Whisper of the Tide (Song of the Current #2) by Sarah Tolcser
ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley for a fair review.
“A ship was not meant to sit at anchor in the harbor, and neither was I.”*
*Quote is from an unproofed ARC and may be different or omitted in final print.
Join Caro as her adventure continues with the emparch, Markos, who is continuously being attacked as he attempts to get his country back. Caro starts to question who she is and her purpose as she struggles with the idea of being emparchess and parting with the sea. This swashbuckling romance will keep you turning pages to the very end.
The Story
From the very first chapter till the end I loved following Caro as she discovers who she is and what she really wants to do with her life. I couldn’t help cheering Caro on while she struggled with her star crossed love life that just didn’t want to be harmonious with her sea life.
Even though much of the story the characters were struggling to just stay alive or were fleeing capture, the story still had a plot and direction. If you’re looking for an action packed pirate adventure then I would say check this series out. Between the love story, actual pirating, a treasure map, and being cast away on the island you are sure to be entertained the whole way through.
The World Building
There is so much more ship jargon in this book. I loved it in the first book with the wherries, and I loved it again in this book. It’s not an overwhelming amount that if you don’t know the directions on a boat that you wouldn’t be able to understand, but having the language there helped bring the feel of the ship to life.
It was fun to learn a little bit more about the favoritism of the various gods, but not to the point that it took away from the adventure. I love that the ocean god has a snarky attitude that fits with Caro’s.
We also get a little bit of fun with more of the shadow magic through Kente (winner of cousin of the year for being so faithful to Caro). Though at times I thought the shadow magic ended up being a little too convenient, I appreciated that it wasn’t 100% fool proof and that there were still obstacles that interfered with it’s capability.
The Characters
This book made me want to watch the first two Pirates of the Caribbean’s. You know when they were still good. The dynamic of Caro and Melanos just reminded me so much of Elizabeth Turner and Jack Sparrow.
I thought their trust/hate relationship really helped drive the story along, as you tried to decide if Melanos was going to be a bad guy or not by the end of the book. I was a nice way to keep you on your toes.
Caro has this selfishness that she has to overcome where all her decisions seem like they’re about what’s best for Markos, but at the same time she just wants a bit of everything. I loved that she just didn’t have everything figured out, and was willing to make some sacrifices in the end.
The Soundtrack
Eisley – Currents
