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A CLASH OF TIDES
Ivara has known there was something wrong with her for some time. Constant nightmares plague her sleep and terrifying visions overtake her during her waking hours. But the worst part is her memory. Despite being over nearly eighty years old, Ivara can only remember the last two years of her life. Only the Sea Witch Scyla seems to be able to offer any answers.
But before Ivara is able to get answers out of the Witch she is forced to flee her home in the sea, and take legs. Trading her life as a mermaid for that of a human woman. But the human world has its own set of dangers. As the bodies pile up around Ivara must decide who she is before her past has the chance to catch up with her. Who was she before she lost her memory? What is the golden beast that haunts her dreams? And who is leaving a trail of bodies in the walker world?
A dark twist on Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fairytale that will have readers asking themselves who they are and who they want to be.
A fantasy retelling with all the best mermaids, magic and mystery! - Emma Elizabeth
But before Ivara is able to get answers out of the Witch she is forced to flee her home in the sea, and take legs. Trading her life as a mermaid for that of a human woman. But the human world has its own set of dangers. As the bodies pile up around Ivara must decide who she is before her past has the chance to catch up with her. Who was she before she lost her memory? What is the golden beast that haunts her dreams? And who is leaving a trail of bodies in the walker world?
A dark twist on Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fairytale that will have readers asking themselves who they are and who they want to be.
A fantasy retelling with all the best mermaids, magic and mystery! - Emma Elizabeth
374 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 22, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 21, 2024
The story has potential but seems to have entirely skipped the editing stage. Full of run on sentences, and random lore that isn’t explained or introduced properly, this novel would benefit from a hard edit to make it more consumable.
July 22, 2024
This book had a lot of potential and if my rating was based off creativity alone it would be a 5/5 because it truly is unique and unlike anything else I’ve read.
However when you get too many ideas going at once I think it takes away from the overall plot of the book.
This book has multiple points of view from different characters in different time frames, it also includes sections at the beginning of each chapter having to do with prophecy that comes into play at the end of the book. So you want to try to pay attention but it can become overwhelming.
The book has intricate details that matter but aren’t always revealed at once, such as red mermaids being born albino and not having the coloration at the beginning. You find out towards the ending of the book that the youngest sibling will become a red mermaid and that their mother’s only purpose in having so many children with her spouse was to get a red mermaid child. I feel like this would have suited better to being explained in the beginning. It would have given a more emotional impact and given better character development.
I feel like character development was lacking in this book. When it came to romance especially, there isn’t many steps leading up to a “two people but only one bed” scene that we see all the time. It just felt unnatural for those two characters to suddenly be together when there was no chemistry before hand. There’s also a chapter where two good mermaids are suddenly “lovers” and kiss but there was no development leading to that point. I felt blindsided by it and had to reread the chapter to make sure I didn’t miss something. Then following chapters both these “couples” almost go back to a friendship/sisterhood relationship too.
Then ending of the book has a betrayal as well that there’s no way the reader could have seen coming because there were no hints or character development for that character whatsoever. Which is a bummer. Makes it feel like a cheap shot when there is no indication beforehand. I wish we would have gotten more backstory for this character.
A few scenes were a little far fetched for me, like the main character being in the middle of a scheme to trap a suspected killer. I just find it hard to read that a prince with all the resources of royalty would need the help of a tavern wench to try to trap a killer. A tavern wench he didn’t know 🙃. I know that chapters like that are necessary for plots to grow but I feel like it was missing a few steps to make it seem realistic. There were a few chapters or plot points that felt rushed to me and didn’t make sense.
To conclude I think the book was decent and really creative. I think maybe there was too much in too little time. If this would have been drug out more and explained better with more time for character development it might have flowed better and been easier to digest. I also fear that when the next book comes out I will have no idea what was going on and have to reread the first because it was so packed to the brim with information. I think this book is so much more than a little mermaid retelling. I want to read the next is the series to tie up loose ends from this book and really hope the sequel addresses them. I also think most of the characters are enjoyable and didn’t find any of them hard to read. Just wish there was more to them, more growing that we could read about. I tried to leave spoilers out but it’s hard to review this book without bringing up any material that may be seen as a spoiler.
However when you get too many ideas going at once I think it takes away from the overall plot of the book.
This book has multiple points of view from different characters in different time frames, it also includes sections at the beginning of each chapter having to do with prophecy that comes into play at the end of the book. So you want to try to pay attention but it can become overwhelming.
The book has intricate details that matter but aren’t always revealed at once, such as red mermaids being born albino and not having the coloration at the beginning. You find out towards the ending of the book that the youngest sibling will become a red mermaid and that their mother’s only purpose in having so many children with her spouse was to get a red mermaid child. I feel like this would have suited better to being explained in the beginning. It would have given a more emotional impact and given better character development.
I feel like character development was lacking in this book. When it came to romance especially, there isn’t many steps leading up to a “two people but only one bed” scene that we see all the time. It just felt unnatural for those two characters to suddenly be together when there was no chemistry before hand. There’s also a chapter where two good mermaids are suddenly “lovers” and kiss but there was no development leading to that point. I felt blindsided by it and had to reread the chapter to make sure I didn’t miss something. Then following chapters both these “couples” almost go back to a friendship/sisterhood relationship too.
Then ending of the book has a betrayal as well that there’s no way the reader could have seen coming because there were no hints or character development for that character whatsoever. Which is a bummer. Makes it feel like a cheap shot when there is no indication beforehand. I wish we would have gotten more backstory for this character.
A few scenes were a little far fetched for me, like the main character being in the middle of a scheme to trap a suspected killer. I just find it hard to read that a prince with all the resources of royalty would need the help of a tavern wench to try to trap a killer. A tavern wench he didn’t know 🙃. I know that chapters like that are necessary for plots to grow but I feel like it was missing a few steps to make it seem realistic. There were a few chapters or plot points that felt rushed to me and didn’t make sense.
To conclude I think the book was decent and really creative. I think maybe there was too much in too little time. If this would have been drug out more and explained better with more time for character development it might have flowed better and been easier to digest. I also fear that when the next book comes out I will have no idea what was going on and have to reread the first because it was so packed to the brim with information. I think this book is so much more than a little mermaid retelling. I want to read the next is the series to tie up loose ends from this book and really hope the sequel addresses them. I also think most of the characters are enjoyable and didn’t find any of them hard to read. Just wish there was more to them, more growing that we could read about. I tried to leave spoilers out but it’s hard to review this book without bringing up any material that may be seen as a spoiler.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2024
This book has great potential. I see the concepts and the storyline. But the problem is, it takes a long time for the lore to be revealed, and I almost stopped reading because there were too many things that didnt seem to add up. Additionally there were wayyyyy too many grammar and spelling errors. It kept taking me out of the story.
July 22, 2024
Very different from what I was expecting, but in a good way! A very good debut novel by Alivia! There was a lot of mystery in the plot that kept me wanting to read more. Also that epilogue 😱
January 11, 2025
I really LOVE this book especially how since I love books that are mysterious and fantasy this a perfect fit if you love mystery and fantasy books then this is the perfect book for you!
November 9, 2024
I absolutely loved this book. My favourite part is all the passages at the start of each chapter. Showcases the amount of effort Alivia has put into her art.
August 8, 2025
horrible grammar and spelling. fire your editor immediately.
had potential but wasn’t marketed as YA when i first found the book. the writing was very simple though the plot kept me semi-engaged. numerous grammatical errors, spelling errors, improper uses of their there and theyre and even the improper spelling of the main character’s names in addition to a lack of proper quotations and possessiveness. SO MANY RUN ON SENTENCES. combined, this really took away from the book for me.
this author needs to take a writing class asap. but her creativity is there.
had potential but wasn’t marketed as YA when i first found the book. the writing was very simple though the plot kept me semi-engaged. numerous grammatical errors, spelling errors, improper uses of their there and theyre and even the improper spelling of the main character’s names in addition to a lack of proper quotations and possessiveness. SO MANY RUN ON SENTENCES. combined, this really took away from the book for me.
this author needs to take a writing class asap. but her creativity is there.
February 10, 2026
this was a strong start to this Dolah Chronicles series, it had that element that I was wanting from the genre and description. I enjoyed getting into this world and characters, it was engaging and worked with what I was hoping for. Alivia Maar has a great way of creating characters and a story and was hooked from the first page, it left me wanting to read more in this series.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 25, 2026
I have always loveee fairytale retelling, but this one was totally mind blowing. The world building is insanely good! i do have some difficulties at the beginning to understand the timeline and the lore but as i keep on reading, it was really cool! I cant wait for the next book to be published! i need more on Ivara's story😍
May 2, 2026
It took me a while to get into this book due to my adhd but once I did I was hooked. The characters are well written. The story was amazing. Ive always loved stories with mermaids in it, magic, and not to much spice at all. The story progressed well. The ending had me going oh no, I need book 2 NOW. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy and magic and the sea.
June 21, 2024
I had the opportunity to work with Alivia as an editor on this book. My first experience with Young Adult (YA) and I was quite impressed with the writing, story arc and heroes journeys. This is a "Dark Retelling of the Little Mermaid," and it is a wild ride. Very well done. Congrats.
Want to Read
September 26, 2024I tried to read this book but just could not get through it... The plot was not enticing and the character development had not made me interested in a single character and I read half of the book. WOuld not recommend.
February 26, 2025
This was such an imersive read. The characters were so well written you felt like you were on the journey with them. The story line was such a great spin on mermaids and murder mystery. You can tell the author enjoyed writing the book
February 16, 2026
I will say most of my qualms with this book were editing related. But the story was intriguing, although a little hard to visualize at first, and I really hope shes moving forward with the second book!
December 30, 2024
The book didn't flow well, which made it confusing.
May 7, 2025
Definitely a very great read lots of excitement. I love everything about this book if you love mermaids and fantasy this book is definitely one you should add to your TBR .
Did Not Finish
August 22, 2026DNF at 23%. I have no idea what’s going on and I’m also kind of bored. There are too many characters in this book and I cannot figure out why there are two different timelines.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews