies, ciders, porridges, sandwiches, and a dozen other European foods and drinks that get a pass in fantasy too.