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Dark Earth Rising
A Dark and Rising Tide
When a massive storm surge hits the central coast of California, the ferocious surf destroys buildings, floods streets, and washes up something sinister from the depths of the Monterey Bay. Peter, a retired state lifeguard, knows the water better than anyone. Carla, owner of a beach-side restaurant, is still mourning the loss of her son in a boating accident. While both love their quaint small town with spectacular views, their personal lives are as complicated as the changing weather forecasts. After a mysterious creature in the water kills two men, Peter and Carla are plunged into a living nightmare as a massive tidal surge traps them and their friends in a battered, unstable building. While the storm rages through the night, they discover something horrifying swims between them and escape, just waiting to attack anyone within reach. They need to make life or death decisions to survive. But first, they need to make it to morning. Inspired by real events, A Dark and Rising Tide is part of Debra Castaneda’s Dark Earth Rising series of standalone novels. Read the books in any order.
287 pages, Paperback
Published October 12, 2023
170 people are currently reading
1334 people want to read
About the author
Debra Castaneda
26 books296 followersDebra Castaneda is an award-winning author of urban fantasy and dark fiction based on the central coast of California.
Her works include Barely Magic, the first book in the Maddy Madrigal Mysteries series of urban fantasy novels; The Spore Queen, The Devil’s Shallows, The Root Witch, The Copper Man, Circus at Devil’s Landing, and A Dark and Rising Tide, which comprise the Dark Earth Rising series of standalone novels, and The Monsters of Chavez Ravine, an International Latino Book Awards gold medal winner.
Debra loves writing character-driven stories about people who experience scary or magical things, and how they react when confronted with the unexpected. She’s committed to representing Latinas and Latinos in her books.
For inspiration, she draws from her experience as a TV and radio journalist, and as a third-generation Mexican American
Debra now lives on the central coast of California with her husband. She enjoys rediscovering the Mexican dishes of her childhood and texting her two daughters about her latest binge-watch.
~Subscribe to her newsletter for the occasional giveaway and the latest news at www.debracastaneda.com;
~Stay in touch with her at: @castanedawrites on Facebook & @castanedawrites on Instagram .
Her works include Barely Magic, the first book in the Maddy Madrigal Mysteries series of urban fantasy novels; The Spore Queen, The Devil’s Shallows, The Root Witch, The Copper Man, Circus at Devil’s Landing, and A Dark and Rising Tide, which comprise the Dark Earth Rising series of standalone novels, and The Monsters of Chavez Ravine, an International Latino Book Awards gold medal winner.
Debra loves writing character-driven stories about people who experience scary or magical things, and how they react when confronted with the unexpected. She’s committed to representing Latinas and Latinos in her books.
For inspiration, she draws from her experience as a TV and radio journalist, and as a third-generation Mexican American
Debra now lives on the central coast of California with her husband. She enjoys rediscovering the Mexican dishes of her childhood and texting her two daughters about her latest binge-watch.
~Subscribe to her newsletter for the occasional giveaway and the latest news at www.debracastaneda.com;
~Stay in touch with her at: @castanedawrites on Facebook & @castanedawrites on Instagram .
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
July 7, 2024
A Dark and Rising Tide is my second Debra Castaneda novel and I can't wait for a third. I really enjoyed this one; the characters, the setting, the creatures were all fantastic.
September 1, 2024
This is a new creature feature this year from Debra Castaneda. It is primarily a freak weather development with its lethality reported differently by two different meteorologists. I admit that I am not savvy about high tides and storm surges (although I have seen a tidal wave headed for shore and it was terrifying). But the dark and rising tide was not all the natives had to fear. A creature in the deep was attacking the occupants and leaving a large circular hole the size of their probiscis and killing the victims with a deadly venom quickly or within a matter of hours.
Casteneda did a really nice job with atmosphere and tone, and she excelled at character development, dialog, and ambience as the situation worsened. The author also spent an appropriate amount of time enriching the most important people in the storyline. This novel would have been good if it was only as I have described about. But the author did a clever plot twist at the end which made the story even more interesting and dangerous.
Excellent creature feature amidst a tidal surge emergency with an unexpected plot twist to sweeten the deal. Good read with no disappointment in this direction.
Casteneda did a really nice job with atmosphere and tone, and she excelled at character development, dialog, and ambience as the situation worsened. The author also spent an appropriate amount of time enriching the most important people in the storyline. This novel would have been good if it was only as I have described about. But the author did a clever plot twist at the end which made the story even more interesting and dangerous.
Excellent creature feature amidst a tidal surge emergency with an unexpected plot twist to sweeten the deal. Good read with no disappointment in this direction.
December 19, 2024
I think this book is a bit too complicated for me, at times. There are just so many people who are in the book. There are lots of different names to remember. This is a problem that I have with the book.
Another problem I have is why don’t the creatures attack each time they get an opportunity? And what are they killing the people for? If not for food?
The rest of the book is a blast to read. It has a lot of interesting stuff. Nail biting horror and filled with suspense.
Going up onto the balconies is a scary experience for me, because I was up there, too. Facing my fear of heights and anxiety while trying to kill the sea creatures.
The book is very good and scary and teeth chattering. For that it gets four stars.
Four stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Another problem I have is why don’t the creatures attack each time they get an opportunity? And what are they killing the people for? If not for food?
The rest of the book is a blast to read. It has a lot of interesting stuff. Nail biting horror and filled with suspense.
Going up onto the balconies is a scary experience for me, because I was up there, too. Facing my fear of heights and anxiety while trying to kill the sea creatures.
The book is very good and scary and teeth chattering. For that it gets four stars.
Four stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 15, 2024
I liked pretty much everything about this one. The characters were great, I thought the pacing was fantastic, the creatures and the way they worked were cool, I was invested and interested all the way through and the ending was pretty satisfying. The settings were really well utilized. Honestly can't think of anything I would change about it.
May 22, 2025
It was difficult to get invested in this. I couldn’t get a feel for the characters, so it was hard to care about what happened to them. The writing was flavorless, too. Give me some similies, or anything, please!
August 7, 2024
I love the ocean, from a healthy distance… that distance became much farther after reading this tense thriller!
This is my first time reading Debra Castaneda, but she totally had me at "corpse missile". I really enjoyed the world building, the real world characters, and the unrelenting tension in this one. If I had to voice any criticism, I would say I thought the ending felt a little rushed. I wasn't expecting the story to end when it did, but that being said, I didn't feel I was left hanging either. Also, it could use a little bit more editing, but overall, this was a solid 4-star read, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is my first time reading Debra Castaneda, but she totally had me at "corpse missile". I really enjoyed the world building, the real world characters, and the unrelenting tension in this one. If I had to voice any criticism, I would say I thought the ending felt a little rushed. I wasn't expecting the story to end when it did, but that being said, I didn't feel I was left hanging either. Also, it could use a little bit more editing, but overall, this was a solid 4-star read, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 23, 2024
Read for the 2024 Books of Horror Indie Brawl.
Seat 15
This feels a little bit like a cheat because I had already been planning to read this book before it made it on the Indie Brawl. I really enjoyed her book The Root Witch when I read it last year.
When Nature Attacks seems to be the theme of Ms. Castaneda's writing. This time the threat comes from the depth of the ocean. I loved the cover art for this book and the art lives up to the story. Fast paced and full of action, this book was a great read. Bloodier and much faster paced that her previous book, A Dark and Rising Tide leaves the reader guessing how this story will end right up until the last page. The characters were fairly well fleshed out. It did not hurt that I read this book while on a cruise so I was surrounded by water while reading which increased the creep factor.
This book gets 🐙🐙🐙🐙
Seat 15
This feels a little bit like a cheat because I had already been planning to read this book before it made it on the Indie Brawl. I really enjoyed her book The Root Witch when I read it last year.
When Nature Attacks seems to be the theme of Ms. Castaneda's writing. This time the threat comes from the depth of the ocean. I loved the cover art for this book and the art lives up to the story. Fast paced and full of action, this book was a great read. Bloodier and much faster paced that her previous book, A Dark and Rising Tide leaves the reader guessing how this story will end right up until the last page. The characters were fairly well fleshed out. It did not hurt that I read this book while on a cruise so I was surrounded by water while reading which increased the creep factor.
This book gets 🐙🐙🐙🐙
July 3, 2024
I’m a sucker for some nail-biting aquatic horror and Debra Castaneda knows how to scratch that itch with A Dark and Rising Tide. The beauty of the story is in its simplicity. The weather person gets it wrong when they said the storm wouldn’t hit San Refugio. By the time a small group of restauranteurs, residents, and tourists find out the storm now has the central California coastal town in its crosshairs, they decide to hunker down and wait it out. Bad move. The megastorm churns up more than a rising tide. As the storm intensifies, bodies with mysterious wounds start piling up. The waters keep rising, eventually trapping the residents in the seaside restaurant. Once the ocean floods into the lower level, they realize they’re not alone. The storm has unleashed something primeval from the depths, something no one has ever seen before, except for maybe in their nightmares.
Castaneda gives us an exhilarating, B-movie type romp. She expertly uses the storm to isolate her cast while ratcheting up the dread with the rising water. You can’t see what’s under the surface, but you know damn well it has to be around there somewhere. Are there a couple of annoying characters? Sure. Are there a couple of areas where the characters do questionable things? Yes. But isn’t that the beauty of B-movie type stories, if the character had done A instead of B, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in now? Exactly. Hindsight is always 20/20.
4 Oily Tentacles out of 5
Castaneda gives us an exhilarating, B-movie type romp. She expertly uses the storm to isolate her cast while ratcheting up the dread with the rising water. You can’t see what’s under the surface, but you know damn well it has to be around there somewhere. Are there a couple of annoying characters? Sure. Are there a couple of areas where the characters do questionable things? Yes. But isn’t that the beauty of B-movie type stories, if the character had done A instead of B, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in now? Exactly. Hindsight is always 20/20.
4 Oily Tentacles out of 5
October 24, 2023
If you don't fear the ocean now, you sure will after reading this 🫣
Another fantastic offering from DebraCastaneda, A Dark and Rising Tide introduces us to Carla and Pete just as a storm bears down on their idyllic coastal village of San Refugio, California. As the pair, along with a rag-tag band of locals and tourists alike, fight to survive the surging storm, they soon realise that something even deadlier waits beneath the surface of the waves.
The action kicks off very early on and continues at breakneck speed throughout. There was a time or two that I almost forgot to breathe! Enjoyed this one immensely! 🌊
Grab yours and dive in! Or maybe don't dive in. Read it safely away from the water 👀
Another fantastic offering from DebraCastaneda, A Dark and Rising Tide introduces us to Carla and Pete just as a storm bears down on their idyllic coastal village of San Refugio, California. As the pair, along with a rag-tag band of locals and tourists alike, fight to survive the surging storm, they soon realise that something even deadlier waits beneath the surface of the waves.
The action kicks off very early on and continues at breakneck speed throughout. There was a time or two that I almost forgot to breathe! Enjoyed this one immensely! 🌊
Grab yours and dive in! Or maybe don't dive in. Read it safely away from the water 👀
October 15, 2023
Debra Castaneda keeps raising the bar for original creature horror novels! She's come up, once again, with a gripping story, fast-paced and action-filled, with relatable characters you root for from the go. 'A Dark and Rising Tide' has the most mysterious creatures of all her books yet, partly of the urban legend type (this time ocean related), mostly of the sort one finds in the greatest monster and disaster movies!
Everything takes place in a familiar setting you cannot help visualizing in detail: a small seaside town, whose tight and supportive community is refreshingly different to the atmosphere of suspicion and malevolence found in many 2023 small-town horror novels. It felt so good watching a group of people helping and standing by each other when facing an absolutely unexpected threat to their way of life, their place of living, and their spirit of community.
Castaneda takes her inspiration from a true event, a storm that swept through Northern California. on January 5, 2023: extreme rain, strong winds and huge waves hit the coast around Santa Cruz destroying everything, tourist-friendly piers, low-lying homes, neighborhoods, and businesses; Castaneda, who'd been visiting those places already, found herself asking what might have happened if the tides had brought with them something scary and monstrous. Well, this is her answer: a superb creature horror story full of dread and suspense, as a small group of residents and business owners are forced to confront a new type of ocean creatures coming to the coast out of the depths.
Thankfully, this is not the kind of novel where nothing is explained and the tale is lost in ambiguity: on the contrary, expect well thought out explanations, realistic reactions, and genuine, down-to-earth emotion, with cunning monsters, strong female characters, and terrific banter when the occasion permits it. Castaneda's writing makes the fear very palpable, the despair tangible, the anxiety of losing your home and your business to storm-fuelled waves, of finding yourself in a disaster area, as well as having to pick up the pieces afterwards - it's all given its due in this terrific novel! Highly recommended to all!
I want to thank the author for letting me read this awesome book!
Everything takes place in a familiar setting you cannot help visualizing in detail: a small seaside town, whose tight and supportive community is refreshingly different to the atmosphere of suspicion and malevolence found in many 2023 small-town horror novels. It felt so good watching a group of people helping and standing by each other when facing an absolutely unexpected threat to their way of life, their place of living, and their spirit of community.
Castaneda takes her inspiration from a true event, a storm that swept through Northern California. on January 5, 2023: extreme rain, strong winds and huge waves hit the coast around Santa Cruz destroying everything, tourist-friendly piers, low-lying homes, neighborhoods, and businesses; Castaneda, who'd been visiting those places already, found herself asking what might have happened if the tides had brought with them something scary and monstrous. Well, this is her answer: a superb creature horror story full of dread and suspense, as a small group of residents and business owners are forced to confront a new type of ocean creatures coming to the coast out of the depths.
Thankfully, this is not the kind of novel where nothing is explained and the tale is lost in ambiguity: on the contrary, expect well thought out explanations, realistic reactions, and genuine, down-to-earth emotion, with cunning monsters, strong female characters, and terrific banter when the occasion permits it. Castaneda's writing makes the fear very palpable, the despair tangible, the anxiety of losing your home and your business to storm-fuelled waves, of finding yourself in a disaster area, as well as having to pick up the pieces afterwards - it's all given its due in this terrific novel! Highly recommended to all!
I want to thank the author for letting me read this awesome book!
October 18, 2023
“The extreme high tide was not the only force at play.
A wind-driven storm surge was adding to the destructive power of the surf and waves, and the entire village of San Refugio was in its path.
The city had gone with the wrong forecast.”
Debra has quickly become one of my favourite authors in the horror world. She writes authentic characters and incorporates personal elements into her stories (places, people, careers, etc). These touches give the story authenticity and depth.
We see the author bring these aspects forward again in “A Dark and Rising Tide”. This is a creature feature tale of terror, and probably the most intense one yet in the Dark Earth Rising series (each book can be read as a stand-alone). I absolutely loved it, and if I wasn’t in the midst of international travel I wouldn’t have put it down! Now I’ll be thinking twice before putting my toes into the ocean!!!
Thank you to the author & BookSirens for a copy!
A wind-driven storm surge was adding to the destructive power of the surf and waves, and the entire village of San Refugio was in its path.
The city had gone with the wrong forecast.”
Debra has quickly become one of my favourite authors in the horror world. She writes authentic characters and incorporates personal elements into her stories (places, people, careers, etc). These touches give the story authenticity and depth.
We see the author bring these aspects forward again in “A Dark and Rising Tide”. This is a creature feature tale of terror, and probably the most intense one yet in the Dark Earth Rising series (each book can be read as a stand-alone). I absolutely loved it, and if I wasn’t in the midst of international travel I wouldn’t have put it down! Now I’ll be thinking twice before putting my toes into the ocean!!!
Thank you to the author & BookSirens for a copy!
September 15, 2024
My favorite gain from this book was a reminder of a great (and long forgotten) word: nictitating membrane! Other than that, I'd say this is a story that begins strong, waffles throughout the rest of the middle/near end, then tries to pack a (way too powerful) punch in a far too small space...given what you're put through to that point.
The strongest foundation of the book (in my humble opinion) is the evolution of the relationship between Peter and Carla. Of all the characters we are introduced to, these two have serious Mulder and Scully vibes, but softened versions of the two. You root for them, want them to work out, and I often found myself wishing they were leads in a crappy summer romance book (the type you read while lounging on a lake or beach somewhere).
Sadly, this is supposed to be a story about some kind of tentacled human-squid hybrid (I think?)....this is a cool enough proposition, but the lack of actual experiences with these creatures throughout the middle chunk of the plot just bored me.
Sure, there are killings, and you wonder if being bit by one of these things' beaks will turn you into one of them. That's a cool thought...
But most of this book is reduced to (otherwise cool) characters running around, trying to evade creatures you just don't see or experience enough, in a small setting space.
I'm personally not a fan of stories or movies that fail to move outside of one setting without some major plot and character developments- this just didn't do it for me, and I was disappointed based on the reviews I read prior to choosing this for my own shelf.
I was angry by the end- don't try to make stuff cool, wait to bring in the scientists UNTIL THE F******* END pages, then entertain the idea that it could easily be written off as AI media fodder by the public at large.
Just didn't do it for me, MEH.
Three stars.
The strongest foundation of the book (in my humble opinion) is the evolution of the relationship between Peter and Carla. Of all the characters we are introduced to, these two have serious Mulder and Scully vibes, but softened versions of the two. You root for them, want them to work out, and I often found myself wishing they were leads in a crappy summer romance book (the type you read while lounging on a lake or beach somewhere).
Sadly, this is supposed to be a story about some kind of tentacled human-squid hybrid (I think?)....this is a cool enough proposition, but the lack of actual experiences with these creatures throughout the middle chunk of the plot just bored me.
Sure, there are killings, and you wonder if being bit by one of these things' beaks will turn you into one of them. That's a cool thought...
But most of this book is reduced to (otherwise cool) characters running around, trying to evade creatures you just don't see or experience enough, in a small setting space.
I'm personally not a fan of stories or movies that fail to move outside of one setting without some major plot and character developments- this just didn't do it for me, and I was disappointed based on the reviews I read prior to choosing this for my own shelf.
I was angry by the end- don't try to make stuff cool, wait to bring in the scientists UNTIL THE F******* END pages, then entertain the idea that it could easily be written off as AI media fodder by the public at large.
Just didn't do it for me, MEH.
Three stars.
November 19, 2024
Wow, it's been a while since I finished a book in one day! This story surprised me, as I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I love the description of the sea creatures, and I really felt like I was there with all of the characters, experiencing their strife. I'm running to amazon ASAP to download some more books by this author!
March 1, 2024
Review for brawl contender : Debra Castaneda's "A Dark and Rising Tide."
Firstly I love that this was available by audio. So many indie horror books are missing out on potential sales by not having audio versions. I know it can be costly but it can also be so worth it.
This was a lot of fun. Debra has a way of making horror out of naturally occurring elements in all of her novels, and I'm here for it. I've read a lot of ocean horror and was excited to see that this was so very different from what I've read in the past. Without giving too much away, it you like books with natural disasters, complicated character relationships, creature features or ocean horror then this is for you.
As someone who's been in a storm in Monterey before ( not on purpose) it made it all the more fun. There was not a dull moment.
Definitely check it out.
Firstly I love that this was available by audio. So many indie horror books are missing out on potential sales by not having audio versions. I know it can be costly but it can also be so worth it.
This was a lot of fun. Debra has a way of making horror out of naturally occurring elements in all of her novels, and I'm here for it. I've read a lot of ocean horror and was excited to see that this was so very different from what I've read in the past. Without giving too much away, it you like books with natural disasters, complicated character relationships, creature features or ocean horror then this is for you.
As someone who's been in a storm in Monterey before ( not on purpose) it made it all the more fun. There was not a dull moment.
Definitely check it out.
October 13, 2023
This story gripped me from the opening chapter. The ocean has always been a mysterious and slightly scary place with unknown creatures lurking in its depths. Castaneda has taken the idea of a true event and really run wild with it, creating a story that is fast paced and tense throughout. I loved it!
June 13, 2024
Just finished reading this one and I’m still in awe. This was an absolutely incredible read. I’d say I can’t even imagine what it would be like, but no need… because this book is so perfectly crafted that it pulls you into the story nearly immediately. From the smells of the beach air to the lap of waves on the sand… this book is so visual and anxiety inducing, so much so that you may catch yourself pulling away from the book for fear the pages will loose a sea beast. The ocean is vastly unknown and one can hardly dispute that things we have never seen exist in the deepest depths. This book details what very well could happen if something unknown found it’s way to land. Brilliant horror story.
November 6, 2023
I love me a good creature book! This one was a fast paced, can’t put down exciting ride!
A beach town located by the Monterey coast, a storm is about to hit but residence were not warned about how bad it was going to actually be so many did not evacuate. The ones who stayed ended up not only fighting for their homes, businesses and lives but also have to survive what got brought in by the king tides.
This author did what The Meg tried to do but failed. This was actually creepy and terrifying!!! Combining warming oceans and climate change, it asks the question, what kind of life may emerge from the sea. The secret about what it is is truly frightening. The action never lets up and starts early on. I loved it!
Although full of action, the author manages to make you care about all the characters even though it’s a short book, you feel like you really know who these people are. That in and of itself is real talent.
I’m considering this author a new fave and look forward to reading more of her work.
A beach town located by the Monterey coast, a storm is about to hit but residence were not warned about how bad it was going to actually be so many did not evacuate. The ones who stayed ended up not only fighting for their homes, businesses and lives but also have to survive what got brought in by the king tides.
This author did what The Meg tried to do but failed. This was actually creepy and terrifying!!! Combining warming oceans and climate change, it asks the question, what kind of life may emerge from the sea. The secret about what it is is truly frightening. The action never lets up and starts early on. I loved it!
Although full of action, the author manages to make you care about all the characters even though it’s a short book, you feel like you really know who these people are. That in and of itself is real talent.
I’m considering this author a new fave and look forward to reading more of her work.
November 5, 2023
Thank You Debra Castaneda and BookSirens
This is the third book I have read of this author. It is the first one that was Hit Out of the Park. I really enjoyed this Cosy novel. It hits all the Suspenseful feels.
I grew up in Southern Florida. Hurricanes are Scary and some Freak storms can be too.
The story is very engaging from the beginning to the end. The writing style is smooth and tight with engaging characters. It's definitely my favorite book out of the three I have read so far.
Crawl meets Bait.
Creepy
Intense
Creature Feature
Survival Adventure
Cosmic Horror
Monterey Bay, California
This is the third book I have read of this author. It is the first one that was Hit Out of the Park. I really enjoyed this Cosy novel. It hits all the Suspenseful feels.
I grew up in Southern Florida. Hurricanes are Scary and some Freak storms can be too.
The story is very engaging from the beginning to the end. The writing style is smooth and tight with engaging characters. It's definitely my favorite book out of the three I have read so far.
Crawl meets Bait.
Creepy
Intense
Creature Feature
Survival Adventure
Cosmic Horror
Monterey Bay, California
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2024
I really enjoyed this read. The things I look forward to in a water horror novel were front and center in this one. Creature feature, suspense, and dread.
With a handful of likable characters and some not so much, it was still heartbreaking when certain characters went for a swim, so to speak.
I loved the atmosphere the author described. I could feel the wind on my skin and smell the salt in the air. Living on the coast, it’s one of my favorite things so I appreciated how accurate they portrayed this.
Can’t wait to read what’s next from this author.
With a handful of likable characters and some not so much, it was still heartbreaking when certain characters went for a swim, so to speak.
I loved the atmosphere the author described. I could feel the wind on my skin and smell the salt in the air. Living on the coast, it’s one of my favorite things so I appreciated how accurate they portrayed this.
Can’t wait to read what’s next from this author.
November 7, 2023
A creature, a small seaside town, and a boatload of horror! Castaneda has done it yet again, a cast of characters you'll love, relate to, and want to see win. A big bad that's both terrifying, but plausible, and sure to stay with you long after the story ends, and a setting that makes you both yearn to be part of it, and want to run far from, all at the same time. This was a solid four star, and was incredible fun!
October 21, 2023
We’ll, I’ve had a helluva day. I was trapped in a home with some other people and it was stormy and the tide was high and destructive and there were these …things, in the water that were terrifying.
At least it felt like that was my day.
The characters and atmosphere and descriptions of location were so authentic, I could even taste the food.
I loved this whole story, no, forget that, it was an experience.
Debra Castaneda writes what she knows and adds what she dreams up and it’s wonderful. I had been patiently waiting for this book to be released, and downloaded it right away. This is an author that I have come to count on for a good tale.
At least it felt like that was my day.
The characters and atmosphere and descriptions of location were so authentic, I could even taste the food.
I loved this whole story, no, forget that, it was an experience.
Debra Castaneda writes what she knows and adds what she dreams up and it’s wonderful. I had been patiently waiting for this book to be released, and downloaded it right away. This is an author that I have come to count on for a good tale.
November 2, 2023
Let me introduce you to my new favorite Debra Castaneda book!! This novel is her best yet, which is saying a lot because all of her Dark Earth Rising books have been amazing! But A Dark and Rising Tide really blew me away! The story itself was captivating and I may be a sucker for any book where a small group of people are isolated and dealing with some sort of danger. In this case, the danger being unknown tentacled creatures with a deadly bloodlust. The characters felt real and authentic, with their own struggles that needed to be overcome to get through this deadly storm. Just a really great read and certainly 5/5 cryptid skulls ☠️
June 8, 2024
A Dark and Rising Tide by Debra Castaneda
I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded down since GR won't let me mark halves. This book was well-written, and I really enjoyed parts of it. The setting and overall story line was enjoyable. I did have some trouble relating to the characters, and the ending wasn't what I expected and slightly changed how I felt about the book overall.
I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded down since GR won't let me mark halves. This book was well-written, and I really enjoyed parts of it. The setting and overall story line was enjoyable. I did have some trouble relating to the characters, and the ending wasn't what I expected and slightly changed how I felt about the book overall.
March 8, 2024
Carla and Peter are making things work in a small coastal town in northern California. When a severe weather warning hits, and bodies start turning up with bizarre injuries, you know things are about to get bad. And boy, do they ever!
I’m a big fan of oceanic horror, but thanks to this book, now I’m even afraid to head to the coast. This book is an absolute masterclass of ratcheting up tension as the tide rolls in and the skies turn gray. We get time to learn about the characters as they batten down to wait out the storm, and by the time it hits we’re ready to be fully submerged in all manner of horrors. And once we’re in it, the tension absolutely does not let up until the very final page.
This book would work fantastically as a natural disaster thriller, but on top of the hurricane-grade storms, the weather also brings in a mysterious and vicious threat from the deep. These aren't’ your average sea monsters either. They’re smart, patient, and scary as hell. From the cover, I was expecting something Lovecraftian, but what lurks in this book is something I was completely unprepared for, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be wrong about my assumptions.
This is the second book I’ve read from Casteneda. The Root Witch was easily in my top 10 of last year, and it seems A Dark and rising Tide has secured this author as an instant-buy for life. I highly recommend reading both books!
I’m a big fan of oceanic horror, but thanks to this book, now I’m even afraid to head to the coast. This book is an absolute masterclass of ratcheting up tension as the tide rolls in and the skies turn gray. We get time to learn about the characters as they batten down to wait out the storm, and by the time it hits we’re ready to be fully submerged in all manner of horrors. And once we’re in it, the tension absolutely does not let up until the very final page.
This book would work fantastically as a natural disaster thriller, but on top of the hurricane-grade storms, the weather also brings in a mysterious and vicious threat from the deep. These aren't’ your average sea monsters either. They’re smart, patient, and scary as hell. From the cover, I was expecting something Lovecraftian, but what lurks in this book is something I was completely unprepared for, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be wrong about my assumptions.
This is the second book I’ve read from Casteneda. The Root Witch was easily in my top 10 of last year, and it seems A Dark and rising Tide has secured this author as an instant-buy for life. I highly recommend reading both books!
July 9, 2024
This was a really good read. I felt like the last 40 or so pages weren't exactly necessary but I still enjoyed the whole story nonetheless. There were slow parts and very very fast parts. I really love reading about monsters in the ocean and people trying to escape them. Overall 3.5/5
August 10, 2024
I just loved this book so much. I usually don’t write reviews because I get weirdly self conscious about them 🤣 but this book hit all the boxes for me, I LOVE a good water horror story and this one was so original; the terror of finding yourself stuck in the middle of a storm, above the water, during high tide was stunningly executed and I felt the panic of our group of characters. Definitely give this book a read!
October 10, 2023
I absolutely could not put this book down. The characters were down to earth and relatable. The heavy atmosphere, sense of dread, and impending horror really carried this story. I also really love storms and natural disasters and when you throw monsters in the mix, you can’t go wrong. This book isn’t big on gore but the fear of what you can’t see has just as big of an impact. Super awesome story.
April 18, 2024
This was so good! The action never let up and my anxiety never waned! This author is quickly becoming my new favorite. I have loved all I’ve read from her.
July 13, 2025
3.5 stars
Entertaining creature feature
Entertaining creature feature
August 20, 2025
3.5 stars
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