The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska
"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.
Lina Kirk is convinced her brother is going to be taken this year. To save him, she enlists the help of Thomas Lin, the boy she secretly loves, and the only person to ever escape from the palace. But they draw the queen's attention, and Thomas is chosen as the sacrifice.
Queen Eva watched her sister die to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won't make the same mistake. She's willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city.
When Lina offers herself to the queen in exchange for Thomas's freedom, the two girls await the full moon together. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, they 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."
“Our love keeps us from drowning”
― Alicia Jasinska, The Dark Tide
The Dark Tide is Alicia Jasisnska's debut novel. I received this book from Rainbow Crate's August box. I didn't know much going in, just that it was a wlw YA fantasy. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! This book was so very good. I've read some people compare it to a Beauty & the Beast type story, which feels fitting. It's told from the point of view of Lina, an islander, and Eva, the witch queen of the island. The contrast in voices was very interesting and there were touches of magic everywhere you turned in this book. I wanted to walk around Caldella and explore it's magic for myself.
The love story in this was wonderful and awkward at times and I really appreciated it. It didn't feel like it came out of nowhere, and it also felt believable when Lina didn't just give up her feelings for Thomas immediately after. Also, I am such a sucker for the enemies to lovers trope, but this felt like a realistic portrayal. There was something so satisfying in getting "the villain" Eva's point of view in this one. I love it when there are real and very believable motivations behind a character's villainy. And this hit that for me. Deep down Evan is just an anti-social introvert who was hurt really badly in the past and refuses to let it happen again.
Would definitely definitely recommend it!
Genre: fantasy, lgbtqia+
Representation: bi, lesbian, BIPOC
Content Warnings: violence, gaslighting, blood, death (past and shown), sacrifice, drowning