A review by nerdynatreads
The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 Alrighty, so first and foremost, I love that this has some real-world cultural basis, with the book starting on Saint Walpurgis Eve, but I really love the fantastical twist the author took with it by making it the night that the Witch Queen chooses a sacrifice to the tide. Also, turns out this has some basis in a Scottish folktale! The author herself calls it a loose retelling, but that just showcases to me more reason to like this book. 

I wasn’t expecting a sibling relationship (though a quite fraught one) to be at the forefront of this book as well, but I do like the arguments that are coming up because of it. Lina, one of our MCs, keeps calling out her brother for his double standards in wanting to protect her, but also putting himself in dangerous situations and being angry when she tries to protect him. Then on the opposite side, Eva, our witch, is still grieving the loss of her sister, the prior Witch Queen, even if her sister chose to sacrifice herself to save the boy she loved. She’s hurt, still unsure of her role as leader, and when the opportunity arises to get revenge on said boy, well, she can’t help herself. 

The magic system was funky, with the witches utilizing their own bodies and the sea for magic, then there’s a sinking island that only holds off when a human sacrifice is presented, so, y’know, pretty dark, but definitely has a fairytale feel to it. However, I do wish we’d get a bit more explanation behind this magic, especially since one of our main characters is a Witch. There wasn’t really much exploration of the world or the magic by the end. 

The writing itself flows easily and fast. I blasted through the first half of this book in no time and barely realized how far I was. I don’t think the writing is nearly as lyrical as some reviews led me to believe. It doesn’t match quite as well with the fairytale feel as I’d like. The pacing is also sort of wonky. For much of the first half, all events were taking place in a single night. Then, there’s a chapter change and it’s two weeks later? The latter half of the book also moved quickly but in a weird way. When the climax took off, I could see exactly where this was going and was correct. Things were still suspenseful and I didn’t expect a certain ally, but what I was gearing up for didn’t even happen on the page. There’s a time jump to 4 days later and Lina remembers the events, but that’s all. Pretty anti-climactic. 

Lina and Eva were so fun to watch interact. They’re both strong-headed women, Lina sassy, Eva dry and sarcastic, but Lina is a romantic and that is what caused much of the plot to unfold as it does. Eva doesn’t understand Lina’s feelings toward Thomas and undermines him every chance she gets. What I like, is though she seems cruel, she’s not toying with Lina— she’s being honest. Thomas might have feelings for Lina, but they sure aren’t nearly as deep, nor is he as strong as Lina. These two are definitely stereotypical extrovert meets stereotypical introvert, but I do like the nuances in both characters. The “relationship,” if you can even call it, was a slow burn (in as much as it can be with only 300 pages), but I actually wasn’t as convinced by their feelings as I wanted to be. Maybe a bit more for Eva, but not enough to be taken away with it. 

In the end, most of my complaints come down to the fact that this was a shorter YA book. If it had been built out a bit more, I think I would have really loved it.