- I didn’t notice the AI cover until I was most of the way through the book, and it’s disappointing that the publisher (or whoever would make that decision) would choose to use AI.
- I loved the Filipino mythology and culture, especially seeing the way the younger generations connected with the older generations through it.
- the way this book portrays an abusive relationship is so well done, especially showing how hard leaving one can be.
- I enjoyed the fights with the mythological creatures! It reminded me a ton of the fights in Percy Jackson!

When Oceans Rise is a powerful story about finding your voice and reclaiming your life after abuse. As is her family curse, Malaya’s first boyfriend quickly turns abusive. As he continues to apologize and charm his way back into her life, Malaya stays quiet about the abuse she is experiencing until, one day, it goes too far and a distraught Malaya seeks escape from her relationship with the help of a cunning sea witch. Malaya’s reality is dissolved and new monsters begin to surface in her new life.

Steeped in Filipino mythology, When Oceans Rise explores not only the power of voice, but also the way our limited perspective shapes the way we form relationships with our family, friends, and partners.

I thought this book was heartwarming, entertaining, and empowering and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

*Huge thanks to NetGalley and Robin Alvarez for the audiobook version of this novel*

Listened to narration at 2x speed with no issues. Narration was pleasing to the ear and added emotion.

Malaya is warned that her first love will be the death of her, but it's hard to make a 17 year old understand that. As predicted, when she falls for Ian, he soon turns physically & emotionally abusive, but Malaya can't escape. Instead, in a twist on The Little Mermaid, she visits a sea witch and trades her voice for a life without Ian. Then, it's a land of multi-verses and Filipino mythology as Malaya traverses her new life while realizing that her old one still exists.

The pacing was a bit wonky on this one. I always struggle when a new love interest dives in 100%, no questions asked, just total commitment to whatever weird occurrences are going on. The double dimension doesn't work for me personally and a few lessons were pretty heavy handed at the end; probably ok for a YA audience that might need a more straightforward take away, but not subtle enough for a seasoned reader.

Overall: 3 stars

I'll tell my students about: physical abuse, emotional abuse, trauma, language, alcohol, drugs,

**Thank you to NetGalley and Tides Collide Publishing for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

17 year old Malaya is cursed: every girl in her family’s first love ends up being someone toxic, ultimately ending in the girl’s (either metaphorical or literal) death. To escape, Malaya turns to a sea witch and trades her voice for a life where she never met her toxic, abusive boyfriend.
When she realizes the sea witch lied to her and switched her with a version of herself that never made the same mistakes, she must figure out how to undo the switch before the sea witch uses her stolen voice to unleash Filipino creatures onto both worlds.

When Oceans Rise was a unique take on the Little Mermaid story with the incorporation of Filipino culture and folklore. The concept of the story was super interesting, and I was excited to read it.
The folklore creatures and Malaya’s relationship with her sister were what I enjoyed most in this book. I really enjoyed hearing about all the different creatures they encountered and how Malaya and Gabrielle work together (and through navigating the two very different lives they’ve lived in their respective timelines) to find a way to sent Malaya home. Those moments between the sisters really seemed to have an impact of each of their individual character arcs.
My main issue with the story was the pacing. The whole book felt very monotone and the stakes never felt high enough. The beginning was pretty rushed and felt more like narration/backstory to explain the insighting incident rather than telling a story that allowed me to connect with Malaya and understand her motives. Overall, it felt very expository. While I was rooting for the characters, I never felt like they were ever in any real danger. Yes, they faced problems, but everything seemed to resolve without much conflict.
I also really disliked how the cover art is AI generated. It looks like Malaya has a three fingered alien-hand and I find it kinda off-putting.
This isn’t a book I’d read again, but I’m not /unhappy/ that I read it.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook.

This is a fantasy that has lots of Filipino mythical creatures. I love reading about other cultures and myths, so this was right up my alley. Easy listen as far as audiobooks go!

Without giving too much away, Malaya is seventeen and somewhat lost so she decides the ocean will determine her fate. She learns her family is cursed. Everyone’s first loves fall for someone else. She tries to break the curse while finding out who she is at her core.

Thanks to Robin Alvarez, Creative James Media, and Net Galley for the ARC! Pub date 5/23/23

A very interesting twist on the classic “the little mermaid” , I more or less enjoyed this, though the abuse that the main character went through was both relatable and triggering.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book! I loved learning about Filipino mythology and culture. I sympathized with the main character and her struggles in an abusive relationship, I have been there and felt for her. Her relationship with her family was intricate and full of love, it made me miss my mom. This was a wonderful, fun, emotional story that I highly recommend.

This is a perfect mix of teen YA sci-fi and contemporary fiction if you love a good myth story mixed in with teen angst in a modern day story of dating abuse you would definitely love this book. Malalia is dating abusive Ian and it seems despite the female opinions in her Malaysian family she is doing exactly what the curse said she would do in dating in abusive man… After all she is the oldest daughter but when her and her sister Gabby cut class to go practice surfing at the beach and a hurricane hits it will change Malaya‘s life forever this is a dark sci-fi thriller with some light hearted moments and overall I thought it was a great story I love books with mythology in it and I’m not really familiar with Malaysian mythology but have heard the story before not oceans rise the myth about the sea which I really enjoyed the story and thought the narrator with a little bit more practice could be a great narrator for the most part I enjoyed her performance. I want to thank the publisher and net galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I was first attracted to When Oceans Rise by the cover which while beautiful, is dark, and after finishing this, it fully fits. This standalone is a great fusion of contemporary and fantasy elements, going deep into Filipino mythology, working life lessons in almost effortlessly, especially for those in bad situations.

The story’s first quarter is mostly contemporary, taking place in Corpus Christi, Texas, with some Filipino mysticism woven in as Malaya deals with her high school life with her abusive boyfriend, Ian. And yes, you feel much of the weight of that nightmare. But once she drowns and finds herself in a mysterious underwater grotto, the fantastical elements wash ashore (literally) and turns into a ticking clock to make everything right. The pacing was well done as it doesn’t stay in one spot for too long, since there’s plenty of plot advancement and plot twists, which were really well done. I was shocked several times throughout in the reveals. The integration of Filipino mythology was done well, and I learned a lot about the different creatures, as well as other aspects of Filipino culture. I especially love the themes and lessons that I won’t spoil (though some relate to Philippine culture) and how they are woven into the story. There were some small sections that feel like they were skimmed over and I got lost, but I understood what was going on in a general sense, and trust me, there’s a lot going on, but it makes sense for the most part.

Malaya was easy to relate to for me, even though I’ve never been through the nightmare she has to go through in this story. It digs straight into the details of how it’s not as simple as leaving the abusive boyfriend as it might seem like from the outside, especially since the author mentioned being in a years long abusive relationship in her past. And yes, it goes into a lot of detail about abuse and gaslighting by a romantic/sexual partner. I do like how she grows and learns her lessons as she interacts with the others around her and I wanted to hug her several times.

There’s some profanity and graphic violence as well as the detailed abuse, but no explicit sexual content.

The narrator, Jennifer Aquino, was mostly fine and easy on the ears, but there was a bit of a lisp that was a little distracting.

If you can handle the darker content, and you’re interested in Filipino mythology in a contemporary setting, pick this one up. Part of me wants to see a companion story as well. I also look forward to more from Robin Alvarez.

When Oceans Rise is a great story and a retelling based on Filipino folklore. I love reading about these stories whose roots take me back to my childhood. The pacing is great and the author did a great job immersing the reader into the lives of the characters. Absolutely a winner read!

I loved this book. It took me back to my teen years and made me reflect over the decisions I made when I was the MC's age. I loved the pacing as the story was moving and it did not feel stagnant at any moment.

Thank you to netgalley and Tides Collide Publishing, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for allowing me to listen to this book. I really enjoyed listening to When Oceans Rise. It allowed me to dive into a different culture.

I quite enjoyed this audiobook; it was the first time I learned about Filipino folklore.

Obviously, this is a little mermaid retelling, and I liked the new take with still some nods to the original.

This is a Filipino retelling of the tale of the Little Mermaid. A teen is stuck in an abusive and toxic relationship. She finds it nearly impossible to get out of due to a generational curse. She goes to the extreme lengths of giving up her voice for a fresh start.

I enjoyed reading about the culture and folklore in this story. I think this story is a good fit for a teen audience.

When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez is a tale of fate, love, abuse and family intertwined with Filipino culture and mythology. It is a great book for people who are interested in learning about diverse cultures while being in the comfort of a YA book.

When Oceans Rise is my first audiobook and Jennifer Aquino has kindled my love for audiobooks. The narration is great and she manages to encompass all the emotions of Malaya through her varied intonations. There are certain scenes that tug your heartstrings where Malaya’s feelings just pour out into you, and kudos to Jennifer for bringing out that original essence.

The book is set in a shore town and the descriptions of the locality were refreshing. Malaya’s relationship with her mom, her sister, her brother, her grandmother and her boyfriend are depicted in detail making the reader feel one with the story. Malaya’s character development over the course of the story is one thing that kept me rooted to the story. It tells to the reader that life is a process of continual learning.

I got into this book thinking it was a book on a toxic relationship but it was more than just a cautionary tale. The book opens up discussion on the belief in mythology and superstitions in cultures. The book also revolves around familial connections which is beautifully depicted with two parallel timelines.

Thankyou Netgalley and the publisher for providing me the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook!

This was a fascinating take on what someone might do to escape a terrifying situation with magic, Filipino folklore, and alternate realities. While the plot was a little slow at times, it was full of adventure and the narrator did an excellent job.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

I thought the narrator for this book did a great job and I enjoyed her ability to make the story come to life. Although I think this book wasn't as developed as it could be. I felt like parts were skipped over and not fully explored which made it hard to commit to the characters journey.

Not for me, Dnf at 40% was very confused and had no idea what was going on. It all felt very rushed to me and I was having a very hard time following along.

Thanks NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Malaya is a seventeen and has been cursed. Her family has been cursed that the girls will fall in love with someone who is evil and dies. Malaya has a great boyfriend, Ian, so she figures the curse does not apply to her. Too late, she notices that Ian is gaslighting her and he becomes more and more abusive.

Malaya connects with a sea witch, who offers a deal. The sea witch will take Malaya’s voice in exchange for a life where Malaya ever met Ian. But things go sideways and she ends up in an alternate universe where she has made very different choices, leading to her making very different choices. This affects her various relationships, for example she is much closer with her mother in the alternate timeline. The sea witch uses Malaya’s voice to release a multitude of monsters in both worlds. Can Malaya defeat the monsters, end the sea witch and make it back to her “real” life?

I liked this book because it is very different from the type of books I usually read. I learned a bit about Filipino mythology, which was really interesting. There was a lot of action and energetic scenes throughout the book, but really there was also just as much focus on relationships. Malaya’s choices, especially those relating to Ian, affected all of her relationships. I listened to the audiobook version, and I really enjoyed the narrator. This book was a good read. It covered many varied themes and topics and the author did a great job layering complex characters with a fast paced story line.

Trigger warnings for When Oceans Rise include: physical, emotional & mental abuse, physical violence, manipulation and gaslighting.
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This is my second time trying this book, just in a different format. The first time I got an ARC of this, it was an ebook copy and I really struggled reading it. I think I possibly ended up DNFing the book actually. But this time I'm having a better time with it. Though I'd say that 'better time' is relative since the subject of this book isn't happy or positive, but I'm find it less of a struggle to read in the audio format.
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It is described as a Little Mermaid retelling, and I would definitely agree with that idea, to a degree. It fits with the the Disney tells the story of Ariel, or the Little Mermaid, however it doesn't match up with the way the original fairy tale goes.
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Unlike when I tried to read this book the first time, I actually enjoyed it this time. I liked Malaya as a character, because she's flawed, she makes mistakes, some of which are worse and more dangerous than others. I also really liked how her relationship with the various characters was different across the arc of the story.
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I feel as though if I say too much more I'm in danger of spoiling the story, though the ebook and the physical book have been out for a while, but the audiobook has only just been released.
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Thank you to NetGalley and author Robin Alvarez for sending me an ALC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..