"Malaya, you are the captain of your life. You decide which oceans to sail. You don't wait for the ocean to take you."

A great debut novel from Robin Alvarez! She uses a Little Mermaid retelling to capture the story of a high school girl who finds herself in an abusive relationship. Full of intense emotion, action-filled adventure, beautiful personal growth, and complex family dynamics, this book took me by surprise and was so unique. I enjoyed the introduction to Filipino mythology and how it was used to foster a connection between the characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️ No on-page spice
Content warning: Short scenes of on-page physical violence and emotional abuse

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio copy of this book!

Absolutely loved the narrator and loved the story. (Check triggers)

Robin tells an excellent and heart-wrenching story

I had looked at this audio book a few times before I actually decided to select it for a listen, and I’m glad I did. Fantasy audio listen for older teenagers and YA. This has all the parts expected of an enjoyable audio fantasy book. A curse, a quest, monsters, battles, friendship/romance, villains. A story of choices and alternatives. Set around Filipino Gods and Spirits, touches a little on maybe unintended racism. But also a story line that touches on the control others can have on us, asking the question why do people sometimes put up with emotional and physical abuse? Why can’t they escape? The lead character Malaya has many strengths, but struggles with this problem. Can she find inner strength after all. Thank you to Tides Collide Publishing and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez is a wonderful young adult ethnic fairy tale with the inclusion of Filipino folklore. Malaya is young girl experiencing first love. However her boyfriend isn't tye perfect guy she first thought him to be. After a year of being gaslit and hum cheating and manipulating her she is desperate to escape but isn't capable on her own. She ends up going to the sea witch expecting a reset but instead discovers she has switched lives with another version of herself and the sea witch is using her to release mythological creatures into the world. Can she defeat the sea witch and return to her old life?
I listened to the audiobook version of this story and it was amazing. The narrator Jennifer Aquino does a phenomenal job with distinct voices and authentic accents. She does a great job conveying emotions adding to the experience.
This book brought out all the feels as we follow Malaya through her first love and the experience of discovering the reality that her boyfriend is abusive and gaslighting her, yet she can't seem to let go. The world-building is amazing as we join Malaya into an alternate timeline and Filipino folklore becomes reality as mythological creatures wreak havoc through the city. There is a brutal reality to this story as Malaya has to travel to an alternate timeline and then struggles to leave her abusive boyfriend behind.
I rated When Oceans Rise 5 out of 5 stars. The characters are well written. The story itself is exciting, filled with action and suspense. I loved the inclusion of Filipino folklore and the ethnic reimagined version of the little mermaid. If you enjoy fairy tales and folklore the you'll love When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez.

I liked this book way more than I expected I would! Solid 4 stars ⭐️

Things I particularly enjoyed:
- Philippine mythology
- (Found) family
- Malaya's character growth
- The way (emotional) abuse and gaslighting were portrayed

This was not necessarily an easy story to digest, specifically the details around Malaya and Ian's relationship. But it was relatable. Not necessarily to this degree but yeah. On the other hand, Salvador was such a golden retriever, he provided the balance needed to feel good about the world.

Content/Trigger Warning: This book contains portrayals of mental and physical abuse in a relationship.

This book is a Little Mermaid retelling, and boy did I enjoy it better than the original! Malia gets the chance to change her life, only to realize her deal with the Sea Witch is unleashing monsters straight out of Filipino mythology. I loved all of the characters, and I thought this was such a unique take on The Little Mermaid. It posed a lot of thoughtful questions about how small choices make big impacts on our lives, and really drew on the emotions Malia had to face while overcoming the hold her boyfriend had on her. The only thing that left me scratching my head was the ending, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to this book. The narrator did a great job bringing all the characters to life and giving them their own personalities!

Thanks Tides Collide Publishing and @netgalley for the review copy!

3.5 rounded up
Trigger warning for abuse
I couldn't stop reading this. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

2.75⭐️

This book is a little mermaid retelling which, when i saw that i was so excited!! the little mermaid is one of my favorite disney movie, so i thought i’d love this but this book just fell flat for me.

There were things that i liked about this book. I really liked the magic system and how it was more of multiverse thing i thought that was really cool. I also love how the cultural aspect was a big part of this book. The whole concept of this book was really good.

This book was really fast paced in a way that i just felt like i couldn’t connect to the character and it was just scene after scene just to get to the end point. The book was fast paced but just also felt so slow at the same time.

This was such a great story to read. I love that this is a retelling of the Little Mermaid with a modern Filipino lens.

This book does deal with some heavy themes. Malaya is in a relationship with a manipulative, emotional abuser that will gaslight her at every turn. The author does add the content warnings and advises that this is a difficult journey for the main character and to not judge her on her decisions. It is hard to get through the first few chapters because of this. Malaya's growth makes her such a captivating character to read and follow. All the characters are interesting and real to the story. I love Malaya's mom. She probably says my favorite line in the book, "You are all grounded because I never said you could see a sea witch without me."

I love the look into Filipino culture and folklore. I have never read a book that focused on that, and it was fun to learn about it. The magic and imagery that the author weaves with her words are so engaging. I am looking forward to reading more from her.

I listened to the audiobook of this book, and I highly recommend it. Jennifer Aquino does such a good job of bringing the story to life. Each character has personality and it is not hard to tell them apart. I will be looking for other books read by her for sure.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the audiobook of When Oceans Rise. This is such a good book. I love the Filipino folklore and the spin on The Little Mermaid. I cannot recommend it enough.

Very unfortunately downloaded this book without realizing it will be archiving the next day. I do plan on listening to this audiobook and reviewing it on Goodreads after listening. If possible, I will update this page as well when I can listen!.

This clever ya novel blends Philippine mythology with a story of relationship abuse and generational trauma. I really enjoyed learning about local folklore and myths. However i would have prefered a more literary style personally the ya style was very young. Story has a happy ending.

Enchanting and tormenting with the most satisfying end! I listened twice because this is my first 5 star read of the year! The way the magical realism transitions into fantasy was so seamless, and I must mention how absorbed I was with the Filipino lore and the tease of a Little Mermaid retelling.

Malaya, a 17 yr old Irish Filipina teen, has been raised her whole life with folklore warnings of demons that can come take you away and hurt you. Her over protective mother has always warned her of the family curse that causes the women in her family to make poor decisions with boys and how her first love is destined to end in devastation. One night, Malaya’s mystical aunt prophecies a relationship full of love that awaits her. One of a shirtless boy who doesn’t see her coming. That night she meets Ian, a shirtless boy on the beach who enchants her and sweeps her off her feet. Unable to see the truth of her first love, Malaya is slowly pulled into a relationship that isolates her from family and friends, and fills her with stress, confusion, and constant fear.

In an attempt to rid herself of the unending heart ache of her situation, Malaya makes a deal with a sea witch. As it turns out her mother’s warnings of Filipino creatures and folklore are real and this sea witch is ready to offer her a life in which her family ties haven’t been severed. A life free of the pain in her heart where she can be free to experience happiness again. All that in exchange for the simple price of her voice. Yup, her voice. Lucky for this mermaid, we have texting and notepad apps!

A savior is there for Malaya in her fresh start. The life where her choices didn’t distance her from her mother and where her sister is her best friend. It’s too bad that in this voiceless reality, Filipino mythological demons have been unleashed by the sea witch and now Malaya needs a champion that can create magic with her and save the world of the witch’s destruction.

Irish Filipino
Retelling
Magical realism
Filipino mythology
Ya Fantasy
Romance

This is the most accurate representation of Narcissistic abuse that I have ever read, and maybe it is because it is the one I have related to the best. So with that I do want to address to sensitive readers that there are some triggers to be aware of.

Narcissistic abuse
Gaslighting
Manipulation
Physical Abuse
Cheating
Murder of a gf (mentioned)
Mental abuse
Emotional abuse

Genre: Fiction
Format:🎧
Series: n
Rating: 2⭐️
Series rating: N/A

Audio provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The concept of When Oceans Rise is initially intriguing, but unfortunately, the execution falls short. The story revolves around Malaya, a teenage girl cursed with a series of tragic events related to her first love. While the idea holds promise, the narrative lacks depth and fails to fully explore the complex themes it touches upon.

An amazing and deeply emotional retelling of the traditional Little Mermaid story, When Oceans Rise takes an abused, spiritually skeptic teen girl and turns her into a strong, self confident woman while also hammering home the importance of communication, culture, and family.

When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez, narrated by Jennifer Aquino

Jennifer Aquino’s narration style provided a nice listening experience. Each character was distinct and fit how I imagined they would sound.

When Oceans Rise is a twist on The Little Mermaid with a blend of It’s a Wonderful life. Malaya desperate to escape a life of isolation, abuse and manipulation turns to ‘Aunty Maggie’, the Magwayen Goddess, who offers to reset her kaluluwa (soul). Together we journey through this alternate version of Malaya’s life. We get glimpses of Filipino culture and folklore as she struggles between choosing to return to her original timeline and set things right or staying with the new relationships she’s made.

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to a YA Reader.

Thank you to NetGalley for graciously providing me the audiobook for review.

This book gave off toxic little mermaid vibes with a mixture of Filipino mythology, and it worked. Malaya's first relationship is unstable and unhealthy, but she stays with him because she loves him and wants to try to make it work, even with the evidence of him cheating on her multiple times.

In an alternate universe, Malaya is the perfect daughter and student and is exhausted from being perfect. All she wants is to have fun and make mistakes, so when the other Malaya makes a deal with a sea witch, they switch lives, and for a while, it is excellent, but Malaya realizes she has to go back to her old life and fix things.

Check trigger warnings for this book.

When Oceans Rise is not a book I would normally listen to, but this year I am challenging myself to go outside my comfort zone, and I am glad that I did.

This is a young adult fantasy/mythology book about a girl trying to find herself. At the beginning of the book, you can see a young teenager who truly believes she wants something in life, but along way you can see her have revelations as to what is truly important to her-but what she has to give up in the process of this discovery.

I do not usually do the genre of mysticism, fantasy, romance, or young adult, so having a book with all these elements was a challenge for me at times. But let me be very clear, it was not because of the writing, the book itself, or any other aspects, it was because of who I am as a listener/reader. Even with this book having so many aspects that are usually a "no go" for me, I really enjoyed the message of this book.

Things that I enjoyed:
-Character and story development (some YA seem to lack good character development)
-Great depiction of choice, positive and negative effects
-I loved how the author explains at the beginning of book explains how abuse can change a person's choices/habits of behavior towards themselves and others
-This book has great depth of emotion, inspiration, and hope without being cheesy or unrealistic
-It was great at showing the difficulty of making decisions for the betterment of ourselves and helps visualize, in a sense, life's juxtapositions and realities of those choices.

Things that I didn't enjoy:
-Sometimes I felt lost along the way in this book, like maybe I had skipped a part, but that could be me and how I do with this particular genre.
-I struggled with the narrator of this book, but I understand why she was chosen. I also tend to be quite choosy with my narrators too
-The mythology became kind of convoluted and confusing to me, but again I think that is my issue and has little to do with the writing style of the book.

Even though this book was a challenge for me, I really did quite enjoy it and will recommend it to others, especially those who enjoy YA fantasy/mythology, or those looking for a challenge. I want to thank netgalley and TidesCollidePublishing for the opportunity to read this book. All my opinions are my own.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up

This was an interesting retelling of The Little Mermaid! I enjoyed the cultural aspects of the book, with a unique take on the magic system. It has multiverse elements weaved in as well, and a cute love story! Overall, I really enjoyed this, I just felt it was a little dragged out. There were some scenes that felt unnecessary. Still a good listen if you’re wanting a YA fantasy that feels different than everything else out there!

Posting on StoryGraph, Goodreads, and Instagram stories 1/11

3,75 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
The book delivers an action-packed narrative with fast-paced fight scenes that, at times, leave room for a more immersive experience. The Filipino mythological creatures introduced lack detailed enough descriptions, hindering my ability to vividly envision them. The exploration of an abusive relationship adds a layer of depth, instead of glorifying it as many other books do, it showed how horrible and the unseen sides can be. The later romance came across as less convincing. On a positive note, the magic system is intriguing, and the inclusion of research as a navigation tool adds a refreshing element to the storytelling. Overall, it's a fascinating blend of a Little Mermaid retelling with Filipino mythology, offering a unique perspective despite some areas that could benefit from further development.

When Oceans Rise is a very interesting book, a little mermaid retelling with a Filipino twist. However I feltlike this was for a much younger audience than me - I was expecting YA but it was younger than this. So although the story was interesting and written well it didn't capture my attention as much as I thought it would because it caters to a younger audience.