Book Review: The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales #4) by Derrolyn Anderson

Summary: 
Marina has been through a lot in the past year; she knows what she wants, and she decides to take matters into her own hands to get it. When a twist of fate takes her away from Aptos, she returns to find that her whole world has changed once again. A fortune teller’s ominous prediction seems to be coming true, people around her aren’t who they appear to be, and to top it all off, she’s being followed again. 

Marina and Ethan only want to be together, but find they are being torn apart by their very natures. Can they overcome a final obstacle to build the future they dream of?

Release Date:  March 11, 2012
Age Group: Young Adult
Source: Review copy from author
Other Books in the Series: Between the Land and the Sea, The Moon and the Tide, The Fate of the Muse

Review:
This was the best book of the Marina's Tales series!  It was so good, and a perfect ending to what was a very enjoyable series for me.  I love the mix of contemporary YA and fantasy that Anderson provides with this series.  I loved how we got the perfect amount of closure for each character in the story.  I came to love the minor characters just as much, if not more than, the main characters in this series.  So it was great to see all of them get their own happily ever afters.


My favorite thing about The Turning Tides was Marina's personal growth.  She finally decides to stand up for herself in every way: she has a "get out there and get 'em" attitude towards the bad guys which I really liked.  She also finally starts to stand up to Evie, her well-meaning but overbearing "aunt."

I love Anderson's treatment of the love story in this series.  It is slow to develop, and so sweetly portrayed.  There is just the right amount of tension and discord to keep things from getting stale.  Marina and Ethan's relationship felt very realistic, which I appreciated.  I hate reading about too good to be true couples!  I loved watching Ethan and Marina grow as a couple, and was very satisfied with the ending to their story.

Overall, I would heartily recommend the Marina's Tales series.  This is a perfect example of a self-published series that is so worth your time.  People tend to overlook self-published authors, but authors like Anderson challenge, and hopefully will start to change, that kind of thinking. 



2 comments:

  1. In the first three books the big issue was Marinas strong desires towards the ocean but in this fourth and final book the big issue was both her and Ethans insecurities towards each-other.
    There is also a lot of jealousy going on which of course disturbs their relationship.
    There were a lot of twists and turns that were completely unexpected and this is what made the book so good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you've got it exactly right! They were insecure but the resolution of those insecurities and the evolution of their relationship was what made the book a great ending to the series!

      Delete

Word verification stinks--- but spammers are worse. Thank you for your patience!