WHEN OCEANS RISE
Thank you to NetGalley and the author Robin Alvarez for access to this audiobook for an honest review.

It”s usually fond memories of a girls first love but seventeen-year-old Malaya’s first relationship is cursed before it ever begins. In her family, every girl’s first love is tragic.

Malaya has her future fortune read to her and it seems like that curse will not happen to her. She meets the perfect guy just as she was told, or did she? He makes her think she is his world but over time ruins the relationship she has with her family. She second guesses herself when he makes her think she is forgetting things he told her when he gets caught in lies. He even tries to make her feel bad when he cheats on her as if it was her fault.

She is told by one of the Aunties that the seawitch can help sort everything out. Desperate thinking she has no alternative to get away from the heartache of the boy she loves abusing her physically and mentally, she believes her only option is to make a deal with the sea witch.

The sea witch tells Malaya if she gives up her voice she can have a new life where she and her abusive boyfriend never met. Malaya washes on shore and meets someone new. Was this the boy she was meant to meet and not the horrible one she wished to escape? This new life without her abusive gaslighting boyfriend is very different. Her relationship with her sister, mother, even her friends is nothing like how it used to be. Everything is opposite.

She figures out that she was tricked into swapping 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 and to free herself from the depths of the ocean where she was trapped.

Can Malaya undo what she desperately tried to change or is it too late?

Thoughts…

I think the situation of the abuse the protagonist had is unfortunately common enough that if the person reading this story hasn’t encountered it, they probably know someone who has.

I loved hearing about Filipino creatures that I imagine are told in stories passed down from families that are new to me. I feel like this story also gives hope to people who feel it’s too late to mend broken relationships with family. With patience, understanding, and mutual respect, it is worth trying to make amends.

The people who truly love you will make the effort to help guide you to be the best version of yourself even if you do not see it.

The way the complexities of life is shown in this work is beautiful, coupled with the narrator it made for a great listen overall.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

When oceans rise by Robin Alvarez is such a phenomenal debut novel. From the moment I started this book I knew I would like it and I was not disappointed. Malaya as a character was so amazing and I loved seeing her grow and become free. Her journey was so difficult and she had many ups and downs but she slowly found the strength to change her life which is something I truly admire her for. The storyline was so amazing and the author does such an amazing job at connecting things and making the story make sense. They also do such a brilliant job at describing the scenes and help you see the normal moments and battles as scenes from a movie. I seriously couldn’t put it down. The story also helped me learn so many things about the Filipino culture and folklor, which was so interesting to read about. The ending was so beautiful and honestly made me so happy for Malaya, it was truly heartwarming. I absolutely recommend this book and hope that everyone gives it a chance since this is such an amazing read from start to finish. I also heard the audiobook and it is just as amazing, the narration is perfect and I loved getting to revisit this world again. Robin Alvarez was a new author for me but after this book they is now one of my must read authors and I’m so looking forward to see what else they write. I absolutely recommend this book and specially the audiobook because it just makes the experience so much better than it already was.

I am super grateful for the trigger warnings at the beginning of this book.
I enjoyed the Filipino folkore in this novel, and I found this story engaging from beginning to end. It had great themes of finding yourself, embracing your heritage, and not losing yourself in the relationships around you. I appreciate that characters throughout point out toxic behaviors int eh main character and her story/journey, I'd recommend this to most young people I know, nothing in it was so bad I think someone 12+ or so shouldn't be reading. Some topics are heavy, but discussion fodder.
Excellent book, I recommend it.

As someone who has read this book prior, i absolutely adored the narrator. She brought this story to life with her telling. The perfect voice to tell this story about finding your voice through some very dark times. A 5 star listen for me. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the folks at NetGalley for an audio copy of this book. My review is a honest reflection of my feelings towards this edition.

5.0 stars.

Thank you to Tides Collide Publishing and Net galley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A dark young adult retelling of 'the Little Mermaid' weaved with Filipino folklore & culture.

Malaya is consumed by a toxic relationship, disconnected from both friends and family when she turns to the sea to help decide her fate. Her mother has told little lies throughout her life including, the one curse where every girl's first love ends in death after falling in love. It's obviously her mother's lame attempt at driving her interest in boys away, right?

Except the curse is true, preventing Malaya from noticing how's he abused her (emotionally, mentally & physically), paired with constant gaslighting.

Please check the trigger warnings, including suicidal ideation.

I absolutely loved this exploration. You can't help but root for the main character. You hope she learns the truth about how she's being treated, how she deserves more. As well as, educating the readers on one person's account of domestic abuse. I'm not usually someone who likes reading alternative timelines stories, I thoroughly enjoyed this take. This book definitely starts off with very heavy topics, keep that in mind.

If your 14+, enjoy YA fantasy & mythical retellings, and want to learn more about a domestic violence account that's handled with care, this book is for you.

Do you see that cover?! Oh. my. god.

I cannot express how on board I was for a Filipino mythology retelling of The Little Mermaid. I adored the ideas here!

BEWARE SPOILERS
Malaya wants to escape the manipulative, cheating boyfriend to whom she has dedicated the last year of her life. But as anyone who has experience with an abusive relationship knows, leaving isn't that easy. In her desperation, she trades her voice to a sea witch to fix the mistakes that led to her present situation.

Only sea witches can't be trusted.

Malaya finds the loving family and kind boy she always wanted but discovers her choice has doomed a version of herself - and ultimately the world. What follows is a dangerous battle against mythological monsters from Filipino folklore where belief is the key to their power.

The relationships here are written very well. However while the plot makes sense as an outline, it stumbles a little too quickly from point to point to build a believable story. The vague our only plan is for one amateur filmmaker to create a professional web series (with lots of postproduction required and nonexistent turnaround) about fighting fake monsters that will immediately go viral could work, but presenting it matter-of-factly with no development feels silly. The writing style also tends toward repetition in a way that slows the narrative.

The audiobook narrator isn't incredible, but she isn't bad either - she does a fine job, and her knowledge of Filipino pronunciation is a big positive.

So while I love love love the ideas and will recommend the book, there's definite room for improvement in the writing style.

Oh, and the last few lines of the book should absolutely not have been included. I get that the author wanted to give Malaya a romantic happy ending, but Salvador remembering her and somehow swapping worlds is completely illogical and flies in the face of the stringent rules set across the entire rest of the book.

I saw the cover of this book on NetGalley and was drawn to its beauty. The cover alone intrigued me, so when I read the description and found it was a reimagining of The Little Mermaid, I knew I just needed this book. I typically don’t read Teen Fantasy books, but I recommend this book to anyone who loves The Little Mermaid and has an open mind regarding loose reimaginings.
First, I think many young people do anything for this first love, and that is precisely what happened with Malaya. Maybe I saw myself in Malaya because I had been in similar situations with my first love, but I felt her experience with Ian was very relatable. Ian also seemed like a master manipulator, even having me go back to sections of the book to confirm what happened actually happened (My poor sweet Malaya stood no chance), and her experiences with him made me feel like I had a lump in my throat. I understand entirely why Malaya was willing to give up her voice to change ever meeting him so she could have an easier/better life without him.
I grew up with a few Filipino people and knew of Tagalog but had never heard of Filipino Folklore/Mythology; this book is FULL of it. It was so interesting to hear about that. I researched Aswangs, Tikbalangs, Duwende, Kapre, and Maguayen.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED that the story isn’t a literal retelling of The Little Mermaid; I liked the reason Malaya made her deal with the sea witch, Aunt Maggie, not to fall in love with a man, but to escape the life she created with a man she believed she loved.
Overall, this was a good book that brought all the emotions. Check the trigger warning before reading some of the content was emotionally hard to read. Malaya has incredible character growth, and most characters are likable/relatable.

I want to first start off by saying that Robin is my sister, so I was always going to LOVE this book, but I wanted to come on here to tell you all of MY reasons for loving this book.

When Oceans Rise is a powerful story that gives you such a raw and realistic look on life, family, love, and sacrifice. The main character, Malaya, leaves behind a life of abuse and isolation, and she gets to experience an alternate universe in which, alternate universe Mal, has made very different choices for herself. Throughout her journey, she battles with wanting to leave her life behind to start fresh, while also wanting to do what is right for her alternate universe self and family. I absolutely fell in love with the story plot, the characters, the elements of Filipino culture and folklore, as well as Malaya and Salvador’s love story. It is an emotional journey to follow, but Robin does a fantastic job at addressing everything in her content warnings. Take a chance on this book and allow yourself to get through the difficult elements of the story, because it is a story that really allows you to experience feelings that you may have never felt before.

I also really enjoyed the Narrator, Jennifer Aquino! She did such a wonderful job bringing each character to life in this story. It was great to see authentic Filipino Rep!

I am immensely proud of my sister for writing a book as wonderful as this one, but most importantly, I am excited for the world to have a chance to hear this story, because I feel like it deserves to be heard!

Dive into this if you enjoy:

-Action-packed narratives
-Magical realism and mythical creatures

"When Oceans Rise" presents an action-packed story steeped in magical realism with captivating mythical creatures. However, the writing style tends to overly explain, causing occasional detachment from the story.

Seventeen-year-old Malaya grapples with a curse prevalent in her family, where every first love ends tragically. Seeking an escape from her toxic relationship, she turns to the sea, which leads her to the sea witch. Bartering her voice for a chance to rewrite her past, Malaya unwittingly swaps places with an alternate version of herself, seeking to undo the switch and rectify her mistakes.

The narrative's strength lies in its enthralling mix of fantasy and myth, as well as the exploration of toxic relationships and their consequences. However, the excessive explanatory writing style frequently interrupts the flow of the story, making it challenging to stay fully immersed.

Despite this hurdle, the premise remains intriguing, with a gripping conflict involving Filipino mythological creatures unleashed into different timelines. The struggle to stop the sea witch from wreaking havoc across dimensions adds a layer of suspense and urgency to the narrative.

Overall, "When Oceans Rise" offers an action-packed tale filled with magical elements and mythical creatures. While the writing style may disrupt immersion at times, the story's compelling concept and exploration of consequences make it worth exploring for those captivated by fantasy realms and complex interdimensional conflicts.

I don’t typically read retellings but was drawn in by the cover and the author and listened non stop.