Title: The Teeth in the Tide
Series: Savage Seas #1
Author: Rebecca F. Kenney
Genre: Dark Mermaid Fantasy
Publisher: Midnight Tide Publishing
Format: Kindle eBook
ASIN: B0976DWPVP
Summary: Trapped on a walled island with her people, Kestra aches for vengeance against the swarms of ravenous mermaids that ate her father fifteen years ago. The swarms threaten her town’s last supply ship and the safety of the brave young captain who smiles so charmingly at her whenever he makes port. With the help of her scientist cousin and the handsome captain, Kestra takes her future and her people’s fate into her hands, determined to find a way to destroy all the mermaids for good.
Abused and miserable, Rake serves in the harem of the three high mermaid Queens. When he is given one of his spawn to raise, Rake resolves that his little son will have a better life. With the help of a monstrous creature that deals in memories, he discovers a century-old secret—one that could lead to freedom.
This fantasy novel blends a dark, brutal setting with romance and humor. New Adult. (Content warnings: Violence, abuse, brief mention/implication of off-screen rape/sexual slavery, cannibalism, PTSD.)
First Impressions
I have been dying to sink my claws into this story since the first time I saw a tweet about it on Twitter. I’ve never read anything by Rebecca F. Kenney, but who can resist a dark twist on fantasy mermaids with a romantic subplot?
I had to sit on this tale for days while I finished a critique, and it was definitely worth the wait in so many ways. It’s a dark and luscious tale that takes readers between harsh island life and the Down Below, a world of horror and dark agendas.
I think what threw me off a little at the beginning was the character Kestra. She was so submissive to her mother and others around her that the story almost read like a young adult novel. In fact, I thought it was, but after the first few chapters the prose settles more into an adult rhythm.
The Characters
Rake, the merman from Down Below, was exceptional! A tortured soul with a gentle heart, he was so easy to connect with and sink into his story. A victim of abuse and torture, he was forced to keep his head down and his actions subservient. But once he met his son, that fatherly instinct took over and he slowly gained the confidence and strength he needed to protect his child – never losing the gentleness of his personality.
As for Kestra, I really struggled with her character. At first she was so subservient to her mother and others that she seemed almost like a teenager. Though she had a gentle, carefree spirit, it was easy to see how she really thought through each of her actions. However, right about the middle of the book she flipped the switch and turned vicious and full of rage. While there were little hints about festering grief, the transition was so abrupt it nearly ruined her story for me. And this didn’t really change until near the end, where she flipped from hatred to friendship and love. I think they were all great emotions for her to have in this tale, as a reader though I wish they’d shifted more organically.
The Romance
If you’re a romance reader, you know that when a story has two POVs, those two characters are central to the romance. It’s sort of the point of the genre.
However, in this tale the romance (or lack of) was very confusing. Kestra and Captain Flay are lovers, but it’s Kestra and Rake who are the POVs. So that gnawed at me the whole time trying to understand why Flay was still in the picture and if this would become a poly romance (which I’m cheering for). It may happen in future books, but in this story the romance was meager at best.
It was sweet, but had no real fire. Between Kestra’s personality flips and Flay being oddly laid back as a ship’s captain (he had no real grit to me), I wasn’t 100% sold on their romance. And with Rake, he’s fascinated by both Flay and Kestra and his feelings seemed to hold more strength, but he did not become more than a test kiss in the romance.
That said, anyone who loves a sweeter romance in their fantasy will probably love it. I just wanted more fire and passion and a bit more head-strong dialogue from all parties, not just Kestra.
What I Loved
Despite my misgivings about some things above, I still think this story is utterly stellar.
The mermaid factions are dark and horrifying, and the culture is so different from our own that part of the horror is not knowing how the ‘breeder males’ should be acting.
Not only that, the Down Below world is so vivid and full of life, from the sea grass to sleep in to the gentle current of the ocean to the swarms of murderous merlows…. I love everything about the world Kenney has built and I’m eager to see more of it in future books.
Verdict & Recommendation
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. The author has built a dark and gorgeous world with all the Horror you might find in a derelict starship before the murdering really starts. If you love grimdark worlds and murderous mermaids, this story is definitely for you.
I would recommend this book to anyone, honestly. The romance was very closed door, the horror wasn’t throat closing, and the storylines are heartwarming and build found family friendships.
Reviewer Bio
K. J. Harrowick is a freelance developer, graphic designer, technical coach, and author of the science fantasy novel, Bloodflower. You can find her reviews on Goodreads, Hàlon Chronicles, Bookish Valhalla, and occasionally Amazon and Book Sirens.
The most captivating book I’ve read on my bedside table, the one that speaks to me from the inside out as a reader, is ‘The Teeth in the Tide’ by bestselling author, Rebecca F. Kenney. She wrote this epic novel about grief, abuse and healing in a society where the best the world has is a lie, and yet, we need all of it for survival as well. A book about power.
She was born in Washington State but raised in a small town along the Mexican border. As an adult she immigrated back to her hometown in Southern New Mexico and started publishing multiple books that were like poetry in the language of fiction. Not a single person in her entire community had an education beyond high school so for forty years now many who could not read or write began to believe a country of illiterates could survive and flourish. In The Teeth in The Tide, her characters are not so well-educated; they lack proper English vocabulary, but those around them remain strong. Through their relationships with each other and those without the ability to learn what to speak aloud or use properly they try to do their most important and humane works with a…
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