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The Atlantis Trilogy #2
A Twist of Tides
Reanna glimpsed the depths of Atlantis, and now she must survive the consequences.After Reanna’s ill-fated attempt to stop Atlantis’ war, the Council of Solis holds her life and the lives of her friends in their hands.But amidst this turbulence, the legendary mermaid Thessalonike reappears with a guardianship offer. She takes Reanna and Co. to her underwater library, but her training is not what they expect. Nor is her end goal, which involves reconstructing the trident of Atlantis with the help of Reanna’s long-lost cousin Marri and without the Council’s sanction.In the face of Thessalonike’s tactics, the ever-growing danger of the war, and the weight of their own dueling desires, Reanna’s found family must decide whether they will pull together, or if the twisted tides will rip them apart.
506 pages, Paperback
Published October 28, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 19, 2023
In which Marquise wanted the villain to die by having his liver eaten by orcas, but the more compassionate author didn't grant her her wish.
Also, Marquise finds it hilarious that the Idiot Quarterback refers to another of the main characters, an elf, as "Gregolas." Because Marquise's friend Roshy-sensei refers to Marquise's fiancé as "Legolas."
Now that I've read the edited and finished version, I can say that whilst I liked the first book more I think this was a worthy sequel to The Depths of Atlantis, and overall better plotted as well. Why? Let me count the good, the bad, and the ugly...
Things Miss H did deliver on:
👍 Good dialogue, and good banter. Not just between the main characters but between some of the secondary ones as well.
👍🏻 A millennia-old immortal with no sense of humour and a biological inability to understand what a pop culture reference is.
👍 All characters are biologically able to quote away pop culture references like it's going out of fashion. It is geeky paradise here. On top of pop culture references, there's historical events referenced and paid homage to that history lovers will notice.
👍🏻 We finally find out the origin story for how and why Atlantis sank. And it's more complicated than I initially thought.
👍 The villain is given a sad(ish) backstory without an overdone sob story and still stays bad. I hope she stays bad, no faux-redemption, please.
👍🏻 The plot is crazy fast and crazy twisty. Might be too much for some, though, so be prepared for this pacing that's even faster than in the first book.
👍 Idiot Quarterback has time to shine. Figuratively speaking.
👍🏻 Princess Fish Bait has time to shine. And be a badass for once. She does really good in this installment.
👍 Human bites dog. Or, maiden saves knight in shining armour. For once!
👍🏻 There's gut-punchy developments and we are left to guess the outcome for a few of them, including an important death (or two).
Things Miss H didn't deliver on:
👎 No Hannibal Orcaster eating Julius' liver with kelp salad and a good Chianti. Boo hiss!
👎🏻 No hot underwater sex scene. Oh, I know Hannah would never write one such scene, but that doesn't mean I can't wish for one, yeah? You can't let this opportunity pass! You didn't even clarify whether that kiss was with or without tongue! Boo hiss.
👎 Idiot Quarterback got time to shine. Literally speaking. I'm sure the levels of abuse he goes through may merit calling Idiot Quarterback Protection Services, since he's underage (I think?).
👎🏻 Mariella Taylor mode on. Listen, I adore the fairies here. I love the were-fairy in special, but could we perhaps strip that annoying new fairy character of fairiness status and boot her to Orc corner, pretty please? /Mariella Taylor mode off.
👎 Someone died. Whilst I don't object to them being dead and staying dead because I'm heartless, I'm sure others won't like that.
👎🏻 This probably will get fixed in next book, but there's an alarming lack of consequences for magical screw-ups here. I'm a firm believer in that magic has to have a price and that there must be consequences. As in, you can't undergo all those injuries without paying a cost, even if magic can miraculously heal you, there should still be consequences, at least mental ones. In the particular case of Trevor, especially, he doesn't show the PTSD he should legitimately be suffering from after all that he's gone through in this book. Reanna has her child abuse PTSD, Trevor has his parent abandonment PTSD, but so far nobody is suffering from war PTSD in this series, and they should. All three, not just a certain character. Maybe in next book there should be a sort of Scouring of the Shire scene in which Frodo has to show the PTSD from the Ring.
👎 No idea, but seven is a magical number and I had to put something in point #7.
So, all said this gets 4.5 stars. And since this review is a homage to Rosh's famous pro & contra bullet point style, I have to conclude with the same traditional opening line (because I'm doing it backwards, why else?) she does:
In a Nutshell: Book was good. Enough(ish) Idiot Quarterback. Marquise liked. Go read book.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a serious review. I fulfilled half of my part, whether it's the 'serious' or the 'review' part is debatable.
Also, Marquise finds it hilarious that the Idiot Quarterback refers to another of the main characters, an elf, as "Gregolas." Because Marquise's friend Roshy-sensei refers to Marquise's fiancé as "Legolas."
Now that I've read the edited and finished version, I can say that whilst I liked the first book more I think this was a worthy sequel to The Depths of Atlantis, and overall better plotted as well. Why? Let me count the good, the bad, and the ugly...
Things Miss H did deliver on:
👍 Good dialogue, and good banter. Not just between the main characters but between some of the secondary ones as well.
👍🏻 A millennia-old immortal with no sense of humour and a biological inability to understand what a pop culture reference is.
👍 All characters are biologically able to quote away pop culture references like it's going out of fashion. It is geeky paradise here. On top of pop culture references, there's historical events referenced and paid homage to that history lovers will notice.
👍🏻 We finally find out the origin story for how and why Atlantis sank. And it's more complicated than I initially thought.
👍 The villain is given a sad(ish) backstory without an overdone sob story and still stays bad. I hope she stays bad, no faux-redemption, please.
👍🏻 The plot is crazy fast and crazy twisty. Might be too much for some, though, so be prepared for this pacing that's even faster than in the first book.
👍 Idiot Quarterback has time to shine. Figuratively speaking.
👍🏻 Princess Fish Bait has time to shine. And be a badass for once. She does really good in this installment.
👍 Human bites dog. Or, maiden saves knight in shining armour. For once!
👍🏻 There's gut-punchy developments and we are left to guess the outcome for a few of them, including an important death (or two).
Things Miss H didn't deliver on:
👎 No Hannibal Orcaster eating Julius' liver with kelp salad and a good Chianti. Boo hiss!
👎🏻 No hot underwater sex scene. Oh, I know Hannah would never write one such scene, but that doesn't mean I can't wish for one, yeah? You can't let this opportunity pass! You didn't even clarify whether that kiss was with or without tongue! Boo hiss.
👎 Idiot Quarterback got time to shine. Literally speaking. I'm sure the levels of abuse he goes through may merit calling Idiot Quarterback Protection Services, since he's underage (I think?).
👎🏻 Mariella Taylor mode on. Listen, I adore the fairies here. I love the were-fairy in special, but could we perhaps strip that annoying new fairy character of fairiness status and boot her to Orc corner, pretty please? /Mariella Taylor mode off.
👎 Someone died. Whilst I don't object to them being dead and staying dead because I'm heartless, I'm sure others won't like that.
👎🏻 This probably will get fixed in next book, but there's an alarming lack of consequences for magical screw-ups here. I'm a firm believer in that magic has to have a price and that there must be consequences. As in, you can't undergo all those injuries without paying a cost, even if magic can miraculously heal you, there should still be consequences, at least mental ones. In the particular case of Trevor, especially, he doesn't show the PTSD he should legitimately be suffering from after all that he's gone through in this book. Reanna has her child abuse PTSD, Trevor has his parent abandonment PTSD, but so far nobody is suffering from war PTSD in this series, and they should. All three, not just a certain character. Maybe in next book there should be a sort of Scouring of the Shire scene in which Frodo has to show the PTSD from the Ring.
👎 No idea, but seven is a magical number and I had to put something in point #7.
So, all said this gets 4.5 stars. And since this review is a homage to Rosh's famous pro & contra bullet point style, I have to conclude with the same traditional opening line (because I'm doing it backwards, why else?) she does:
In a Nutshell: Book was good. Enough(ish) Idiot Quarterback. Marquise liked. Go read book.
I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a serious review. I fulfilled half of my part, whether it's the 'serious' or the 'review' part is debatable.
Read
August 3, 2023I’m in the throes of editing this beast, which I imagine is like a woman during her 9th month of pregnancy, not that I can compare. But the moral of the story is that I’m slowly killing myself over here during these wonderful edits, so I hope you all enjoy. 🥰
Read
September 20, 2023I can’t review cuz I’m on the editing team, but I’ll say this…bring tissues and a blanket.
December 2, 2023
Ehhhhh?? Where's the next book??
October 6, 2023
Oh, my heart!
Can I tell you a bookish confession? I’m TERRIBLE with reading series all the way through. I’ve often been let down with sequels and have a tendency to avoid them in an attempt to avoid disappointment. But if that’s the rule then A Twist of Tides by Hannah Carter is the exception—I was completely engaged from beginning to end and I am now impatiently waiting for book 3!
Hannah Carter’s writing worlds create an experience in which you forget you are reading. You feel like you are right there with the characters living the story with them. The way the author develops her cast of characters and creates means for easy emotional attachment to them is beautiful (and a bit cruel—cruel only for the fact I have no actual way to protect my fictional friends).
I’m honestly in awe of how the author balances so much character depth with high stakes action. And the twists! Definitely didn’t see a few things coming. I stayed up way too late to finish the last half of the book because I just couldn’t NOT know what happened next.
The theme of rising above your trauma and not letting bitterness and anger rule you is beautifully and gracefully approached. I love how the Song of the Sea is countered with the Composer’s Song—it’s true even in the real world, we have a choice in who we want to be no matter our past; we have a choice in who we become. We ARE resilient and we CAN overcome hurt and wrongdoing against us. Thank you, Reanna, for reminding us this.
Though there are tough moments and heavy topics within this book, the author does a phenomenal job with refraining from extremely graphic detail and keeping it framed for an upper YA audience. However, reader discretion is advised for fantasy violence including mentions of battle injuries/blood, abuse, assault, (see the content warning list in the beginning of the book).
So, if you like…
-Mermaids and portal fantasies
-Depictions of strong friendships
-Origin stories/flashbacks
-High stakes action and lots of suspense interwoven with dynamic characters with diverse personalities
-Jedi masters vs Sith lords
-Stranger Things
-Pop culture references
-Snarky jokes and funny banter
-Feel good moments/growth
-Cinnamon roll characters
-Characters realizing they are stronger than they first thought
Then you need to read A Twist of Tides! Love this book. Love this series. Love this author.
*I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book. I am leaving a review of my own volition, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Can I tell you a bookish confession? I’m TERRIBLE with reading series all the way through. I’ve often been let down with sequels and have a tendency to avoid them in an attempt to avoid disappointment. But if that’s the rule then A Twist of Tides by Hannah Carter is the exception—I was completely engaged from beginning to end and I am now impatiently waiting for book 3!
Hannah Carter’s writing worlds create an experience in which you forget you are reading. You feel like you are right there with the characters living the story with them. The way the author develops her cast of characters and creates means for easy emotional attachment to them is beautiful (and a bit cruel—cruel only for the fact I have no actual way to protect my fictional friends).
I’m honestly in awe of how the author balances so much character depth with high stakes action. And the twists! Definitely didn’t see a few things coming. I stayed up way too late to finish the last half of the book because I just couldn’t NOT know what happened next.
The theme of rising above your trauma and not letting bitterness and anger rule you is beautifully and gracefully approached. I love how the Song of the Sea is countered with the Composer’s Song—it’s true even in the real world, we have a choice in who we want to be no matter our past; we have a choice in who we become. We ARE resilient and we CAN overcome hurt and wrongdoing against us. Thank you, Reanna, for reminding us this.
Though there are tough moments and heavy topics within this book, the author does a phenomenal job with refraining from extremely graphic detail and keeping it framed for an upper YA audience. However, reader discretion is advised for fantasy violence including mentions of battle injuries/blood, abuse, assault, (see the content warning list in the beginning of the book).
So, if you like…
-Mermaids and portal fantasies
-Depictions of strong friendships
-Origin stories/flashbacks
-High stakes action and lots of suspense interwoven with dynamic characters with diverse personalities
-Jedi masters vs Sith lords
-Stranger Things
-Pop culture references
-Snarky jokes and funny banter
-Feel good moments/growth
-Cinnamon roll characters
-Characters realizing they are stronger than they first thought
Then you need to read A Twist of Tides! Love this book. Love this series. Love this author.
*I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book. I am leaving a review of my own volition, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
November 2, 2023
Book 2 is even more exciting. So many twists and turns and things unearthed. I love this series. It will have you laughing, then crying, then angry. I love that in a book. The depth of the characters are fantastic the world build takes you deeper into Atlanta into the other realm, it's intricate and so well developed. I love it there it's magical and dangerous. You get to find out what makes certain characters the way they are and why they do what they do. Honestly it's like being in a DnD campaign and I'm all for it. Reanna discovers more about herself and where she came from. Also when I say this is a tio. Packed it is action packed! I also love all the pop culture references they're like fun little Easter eggs! Love this series you definitely need to pick it up.
October 5, 2025
Mermaids. Mental health. TRAUMA. SO MUCH TRAUMA.
Seriously, these characters went through so much. I just wanted to hug them all.
I wish we’d gotten more Laile and Greg this book, but that’s just my wanting more from my ship. This one probably isn’t considered a portal fantasy because it takes place entirely on Gaia (no Earth plotline like the first one), but it’s still a fun contemporary fantasy with lots of references to Earth culture. I actually preferred it this way—in the first one, I was always waiting for the plot to move back to Gaia whenever there were Earth scenes.
The mirror scenes. Gahhhhh. :o And I can’t decide if I ship Reanna and Trevor still. (Definitely don’t ship Reanna and Adam.)
Such a unique series. I really can’t think of any other books like them.
Seriously, these characters went through so much. I just wanted to hug them all.
I wish we’d gotten more Laile and Greg this book, but that’s just my wanting more from my ship. This one probably isn’t considered a portal fantasy because it takes place entirely on Gaia (no Earth plotline like the first one), but it’s still a fun contemporary fantasy with lots of references to Earth culture. I actually preferred it this way—in the first one, I was always waiting for the plot to move back to Gaia whenever there were Earth scenes.
The mirror scenes. Gahhhhh. :o And I can’t decide if I ship Reanna and Trevor still. (Definitely don’t ship Reanna and Adam.)
Such a unique series. I really can’t think of any other books like them.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews