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TBR: The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

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If you’re searching for your next witchy, romantic fantasy read, The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska belongs on your radar. This standalone YA novel delivers enemies-to-lovers romance and eerie island magicin a story that’s both haunting and emotionally charged. Set in the city of Caldella, the plot centers on Lina Kirk as she volunteers to take her brother’s place as a sacrifice to the Witch Queen—only to find herself falling for the very girl meant to kill her.

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Bookish Essentials

Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Enemies to Lovers
Series: Standalone Novel
Reading Age: 14+
Published: 2020
Pages: 199

From the Jacket of The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

A gripping, dark enemies to lovers LGBTQ+ YA fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island home.

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.

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Praise for The Dark Tide:

“Striking the perfect balance, The Dark Tide demands to be read in one held breath as its tide bears down on all.”—Foreword, Starred Review

“A dark scenic adventure, sensitively written for romantics, Jasinska’s debut novel is a fantasy of promises, betrayal, unrequited love, and black magic.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review

“The Dark Tide is the dark, queer fantasy of your dreams that’s part beauty and the beast, part something entirely new and original… a lush world that begs to be lived in… It’s beautiful, and fast paced, and everything I ever want from a fairy tale.”—Cat VanOrder, Bookmarks (Winston-Salem, NC)

“Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope will be ecstatic with this book…The Dark Tide offers an exciting and immersive story with a strong feminist slant that subverts common YA tropes and forges its own original path.”—The Nerd Daily

Why The Dark Tide is on my TBR

The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska had my interest as soon as I heard about what promises to be a new take on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Set on a sinking island city ruled by a young Witch Queen, the story follows Lina Kirk, who volunteers to take her brother’s place as a human sacrifice—only to find herself falling for the queen who was meant to kill her.

I’m excited to see the unexpected layers to Queen Eva and watch the love story unfold. I’m hoping for a safe version of the trope—like in the riveting world of The Bone Charmer—that doesn’t veer into toxic territory, and a really gripping page-turner, like The Forest King’s Daughter, which I just finished and will be reviewing soon!

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