Review: Song of the Current

Warning: There are a few spoilers ahead, but I tried not to spoil anything major.


Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser
Grade: C
Release date: June 6, 2017
An ARC was provided by Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review.
Summary: 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.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: There was nothing terribly wrong with Song of the Current really, but it didn't excite me like it should've. I wanted to love this book so badly. Any fantasy novel that doesn't follow the normal formula is bound to be great...except this one disappointed me.
The good news is, the world-building felt very original. I loved that it wasn't all humans, that there were frog-people, and they weren't the enemy. I also loved the difference between Caro's world and her mother's world. I really wanted more setting details, though. Nothing was lush enough to help me imagine it. 
I never felt connected to Caro or Tarquin/Markos or any of the other characters. The plot didn't keep me on the edge of my seat. 
Language, romance, and violence all seemed relatively tame.

The Verdict: Could've been so good; I'm definitely a black sheep when it comes to this one.

Buy: Read Between the Lynes  Barnes & Noble

Will I be adding this book to my library?: It's unlikely.