ARC Review: The Dark Tide (The Dark Tide #1) 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.

First of all, thank you NetGalley for this ARC! Second of all, excuse me while I flail helplessly at this book because I just loved it so freaking much. The writing sucked me in immediately and I DID NOT WANT IT TO END! The writing was beautiful and magical and atmospheric and it was amazing. And it was so incredibly dark too. The world building was incredible and I loved the magic. There was something so poetic about this book. I can't even put it into words, which is s shame, mainly because I know that is the one requirement for a book review. Ha. I loved the two characters too. Lina was fierce and determined and oh, so passionate. She was amazing. Eva was just as passionate, but mainly about being queen and trying to get revenge for what happened to her sister. If there is one complaint I had, it's that I wanted a little more depth to the relationship between the two girls. But their chemistry was off the charts, so it's all good. The author kept me engaged throughout the entire book; there was so much action and the climax was unreal. The ending was so satisfying, but there is still a sequel. I don't know where the author will be going with it, but I can't wait to read it!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐