Book Review #80: Aquosvegna: The Trident of Power by Mayumi Cruz

Hello Dear Reader!

Welcome to another indie book review on a book written by the lovely Mayumi Cruz! I reviewed the prequel of this book a while back, and I’m really happy I did! It gave quite a bit of context a to what happened in The Trident of Power.

But before I get into the review, here’s the back-cover summary: (from Goodreads)

A sea witch's curse.

An unforgivable crime.

A kingdom torn asunder.

Aquosvegna, the water kingdom, rules over all waters, above and under land. Its king sits on his throne, wielding his powerful trident to maintain peace over his domain. All water creatures are bound to him in allegiance and loyalty. It has been so since the beginning of time.

But when a prince of lesser lineage rises to claim the throne, an unthinkable deed--concealed for years--is uncovered. And with it, the wheels of motion unravel a terrifying curse: a curse that can annihilate them all, or make them ruler over land, water, and all creation.

The Trident.

The Trident is a three-pronged spear, said to be forged from the Earth’s solid inner core. It is composed of the deadliest, most powerful elements combined with a mysterious, unknown component of the waters deep under the Mariana Trench, the source of which had always been undisclosed.

The King.

Through the Trident, the King of Aquosvegna holds dominion over all waters as well as all the creatures of it. It heeds and grants his every wish and command. The powers of the Trident are such that he can control, influence and subdue every single drop of liquid and every organism included in his domain.

The Deception.

But when the echo of Atlantica’s Queen goes missing—a dolphin—a series of events lead to a shocking discovery: the Trident they all knew is not what it is.

And so is the King who wields it.

On to the review!

The Trident of Power is a great mix of fantasy, mystery, and adventure, putting a unique twist on the usual underwater communities and water-folk you see depicted in books and other forms of art. It’s a very unique world, consisting of both unfamiliar and familiar items and locations such Atlantis and the trident. I also really love how the people of the ocean are depicted, with legs just like the people on land and gills that close so they can breathe air into their lungs when they’re above the water.

This book features different stories centering around different protagonists, such as the hot-headed royal cousin Jarl, the sweet and adventurous Aldoz, and the king of Aquosvegna Leif. I really enjoyed reading their individual stories and getting to know the side characters supporting them. My personal favorite parts involved Aldoz as he gets swept off by a water tornado into his own adventure involving an intelligent, powerful witch.

Though I enjoyed reading this book, there were a few things that stuck out to me during my time with it. I feel like if I hadn’t read the prequel story, Ione: A Sea Witch’s Tale, I would’ve been more confused than I already was. The Trident of Power references its prequel quite a few times, but never really fully explains the sequence of events. The prequel brings a TON of context to the events of this book, and is, in my opinion, required to fully understand the story.

Certain parts of the book also felt a bit rushed and clunky to me, and there were other parts that had a bit of info-dumping, typically within character dialogue. I felt like there was more talking than there was doing, but that could just be my personal perception of the story itself.

Despite these things, I did find this book to be an enjoyable read, and I’m looking forward to what happens in the sequel!

So, Aquosvegna: The Trident of Power rating:

3.75/5 and highly recommend if you like a nice twist on underwater civilizations and a story of magic and mystery.

Thanks for reading!