Proudly CanadianBooks picked and shipped in Canada

The Dark Tide

by Alicia Jasinska

Subject
Fairy Tales & Folklore - Adaptations
Age
Teen
Format
Hardcover
Pages
336
Publisher
Sourcebooks Fire
Size
14.0 cm × 21.1 cm
ISBN
9781728209982

A gripping, dark enemies to lovers LGBTQ+ YA fantasy about two girls who must choose between saving themselves, each other, or their sinking island home.

Every year on St. Walpurga's Eve, Caldella's Witch Queen lures a boy back to her palace. An innocent life to be sacrificed on the full moon to keep the island city from sinking.

Lina Kirk is convinced her brother is going to be taken this year. To save him, she enlists the help of Thomas Lin, the boy she secretly loves, and the only person to ever escape from the palace. But they draw the queen's attention, and Thomas is chosen as the sacrifice.

Queen Eva watched her sister die to save the boy she loved. Now as queen, she won't make the same mistake. She's willing to sacrifice anyone if it means saving herself and her city.

When Lina offers herself to the queen in exchange for Thomas's freedom, the two girls await the full moon together. But Lina is not at all what Eva expected, and the queen is nothing like Lina envisioned. Against their will, they find themselves falling for each other as water floods Caldella's streets and the dark tide demands its sacrifice.

Perfect for fans of:

The Wicked Deep and A Curse So Dark and LonelyWitchy talesDark fantasy fictionLGBTQ booksEnemies to lovers romance

Praise for The Dark Tide:

"Striking the perfect balance, The Dark Tide demands to be read in one held breath as its tide bears down on all."—Foreword, Starred Review

"A dark scenic adventure, sensitively written for romantics, Jasinska's debut novel is a fantasy of promises, betrayal, unrequited love, and black magic."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

"The Dark Tide is the dark, queer fantasy of your dreams that's part beauty and the beast, part something entirely new and original... a lush world that begs to be lived in... It's beautiful, and fast paced, and everything I ever want from a fairy tale."—Cat VanOrder, Bookmarks (Winston-Salem, NC)

"Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope will be ecstatic with this book...The Dark Tide offers an exciting and immersive story with a strong feminist slant that subverts common YA tropes and forges its own original path."—The Nerd Daily

Data provided by BiblioShare.

This title isn't available to order right now. Browse the book shop for thousands that are.

What reviewers said

Striking the perfect balance, The Dark Tide demands to be read in one held breath as its tide bears down on all" - Foreword (Starred review)"A dark scenic adventure, sensitively written for romantics, Jasinska's debut novel is a fantasy of promises, betrayal, unrequited love, and black magic" - School Library Journal (Starred review)"Jasinska's debut fantasy, a dark fairy tale reminiscent of "Tam Lin," but delightfully queer, is thrillingly romantic while exploring the intersections between love, sacrifice, and duty."" - Booklist"Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope will be ecstatic with this…
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books"
© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.
© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.