Rolling with the Tides

This book is quite unlike anything I've ever read before (if I had to compare, it most closely resembled the Mortal Instruments Series). A lot of books, particularly paranormal ones, tell the reader everything up front and use the paranormal aspect to guide the plot and create the climax. Spring Tide uses the plot to build up to the paranormal aspect. I enjoyed not knowing what was going on the whole time. It helps the reader understand what Kris is going through and connect with her.

That being said, I liked the characters and thought the character development was great, especially with Jericho (yum, yum!). While I agree with fellow reviewers that the writing style is a little jumpy in switching from POV to POV, I sense that it's that way for a reason, particularly so the reader is thinking constantly about what could possibly be happening. I don't think this book was intended to be a fluffy read that you could just sort of mindlessly sift through, but a mysterious thinker of a novel.

Despite the need-your-noggin aspect (I started and finished in the same day and wasn't reading all day or up ungodly late [oh, and I read it twice in two days]), it was one of the smoothest and quickest reads I've had in a while (I read a LOT so I'm not just blowing smoke here). While the beginning was a little difficult (mostly because I was saying "what in the world is this about?!), I was still intrigued, especially when Jericho arrived on the scene. I loved reading about the surfing as that's something I'm not exposed to in the Midwest, but I am having difficulty understanding it's relevance to the plot - I have theories and expect we may learn more in the next book (which I am anxiously awaiting).

I can understand my fellow reviewers frustration with confusion. I feel that a lot of this is a result of the sheer amount of information packed in the 300-or-so pages. And connecting the dots in my head resulted in tangles and snags. But sometimes you've just gotta roll with the tides (excuse my pun).

This book will not be everybody's cup of tea, but I highly recommend giving it a try, keeping in mind that it isn't a passive read.