Hello everyone! Today is my stop in the “When Oceans Rise” Tour, and I have a Review as well as a playlist planned for you. There’s also going to be an Instagram post on my page.

DISCLAIMER: A review copy of this book has been sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

And now, without further ado, let’s start.

About the book

Submerged in a toxic relationship and disconnected from everyone, she turns to the sea to decide her fate. Its decision? Toss her to the sea witch.

Seventeen-year-old Malaya is cursed. In her family, every girl’s first love ends in death after falling for someone evil. Good thing Malaya’s dream guy isn’t monstrous.

Except the curse is real and preventing Malaya from noticing how much he has gaslit and isolated her until she can’t be saved. With no other options, the sea witch is the only one to help her. Bartering her voice for a new life where she and her abusive boyfriend never met, Malaya accidentally swaps places with an alternate timeline version of herself who didn’t make her mistakes. As she tries to undo the switch, the sea witch uses Malaya’s voice to unleash Filipino mythological creatures into the worlds.

Can a champion, an alternate timeline sister, and Malaya fight these beasts and stop the sea witch before she destroys both timelines?

Content Warning: gaslighting, one paragraph with physical abuse

Rep: Filipina-American, Hispanic, Lesbian, Queer

Title – When Oceans Rise
Author – Robin Alvarez
Genre – Young Adult Fantasy
Release date – May 23rd, 2023

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Review

In this story, we follow Malaya, who is seventeen and cursed. If she falls in love with a bad guy she is cursed to die. Luckily for her, her boyfriend isn’t evil. At least that’s what she thinks at first. Once she realized her mistake, she has only one option left: The Sea Witch. And suddenly everything becomes even more complicated and she finds herself in an alternate timeline.

I really like fairytale retellings, so it’s no surprise that I wanted to read “When Oceans Rise” by Robin Alvarez. I also quite liked this one, a good retelling of “The Little Mermaid”.

Furthermore, I loved learning more about the culture represented in the novel, but unfortunately, I had some trouble getting into the story. The writing wasn’t my thing. At least not in the beginning. Halfway through, it got really engaging, and found myself getting more attached to the story.

Overall, I would recommend this to all “The Little Mermaid” fans out there. Not only because “When Oceans Rise” is a retelling of it, but also because the material of the book worked really well with the universe.

Spotify Playlist

Where to buy?

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

About the author

Robin Alvarez is the author of the #1 New Release YA Ethnic Fairy Tale When Oceans Rise (May 2023). Strong female characters, mythological creatures, and mixed-race perspective are hallmarks of her work. While she’s spent the majority of her life in beach towns, having almost drowned several times, she currently resides in a desert where the waters are less likely to kill her.

Robin’s work has been featured on OwlCrate, ABC, and NBC news affiliates.

Author links:

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook

Tour Schedule

May 22nd
Boys’ Mom Reads! – Review
Pages & Plots – Promotional Post

May 23rd
The Book Dutchesses – Interview
Charli’s Book Box – Review

May 24th
Never Hollowed By The Stare – Promotional Post
PopTheButterfly Reads – Promotional Post

May 25th
Betwixt the Sheets – Interview
Midsummer Night’s Read – Review
Phannie the ginger bookworm – Review, Playlist

May 26th
The Caffeinated Rareder – Review, Journal Spread
Confessions of a YA Reader – Promotional Post

May 27th
Stuck in Fiction – Interview
Merlin’s Cove – Review

May 28th
The Clever Reader – Review
Cindy’s Love of Books – Review

Instagram Schedule

May 22nd
writingrosereads – Promotional Post
ablueboxfullofbooks – Review
thebookwebb – Promotional Post
pagesplots – Content Creator’s Choice

May 23rd
raquelinabook – Review, Favorite Quotes
whisperingprose – Review
charlisbookbox – Content Creator’s Choice

May 24th
ninebookishlives – Promotional Post
808bookdr – Review, Favorite Quotes
popthebutterfly – Content Creator’s Choice

May 25th
belle.bookcorner – Promotional Post
theink.slinger – Content Creator’s Choice
phanniethegingerbookworm – Content Creator’s Choice

May 26th
tbrandbeyond – Promotional Post
infinite_bookworm86 – Review
thecaffeinatedrareder – Content Creator’s Choice

May 27th
cozybooktraveller – Review
lisashelves – Review, Favorite Quotes
merlinscoveblog – Content Creator’s Choice

May 28th
bookdemonio – Promotional Post
theenchantedshelf – Review
littlehopebigworld – Review, Favorite Quotes
thecleverreader – Content Creator’s Choice

*A review copy of this book has been sent to me in exchange for an honest review. This hasn’t influenced my rating.