When Oceans Rise is a heartbreaking and wonderfully enchanting story that keeps you up way too late into the night reading it. Malaya's story is one of tragedy as this young woman tries to find a way to escape her pain, even if it just makes life a lot more complicated. I loved the ending though I would have liked to hear the "how". Malaya's pain ripples out of the pages of the book and pierce like knives into the readers' hearts. The messages of the book are ones more people need to hear. This was a fantastic read and deserves more than 5-stars.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Tides Collide Publishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting twist on the tale of the Little Mermaid, with a focus on Filipino folklore and the trappings of abusive relationships.

The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job with the voicing and I felt they fit this book extremely well. In many ways the only reason I finished this book is due to the audiobook.

Overall, this book was fine but it just didn’t work for me. I think perhaps this book was a bit too YA for me and felt too young in both characterization and plot - but I think a younger audience could enjoy this book much more.

As I wrote this review I came off meaner than I intended, so don’t read this if you want a positive review. I’ll write here that based on the other reviews my issues are definitely more due to my interpretations and reading, and I would encourage anyone interested in a Filipino twist on the Little Mermaid to check out this novel.

Once the plot kicks off, the pacing of this novel speeds up and improves, but the beginning portion of this book almost made me DNF it. I understand the author putting the warnings near the beginning about the toxic relationship shown in this book, but - and this could be entirely me - I didn’t feel like we were shown enough for how it became so toxic. We just moved from “he’s so sweet” to “and then months later he’s gaslighting me” with no inbetween. In many ways this felt less like an exploration of a toxic relationship our main character wants to escape from, and more like the author had decided “this is the bad boyfriend” and then just told us this.

(Spoiler: This is really prominent when in the other reality this same “boyfriend” is the one who murders his girlfriend on this side - and this is literally never explored or talked about again, despite the murdered character supposedly being a friend of one of the characters. It’s just a “See! He’s terrible! Right??? Right???” thing, and felt shoehorned in. He can be abusive and violent without you holding our hands and telling us this. That was the event that made me feel justified for thinking that the boyfriend was just told to be bad to justify us not liking him, rather than the author actually writing a believable abusive relationship.)

In the same way, we’re simply told that Malaya is too entrenched to break up with him even when she wants to, and we (as the reader) don’t believe this because we didn’t see it happen - so instead of sympathy it’s honestly kind of annoying. (I know! I know! The beginning tells us to not do this, but you can’t just tell us to believe something and then add a forward that tells us that not believing what the author wrote is on ME and not a mark of not great writing.)

And then the very YA feeling happens again with the sudden insta-love our main character gets with the boyfriend she’s “supposed” to have. Their attraction wasn’t that believable, and it threw me for a loop that it took so long for the author to tell us their age difference when Malaya is in HIGHSCHOOL and he’s in COLLEGE. They’re only a year apart, but I spent a concerning amount of the book trying to figure out how he was a better choice if he’s in college already.

(Also, this is me complaining about the plot, but the whole “curse” thing felt extremely fake, and the way the mother handled it made absolutely no sense. She just tells her daughter “hey we’re cursed to fall for a terrible boy and then he’ll ruin your life - and when you fall for a terrible boy instead of trying to help you I’m just going to blame you for everything and push you towards him.” What? If there IS a curse (I don’t believe this part of the narrative one bit) the mom should have been like “Hey there’s a curse that makes us like bad men as our first love - if you do, don’t think it’s all you’re good for and you can find better” since a BIG part of why our main character stays with him is because A) her mom told her she can’t leave him “unless she dies,” and B) her mom is abusive enough that she doesn’t want to prove her right. Bad parenting 101.

In the same vein, at the end it’s the DAUGHTER’S responsibility to coddle the mom about her bad parenting? What? Or the talking about how the other reality’s sister was good because she showed her that actions have consequences by beating her up, and then suddenly that other mom realizes that she’s taking advantage of being the “better” kid. Huh? That part made absolutely no sense, I’m sorry.)

With this being a fantasy retelling, I won’t be too harsh on the plot. I thought the Filipino monsters from mythology were a fascinating touch, and the reasoning done by the sea witch an interesting decision. I wish there was a bit more background or information on WHY the sea witch is trapped, or any worldbuilding at all, but overall it worked for a fantasy retelling.

Side note: Is this cover AI? Because………the hand looks a bit sus.

This book was everything!!!

When Oceans Rise is a ffavorite fantasy that is multicultural, full of strength, lessons, and hope. This narration is superb and a pleasure to see it come to fruition. So thankful for this ARC available to listen to.

Thank you Tides Collide Publishing and #Netgalley for allowing me to listen to When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez narrated by Jennifer Aquino. #WhenOceansRise

Malaya is faced with a tough decision that she cannot seem even to make. She does not want to leave her toxic boyfriend Ivan, but she probably should. When given an option by a sea witch to fix her life she does not think twice about her decision. When she awakes, she notices she cannot speak and she is also in a whole new world. Malaya is faced with not only fighting monsters that are rooted in Filipino origins, but she also must fight her former self to get back to her world. To find out more about Malaya's story read When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez today!

Narration:
First, I want to talk about the narration of the story. The narrator's voice fits perfectly for this story especially since the main character is Filipino. The pacing of the narration is great. The narrator is also dynamic throughout the narration.

This was a very good audiobook! I really like the narrator and the way the author writes! I plan to read more by this author!
The story was beautiful!

First of all, can we talk about this cover???? It’s BEAUTIFUL!!!

Okay, now that I have that out of my system, this debut was really good! A twist on The Little Mermaid, it was educational about Filipino culture and mythology in a fun way. We had battles with monsters, alternate timelines, and, of course, a sea witch.

I felt like some of the messages about gas-lighting, abuse, and recognizing Filipino culture were a little heavy-handed, but that can happen in YA since it’s for a younger audience. So, if you’re an adult reading it, just be aware.

Thank you for the audio-arc, this was such a fast paced listen. I enjoyed the world building and magical elements.

Robin Alvarez immediately grabbed my attention and held it beautifully at the beginning of the book. The story was rich with detail and evoked feelings that I heavily related to based on past experiences. The emotional decline of Malaya's character was heartbreaking to experience and would open the eyes of anyone who has never relationship abuse before, or never knew they had. The audiobook narrator helped submerge myself into the story and understand the characters better, as it should be! This refreshing and dark spin on a retelling of The Little Mermaid is something I didn't know I needed!!

However, the plot arc plateaued for quite some time after Malaya visits the sea witch. The various conflicts preventing the characters from reaching their goals did not seem to have any real consequences, nor did it feel like the conflict was resolved with proportionally the right amount of effort. I wished that more time was spent on conveying the difficulty of the actions the characters were undertaking. For example, Malaya basically "one-shots" the aswang (the monster she's been terrified of for a decent part of the book) and nothing of weight really happens? I realize that this is a YA read, so I know that is an unfortunate normal pitfall for this target age range. However, I have read a lot of YA books that do not fall into this trap.

Thank you Robin Alvarez, NetGalley, and Creative James Media for letting me listen to this. At first I wasn’t sure how I would like it due to the toxic relationship the MC had to deal with. Once the story started developing, I couldn’t stop listening and when I had to, I found myself thinking about it wondering what was going to happen next.
Alvarez has created a wonderful story involving mythology, but not what you’re used to. It’s marvelous getting to learn about Filipino culture and watch a strong female character develop.

I had the opportunity to read/listen to this ARC. The book is beautiful, and the way it is written actually feels magical (I remember feeling that way reading the Harry Potter series the first time)
This has "little mermaid" feels, with the inclusion of a sea witch, but do NOT mistake this for just a retelling. This is a Filipino folklore, and it what I love about folklore is that is DOES NOT shy away from the dark.
Mayala chooses to bargin with a sea witch to remove memories of abuse and manipulation, and in that moment the author helps us feel like we all would have made the same choice. The way she grows in the book and finds herself is where the magic sets in, and reminded me of the inner growth we all experience to some degree as we move from youth to adult mindsets.
BUT keep in mind this has very toxic relationships in it, and if that is a trigger, please steer clear.
If you decide to read anyway, keep in mind she is on a journey and will grow over the course of the book. It felt like a rollercoaster, but the end is satisfying and I look forward to more from this author.

I REALLY had a good time listening this book, it give Little Mermaid vibes. The trigger warning had me braced for something more graphic than I read.. I am glad about that, though it was still disturbing. I did feel that the audio production could have been more exciting because of all of the action happening in the book. However, I enjoy any story about mythology. I was plunged into a narrative that many young women navigate daily, young love, misguided love, the way a mentally abusive relationship can turn physical and cause you to accept things you normally wouldn't, how important it is to have someone in your corner to assist you in getting out of the relationship, and realizing that you deserve someone that treats you right. I have been there so this hit home for me.

The character, world building, and inclusion of Filipino mythology in this book was outstanding to me. The escalation of events kept me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath waiting to find out the fate of Malaya, her family, her crap-tastic boyfriend, and her unplanned love interest Salvador. Would she be able to save everyone? Would she survive the completion of her quest?

I almost gave this story 4 stars because I did not like how spineless Malaya was but after giving her some grace and like I stated prior, being someone who has been in this situation, I give this book 5 stars and would absolutely recommend this family and friends.

I plan on purchasing a copy for my niece to open lines of communication about unhealthy romantic relationships and let her know that I am a safe space if she needs.

Let’s start with… Trigger Warnings…
Gaslighting, mental, emotional, and physical abuse.

Despite all of that, I fell in love. The truth is I can’t say that I was extremely excited to be reviewing this book. I know I picked it, but it wasn’t until the content warnings that I had to put it back down and decide if this was something I was capable of reading. When I did decide to pick it up, I was pleasantly surprised by the way the story was told and the amazing imagery.

As a daughter of the Caribbean, the Filipino lore really resonated with me. I heard so much that sounded so similar to my own customs and my own folklore. That makes me 100x more excited to keep learning more about it. It’s so fascinating.

Was I uncomfortable at some points because of my own experiences? Yes. Did I cry? Yes. Did I recommend the book to my angel of a boyfriend so he could understand a little more about the way victims of gaslighting and/or abuse minds work? Yes.

I saw so much of my life, of myself in Malaya that I couldn’t help but want to give her the biggest hug that by the end of the book, the end of her story. I was disappointed to see her go but so excited that her story got an ending I feel she deserved.

This little mermaid retelling captured me with its realism, its fascinating lore, and the heart wrenching story of a girl, a terrible sea witch, and the ones who love her.

I know a few others have also mentioned the narrator and her sounding a little off but I was just really glad to hear a BIPOC narrating the story. It felt very authentic and really helped me lean into the story a little more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Robin Alvarez, and the publishers for allowing me the privilege to read and review this book.

This is the best book! It was everything. I loved learning about Filipino culture while our protagonist learned about family and love. I love the way it explains gas lighting and toxic relationships. It was phenomenal. I was both sad and happy. I cried a little when Mom explained that she loves her babies no matter which dimension they are in.

Filipino Folkore shines in this Little Mermaid inspired story, as Malaya trades her voice to a sea witch to escape an abusive relationship. Only the sea witch doesn’t just give her a new life, but swaps her with an alternate Malaya and uses the magic of her voice to unleash monsters in both realities. Alvarez delicately handles the abuse without glorifying the relationship or victimizing Malaya. Even the Content Warning puts you at ease.

3⭐️
This was an enjoyable read. The Filipino folklore and creatures made the story really interesting, and I loved the little tidbits of information about them. The story deals with some intense issues around abusive relationships, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and gaslighting, but it is done in a sensitive way.
Malaya is a relatable character who is easy to like even when she makes questionable decisions once in her new life. I feel like teenage me could definitely relate to her decisions and logic behind things, and that made the story relatable.
I do think the writing was a little too juvenile at times, but the interesting characters and storyline made up for it. I would have liked to know more about the sea witch and her motivations, though this didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an eARC for this book!

This novel was a mixture between a coming-of-age, escape from toxic relationships and abuse, and a retelling of the little mermaid with seriously intense themes. If you have triggers related to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse this may be a really heavy read for you. Otherwise, this is the story of Mayala and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. Mayala never thought she would fall victim of the curse until she fell in love and found herself stuck in a pattern of abuse and isolation. In order to free herself, Malaya turns to the sea witch for an escape plan and ultimately loses her voice, but gains her freedom. I loved learning about the Filipino folk lore and I felt the characters were well written. I liked the narration and thought it was well-executed. Overall, I would give this story 🌟🌟🌟✨
Thank you to #netgalley for allowing me to read this title for a honest review. #WhenOceansRise

A very interesting premise, tying abuse and isolation into a little mermaid retelling, But with these more mature themes I was expecting this book to read more upper YA but unfortunately it read more middle grade to me. It also seemed to have some pacing issues. I would have liked to have seen more of the beginning relationship developed. I enjoyed the culture that was woven into this book and the overall story though.

When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez
I was given the opportunity to listen to the audiobook as part of an ARC review. It begins with a warning around the theme of domestic abuse, in particular emotional abuse and is extremely well explained. Do yourself a favour and read the trigger warnings before going into this book. If domestic abuse; emotional, physical or sexual is something that you struggle with then I would advise you to either skip this or read up more on the trigger warnings etc because as someone who has extended experience of being on the receiving end of such abuse, I found the validation that this story brought extremely necessary. I found myself nodding along to so many parts of it. Now, the FMC is a 17 year old girl but as we all know, abuse can happen to anyone, at any age. As a 37 year old woman, it was good for me to hear Malaya’s story. It is a pattern that unfortunately so many people get sucked into, and it’s validating to hear this explained in such an educated and well thought out way.

The story is so much more than that and is an embodiment of Phillipean culture, something that I don’t know enough about but it was so enchanting, the folklore and the community was so well crafted and described, it made me want to have experienced that for myself. It's an incredibly endearing story of family, of first love and all the stupid things you do and believe when faced with what isn’t genuine love but a trauma bond.

There was a reveal towards the end of the story that left me shocked and I shouldn’t have been, really when presented with the evidence it’s all there and yet, that’s what predators play on, you’re ability to overlook the obvious, to go against your gut instinct and to not believe or rely on yourself. This story is fantastical, hilarious at points but also deeply upsetting at others. I would highly recommend it.

When Oceans Rise
By Robin Alvarez
via Audiobook

Cute young adult book. It touches on a lot of important topics for young readers. I would recommend this book to a reader in highschool to early college.

My dislikes of this book were that the plot seemed a little disjointed and the audiobook reader was a little flat on occasion. Neither of these things would stop me from recommending it.

Key Words:
- Young Adult
- Filipino Folklore
- Little Mermaid Retelling (kinda)
- Teen Drama

Trigger Warnings:
- Emotional and Physical Abuse
- Racism
- Family Pressures

A great modern take on a classic. This book is the perfect mix of a story we all love, the little mermaid mixed with practical magic. The knods to filipino culture were beautifully woven in. This novel showcases the importance of family bonds in their heritage. This was honestly my favorite part of the book was experiencing their culture thru the storytelling. This story felt very close to my heart because it reminded me of abuses, and someone dear to me endured. Therefore, please check the trigger warnings. This book had action, suspense, paranormal mythical creatures, and unbreakable sister bonds.