Between Tides & Thunder

This was an enchanting and emotionally rich fantasy romance. I loved the atmosphere, the romantic tension, and the sense of danger woven throughout the story. The world felt magical and immersive, while the characters kept me emotionally invested until the final page.

Not only is it predictable to the point of boring until 3/4 of the way through (and shortly thereafter), it is poorly written and poorly edited. Learn new ways of describing a lover's eyes other than by using "molten steel" and "molten grey" every other page, Ms. Kazak. Try using correct words, e.g. "fizzes" instead of "fizzles", "lies" instead of "lays", etc. If I had a hard copy rather than a Kindle version, I would have thrown it across the room so often it would have been in rags by the end. The only reason I finished the silly thing is that I was reading it for a bookclub.

Melissa

I started Between Tides & Thunder skeptical and finished it adding Leena Kazak’s entire backlog to my TBR. This is a well-paced fantasy romance, an entertaining arranged marriage, and it has a cliffhanger that single-handedly pushed my rating from three stars to four. Princess Mayah has spent her life healing others and obeying a father who views her as another political resource. An alliance with enemy kingdom Arbinj sends her away as a bride. She ends up with Zevayr, the feared Dark Commander, instead of the prince she expected. Their journey through rebel territory forces Mayah to question everything she has been taught about Arbinj, her family, and the man she is determined to fight at every opportunity. Mayah is incredibly naive, especially when it comes to her father. I suspected his betrayal almost immediately. A father willing to marry his daughter off to an enemy for political advantage was never winning Father of the Year. Her refusal to trust Zevayr made their relationship entertaining because she is constantly plotting against him, testing him, and attempting to regain control of her own life. Zevayr’s reaction to all of her scheming made me love him. He seems more amused than threatened whenever Mayah tries to outmaneuver him. Mayah becomes intensely attracted to him whenever their magic connects. Their power-sharing connection also creates some spicy situations. Though, I was disappointed by the scenes fading to black. I appreciated that Zevayr never uses Mayah's vulnerability as an opportunity to push past her boundaries. The fantasy elements were interesting without making the book feel unnecessarily long. The illustrations included at the end of each section were also such a fun addition to the eBook. I loved stopping to look at them as I moved through the story. Some of the magical worldbuilding needed more explanation. Several characters apparently possess hidden abilities despite spending years around people who somehow never discover them. Mayah struggles to control her magic, which made me question how she successfully concealed one particular ability for so long. The worldbuilding gaps occasionally made the rules of the magic feel convenient instead of established. Then, came that ending. I was sitting comfortably at three stars until the cliffhanger completely changed my mind. The final revelations put so many earlier pieces into perspective and opened the door for a much bigger story. Zevayr also delivers a devastating line involving Mayah and her kingdom. I need the next book. The secrets are finally exposed, the relationships have changed, and I desperately want to know what Mayah does now that she has uncovered the truth.

Fun, fast-paced standalone! Loved the MMC, Zev.