Black Tide Son by H.M. Long is the second installment in the winter sea series. This title as a direct sequel is best read and enjoyed by those who have already read the first book in the winter sea series.

-Pacing was masterfully done
-Dialogue was excellent
-World-building and character development continue to keep my attention

I am very excited for July 9th when I can go nab a finished copy of this wonderful read and hope that we will get news on future installments soon.

Thank you to Titan Books for my arc!

I'm gonna politely start this review off by saying " WHAT THE HECK.?" so much happened during this. That we have a lot to unpack. In Black Tide Son we mainly follow Samuel's character arc where he was the main focal point such as his relationship with Benedict as well as Mary following the vents of Dark Water Daughter to which i really grew to love him. We see him start to accept his mistakes and really make a name for himself and some of my favorite lines came from him that had me giggling and kicking my feet because he just had heart eyes for a certain storm singer and I loved it.

I was really disappointed with how Mary was handled. in Dark Water Daughter you really see her grow and accept who she is and in this she was reduced to a damsel in distress by constantly getting kidnapped and I would've liked to see her kind of stand on her own. granted she did save herself but it grew exhausting to read her getting kidnapped over and over throughout the course of the book.

I'm really excited to see more of Benedict's perspective in the next book. He grew on me throughout Black Tide Son and I find him so intriguing and i hope we get more of his perspective.

Thank you SO MUCH NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a chance to read this book!

I was a big fan of the first, so when this popped up I had to request it as soon as possible. I dove into it just quickly and came out absolutely on the edge and needing to have book two as soon as possible.

The book picks up almost instantly where the first book left off on. Samuel is looking for his brother (attempting to find a cure for them), Mary is assisting him, while dangerous forces are trying to take control of the seas and the Stormsingers (and others like Mary with powers). We add new friends, old friends, and realize some may not be the villains we thought they were.

It is SO REFRESHING TO HAVE MATURE CHARACTERS. I can't say it enough. Samuel and Mary have developed deeper feelings and never do they have misunderstandings and if they DO have any issues they talk it out like adults. Mary is never sheltered by Samuel, nor is Samuel sheltered by Mary. They assist one another and boost each other up.

Ben who we met in the first book has become my anti-hero fave. I absolutely love his character and how damaged he is, and yet... he wants to be a good man and somehow keeps falling right back into needed his powers. The chapters of him with Mary or Samuel are interesting because as twins (Samuel and Ben) you can see how alike they are on the outside but how much they differ once you get to know Ben. I love how dangerous he is but how determined he is as well. He is just a very broken, layered character. I am excited to see book three and where it takes him.

I love this series and I think there is enough to write about explore that can be more than three books. Of course when the author gets tired of the world they can close up shop on it, but the lack of reads ./ reviews has me sad. Oh well, I'm a picky reader to begin with and this is my first pirate series that makes me feel like there is something there.