When Oceans Rise is a brilliant story about toxic relationships, fate, and family. If you love stories about multiverses, this has to be on your tbr. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Malaya is cursed. In her family, every girl’s first love ends in death after falling for someone evil. Good thing Malaya’s dream guy isn’t monstrous.
Except the curse is real and preventing Malaya from noticing how much he has gaslit and isolated her until she can’t be saved. With no other options, the sea witch is the only one to help her. Bartering her voice for a new life where she and her abusive boyfriend never met, Malaya accidentally swaps places with an alternate timeline version of herself who didn’t make her mistakes. As she tries to undo the switch, the sea witch uses Malaya’s voice to unleash Filipino mythological creatures into the worlds.
Can a champion, an alternate timeline sister, and Malaya fight these beasts and stop the sea witch before she destroys both timelines?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the author. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: racism, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, toxic relationship, gaslighting
When Oceans Rise is an emotional story which begins detailing Malaya’s abusive relationship. The ways that when we have been isolated, emotionally manipulated, we cannot see the way out, we don’t see what’s happening in front of us. How we won’t leave this love, this relationship, untouched or unchanged. It was heart wrenching. Love which burns and freezes. All the red flags. The ways her words, feelings, and world begin to twist away form her.
And then When Oceans Rise allows Malaya to make a deal with a sea witch to give up her voice for a universe in which she’s not dating Ian. However, this deal not only spells unintended consequences for Malaya’s family and friends in this world, but also for the world itself. Suddenly Filipino mythological creatures are appearing and endangering everyone around her. Not only that, but the ripples of these consequences from her deal.
I loved how When Oceans Rise is devoted to establishing this other timeline. Alvarez never lets us forget about the ones Malaya left behind and details the ways these side characters are the same – and different – than who Malaya knows. When Oceans Rise examines the effects of our choices. All the worlds, relationships, and decisions that bloom. The hidden costs and unexpected joys.
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When Oceans Rise is a story about desperation and fears. About just wanting something about our life to be different. How hard it is to stop the voices in our head. All the things we think would change our life. But it’s also about the people in our lives who love us, protect us, and support us. Find When Oceans Rise on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.