#ARC Review || Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser
Goodreads || Amazon
ARC via NetGalley
June 6, 2017

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.

Somewhere along the lines of lost and found, this book appeared. Lordy that sounded dramatic. Just what I was going for. But really, this book is all about one girl who think she knows the fate of her family. It’s a fate that’s not coming for her, leaving her feeling lost. When Caro’s father gets arrested for smuggling, she goes on a trip to take a box which she is under no circumstances allowed to open up. From there, she is subject to her own personal fate—one that is unlike that of her forefathers.

Then there are the Frog People who are their own brand of pure amazing.

THIS BOOK IS EPIC. LIKE, O-M-FREAKING-G. I’m in love. From the kick-ass heroine who makes mistakes and isn’t just here for the romance and is more in love with her boat and the water than any human ever, to the pure piracy of the entire book: I love it. I love it. What else is there to say but I love it?

Cora has dreamed of the River God whispering to her, talking to her in the language of small things all of her life, but he has been silent. Then she gets a chance to break away from the river and her father and set sail on her own. There she encounters all of these trials that are small and large and shape who she is and how she will live the rest of her life.

Cora is a black female who is strong as hell, and I am so here for her rad self.

Tarquin is someone who I genuinely hated with every fiber of my being when I first met his pretentious white-boy self. *shudders* I still want to slap him. However, his character arc is one of the best that I have ever seen. As the story progresses, things are revealed and it’s not that he is someone else so much that he begins to understand. This is something that I think, in out very non-fantastical world, is one aspect of humanity that we’re struggling with. People, I think, don’t change overnight. That’s if they ever change at all. If they are exposed to their prejudices, though, then there is an opportunity for leaning and discovering that can act as a catalyst for understanding.

Tarquin goes from refusing to look social elite’s sins against the poor in the face, to starting into their eyes and seeing their pain reflecting his own.

LET’S TALK ABOUT RELIGION, LOVELIES. Y’all know I’m always here for a dandy representation of people being open and accepting and blah, blah, blah. Well, SONG OF THE CURRENT was steeped nice and dark with it. Like English Breakfast should be brewed. I freaking LOVE the idea of all these different gods and goddess ruling over different continents and such. It was wonderful to watch everything unfold, and see how those who the river god spoke to worshipped and listened and accepted. *cue the squealing*

Overall, I can’t talk about my love for this book enough. The beginning, the middle, and the end are all my favorite. It's love and family and friendship and being the master of your ship and captain of your soul. My only regret is that I didn’t read it sooner. Of course, the fact that I was at the beach while I read this only added to magic.