{ about the book }
Sweet Black Waves by Kristina PérezPublished June 5, 2018 by Imprint
e-ARC provided by netgalley
e-ARC provided by netgalley
Not you without me, not me without you.
Two proud kingdoms stand on opposite shores, with only a bloody history between them.
As best friend and lady-in-waiting to the princess, Branwen is guided by two principles: devotion to her homeland and hatred for the raiders who killed her parents. When she unknowingly saves the life of her enemy, he awakens her ancient healing magic and opens her heart. Branwen begins to dream of peace, but the princess she serves is not so easily convinced. Fighting for what's right, even as her powers grow beyond her control, will set Branwen against both her best friend and the only man she's ever loved.
Inspired by the star-crossed tale of Tristan and Eseult, this is the story of the legend’s true heroine: Branwen. For fans of Graceling and The Mists of Avalon, this is the first book of a lush fantasy trilogy about warring countries, family secrets, and forbidden romance.
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{ my review }
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Sweet Black Waves took some time to get into, but I feel like once you push through that beginning, you could really like it.
I won’t lie, I was iffy about the book. The romance is introduced pretty early on in the book, and frankly, I never saw the chemistry, so that was a bust for me. I never did like the love interest either, so all his efforts—while not wasted on Branwen—were wasted on me.
Branwen, however, was a character I really liked. She kind of has that saviour complex, and throughout the book, it shows. She also keeps a lot of secrets from those close to her, very rarely asking for help. I mean, I got why, but at times it did get infuriating. But as a whole, Branwen was just… such a strong character. Both in a well written way, but also in that everything-might-be-falling-apart-but-I-won’t-be kind of way. She’s really hard to fully break down and I loved reading a character like that!
I had really mixed feelings about Essy. Most of the time, she infuriated me to no end. I thought her infatuation with that one duke was extremely childish, and the way she lashed out—so cruelly and thoroughly—to people she loved was shocking. I loved that Branwen never gave up on her and that most of the time, it was Essy who was her main priority—that kind of bond always makes me happy. But it didn’t always feel like that from Essy’s side, which only added to my wariness of her.
One of my main complaints about this book is that it is wordy. The book is about 450 pages long and god, does it feel like it. I had to force myself to keep on going at times, and it felt like it took 3 years just to finish it! And the fact that it did sometimes drag didn’t always help me.
I found the ending to be really dramatic, but… mostly just rushed. Since the romance was never really that important to me to begin with, it just didn’t hit me like I think it was supposed to, so I was just a bit detached from it. But it did leave something to be desired—I’m really looking forward to what happens in the next book as Branwen’s arc grows! Being on another land and all, I’m also excited to find out more about the world. (Admittedly, all that name dropping in the start was more than a bit confusing.)
Overall, Sweet Black Waves was an… interesting start to a new series. I don’t know much about the myth it’s based off of, but I’m excited to see if it continues to play a part throughout the rest of the series! Giving this a 3.5!
I won’t lie, I was iffy about the book. The romance is introduced pretty early on in the book, and frankly, I never saw the chemistry, so that was a bust for me. I never did like the love interest either, so all his efforts—while not wasted on Branwen—were wasted on me.
Branwen, however, was a character I really liked. She kind of has that saviour complex, and throughout the book, it shows. She also keeps a lot of secrets from those close to her, very rarely asking for help. I mean, I got why, but at times it did get infuriating. But as a whole, Branwen was just… such a strong character. Both in a well written way, but also in that everything-might-be-falling-apart-but-I-won’t-be kind of way. She’s really hard to fully break down and I loved reading a character like that!
I had really mixed feelings about Essy. Most of the time, she infuriated me to no end. I thought her infatuation with that one duke was extremely childish, and the way she lashed out—so cruelly and thoroughly—to people she loved was shocking. I loved that Branwen never gave up on her and that most of the time, it was Essy who was her main priority—that kind of bond always makes me happy. But it didn’t always feel like that from Essy’s side, which only added to my wariness of her.
One of my main complaints about this book is that it is wordy. The book is about 450 pages long and god, does it feel like it. I had to force myself to keep on going at times, and it felt like it took 3 years just to finish it! And the fact that it did sometimes drag didn’t always help me.
I found the ending to be really dramatic, but… mostly just rushed. Since the romance was never really that important to me to begin with, it just didn’t hit me like I think it was supposed to, so I was just a bit detached from it. But it did leave something to be desired—I’m really looking forward to what happens in the next book as Branwen’s arc grows! Being on another land and all, I’m also excited to find out more about the world. (Admittedly, all that name dropping in the start was more than a bit confusing.)
Overall, Sweet Black Waves was an… interesting start to a new series. I don’t know much about the myth it’s based off of, but I’m excited to see if it continues to play a part throughout the rest of the series! Giving this a 3.5!
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