Fantasy

On These Black Sands

On These Black Sands

  • Downloads：6042
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-03 07:51:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Vanessa Rasanen
  • ISBN：1732765227
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

AN HEIR ON THE RUN

In one month， Aoife Cascade will turn twenty and take her seat on the Council of Cregah， an honor she’s been preparing for her whole life。 But when she lets a secret slip to her mother with devastating consequences， all her plans for the future crumble。 Believing her people to be better off without her， she flees Cregah， stowing away aboard a pirate ship bound for dangerous waters。

A PIRATE CAPTAIN WHO NEEDS HER HELP

Captain Declan McCallagh is young compared to the pirate lords， but after twelve years on the grueling sea， he has earned a well-respected ship and the attention of the lords， who’d like nothing better than to see his ruin。 All he wants is to leave the Aisling Sea—and his past—behind him。 But when his sister demands he find the enchanted dagger her rebel faction needs to overthrow the ruling Council， he’ll have to decide whether to cast off all family ties or take the perilous voyage to waters guarded by sirens， only passable with the help of the last remaining fae， currently imprisoned by the Council。

With murder and betrayal at every turn， can Aoife and Declan learn to rely on one another？ Or will the secrets they carry destroy their people—and each other？

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Reviews

Camille ，

This was such a good and quick read for me！ I picked this up because I saw it had pirates， fantasy and was enemies to lovers and that’s all I needed。 I was so happy that I did！When I first started reading it I found the main character， Aiofe， a bit annoying because of how naive she was but I came to really appreciate how the author wrote her because it paved the way for her growth throughout the book。 Unlike other books I’ve read， Aiofe is self-aware of her nativity and works to improve that。I a This was such a good and quick read for me！ I picked this up because I saw it had pirates， fantasy and was enemies to lovers and that’s all I needed。 I was so happy that I did！When I first started reading it I found the main character， Aiofe， a bit annoying because of how naive she was but I came to really appreciate how the author wrote her because it paved the way for her growth throughout the book。 Unlike other books I’ve read， Aiofe is self-aware of her nativity and works to improve that。I also love the world that the author has created。 One of the islands in the world is run only by women which becomes a huge focal point to the plot and I thought was really unique and interesting in how typically all male pirates responded to so long at a city run by females。The romantic relationship in this book had me smiling to myself so many times。 A bit of a slow burn but the author wrote it so well！ The relationship moved at a pace that made sense and Declan is completely swoon-worthy！！One issue I had with the book was that there were some topics that I wish the author spent a bit more time explaining。 Information that the characters seemed to know but was never revealed to the reader。 There was also an instance where an explanation was given for something but it still didn’t make sense on why it would have worked that way。 （Trying to explain this in a way that doesn’t give a spoiler）。Overall I loved reading this book and can’t wait for the next！！ That cliff-hanger thoooo 。。。more

Jessica ，

OH MY GOODNESS！！！ This book is so good！I loved every inch of it！Aoife and Declan were the most amazing characters！！ I loved them so much！！I am not sure how I am supposed to wait for the next book because aaahhhh it is going to be so hard！I highly recommend this book to anyone its so good！

bre ，

3。5

Jess Nipper ，

So August has been a month where endings have rocked my world！！ Excuse me， but what the heck？！ I have to wait an entire year for the next instalment？！ Unacceptable！！ I need more people to read this incredible book so I can fangirl appropriately！ Because this， this is definitely going in as one of my favourites of 2021， and possibly up there as a favourite series of all time！

Jaffa To Read& ，

I totally adored this book💯

Amy Braun ，

It's been so long since I read a pirate book， and this one ticked so many boxes！ While it wasn't quite what I expected， it did provide excellent prose and fantastic characters。 It told a complex story with two leads who could not be more opposite and opens up a world that will be filled with extra drama and adventure。 Aoife and Declan are fantastic。 Aoife is easy to relate to because she is so out of her depth。 She is vulnerable and uncertain of herself and doesn't have much to offer by way of s It's been so long since I read a pirate book， and this one ticked so many boxes！ While it wasn't quite what I expected， it did provide excellent prose and fantastic characters。 It told a complex story with two leads who could not be more opposite and opens up a world that will be filled with extra drama and adventure。 Aoife and Declan are fantastic。 Aoife is easy to relate to because she is so out of her depth。 She is vulnerable and uncertain of herself and doesn't have much to offer by way of sea-ship skills。 But this book is about her discovering the truth about her life and who she is as a person。 She is layered and fleshed out and I am excited to see where she goes next。Declan is amazing。 As morally grey as they come， but with a good heart at his core。 He is intelligent and focused， so seeing Aoife upend his life is a true joy。 I loved the detail put into him and watching him understand that he can dream for more in his life。 The world building is immersive and purposefully vague。 The characters act naturally and hints are given to the reader。 I still have a lot of questions， but I'm certain the author will clear them up in the next book。ON THESE BLACK SANDS is a bit slower than I expected。 If you're looking for epic sea battles and sword fights， they're not really here。 However， that doesn't take away from the rest of the book's merits。 In fact， if you're looking for a realistic journey as two characters explore their sudden connection and discover themselves， this is the book for you。 I loved it and can't wait to see where the next story takes us！ 。。。more

Paulina De Leon ，

Review:I was in the mood for a pirate book and this one kept popping up on bookstagram so I decided to give it a try （tbr be damned）。 I do not regret this decision at all。 I loved this story！ The way the relationship between Declan 😏 and Aoife evolved was such a wonderful journey。 And fair warning it is a SUPER slow burn。 I kinda hate and love it at the same time。 Hate that it’s so slow but love that it felt authentic。 This book made me laugh and it also made me cry。 And it made me curse when I Review:I was in the mood for a pirate book and this one kept popping up on bookstagram so I decided to give it a try （tbr be damned）。 I do not regret this decision at all。 I loved this story！ The way the relationship between Declan 😏 and Aoife evolved was such a wonderful journey。 And fair warning it is a SUPER slow burn。 I kinda hate and love it at the same time。 Hate that it’s so slow but love that it felt authentic。 This book made me laugh and it also made me cry。 And it made me curse when I realized I was near the end at a very pivotal point in the story （can you say massive cliffhanger？）， and curse again when I turned the page to see the story continues in 2022 😫。 I will definitely keep an eye out for the next installment in the Aisling Sea series。Synopsis: Aoife is heir to a seat on the Council of Cregah。 But when a slip of the tongue causes irreparable damage and brings her life crumbling around her she flees and stows away on a pirate ship。 Little does she know she has landed on the Siren’s Song， a ship with a dashing captain with a notorious reputation。 Declan has plans to retrieve an enchanted dagger to free himself from the Council， but his sister wants it to overthrow the very council Aoife once stood to rule in。 Wanting nothing to do with a council heir but unable to decline her aid， they journey together to retrieve the dagger with a tentative alliance。 。。。more

Morgan Gauthier ，

Ok， let's talk about pirates。 I loved every bit of this book。 The ending honestly has me shook and I need the sequel asap。 This was a great NA debut。 The characters were greatly developed and had me wanting to have a beer with them。 The main character Aoife was extremely relatable and was a breath of fresh air for a female protagonist。 Of course， I'm a huge fan of Declan but Tommy has my utter devotion。 Vanessa is super talented and I know she's got amazing adventures planned for the rest of the Ok， let's talk about pirates。 I loved every bit of this book。 The ending honestly has me shook and I need the sequel asap。 This was a great NA debut。 The characters were greatly developed and had me wanting to have a beer with them。 The main character Aoife was extremely relatable and was a breath of fresh air for a female protagonist。 Of course， I'm a huge fan of Declan but Tommy has my utter devotion。 Vanessa is super talented and I know she's got amazing adventures planned for the rest of the series。 If you haven't read it， you need to！ 。。。more

Julie Janis ，

A solid pirate story！ I enjoyed the characters， overall plot， and little elements in it， such as the banter， slow burn and swoony romance， and snark。 I thought it was interesting that fae were brought into a pirate story。 Very unique。 I'm intrigued with where the story is headed。 A solid pirate story！ I enjoyed the characters， overall plot， and little elements in it， such as the banter， slow burn and swoony romance， and snark。 I thought it was interesting that fae were brought into a pirate story。 Very unique。 I'm intrigued with where the story is headed。 。。。more

Ashley Haas ，

Pirates！！ Need I say more？！I am a real sucker for any pirate book， so obviously I loved reading this。 One of my top favorite pirate books is Fable。 Fable and this book are basically the same book with a few differences。 They both have…- Female MC running away from someone- MC trying to find passage on a pirate ship- MC finding a hot pirate captain and persuades him to let her on the ship - MC has complicated parental relationships - Hot pirate captain has a secret- Captain also has his own missi Pirates！！ Need I say more？！I am a real sucker for any pirate book， so obviously I loved reading this。 One of my top favorite pirate books is Fable。 Fable and this book are basically the same book with a few differences。 They both have…- Female MC running away from someone- MC trying to find passage on a pirate ship- MC finding a hot pirate captain and persuades him to let her on the ship - MC has complicated parental relationships - Hot pirate captain has a secret- Captain also has his own mission to accomplishSee？ Basically the same book。 I still loved it though！ Told ya I was a sucker for pirate books。 🤷🏼‍♀️❤️ 。。。more

Micheline Ryckman ，

This novel is what I’d call a savoury， slow-burn romance。 If you like books that build more slowly and are driven by character and relationship then this story is perfect for you！

LeahLovesToRead ，

I’d been anticipating this book so highly ever since I first heard of it， that when it came， honestly， I didn’t want to read it。 I was afraid it wouldn’t be able to live up to my expectations。 Thankfully， I still opened this book because it was a definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me！ Vanessa has crafted an incredible pirate story here that had me captivated from the first chapter and that will stay with me for a long time。 Have you ever read a book， and while reading it， you could tell that it would becom I’d been anticipating this book so highly ever since I first heard of it， that when it came， honestly， I didn’t want to read it。 I was afraid it wouldn’t be able to live up to my expectations。 Thankfully， I still opened this book because it was a definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me！ Vanessa has crafted an incredible pirate story here that had me captivated from the first chapter and that will stay with me for a long time。 Have you ever read a book， and while reading it， you could tell that it would become one of your comfort reads？ That is how I felt reading this book。 I’m definitely having a book hangover due to the ending， but honestly， I 100% support the cliffhanger here！ Because you know what？ I already know I will be pre-ordering the next book as soon as I can！ For the reader who wants to live a thousand adventures， loves a snarky pirate， and falls in love everyday， this is the book for you。 。。。more

Franjessca ，

Full Review posted at A Book Lovin' Mama's BlogThis book doesn’t have steam in it。 aIt does have a long-waited kissing scene。 I had been waiting patiently for this scene to happen。 I would consider this book a very slow burn with the main characters。Overall， On These Black Sands receives 4。5 stars from me。 I look forward to diving into the next book when it releases。 I know this is one book that I will be reading again and again。Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Aisling series， and Full Review posted at A Book Lovin' Mama's BlogThis book doesn’t have steam in it。 aIt does have a long-waited kissing scene。 I had been waiting patiently for this scene to happen。 I would consider this book a very slow burn with the main characters。Overall， On These Black Sands receives 4。5 stars from me。 I look forward to diving into the next book when it releases。 I know this is one book that I will be reading again and again。Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Aisling series， and I would recommend reading in order。Cliffhanger: Yes。Would I recommend this book？ Yes。 If you like books with pirates， fae， and adventure， then this book is for you。 。。。more

Nicole ，

Fun， and exciting！ This is a fun read about snarky pirates， and a slow burn romance。 Well done， I love a good pirate story！

Maria ，

i have mixed feelings about this book。 it definitely has potential， i liked the story and the world， but oh my， was it infuriating to read in places。i felt like the book was too long for the amount of things happening。 mostly the first two thirds were slow， then it kinda picked up pace。 the end was pretty good， made me interested in the sequel。 but i felt like there was way too much inner monologue that was often repetitive and way too little dialogue or action。 what was driving me crazy was mos i have mixed feelings about this book。 it definitely has potential， i liked the story and the world， but oh my， was it infuriating to read in places。i felt like the book was too long for the amount of things happening。 mostly the first two thirds were slow， then it kinda picked up pace。 the end was pretty good， made me interested in the sequel。 but i felt like there was way too much inner monologue that was often repetitive and way too little dialogue or action。 what was driving me crazy was mostly declan's inner monologue beating around the bush of what happened/what he did until the moment it was said out loud basically， even though the reader must have picked up on it long ago。 like trying to keep a secret that everyone already knows about。 i actually felt like that， as if i was missing way too much information for a bit too long， most of the book。i get that aoife is quite young （although not as young as in other YA works） and i would be willing to admit that i got spoiled with overly mature young characters in other series， but please， bestie， can you try to use your brain more？ i mean， she definitely did in like the last third， but boi， did it take her a long time to get there。 sure， i probably wouldn't survive in a world like that， but i'd like to think i had a little more common sense when i was 20。 declan was more okay， even really enjoyable when he was talking。what i really liked was the depiction of pirate life and sailing， that felt very realistic， more so than some other books i've read that had a little piracy in them （but it's not like i'm an expert）。 overall， i got invested in the story and now i want to know what happens next， but i really hope the next book will feel easier to read。 。。。more

Aline ，

Though the first few chapters intrigued me， I never expected this story to hook me the way it did。 The story of Aoife and Declan is one full of adventure， and I can hardly believe I’ll have to wait another year before I can read the sequel。It doesn’t happen often that I really like the main characters of a book - I usually tend to consider them a bit obnoxious and naturally gravitate towards the side characters。In OTBS， however， each and every one of the characters is brilliantly thought through Though the first few chapters intrigued me， I never expected this story to hook me the way it did。 The story of Aoife and Declan is one full of adventure， and I can hardly believe I’ll have to wait another year before I can read the sequel。It doesn’t happen often that I really like the main characters of a book - I usually tend to consider them a bit obnoxious and naturally gravitate towards the side characters。In OTBS， however， each and every one of the characters is brilliantly thought through and written。I’m looking forward to reading the next part of this adventure next year。 。。。more

Cassie Mesarchik ，

This book was sooo good！！ I loved the world。 Also， the map is absolutely stunning！ I loved the descriptions of both Cregah and Foxhaven。 Both places are quite unique and interesting。 I adore Aofie！ She is so awkward， but it is what makes her charming！ And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the mental health rep in this book。 Aofie suffers from anxiety and panic attacks。 As an anxiety sufferer， I appreciate how Aofie's anxiety is portrayed realistically， but also how the author paints the picture that her anxiety This book was sooo good！！ I loved the world。 Also， the map is absolutely stunning！ I loved the descriptions of both Cregah and Foxhaven。 Both places are quite unique and interesting。 I adore Aofie！ She is so awkward， but it is what makes her charming！ And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the mental health rep in this book。 Aofie suffers from anxiety and panic attacks。 As an anxiety sufferer， I appreciate how Aofie's anxiety is portrayed realistically， but also how the author paints the picture that her anxiety does not define her nor is she less than because of her anxiety。 I just love the rep so much！ I also love the cast of characters。 Declan is my favorite pirate captain。 He is snarky and tough， but he has such a big heart underneath it all！ The relationship between Aofie and Declan is my favorite！ And I adore Tommy。 I really hope we learn more about him in the next book。 I really just enjoyed this book。 It is such a fun pirate adventure！ I cannot wait for book 2！！ （The cliffhanger at the end was a bit brutal！） 。。。more

Jess Schmit ，

This was a stunning pirate read！ I absolutely loved this story and these characters and I highly recommend this one！The world building was robust， the anxiety rep was flawless， and the characters must be protected at all costs！Pick this one up if you like:- Snarky banter- Pirates！- Slow burn romance- Morally gray characters- Fun world building

RachelElizabeth ，

I was really excited to read this book when I heard about。 Pirates？ Hate to Love？ A Quest？ Fun Cast of Characters？ All things I love in a fantasy。 I really enjoyed learning about this world， the magic， the politics of it all。 I feel that there is still room to explore especially with the fae and the history of Morshan。 Also with the Rogues， I want to see more of that and the people who are part of it。 Just generally how they operate and their place in Morshan。 Are they a well-known rebel group？ I was really excited to read this book when I heard about。 Pirates？ Hate to Love？ A Quest？ Fun Cast of Characters？ All things I love in a fantasy。 I really enjoyed learning about this world， the magic， the politics of it all。 I feel that there is still room to explore especially with the fae and the history of Morshan。 Also with the Rogues， I want to see more of that and the people who are part of it。 Just generally how they operate and their place in Morshan。 Are they a well-known rebel group？ How long have they’ve been around？ Will Aoife and co join with them in the second book？ I loved the banter between Aoife and Declan， their relationship， and how they support each other。 I also appreciate the duel POV （I’m ignoring Cait’s chapters） as it allowed us to understand these characters more and to have the classic “the love is requited， they are just idiots” which is my favorite。 I really didn’t like the predictability of this book。 There were a lot of glaringly obvious secrets in this novel。 When the reveals happened， it really wasn’t anything shocking。 。。。more

Hannah ，

I overall enjoyed this book！ I LOVE reading books that take place on the water。 The NA cliches of plot and language got to me though。

Marie-Lyne （Gonewithflynn） ，

Admittedly， I found this one a little slow at some parts and found some of the MCs internal monologs to be a tad repetitive but wowwee does that book pick up speed towards the end！ 😂 And am I ever left in emotional turmoil！！！ You can't give me a yummy love interest like that and leave me on such a cliffhanger ！！！ What am I supposed to do while waiting for book two！？ 😳If you're into pirate fantasies， books with fae， slowww burn romance， sheltered/naive MC's and morally grey characters - pick this Admittedly， I found this one a little slow at some parts and found some of the MCs internal monologs to be a tad repetitive but wowwee does that book pick up speed towards the end！ 😂 And am I ever left in emotional turmoil！！！ You can't give me a yummy love interest like that and leave me on such a cliffhanger ！！！ What am I supposed to do while waiting for book two！？ 😳If you're into pirate fantasies， books with fae， slowww burn romance， sheltered/naive MC's and morally grey characters - pick this one up！ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐。75/5CW: Violence， death， alcohol consumption。A huge thank you to Vanessa Rasanen and Book of Matches Media for the arc in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Sophie's Reading Corner ，

It had been a while since I read a book with pirates， so I was very excited when I picked this up！ Add a runaway heir and a slow burn romance with one bed trope is made！ 😍Of course there are more than that。 Lots of suspense， adventure， secrets， awesome secondary characters （Tommy is definitely my favorite！）。 Also， the chemistry， the banter， the dialogues！ There's also a beautiful map and a pronunciation guide that I really appreciated， because I wouldn't be able to pronounce the heroine's name （ It had been a while since I read a book with pirates， so I was very excited when I picked this up！ Add a runaway heir and a slow burn romance with one bed trope is made！ 😍Of course there are more than that。 Lots of suspense， adventure， secrets， awesome secondary characters （Tommy is definitely my favorite！）。 Also， the chemistry， the banter， the dialogues！ There's also a beautiful map and a pronunciation guide that I really appreciated， because I wouldn't be able to pronounce the heroine's name （Aoife - EE-fuh）。 If you're craving NA fantasy， pick this up！ I can't wait for the continuation after that ending too！！ 😰PS: Fun fact: there's a place in the book called Helles and Greece is normally called Hellas 😁 。。。more

Rachel ，

This book is SUCH a fun time！ I was a little bit hesitant about it because I kept reading reviews that said "this book destroyed me，" and I honestly am not particularly a fan of books that leave me feeling destroyed。 However， happily， On These Black Sands did NOT destroy me。 It did leave me reeeeeeally wanting more， but I know Vanessa Rasanen is working on book two already， so I will be patient :-D I am confident it will be worth it。One of my favorite things about this book is how the heroine， A This book is SUCH a fun time！ I was a little bit hesitant about it because I kept reading reviews that said "this book destroyed me，" and I honestly am not particularly a fan of books that leave me feeling destroyed。 However， happily， On These Black Sands did NOT destroy me。 It did leave me reeeeeeally wanting more， but I know Vanessa Rasanen is working on book two already， so I will be patient :-D I am confident it will be worth it。One of my favorite things about this book is how the heroine， Aoife， never quite knows what she should do。 She's an adult， but she's not great at things like quick decisions or understanding people， and that was very relatable for me。 Also， she suffers from panic attacks， and I was really interested in seeing how those can affect a person， and also how other characters respond to them in both good and bad ways。 I think it's important to help people like me， who haven't endured a panic attack， to understand how that feels and how to help cope with them。 And what doesn't help。 。。。more

Emily L ，

Loved all the twists and turns！ Can't wait for book 2！ Loved all the twists and turns！ Can't wait for book 2！ 。。。more

Sarah ，

On These Black Sands is a New Adult fantasy that follows Aoife， a runaway heir， and Declan， a pirate captain， as they reluctantly team up to find an enchanted dagger。 I had such a great time reading this book！ I absolutely love pirate stories， and I’ve been craving a good one for a few months。 This one definitely satisfied my craving！ It was fantastic！ It was a really exciting read and I fell in love with the characters。 If you like pirates， political intrigue， snarky characters， and slow burn r On These Black Sands is a New Adult fantasy that follows Aoife， a runaway heir， and Declan， a pirate captain， as they reluctantly team up to find an enchanted dagger。 I had such a great time reading this book！ I absolutely love pirate stories， and I’ve been craving a good one for a few months。 This one definitely satisfied my craving！ It was fantastic！ It was a really exciting read and I fell in love with the characters。 If you like pirates， political intrigue， snarky characters， and slow burn romance I definitely recommend picking this one up。 I can’t wait to continue the series 。。。more

Christine Manzari ，

A slow burn romance with pirates， fae， betrayal， and a tricky little plot twist。

Meghan Smart ，

Officially 3。75 stars…I ended up enjoying this book- I think the plot line is fun and interesting， and the world building has enough meat that it is believable and imaginable。 I thought that the character development lacks some depth。 There’s also some definite insta-love happening， which I’ve enjoyed in some books， but this one felt a little forced。 I also thought that the language used was a weird mix of “contemporary teen” and “serious high fantasy。” Good as a YA to recommend to my students。

Hope ，

My reaction when I realized that this was NOT a standalone but the first book in a series and it ended on a nasty cliffhanger:The last 10% of the book was basically daggers pointed at my heart。Having to wait an entire year for the second book。 My reaction when I realized that this was NOT a standalone but the first book in a series and it ended on a nasty cliffhanger:The last 10% of the book was basically daggers pointed at my heart。Having to wait an entire year for the second book。 。。。more

Maria ，

A fun pirate adventure with a bit of romance， dash of fantasy， and an Irish flavor。 The characters were fun to get to know。 A bit of epic fantasy here too， as the good-vs-evil struggle unfolds， and you will have to wait for the second book to continue the adventure （pout！）

Mia Prevo ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book but the last 1/4 felt rushed and very ~sappy。 Does he love me？…Does she love me？…I felt like they barely had enough interaction or time to get to know each other to call it love。 And that cliffhanger…bruh。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=On These Black Sands

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=On These Black Sands&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,On These Black Sands&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0