Black Tide was great! I love a little bit of end of the world fiction and, I’ll be honest, a lot of stories with sci-fi and horror and apocalyptic aspects can be really long and complicated. I love books like that, but sometimes I just want a quick, short, enjoyable Bird Box type of story without too much explanation. Black Tide was exactly that. I loved not really knowing what was going on because I felt like I experienced what the characters were experiencing. I flew through the pages and felt like it was easy to visualize it. I highly recommend this book, especially to fans of horror with some sci-fi elements. It’s not overly long or big in the world building, so it’s the perfect spring/summer read with likable characters, some humor, and survival elements.

Wow. Black Tide by KC Jones is like winning a fight--you're happy you won but you still feel a little beat up.
It is an intense thriller told from the viewpoint of three characters Mike, Beth, and Natalia but unfortunately Jake the other main character of the book never gets to tell his viewpoint. (joke)
Kevin C Jones writes a hard-hitting thriller that still somehow leaves you feeling optimistic if a little wrung out by the conclusion.
Thank you to #netgalley, #tornightfire, and #kcjones for this entertaing creature feature of a novel.

Black Tide is a fast-paced, creature feature horror novel that I enjoyed reading. The action starts right from the beginning and the suspense keeps up throughout the novel. I really like when monsters in books remain more ambiguous, or are “unseen”. For me, that makes it scarier. Bird Box vibes. I thought the writing style was hard to follow at times, and that the voices of the characters were hard to distinguish. But I also thought the writing was slightly humorous (love when horror novels also make me laugh), witty, and engaging. So pros and cons for me there. I would definitely recommend checking this one out if you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic story, a unique creature feature, or just a novel with lots of suspense and intrigue!

This was the perfect sick read. I binged on this book in between napping off the first doozy of a head cold slash flu I've experienced since the pandemic started.

The pacing was perfect, the snark was superb, and the references to Cujo and A Quiet Place were pretty spot on.

The narrative bounces between the first person perspectives of Mike, a melancholy movie producer who appears set on drowning his sorrows in the bottom of a champaign bottle, and Beth, who is house-and-dog-sitting for his neighbor and unbeknownst to him, has been eyeballing Mike and that bottle of bubbly for a while. She finally works up the courage to introduce herself and, as things do in awkward and drunken meetings like this, the two end up doing the dirty back at his place.

The morning after, Beth wakes from the strangest nightmare she's ever experienced, and Mike tells her all about the meteorite shower she missed, showing her the odd spherical ball he and Jake, the dog she's supposed to be caring for, brought back from one of the impact points on the beach. They head back to the ocean to see what more they can see, and what they see are people nervously waiting for a boat to come gather them up and take them away to safety. Safety? What in the world do they need to be saved from? Beth and Mike are beginning to worry that they missed an important memo when a police SUV careens onto the beach, begging everyone to disperse, to go home and lock their doors and await further instruction. Only he appears to have arrived too late... as an unearthly noise sounds off from the other side of the dunes, and a man who was flagging down the boatman is ripped from the spot with a gutteral scream. One second he's there, waiving his hands, and the next, he's just... not.

What follows is a front row seat to the end of the world as it is happening. Mike and Beth are determined to survive the alien invasion if it kills them, which, c'mon, if we're being honest, it might just do!

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. I will update Netgalley once I read & review a physical copy.

My review will be based on the physical ARC I read.

I really hope there is going to be a second book! This was such an action packed story of survival. The book follows two lost souls finding a purpose during the most chaotic moment in their life. The story started off a little slow and had trouble keeping my interest but once it got going it was amazing and I could not put it down! Jake is the true hero in this story. I normally do not pick up Sci-fi novels but I am so glad I did.

This was pretty good. It had a few thrilling bits, kept me on my toes for most of the book. Had me wanting to yell at the main characters a whole Lotta times. Definitely gave A Quiet Place vibes but not so much Cujo like the description said. I really didn't get that. But if you did in fact enjoy AQP then this will be right up your alley. 4⭐️

I really enjoyed this horror/thriller. It was highly relatable and then took a turn that had my mind bending!

The blurb caught my attention, as it seemed like a suspenseful, creepy read. However, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and staying engaged. I didn't find the ending all that satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Nightfire, and KC Jones for the advanced copy of Black Tide in exchange for my honest review.

I was super intrigued by this book since the premise sounded creepy and suspenseful. I found I didn't really connect to either of the characters and the way the story played out along with the ultimate conclusion didn't quite do it for me. There was also something that happened at the end that I very actively disliked, but no spoilers!

Definitely do not let my review sway you if this sounds interesting, as there are so many people who enjoyed it!

Black Tide will be on bookshelves May 31.

Really good read--a nice tight set piece that I blew through fast. I loved Beth's character and I liked Mike. The claustrophobia of the car had a Cujo feel, and the alien invasion was also kind of reminiscent of good (old) Stephen King (though tighter than he ever was). The story did a great job of throwing in setback after setback and keeping you rolling along. I'd actually say a solid 3.5 stars, but I rounded down instead of up due to one spoilery thing toward the end that just seemed to not quite hit the tone of the rest of the book.

For exactly this kind of book--a survival procedural in an alien attack that all takes place in 30 hours--I highly recommend this one.

I really enjoyed reading Black Tide despite my hesitation because I don't normally read sci-fi! But alas, I wanted to try something new and when I saw this one I knew I needed to give it a chance! What a great novel!

A one-night stand that ends in spectacular fashion: the end of the world.

My biggest takeaway: We don’t deserve dogs. Oh wait, I already knew that! I’m always wary for animals in horror but Jake, the aforementioned dog, is literally a standout character. I loved every second he was on the page. Dual POV alternating between Mike and Beth was such an great choice for this book (although I definitely preferred Mike’s POV) and added so much emotion to the story. I’ve seen several reviews complaining about not really understanding the creatures and that taking away from the plot. Um, this is survival horror? Everything happens over the course of about 36 hours and we only know as much as the main characters do (not very much) so this was a non-issue for me. I actually really enjoyed discovering everything as they do. The claustrophobia of the setting gave me chills. The creatures were sufficiently creepy. The violence was well done without being too ridiculous and the horror was well written. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and the writing had a cinematic quality to it that made me feel like I was watching a movie. Highly recommend if you’re looking for survival horror.

I really suggest going into this as blind as possible! I didn’t know much and I’m glad for it. I read the Goodreads description just now and holy crap, it reveals way too much.

Favorite Quotes:

“Maybe I’m not a protagonist. Maybe I’m just a side character, here to deliver some crucial piece of exposition before being killed in spectacular fashion. But if mine is just a supporting role, who’s the hero of this story? Maybe that’s another difference between reality and fantasy: In real life, sometimes there are no heroes. In life, sometimes everybody loses and darkness swallows the world.”

“Sorry, humanity. You needed a Sarah Connor, or an Ellen Ripley, or even a Katniss Everdeen. You got me.”

“She does laugh this time. It’s a good sound. Maybe that’s how we’ll defeat them. Humor. Or at the very least, we’ll go down puns blazing.”

“This has got to be the most bizarre introduction of all time. Oh hey, good to meet you, you here for the end of the world too?”

I originally found this book in one of Goodreads' "Most anticipated titles" posts and added it to my tbr, then decided to try my luck on NetGalley. So thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge for granting me this ARC!

I find that book marketing taglines of the "(popular thing) meets (another popular thing)" sort are something of a hit and miss - sometimes they're a very big miss. That wasn't the case with Black Tide.

Cujo bored me to tears, but I still found the concept very interesting. Black Tide took the best of King's bestseller and raised the stakes with some real Lovecraftian horrors in this effective, action-packed story that sucks you right in and doesn't let go.

Black Tide introduces us to Beth, self-proclaimed car crash, struggling to stay good during a house/pet-sitting gig in Oregon. Fulfilling her mother's prophecy (ah, parental trauma!), she lets go of the wheel and decides to join her solitary neighbour, Mike, for drinks and an eventual one-night stand. Mike seems a bit taciturn, but he seems to have his shit together (wrong!)

They're both enough cut off from the world to realize that heading down to the beach to investigate what they think was a harmless meteorite shower is a very, very bad idea.

The story doesn't start with the apocalyptic event: it takes the time to give us some context about the setting, the characters, and the beginning of it all. Still, it didn't feel slow to me.

Getting to know the characters pays off. I loved seeing two dumb hot messes finding connection and salvation in each other, trying to survive but screwing up and not dying out of sheer stubborness.

The horror aspect is not going to be ideal for those who can't deal with abstracts, as the unknowable is part of the trick here, but it worked for me. On top of it, the story has a really claustrophobic feel even when the characters are battling outside, which comes together to give you a real sense of nightmarish hellscape.

The ending was hopeful and I really liked it.

Overall, a terrifying, fast-paced apocalyptic story that kept me on the edge of my seat, with strong characterizations, good twists, and great writing. Strong debut for K.C. Jones!

Links to external reviews to be added soon.

I debated requesting Black Tide from NetGalley because I don't often read horror, but I did because it's set in Oregon and I thought it was written by not-a-cis-dude. Anywho.

It was thrilling and scary in the beginning, but did they really have to bone it out right when they thought they were going to die?? They were both injured, dehydrated, going to drown/get eaten, and their dog was literally bleeding out right next to them, and they get it on in the car and right afterward he was rarin' to go for round two.

Eh.

It was quick and entertaining, though.

TW: the dog dies.

It took me a hot minute to get into this book, I was very unsure of my first impressions of the characters but the fast pace of the story helped me keep going to the point I really enjoyed this story.

This was the perfect mash up of a Cujo and A Quiet Place.

A very creepy alien invasion tale. Had me sitting on the edge of my bean bag chair. I even had nightmares the night I read it. That's a good thing?!

A fantastic, nerve-wracking, end of the world alien invasion story. The two protagonists met the night before and had a one night stand, which makes having to work together to fight off predators and figure out what's going on even more difficult, since they barely know each other. They are trapped on a beach, and this claustrophobic setting amps up the dread factor. I really enjoyed every bite-your-nails moment of this!

Thanks to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the opportunity to enjoy and review KC Jones' 'Black Tide.'

This is really enjoyable horror, just about post-apocalyptic, and weird creature story featuring a small handful of really well-done characters (including a dog).

There are a range of (to me) very obvious influences here. Stephen King's 'The Mist' and 'Cujo' come to mind as well as a couple of other King novels and stories. The monsters (I don't think that's a spoiler) are pure Lovecraftian creations, there's a bit of the 'Alien' and 'Predator' movies here, and some Josh Malerman as well. Lot's of influences that come together very nicely in a novel that's mainly set on a wide open beach but is very claustrophobic.

The writing is really well paced. The main characters setup at the start is quick and reveals as much as you need to know to get going without leaving room for further character development later on. We get into the meat of the story very quickly and we're stuck there (and I mean that literally for the most part and in a positive sense) until near the end of the book.

What's nice is that there's tons of humor in the book without ever being unbelievable or distracting. You believe that these characters would behave like this in the face of this crisis and it doesn't feel contrived.

The ending was fine with me but could be perceived as a bit of a disappointment by some readers. I will say this, though, it can either work as a stand-alone ending or it leaves it wide open for a sequel that I would be delighted to about and read. Well done, KC Jones.

It's rare that I wish a book wouldn't end, but darn it, I like these characters and want to see them succeed! Okay, they're a couple of losers, but who doesn't have things in their background they'd rather forget about? When things get tough, the best or worst traits of people come out. Fortunately, the former losers are up to the challenges.

And boy oh boy are there challenges. Ugly bowling ball looking things that smell bad and grow killer vines have plopped all over the beaches. Invisible things with screechy voices and tongues with teeth and eyeballs eat people. If they don't get you, a big purple cloud will. That is if you don't drown or burn up, dehydrate or bleed to death. Or get tired of hiding in a Subaru all day. That would kill all but the hardiest.

And, there's a very good dog. These are characters who are easy to root for. Things get worse and worse. I audibly gasped at a few points and I'm not a person who gasps when reading horror. If KC Jones keeps up this good writing, I'll have to procure a gasp-o-meter to keep track of my reading anxiety. .

The story has a hopeful ending even if the reader doesn't know the ultimate ending for the characters. An exciting book that I'm glad I read. Thanks to Netgalley and Tor-Nightfire for allowing me to read and review Black Tide.