Book Review: Dark Tides by Sarah Kate Ishii

All right, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged, and I’ve got some fun news to share. But this time, it’s back to a very overdue book review of Dark Tides by Sarah Kate Ishii!

I’ve been waiting to review this book ever since Sarah released it last year, so I was super excited to finally hold a copy in my hands. First off, it’s a beautiful book. The cover design is gorgeous, the weight of the book is pleasant in your hand and somehow the cover almost feels velvety. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.

But, the story itself.

I’m going to start with a disclaimer here: Sarah is a friend. I worked with her during the publication process of Seregn, and over time we’ve formed a strong bookish friendship. I always endeavour to be honest in my reviews, and as a fellow author I feel if I read a book and don’t have anything nice to say, then I won’t say anything at all (but that’s a conversation for another time). Point is, for full disclosure, Sarah is a real, in-person, friend of mine. I’m so grateful for her. So, here’s what I think of her book!

Heads up that there will likely be minor spoilers for book one of the Dynasty Codes series, Origin Curse, and Dark Tides, ahead. With that out of the way, lets talk about Dark Tides…

Dark Tides picks up about a year after Origin Curse. Our main characters, Yoshiko and Gora, have taken up their respective mantles, and are hard at work – one at home, the other on the high seas. And while Yoshiko does have some excellent scenes, this is really Gora’s book.

We learn some of his backstory in Origin Curse, but in Dark Tides, it steps up to become core to the motivation of the whole plot. And wow, it’s a challenge.

As we learn in Origin Curse, Gora was kidnapped by pirates as a child, and underwent terrible suffering in his years of servitude and enforced piracy. The book begins with a flashback to Gora’s past, and sets up the conflict. Gora was, by no means, the only child who was kidnapped, stolen, and abused.

But in fact, in some ways, he was one of the lucky ones.

Before we talk about the characters, setting, or plot, this bears mentioning.

This is a challenging book, purely on the subject matter. Why is Gora on the high seas with a warship and a highly motivated crew? Because children – sweet, innocent, scared, loved children – are taken captive, assaulted, sacrificed to the sea – ‘another soul for the great sea witch’. As a mum of a very little person, that hurt my heart.

It’s a phenomenon I’ve been reflecting on recently – both Sarah and I wrote stories in which children suffer (though Dark Tides is definitely a step up from Seregn) before we had our own babies. And now, for both of us, it hits in a different way to read and consider what we’ve written. Reading Dark Tides as a young mother means something different than as a single woman, or even a wife with no children. There’s something visceral and heart-rending and gut-wrenching to read this as a parent. And the tragedy is, this kind of thing happens in real life. It doesn’t take much to draw similarities between child suffering in some modern conflicts I could mention…

The innocence and purity of children is exploited, and it’s painful. So, if this is something you feel quite sensitive to, this book may not be the best read for you. I will say it was fine for me, I deliberately didn’t think too much about it, because I knew it would hurt my heart to think too long about it. On that note, the book does have swearing, violence, and an explicit scene – it’s not too detailed, and not meant to be pleasant, but just to mention in case you’re sensitive to that. But back to the children… Gora and his crew refuse to let such atrocities continue.

Before I get into the characters, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding in this book – experiencing different cultures, climates, ways of life… it felt rich and full and plentiful as a world. One of the places I think Sarah truly shines, is in the moments of drama with the supernatural and fantastic – sea creatures and legends and magic. From interactions with merfolk to eels to sea beasts to kodama to funayūrei… something about how these encounters are written is so deliciously off kilter and creepy. Very Studio Ghibli-esque. Honestly, I think these were my favourite sections in the entire book. It’s such a delight and one of the biggest places the ‘fantasy’ of the story comes out. It feels so vast and beyond human comprehension, all these various creatures. And it hints at something bigger. You see, there’s something strange going on. Magic is coming back, and Yoshiko is determined to investigate…

Time to discuss the characters…

Gora

Gora was my favourite character from Origin Curse, and I was thrilled to see this book would be his time to shine. We learn so much more about him in this book, and at times, man, I felt for him. Particularly learning what he suffered with Foy, not only was it sickening, it deepened our compassion for Gora, understanding what he went through, and how it affects him even at the time of Dark Tides, years later.

We’ve seen Gora transform from who he was at the very beginning of Origin Curse to a man with newfound purpose and strength, and in Dark Tides he’s pushed to the limit as he’s forced to confront those who inflicted such pain and suffering not only on him, but on countless others for whom he could only watch, and sometimes, forcibly be complicit in, their suffering.

Yoshiko

Yoshiko is a constant presence in Dark Tides, despite her comparatively short time ‘on-page’. Her influence is everywhere – from the secret additions to the ship, to Gora wishing he could speak with her, and of course her own scenes in Hié. She’s never far from our minds. One of my favourite chapters of the book was her day trip to a special location, learning more about her heritage. It was delightful for multiple reasons, particularly the worldbuilding and potential hints at what could lie in store for Yoshiko. Importantly, Yoshiko knows the consequences of using her curse powers too often, and much of the book is about her doing her best to restrain herself for her own sake (and the sake of others too).

Miyoshi

In Dark Tides, we get a bit of a surprise – a third pov character, Miyoshi. Miyoshi is the youngest member of the crew, only a boy really, who was rescued from slavery in Origin Curse. Energetic, endlessly curious, and eager to please, Miyoshi brings a youthfulness, innocence, and energy that would be lacking without him. He’s also the embodiment of what Gora and the crew of the Sea Guardian are fighting for – the children. This was a clever decision by Sarah, I think, to have a child aboard. And it works well. Miyoshi’s relationships with the rest of the crew reveal more about each character. Most noticeably with Gora, who is almost constantly looking out for him and doing all he can to protect the boy from the worst of what they’re dealing with – not always successfully.

The crew

There are numerous other crew members, a true ensemble cast. Each one has their individual strengths and they are expertly put to work on the Sea Guardian, operating like a well-oiled machine. From Tomioka to Sakai, Moori to Yonemura, Daiki to Rijul, and several others. Sarah does a great job of giving each character a role, a backstory, a motivation, and they enrich the tapestry of the tale.

Chisaka

Chisaka is Yoshiko’s new bodyguard and a welcome presence in Yoshiko’s chapters. She’s someone who isn’t afraid to go toe-to-toe with Yoshiko, physically and metaphorically. It’s a great dynamic, and a lot of fun to read. Protective, loyal, and talented, Chisaka gives us an ‘everyday person’ to contrast Yoshiko’s powers, giving us a window into how others see Yoshiko, and someone to whom Yoshiko can truly, comfortably talk.

Ikeda

Ok, so, Ikeda doesn’t get much page time here, but he makes the most of what he’s got. I love a character who is honourable, clever, kind, protective, and capable. Just, everything he does is brilliant. I love Ikeda. That is all.

Dark Tides overall is an adventure about righting wrongs and saving the innocent. It took turns I didn’t expect and I loved the fantasy vibes and Japanese-inspired legends and folklore and how they were incorporated into the story. So, to sum up, if you’re after a heartfelt, at-times dark, magical tale set on the high seas, filled with varied characters of different ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds, this is a tale for you.

I feel this is a great companion piece to Origin Curse, continuing and deepening themes of slavery and cruelty to others, the bonds of friendship, and having courage to fight for the right thing, even if it doesn’t seem possible or that it won’t make any difference.

Have you read Dark Tides? Do you have any other Japanese-inspired fantasy books to recommend?