The Dark Tide

The Dark Tide
The Dark Tide Book One
Written by Alicia Jasinska
Fantasy, Witches, LGBT, Romance, Australian
Published June 2nd 2020
336 Pages
Thank you to Penguin Australia
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★★★★☆
Every year on St. Walpurga's Eve, Caldella’s Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking.

Convinced her handsome brother is going to be taken this year, Lina Kirk enlists the help of the mysterious Thomas Lin, her secret crush, and the only boy to ever escape from the palace after winning the love of a queen. Working together they protect her brother but draw the queen's attention.

Queen Eva cast away her heart when her sister died to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won't make the same mistake. With the tide rising higher than ever before and the islander's whispering that Eva's magic is failing, she's willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city.

When Thomas is chosen as sacrifice, Lina takes his place and the two girls are forced to spend time together as they wait for the full moon. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, the two girls find themselves falling for each other. As water floods Caldella’s streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice, they must choose who to save: themselves, each other, or the island city relying on them both.
The tides begin to rise over the city of Caldella as the eve of Saint Walpurga approaches, the Queen choosing a sacrifice to appease the dark tide.

Lina lives within the village of Caldella, a passionate performance artist who after an altercation with brother Finley, is unable to dance in the festivities. On the eve of Saint Walpurga, Finley evades Lina and despite pleading with her brother to remain at home, Finley escapes into the village to entertain the revellers. Lina and Finley have an interesting sibling relationship, Lina tolerates his temper and possessive arrogance and Finley indulges in the attention of the villagers. Lina is a capable young woman and although she exudes confidence while performing, she is subservient within their sibling relationship.

Throughout the township, Eva and her companions meander the streets in search for a sacrifice, luring an unsuspecting young man back to the palace where he will be sacrificed to the dark, rising tide. Eva is the new Witch Queen, inheriting the title from her late sister, a Queen who sacrificed herself to the tides after finding love with villager Thomas. Thomas returned home to his family and now Eva is seeking retribution. Eva is a formidable young woman, fierce, determined and effortlessly debonair in her pantsuits, until Lina volunteers as the dark tide sacrifice to save Thomas, her beloved.

The final day of the winter season and the eve of Saint Walpurga, the village of Caldella is illuminated under the enchantment of the festivities, witches converse with villagers. The enchanting Caldella is reminiscent of the idyllic waterways of Venice, romantic and romanesque. Emerging over the village is the palatial home of the reigning Queen, where Thomas is being held as a sacrifice, Caldella is beautifully illustrated throughout The Dark Tide, a community swelling with liveliness and vivacity.

Lina and Eva are characters of contrast, Lina is compassionate and considerate, Eva is brusque and detached and although Lina is held captive as the dark tide sacrifice, their attraction is smouldering. As the narrative progresses, Lina and Eva blossom and flourish as individuals. Lina's confidence and fortitude is a beautiful aspect of her journey of discovery and self realisation, discarding her naivety and desperation to please others. Eva is conflicted by her ambivalence, undermined by her closest adviser, the village community and herself, believing the dark tide has been enraged by the sacrifice of her sister and former Queen.

The Dark Tide is formidable and meticulously imagined, a mesmerising read of sacrifice and redemption, atmospheric and beautifully lyrical. Alicia Jasinska has created an exquisite debut novel, unequivocally enchanting. 

17 comments

  1. Now this has me all kinds of interested. I hadn't even heard of this one before (no surprise, you always manage to review new to me books) but now I'm questioning why not. I was a little wary so much was revealed in the books summary (like movie trailers I like a few surprises, don't give me the whole plot before I even read) but I love the sound of the opposite personalities of Lina and Eva. Lina's there trying to save her brother and then to save Thomas and Eva is doing as she must to avoid her sister's mistakes. I can see these two growing closer quickly as they realise there i more to them than expected. Especially as Eva falls in love, something she probably views her sister doing and being a mistake. Also, witches, who doesn't love a book with witches? I am buying this as soon as I can.

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    1. It was utterly brilliant and so beautifully written. The romance isn't overwhelming and develops as a smouldering attraction between Lina and Eva. You'll absolutely love this one, guaranteed!

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  2. Whew. What a read this is -- Lina and Eva sound like complex and formidable characters faced with a difficult choice (to say the least). Great review, Kelly. These characters really have grabbed my attention.

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    1. There's something incredibly fairytale - esk about The Dark Tide, it's beautifully written and wonderfully atmospheric. A village surrounded by water and canals, the romance amongst the magic, it's stunning!

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  3. Oooh this sounds super intense!!

    Nice to have you back too {hugs}.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. Thanks Karen and thank you for your support, it's been invaluable and healing.

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  4. The writing in this is SO BEAUTIFUL!! I just wanted to lie down in it and admire that atmospheric writing 😍 I wanted a bit more depth with the characters, but overall it was so lovely and I can't wait for the author's next book whenever it might be!!

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    1. Wasn't it just! I think book two will probably focus more on character relationships and development, I hope! I completely fell in love with the writing and it captivated me entirely, was difficult to put this one down and read long into the night!

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  5. Welcome back!!! And is this a new design? (I like it) Between what I learned in your review and the synopsis, I am thinking Lina discovered quite a few things about herself. I love when the female characters dominate a story and it sounds like these two were more than capable of making this a fantastic tale.

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    1. Thanks darling. Still the same design but have been thinking about a bit of a tweak, so you might have caught me playing with the CSS.

      It's absolutely brilliant, such a wonderfully atmospheric and entertaining read. You'll enjoy this one!

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  6. I've had this one on my TBR for ages, but I've been nervous about reading it. People either love it or hate it, and I'm worried I'll fall into the latter category. However, I really like atmospheric books, so... decisions of a reader! ;)

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

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    1. I've seen a few mixed reviews for this one too but I absolutely I loved it! It's so beautifully written, definitely give it a try. I think it'll really surprise you. Would love to see what you think of it!

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  7. This one sounds so good! I have this on my TBR but your review really makes me excited to read it. The world building and the characters sound to be very well written!

    Tasya // The Literary Huntress

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    1. It;s brilliant Tasya and so lovely to see you again! How have you been darling? I can't wait for you to read this one and see what you think of it!

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  8. Wow this does sound good. The witches and the Venice- like setting... sounds very atmospheric. A debut novel too- nice.

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    1. It's one of those reads that will appeal to both young adult and adult readers, really looking forward to the next installment!

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  9. Oh, this one looks exciting. I'll have to see if we have it at work, and if not let the kids'/teen selector know they missed one!

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