Take a photo of a barcode or cover
heartbrekker 's review for:
The Dark Tide
by Alicia Jasinska
This was an intriguing story set in a formidable natural landscape that threatens the citizens of a kingdom, which gradually has gotten worse.
This story, in many ways, reminds me of the damsel in distress trope, but instead of a woman locked away to be sacrificed- it's a man. Lina is our daring heroine, but she, honestly, gave me major naiveté. She runs constantly throughout this novel headfirst into danger and seems to only care about the boy she loves after he is taken. The first few chapters follow her trying to protect her brother, but that relationship falls away when she starts blaming her brother for the reason her "lover" is gone. He also is not actually Lina's lover either because their relationship is extremely insta-love based. She was certainly not my POV of choice, but her parts became more bearable once Queen Eva took a stroll into her life. Her lessons learned by the end did counteract the previous obnoxious behavior, but this book is so short that I couldn't really cut Lina slack. Truthfully, this book very much felt like a satire on old fairytales/ damsel in distress stories. I don't know maybe that was only me.
Anyway, the saving grace of this novel: Queen Eva. She was an enthralling character who suffers from the PTSD of #1 her older sister's (previous queen) death #2 not quenching the villainous tide #3 failure to her people- who also kinda hate her now. I completely understood where she was coming from in her pain. Eva likes to lash out at those around her, but it was so nice to see her have some core relationships to support and help her during this troubling time. I also think her decision at the end- albeit I saw it coming- was perfect. I was applauding this queen until the end of her days. It was a full circle moment that I appreciated. I only wish I didn't see it coming because it's a shocker.
Overall, I think this book was strong in many attributes. The messages it holds around tradition and order were ones most fairytales need to hear. Fate does not define a person- or kingdom- to its whims, but you must be strong enough to make those changes yourself into your own fate. The major downfall was how short it was. I think if characters, setting, and lead-up to the events were further elaborated then this could've been a fantastic book. I just wanted more and did not receive that.
Thank you SourceBooks for sending me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This story, in many ways, reminds me of the damsel in distress trope, but instead of a woman locked away to be sacrificed- it's a man. Lina is our daring heroine, but she, honestly, gave me major naiveté. She runs constantly throughout this novel headfirst into danger and seems to only care about the boy she loves after he is taken. The first few chapters follow her trying to protect her brother, but that relationship falls away when she starts blaming her brother for the reason her "lover" is gone. He also is not actually Lina's lover either because their relationship is extremely insta-love based. She was certainly not my POV of choice, but her parts became more bearable once Queen Eva took a stroll into her life. Her lessons learned by the end did counteract the previous obnoxious behavior, but this book is so short that I couldn't really cut Lina slack. Truthfully, this book very much felt like a satire on old fairytales/ damsel in distress stories. I don't know maybe that was only me.
Anyway, the saving grace of this novel: Queen Eva. She was an enthralling character who suffers from the PTSD of #1 her older sister's (previous queen) death #2 not quenching the villainous tide #3 failure to her people- who also kinda hate her now. I completely understood where she was coming from in her pain. Eva likes to lash out at those around her, but it was so nice to see her have some core relationships to support and help her during this troubling time. I also think her decision at the end- albeit I saw it coming- was perfect. I was applauding this queen until the end of her days. It was a full circle moment that I appreciated. I only wish I didn't see it coming because it's a shocker.
Overall, I think this book was strong in many attributes. The messages it holds around tradition and order were ones most fairytales need to hear. Fate does not define a person- or kingdom- to its whims, but you must be strong enough to make those changes yourself into your own fate. The major downfall was how short it was. I think if characters, setting, and lead-up to the events were further elaborated then this could've been a fantastic book. I just wanted more and did not receive that.
Thank you SourceBooks for sending me an ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.