Tides by Betsy Cornwell Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on June 4, 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
When high-school senior Noah Gallagher and his adopted teenage sister, Lo, go to live with their grandmother in her island cottage for the summer, they don’t expect much in the way of adventure. Noah has landed a marine biology internship, and Lo wants to draw and paint, perhaps even to vanquish her struggles with bulimia. But then things take a dramatic turn for them both when Noah mistakenly tries to save a mysterious girl from drowning. This dreamlike, suspenseful story—deftly told from multiple points of view—dives deeply into selkie folklore while examining the fluid nature of love and family.
Rocky ocean beaches, sea spray, romance, lighthouses, and selkies…who could ask for more? Tides by Betsy Cornwell delivers folk tales come to life in spades. Like a true folktale, Tides is a dark warning wrapped up in a magical wrapper. There are dark themes involved in this story and it might be a bit too dark for those under the age of 16. It might be a story best suited to young people on the cusp of adulthood or adults. There are multiple POV’s and so the reader gets a small feeling for everybody. This makes the whole reading experience feel shorter than it really is (in a good way), and makes you think about the story more than the characters.
Noah and Lo, older brother and younger adopted sister, are headed to the Shoals to spend the summer with their estranged grandmother. The shoals are a group of islands in the northeastern United States. Their grandmother is the caretaker of a lighthouse her family has been caring for, for generations. Noah is excited about starting an internship in Marine Biology with his idol and his sister is looking forward to getting away from their caustic parents and perhaps heal her broken self-image while practicing her passion for art.
Noah has been in love with the ocean since he was little buy, and this love comes through clearly. He is scared and angry with his sister for her self-destructive nature and protective of her fragile self-esteem. He is wrapped up in his work, and excited about meeting a girl who he thought was drowning and quickly realizes that she is truly someone special. Mara, the girl he meets is a selkie. She is working on growing up, living with a tragedy that occurred in her pod (group of selkies) and how they can move forward from there. Lo hates her body and hates herself for treating it so poorly. She is at rock bottom, and looking for healing. There is a cast of other characters: Maebh, The Fisherman, Ronan, Aine, Professor and Gemm are all equal players in this haunting story.
It is hard to get a feel for any one character overall but the story is the main element here not the people. There is no doubt Tides is a tragic story, yet one with small glimmers of hope. It deals with kidnapping, eating disorders, systematic abuse, attempted murder, denied love and most of all: fear. Don’t despair though, there are also moments of hope, love, beauty and family.
*I heard there are rumors of a sequel*
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*gasp* This book was provided by the publisher! No worries though it’s an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own. To view our full Blog Policy, click here.
Maggie
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Melliane
wow I would have read the book only for the cover, I love love love it! But well it’s difficult with the characters I can understand. Thanks for the discovery!
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blodeuedd
That is a LOT of stuff being dealt with
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Jeann @ Happy Indulgence
Wow, this story sounds really dark and hardcore, surprisingly! I haven’t read any books about selkies yet, so it would be interesting explored in this book. Lovely review!
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Celine
I prefer stories that deal with many themes over stories that dive into one theme exclusively. Tides sounds really cool, great review (:
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Jennifer Bielman
Wow, this is so much more sad than I thought it would be. Might be too depressing for me. The cover is pretty though.
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Carmel @ Rabid Reads
Mermaid books are usually a hit or miss with me, so I’m VERY picky as to which ones I add to my TBR pile. And, although this one sounds like it’s relatively good, I don’t think the somber tone would sit right with me.
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Kirsty-Marie
You know, I wanted to read this when it first came out but some reviews put me off it, and I hadn’t really read any to do with selkies, but sounds completely different than I thought it was. Sounds more depressing, for a start. And yeah, some serious issues, but glad it has some happy moments too. I think the one thing that would annoy me though would be the multiple perspectives. I don’t do well with them, two or three’s okay with me, depending on the person and character voices, so I guess it still depends on the book itself. I’ll add it to my TBR list and see. 🙂
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Tabitha (Not Yet Read)
I totally wouldn’t have thought this story would be that sad and depressing. I’m still very interested in reading it regardless of that. Thanks for the insight.
Tabitha (Not Yet Read) recently posted…Review: Tides by Betsy Cornwell
Tabitha (Not Yet Read)
I totally wouldn’t have thought this story would be that sad and depressing. I’m still very interested in reading it regardless of that. Thanks for the insight.
Tabitha (Not Yet Read) recently posted…Review: Tides by Betsy Cornwell
Dre @ Sporadic Reads
Wow, this sounds like a hardcore book to take on. With so many issues to deal with, I’d probably be in despair, however, books that make you feel something tend to make you think about your life. Like if it’s a good life, you’ll appreciate it more. 🙂
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Tabitha (Not Yet Read)
I definitely still think I would trading this one regardless of the sad and depressing themes. Sometimes that can be life affirming.
Tabitha (Not Yet Read) recently posted…Review: Tides by Betsy Cornwell
Mary @ BookSwarm
Dang. Despite the glimmers of hope you say are there, I don’t know if they’re enough to convince me to pick up this book. Those are a LOT of issues. But I am a big fan of the setting, which sounds lovely.
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Bube
The cover is really awesome 🙂
And sounds good,great review! 🙂
Kristen
Great reviews! I had this on my maybe list because I wasnt so sure that I liked the synopsis. It sounds like an emotionally driven story and something I may have to bring up on my list. Thanks!
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kimberlybuggie
Maggie, I’m so glad you reviewed Tides. I really liked it and agree. I didn’t have a great sense of any of the characters. In fact, they all seemed a bit murky and undefined, but I think that may have been the point. The story is intriguing and I was absorbed till the end. I didn’t know there might be a sequel! That sounds promising! 🙂
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Chyna @ Lite-rate-Ture
This seems like a good enough read and the cover is gorgeous too. I’m in the mood for something dark and emotional. Books that give out those strong elements really should be displayed! :)) Great review, I’m def gonna add this to my TBR
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Finley Jayne
I haven’t heard of this one before, but it sounds really interesting! Great review 🙂
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