A Swift and Savage Tide by Chloe Neill - REVIEW

A Swift and Savage Tide (Captain Kit Brightling #2) by Chloe Neill

Publication Date: November 30th, 2021

Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

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.

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Thoughts:

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are in search of a high seas adventure with magic, nefarious and calculating enemies, budding romance, and adventure, this is a must-read series.

I read the first book, The Bright and Breaking Sea, last year and was absolutely enthralled not wanting it to end. There is always a risk that a second book will not live up to the first but that is not the case with this sequel. It was just as unputdownable as the first and I read it in one sitting that I felt it was over too soon. I could stay in this world for ages.

Neill is able to continuing escalating the stakes while maintaining the underlying tension of a world on the cusp of changing forever. She does a masterful job of bringing in world building elements right when they are needed in such a natural way that it feels like those details were always known. I love how this world keeps unfolding and discovering new pieces to the puzzle of an epic battle that is sure to come.

Not only is the world building and magic system fascinating, the characters are top tier. Kit quickly became one of my favourite heroines in the first book and her dynamic with Rian is so well balanced that I just can’t get enough of scenes that they share. With the introduction of an added enemy and war on the horizon, Neill has no issues with creating a compelling and layered story and characters.

The only thing I am upset about after finishing this book is that I will have to wait another year for book 3!