Book Review: Song of the Current

Title: Song of the Current (Song of the Current #1)
Author: Sarah Tolcser
Genre: Young Adult | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Publication Date: June 6, 2017
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC

Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. For generations, her family has been called by the river god, who has guided their wherries on countless voyages throughout the Riverlands. At seventeen, Caro has spent years listening to the water, ready to meet her fate. But the river god hasn’t spoken her name yet—and if he hasn’t by now, there’s a chance he never will.
Caro decides to take her future into her own hands when her father is arrested for refusing to transport a mysterious crate. By agreeing to deliver it in exchange for his release, Caro finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies, with dangerous pirates after the cargo—an arrogant courier with a secret—and without the river god to help her. With so much at stake, Caro must choose between the life she always wanted and the one she never could have imagined for herself.
From debut author Sarah Tolcser comes an immersive and romantic fantasy set along the waterways of a magical world with a headstrong heroine determined to make her mark (goodreads)





Hello, new favorite trilogy!
Plot: Caro had her future all outlined, she would inherit the family boat and live her days on the river like a true wherryman. Her plans went to hell when she was forced to deliver a package to a neighboring kingdom and deal with a boy who clearly had never set foot on a boat. Unexpectedly, Caro found herself with unlikely allies and a key player in a political scheme. 

I don't know how to start this review. I have written words and deleted words multiple times and looked up synonyms for "great." No matter what I say, it won't truly describe how much I loved this book. From the start, you could tell that Song of the Current was going to be a non-stop adventure. The plot is your basic political betrayal, but it pulled from a lot of other happenings in the Song of the Current world which I'm eagerly awaiting to learn more about in the sequel. 

Characters: Be still my heart; Caro was everything and I wanted and more. Raised by her father, Caroline wasn't afraid to get down and dirty and would do anything to protect her home. She was headstrong, fearless, and unsure of her place in life. I loved her because she thought that she was destined for a quiet river life and saw herself as a "sidekick" in someone else's story. 

Caro was also biracial and I found it really interesting how Tolcser handled race relations in this fantasy world. I recommend checking out this blog post the author wrote before reading Song of the Current, because it's great insight to Tolcser's intentions and hopes for Caro's portrayal. 

Okay enough of that, can we talk about the kissing? Because the kissing, it killed me guys! The romance was my all-time favorite trope of "enemies-to-lovers" and those two were at each other's throats 90% of the time. The banter was witty and had me laughing out loud at times, and I absolutely adored how the author wrote their journey to each other and her subtle thoughts on love and attraction.

Worldbuilding: Sarah Tolcser wrote one of the most authentic fantasy worlds I've seen in a while. Tolcser clearly had a deep love for life on water and her passion for it spilled onto the pages. She incorporated regional dialects, traditions, and local mythologies. Song of the Current took place mostly on water but it never felt limiting. I grew to love wherryman life and easily fell into Caro's day to day motions on the river. 

Short N Sweet: Song of the Current took my breath away with Caro's sass and the beauty of the river lands. This is a series I'll be talking about for a long time. 


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