The Dark Tide
The Witch Queen comes on wings of night.
The Witch Queen has your heart’s delight.
Hold him, hold him, hold on tight.
Hide him, hide him, out of sight.
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.
Convinced her handsome brother is going to be taken, Lina Kirk enlists the help of Thomas Lin, her secret crush, and the only boy to ever escape from the palace. Working together they protect her brother but draw the Queen’s attention.
Eva cast away her heart when her sister died to save the boy she loved. Now as Queen, she won’t make the same mistake. She’ll sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her home.
When Thomas is chosen as sacrifice, Lina takes his place and the two girls are forced to spend time together as they await the full moon. 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.
Designed by Nicole Hower with art by Helen Crawford White
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Praise for The Dark Tide
“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
“Jasinska’s debut fantasy, a dark fairy tale reminiscent of ‘Tam Lin,’ but delightfully queer, is thrillingly romantic while exploring the intersections between love, sacrifice, and duty.”
— Booklist
“Readers will have a hard time putting this one down and, sacrifice or no sacrifice, will wish they could be part of Caldella’s festivities and magic.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“The Dark Tide is a lush, dark YA fairytale that enchants from the first pages. Eva and Lina spring from the page sharp and aching for connection . . . As Eva and Lina grappled with their complex feelings and difficult moral quandaries I really didn’t know if they’d choose their duty or each other, and I was breathless racing to find out. The Dark Tide is for fans of of Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas.”
— Books + Publishing
