Black Tide definitely started strong—there’s this intense, almost cinematic vibe right from the beginning. I love a good survival story with weird, unexplainable things happening, and this one had that eerie, end-of-the-world tension. The beach setting was a cool backdrop, and the pacing kept things moving quickly.

But honestly? I was expecting more sci-fi. Based on the premise, I thought we’d get a deeper dive into the “what” and “why” behind everything that was happening, but it stayed pretty surface-level and leaned more into horror and suspense. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was hoping for.

Still, if you're in the mood for a quick, unsettling read with strong atmosphere and don’t mind a little vagueness in the details, this one might hit the spot. I just found myself wanting more—more explanation, more world-building, more of that sci-fi punch.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was just not the book for me. I’ve seen some other people whose reviews I trust rate this low, but I was like eh, whatever!

The thought of this book and the premise had me intrigued, but I was disappointed with it overall.

There was almost so much going on at all times that I was bored.

I don't know what it was about this book that irked me so very much, but I found myself annoyed the entire time I was reading it. The amount of metaphors and similes was absurd, more than typically, or just written in a way that made them feel obvious and not woven into the fabric of the story. In fact, the MC compares herself to a car crash over and over again, but I just found it to drive me senseless.

The story itself was pretty okay. Very rapturous in a way, but the book also wasn't quiet religious. It was more science fiction, but didn't necessarily read like science fiction. Basically, a bunch of alien lifeforms get beamed to Earth, switching places with Earthly beings. Very interesting premise, and would probably work nicely as a film, but wouldn't work as well as a series because it was pretty flat. Kind of in and out, with not a whole lot of meat to it.

I'm the first to say a book is too long and drawn out, that it could've been half its length. This is absolutely not the case here. This book was too short. It could've been much longer, and would've worked much better as full-length novel as opposed to this less than 250 page novella of a story. There was a so much potential that was left unleashed.

These monsters could have been so much more terrifying, the horror could have spilled off the page, but it was so darn tamed that it felt underwhelming. I never got the chance to get invested in the characters or feel fear from the creatures, or get attached to the sweet pup, before everything was fully rushed through and just... over.

For a debut, KC Jones has set the bar very high for her next book. Two people, out for a rendevous enjoy a romantic evening under the stars, shooting stars from a meteor shower add plenty of spice to the night. THEN.......I love the apocalypse stories......when the world as we know it is gone....but this one has several horror twists woven in that gave me the chills at odd moments. The couple must face the unknown as strangers but as they learn to trust each other....and there's really no choice.....the team they become is equal to the task.

Black Tide by K.C. Jones is an intense and exciting horror with very interesting creatures.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC.

A creepy story with a decent amount of character depth and growth. The middle portion dragged for me, which is too bad because the first and last thirds of the book were very tense and action packed. The middle third just felt a bit tedious and repetitive. Still though, I enjoyed Beth and Mike as characters, and the descriptions of the baddies they were facing were creepy and well executed. I'd love to learn more about this world in the aftermath of the events that happen in this book!

This book was awesome!! I loved it so much! It’s captivating and engaging and suspenseful. The characters are irritating with every mistake they make but then they grow on you! I loved the existentialism of the story. Very lovecraftian vibes. Bravo!

A very interesting and weird read. I had to start this one several times before I actually got through it. It started out interesting but then it switched to just weird. The characters were unlikeable, however, I did really like the dog.

So, I love the idea of Black Tide and that's what caught my attention. I think I would have liked the book a little more if it didn't primarily take place on the beach and we got just a little more the monsters. I would have loved to get more of them in action and figure out what they were or what they wanted.

Dark, thrilling and never a dull moment with this book! I really enjoyed it and wish I had gotten to it sooner, but alas I had a lot of ARCs on my TBR. However, read this book as you won't regret it!

I’m a sucker for a movie that is shot in one location with a cast list so small they could fit at my dining room table. Black Tide is basically the equivalent of that in book form. I love that the majority of this story takes place in one of the smallest settings possible: a car. And I love that the main character gets trapped there with her one night stand and a dog. I’ve never read a book like this, and while I grappled with giving this a 3 or 5 star rating, I’ve decided that ultimately this story was amazing. I read this book well over a year ago (my review is embarrassingly late - I’m blaming it on my newborn), but I still think about this story to this day. It was incredibly easy to read in one sitting. If you’re in the mood for a light horror with a few laughs, then this is the book for you. K.C. Jones, please write more in this world.

When it comes to summer reads, there are few things that bring me more joy than Creature Feature style stories. I think part of it has to deal with growing up and the idea of the summer blockbuster. A period of movies that have plenty of action, larger than life monsters and just all the makings of fun.

KC Jones' Black Tide is the perfect book for summer and provides plenty of thrills. Set on an empty stretch of the Oregon coast, Black Tide takes the idea of a seemingly widespread apocalyptic scenario and focusing it down into a much smaller, intimate snapshot of those events. This approach really dials up the tension and while yhe book features plenty ofadrenaline-fueled scenes, it also offers a portrait of how sometimes terrible events cannlead to unexpected moments of connection.

I don't understand all the high ratings for this book, tbh - it's okay? It's the screenplay for a cheesy B movie horror nonsense rewritten as prose, and even keeping that in mind, it's nothing special. So I'm not sure why all the gushing, even accounting for taste. I am usually a huge fan of cosmic horror, but this missed for me.

Black Tide by KC Jones was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I had never read this author before. This book starts out slow and I pondered moving onto other books, but I stuck with it and was glad to do so. Once the action starts it never really lets up, even with the limited cast. KC Jones does a good job of sci fi horror and I will watch out for their works again. If monsters, being stuck on a beach, a wonderful dog sidekick and a Suburu make you wanna read something, this is the book to read.

4 Stars

Thanks so much for the arc!

The premise had me intrigued a beach, mentor shower and the idea of post cosmic horror apocalypticness.

Though once the story started I lost my connection with narrative and didn't care for the characters in the end. Plus the complexity of the characters took me a while to wrap my head around them. A bit of the pacing felt too rushed.

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting from Black Tide, but it truly delivered on its promise of high stakes and tension. KC Jones has written great characters, who I found myself connecting with in spite of any faults they may have, and truly rooting for them throughout the third act. The story is wonderfully descriptive and has all of the elements of sci-fi horror that I love. I’m so excited to read more.

I'm ashamed to admit this book sat in my NetGalley backlog for so long. As soon as I saw a Twitter post announcing it won a Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel, I immediately bumped it to the top of my list. What a wild ride! With a bit of Stephen's King's The Mist and Cujo and a whole lot of apocalyptic WTF, Black Tide kept me on the edge of my seat and reading the entire book in one sitting. Not even a potty break, for this one, LOL. What is more terrifying than the things you can't see? Well, when the things you can't see start eating you is number one in my book. Full of dread and heart-pumping tension, Black Tide ticked all the boxes on what I want get out of an end of days horror tale. Congratulations to KC Jones on the Bram... I can't wait to see what he puts out next!

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I really hope there’s a sequel. I really want to know what happened after the last sentence! If there’s not a sequel coming, I may need to lower my rating as this story leaves a of important info unsaid and questions unanswered.

I like the premise of this story and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it until the very end.

Recommended for lovers of sci-fi and thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

A cross between a horror and an apocalyptic thriller, this was a great read for anyone who doesn't mind when...

******SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT**********







...the dog dies in a book. I, personally, am not one of those people. I care more about the dog characters than the human characters, and I get very emotional and pissed off when an author kills off a dog. Yes, I know this is irrational, but that's just the kind of reader I am.