About the Book
Hundreds of years ago, the Selkies made a deal with the sea witch: they would have the sea for as long as she allowed it, and when the time came, she would call in all their debts at once. Many people assumed that day would never come. Those people were wrong.
When the Luidaeg—October "Toby" Daye's oldest and most dangerous ally—tells her the time has come for the Selkies to fulfill their side of the bargain, and that Toby must be a part of the process, Toby can't refuse. Literally. The Selkies aren't the only ones in debt to the Luidaeg, and Toby has to pay what she owes like anyone else. They will travel to the fabled Duchy of Ships and call a convocation of the Selkies, telling them to come and meet the Luidaeg's price...or face the consequences.
Of course, nothing is that simple. When Dianda Lorden's brother appears to arrest Dianda for treason against the Undersea, when a Selkie woman is stripped of her skin and then murdered, when everything is falling apart, that's when Toby will have to answer the real question of the hour.
Is she going to sink? Or is she going to swim?
When the Luidaeg—October "Toby" Daye's oldest and most dangerous ally—tells her the time has come for the Selkies to fulfill their side of the bargain, and that Toby must be a part of the process, Toby can't refuse. Literally. The Selkies aren't the only ones in debt to the Luidaeg, and Toby has to pay what she owes like anyone else. They will travel to the fabled Duchy of Ships and call a convocation of the Selkies, telling them to come and meet the Luidaeg's price...or face the consequences.
Of course, nothing is that simple. When Dianda Lorden's brother appears to arrest Dianda for treason against the Undersea, when a Selkie woman is stripped of her skin and then murdered, when everything is falling apart, that's when Toby will have to answer the real question of the hour.
Is she going to sink? Or is she going to swim?
My Thoughts
Liar's daughter, come to turn back the tide.
You ever read a book and feel like you're at home in it? You sink into the pages and get hopelessly, happily lost? Feel like you're right in the thick of things, experiencing everything right alongside the characters? Not just as an observer, but an actual participant? Every single time I open the pages to a book in this series, I experience that magic. And I love every second of it.
In The Unkindest Tide, the Luidaeg has finally called in Toby's debts. She can't refuse to help Luidaeg, even if she wanted to. She doesn't mind, not really. She'll be helping to set right a wrong that's needed to be done for centuries. But the outcome will affect Toby's daughter in a way that there's no turning back from. The almost nonexistent relationship between mother and daughter has the potential to deteriorate even more, past the point of no return.
I always try to take my time with the new Toby book. I try to savor it, make it last as long as I can. But that never seems to work out. It never fails, I reach a certain point and I can't help but read it as fast as possible. I inevitably reach the end long before I want to and my journey with these characters concludes swifter than I was ready for.
The Unkindest Tide was another epic book in this favorite series of mine. It was exactly what I was hoping it would be and so much more. We learn a lot and yet there's still many more answers to be revealed, leaving me so hungry for the next book. If you're a fan of urban fantasy, pick up this series. It's the best! Start with book one, though. There's a lot of history that's not to be missed out on.
NOTE: This book contains strong language.
Quotes:
- My family tree has a lot of thorns, and a tendency to draw blood.
(Toby talking about the Luidaeg)
- She’s the bogeyman fae parents use to threaten their children, the terrifying sea witch who will spirit them away to where the bad kids go if they don’t eat their vegetables or practice their illusions or make their beds. Out of all Faerie’s monsters, she’s painted as the one with the sharpest teeth, the cruelest claws. I suspect that’s more of Evening’s work, because while the Luidaeg can be harsh, she’s rarely cruel. Her gifts come with a cost. That doesn’t make them evil. It just makes them expensive.
- “Sir October Christine Daye, Knight of Lost Words, daughter of Amandine the Liar, sworn in service to Duke Sylvester Torquill of Shadowed Hills, hero of the realm in the Mists, there are debts between us,” she said, and her voice was cold and hollow, and filled with ancient echoes.
- I can heal a broken bone in minutes and bring myself back from the dead, and I still can’t cure migraines. Sometimes the world is just unfair.
- “Sometimes you need to take peoples’ minds off their problems if you want those problems to resolve themselves,” said Marcia. “Focusing on things can make them worse.”
Five Stars
I was trying to think if there was a series that I savor like you do this one...maybe Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. I love sinking into one of those books. :)
ReplyDeleteI still need to read that series. It's been sitting in my TBR for too long. I did read a couple of the books in her Alpha & Omega series a few years ago and devoured them. They were so good! :)
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