Whisper of the Tide by Sarah Tolcser (Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Also by this author: Song of the Current
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on June 5th 2018
Genres: Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Love & Romance, Romance, Royalty, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 352
Caro has settled into a routine: Wake, eat breakfast, try to figure out who is going attempt to assassinate Markos today. The currents aren't exactly calm. Markos is in constant danger, and his claim to the Akhaian throne is largely unsupported. Without military strength he doesn't have a chance. Relief appears on the horizon when a powerful Archon wants to side with Markos in his fight for the throne. But in exchange for an army, Markos must marry the Archon’s daughter. They must decide which is more important: their love for each other or the fate of Akhaia. And Caro will have to decide if her destiny is to sail with the tide, or chart her own course.
With shipwrecks, lost treasure, old and new enemies, dark magic, and devastating romance, Sarah Tolcser weaves another epic story about chasing fate.
Whisper of the Tide is the next (and final) book in the Song of the Current duology by Sarah Tolcser and if you are looking for an action-packed story consider picking this series up. There are pirates, ship wrecks, swoons, and great characters in this one and I found it difficult to put this one down.
This book picks up shortly after Song of the Current wraps up and as Markos continues to try to gain support for his claim to the Akhaian throne, Caro is doing whatever she can to keep Markos alive. With continued threats on his life and no military support, things are definitely questionable for Markos but he wants to do what he feels is right for his people and with Caro at his side, he will continue on.
From the beginning of this book it is clear that Markos and Caro care for each other but they are also clearly from very different backgrounds and expectations. Caro is missing the water and her ship and with the hovering presence of the ocean goddess pushing her to do her bidding, I could feel an impatience in her. When an offer is presented to Markos that could truly help him get his throne, they both have to make a decision. This was the part that made me a little angry with Caro – she basically decided for both of them and while it felt like she was sacrificing her happiness, she was sacrificing Markos’ too.
As the story continues, Caro finds herself working with someone she never would have imagined from her past. I really enjoyed the buildup of this partnership and, like Caro, never knew whether Melanos was going to turn on her or not. There were a number of times where he actually came through for her and I never would have thought he would based on what I knew of him. While they work together to find a secret treasure, there are other forces they are up against because of who they are and what they have done.
There are a number of different pieces of this story that all eventually tie back to a connected storyline.  I don’t want to say much but there are some secret plots at work here that include each and every one of these characters, as well as some new ones. I really enjoyed how Tolcser eventually brought everything together and resolved them. No question, both Caro and Markos face off with dangerous throughout the entire book and I loved learning about all the connections.
The characters in this book are built out well and not only do we get some of my favorites from book one (Kente) but there are some new ones who show up and make a pretty big impact on our heroine and hero. Agnes, one of the new characters, wasn’t who I expected her to be so kudos to Tolcser on sneaking in that unexpected twist. Sorry to be so vague there, my friends, but I can’t say much on who she is and how she fits…just know that I’m not a fan. Of course, there’s Melanos. I won’t say he redeems himself, but I saw a different aspect to him in this book and thought it made him much more interesting.
In the end, this book gave me what I didn’t know I wanted with this series. While I enjoyed book one, I thought this one was slightly better and kept me turning the pages to see how things were going to end up for everyone. I’m not going to lie, there was a point that I wasn’t really sure where Tolcser was going to go next and it was getting really close to the end, so I was REALLY worried. With that said, things turned out as they should have (in my mind at least) so I was happy. If you’re looking for a book that will keep you turning the pages and is full of action, danger, and interesting characters, definitely check these books out. I’m looking forward to what Tolcser writes next!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.
Recent Comments