Whisper of the Tide (Song of the Current #2)
by,
Sarah Tolcser
Rating: 
SPOILERS FOR DAYZZZZZ
Goodreads summary:
Caro Oresteia spent her life waiting to be called by the river god, as those in her family had been for generations. But when she’s swept away on an adventure to save the Akhaian royal prince, Markos, her destiny is sealed by the sea god instead.
For now, Caro is landlocked, helping Markos reclaim his throne after nearly his entire family was assassinated in a political coup. Without any financial or military support, Markos is desperate for allies, and Caro has fought off more than one attempt on his life. When a powerful Archon offers his army in exchange for Markos’s marriage to his daughter, Caro must choose: Her love for Markos, or the fate of Akhaia? And more importantly: How much is she willing to risk to defy the sea god’s wishes and chart her own course?
With shipwrecks, lost treasure, old and new enemies, dark magic, and breathtaking romance, Sarah Tolcser weaves another epic story about chasing your fate.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
So……………….
So, I loved the first book. I thought it was fun and I loved how Caro was this strong female character who kicked ass. The pirate elements, the action, the badassery, and the surprises at every turn kept me at the edge of the seat. Also, I loved how Caro has brown skin and is depicted as a female of color! I do loooove diversity.
Yet……..
This book disappointed me. Yes, there were times were it was exciting, the writing was a quick pace that played well with the book, and i love the fantasy elements but Caro goes from this badass girl to a lovesick teen. Like I get it, it’s a YA novel (I think? Sex is mentioned but a lot of YA novels have been dipping in the erotica pool…)
Lack of Chemistry
Maybe because I haven’t reread the first book in awhile but I felt like there was a lack of chemistry between Markos and Caro. Markos is as pompous, insecure, and silly as usual and appeared even more so than usual. When he acts like this, it is a defence mechanism but in the first book, he was portrayed as a person who grew into his confidence and was noble and heroic with his actions but in this book, he is whiny and annoying. Markos doesn’t want to be Empirach (? Like c’mon, just say Emperor) but he attempts to find supporters for his army to take back his kingdom. To this, he must accept a marriage proposal, which he is willing to throw away for Caro. SPARE ME!
SPARE ME THE SAME OLD YA BS!
SPARE MEEEEEE! LIKE SERIOUSLY. You are going to throw away a crown for a person you’ve known for mere months. SPARE ME. Like I get it, it’s a YA romance novel but PLEASE. At 23 I can’t accept this nonsense anymore. It’s lazy writing to me. It would have been more interesting if he owned up to his duties rather than acted like a prepubescent weenie.
Okay, here comes the feminist rant:
Countdown!
3
2
1
Caro, I get it sweetie. Your boyfriend has to dump you to marry another girl-it would suck. But good God, Caro literally defies the Sea God and does everything but destroy herself to get back to him. Like even the Sea God thinks she was being silly for just not accepting it.
Why did Caro have to digress from this kick-ass independent girl to forlorn lovesick girl? Why can’t she be in love and not this silly character who throws away everything for love? For a guy you haven’t known for awhile. Why do female characters have to do EVERYTHING for their men but the guys just sit there and do nothing.
I honestly was angry reading her parts as she bemoaned Markos. LIKE I GET IT. Your first heartbreak is no joke but c’mon! The Sea God takes away all of your magic, leaves you stranded, all because you couldn’t let Markus marry another person to save his country. It’s not like he was like byeeeeeeee bishhhhh! He was doing it for a valuable reason. And even people were saying that she could be his mistress since she doesn’t want to be Emparichess (?). You DON’T EVEN WANT TO MARRY HIM SO WHY ARE YOU STROKING OUT?
Rant aside, I hope there is more growth with Diric in the next book-I thought there was someting building with Caro but they are just a lot alike and were just realizing it.
Other than all of that, the book is solid and I loved the world-building, the writing, the story, the originality of it. There are so many pirate stories now-a-days but the author sets herself apart.
Will I read the next book? Sure. Will I go out of my way to do so? Ehhhhhhh
Mecca-Amirah Jackson 