Name: A Swift and Savage Tide
ISBN: 9781984806703

Chloe Neill

Chloe Neill's bold, seafaring heroine Captain Kit Brightling sets sail for high seas and high sorcery in this swashbuckling fantasy series. Captain Kit Brightling is Aligned to the magic of the sea, which makes her an invaluable asset to the Saxon Isles and its monarch, Queen Charlotte. The Isles and its allies will need every advantage they can get: Gerard Rousseau, the former Gallic emperor and scourge of the Continent, has escaped his island prison to renew his quest for control of the Continent. Gerard has no qualms about using dangerous magic to support his ambitions, so Kit and the crew of her ship, the Diana, are the natural choice to find him--and help stop him. Sparks fly when Kit's path unexpectedly crosses with that of the dashing and handsome Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, who's working undercover on the Continent in his own efforts to stop Gerard. But he's not the only person Kit is surprised to see. An old enemy has arisen, and the power he'll wield on Gerard's behalf is beautiful and terrible. Sparks will fly and sails will flutter as Kit and crew are cast onto the seas of adventure to fight for queen and country.

A Swift and Savage Tide

Heather Harrington

Colleen

5 Stars
 
*A fabulous adventure full of magic, sea battles, and swoon-worthy romance*


A Swift and Savage Tide was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I read the first book in the series, The Bright and Breaking Sea, at the beginning of the year and was absolutely over-the-moon with how much I enjoyed this magical alternate to the Napoleonic Wars staring the fierce and sassy Captain Kit Brightling. So A Swift and Savage Tide immediately became one of my most anticipated releases of 2021.

After months of impatiently waiting for this book to come out, I was absolutely in the mood for some swashbuckling adventure. Ok, I’m always in the mood for swashbuckling adventure for adults, but there are shockingly few good books that meet that standard. And even less with awesome female lead characters. So when I find one, it fills me with all kinds of nerdy joy. Give me daring heroines fighting evil with swords and magic alike any day!

The storyline in the sequel was a continuation of the bigger plot. There were continuations of things from the first book as well as some new threads introduced. I won’t go into detail to avoid spoilers, but the story was fast-paced and lively. I absolutely loved getting to go on another adventure with Kit Brightling and her crew. And there was still plenty of witty banter, another thing that makes me giddy.

This story has more romance than the first book, but I was totally on board with that. But there was plenty of action and excitement if the swoony bits aren’t your thing. The espionage and the naval warfare combined with the fast pacing, made this book way too easy to read through in a day. If that pesky thing called adulting hadn’t gotten in the way, then I could have easily read this in one sitting, because I was not bored for even a single moment.

The only thing that I was disappointed in was that the Brightling family wasn't in this story. My main request after reading The Bright and Breaking Sea was that the Brightlings feature more in the sequel. But not only did I not get more, the rest of the Brightling family wasn't even in A Swift and Savage Tide At All! So I had to sulk about that. Honestly, I'm just whining a bit. It didn't stop me from loving this book. But this time I really mean it: there had better be more Brightlings in the next book!

Please, please let there be more books in this series! I’ve got to have more!! (If I may be so bold.)
 

RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 5 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

I still loved the characters and Napoleonic backdrop but this follow up didn’t quite capture my attention like the first. The deepening mystery and love story are still working as I enjoy the world and Kit Brightling/Rian Grant. However, I found myself frustrated that once again we were removed from the interesting crew dynamic and ship for constant new plot point after new plot point. I really would love a story that simply stays on the Diana. 

Emma Miller

Chloe Neill’s bold, seafaring heroine Captain Kit Brightling sets sail for the high seas and high sorcery in this swashbuckling fantasy series. Captain Kit Brightling is Aligned to the magic of the sea, which makes her an invaluable asset to the Saxon Isles and its monarch, Queen Charlotte. The Isles and its allies will need every advantage they can get: Gerard Rousseau, the former Gallic emperor and scourge of the Continent, has escaped his island prison to renew his quest for control of the Continent. Gerard has no qualms about using dangerous magic to support his ambitions, so Kit and the crew of her ship, the Diana, are the natural choice to find him—and help stop him. But then Kit’s path unexpectedly crosses with that of the dashing and handsome Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, who’s working undercover on the Continent in his own efforts to stop Gerard. And he’s not the only person Kit is surprised to see. An old enemy has arisen, and the power he’ll wield on Gerard’s behalf is beautiful and terrible. Sparks will fly and sails will flutter as Kit and crew are cast into the seas of adventure to fight for queen and country.

This series has quickly become one of my favorites. It's an action-packed, whirlwind of a ride, and I can't get enough. Everything from the characters to the magic system to the plot is done brilliantly. Kit has all the elements I love in a character. She's fiercely loyal to her crew, fearless to a fault, and not above a bit of snark. She's a great character on her own, but when you add Rian into the mix, it's explosive. Both are so stubborn and strong-willed, and the banter between them is everything. They don't have the kind of in-your-face chemistry, but instead this subtle flirty tension that simmers below every interaction, and it's so satisfying once they finally act on it. I still had the same issue as the first book where I thought things came together a little too conveniently, but the way things left off has me so excited to see what happens next.

A Swift and Savage Tide

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