It isn't often that I advocate for a book to be longer, but in this case I do. I think Tide Ever Rising by Mandi Tucker Slack should have been longer. I don't read ghost stories, but the premise behind this one seemed intriguing. History teacher Kadence "Kadie" Reynolds loves to explore ghost towns, her younger sister, Maysha, sure doesn't share her hobby. The remnants of a burned out house yield some mysterious items. When Kadie stumbles upon an old can containing jewelry and an old journal, she knows she's onto something. She has to find the family in the journal. She won't rest.
All the elements are there for a good story, but I just thought everything moved too quickly. A little too quick to be believable sometimes.
The journal belonged to Charlotte Clark, and was filled with heart-warming tales of her family, including her twin sister Adelaide. Somehow Charlotte's spirit is still around. Possibly Charlotte's spirit is somehow guiding Kadie, who discovers that Adelaide is still alive, and is determined to find her. Kadie rather impulsively leaves her home in Utah, and sets out for Washington -- with a reluctant Maysha in tow. The sisterly bond between Kadie and Maysha feels very genuine. They are very close. They play off each other. They banter back and forth with each other. Both of them are always right, and the other is wrong. Maysha believes they are on a wild goose chase, and Kadie believes this is her mission. Her fiance, Robert, doesn't understand Kadie's determination, either. The way the book is written you know there is trouble in paradise with Kadie and Robert. But I would have rather had a couple of anecdotes that demonstrated what was wrong with their relationship. The few scenes Robert's in occur over the phone. Eventually, Kadie breaks off the relationship after making gaga eyes at another man. It just wasn't enough for me, which became clearer as the book went on.
When Kadie finds Adelaide's home, her family, including her grandson, Logan, and granddaughter, Beth, are reluctant to believe her intentions are genuine. Who wouldn't be skeptical? A random stranger shows up on your doorstep and wants to see your frail grandmother. What would you do? It isn't long before Logan and Beth realize everything Kadie is saying is genuine. Adelaide wants to meet Kadie, but reading the journal brings back a flood of memories. Memories of a fire that killed her entire family. But Charlotte's body was never recovered? Was she even there the night of the fire? What happened to Charlotte? Logan believes a prominent political family was behind the fire, and just like Kadie wants to know the truth. But discovering the truth has dangerous consequences.
It was around page 100, that the book kind of lost me. I don't want to give too much away, but Kadie and Logan are forced together and have to rely on each other for survival. The fate of Logan's daughter, Zaza, hinges on their survival. I could have bought into that if the book wasn't moving so quickly. How could two people who've only known each other a few days have such a deep bond? They had only made a few inquires into the fire, and already their lives are in danger. It seemed like such a big leap. For me, this stopped being a ghost/paranormal story midway through and morphed into a thriller. Then every so often you have a ghost element thrown in. I was just expecting this book to go in a different direction. It was a pretty good book, I just wish there was a little more depth to some of the relationships between the characters. Now, just because this wasn't my favorite it doesn't mean the rest of you won't like it. So, give it a try!!
Rating: Give it a try
Note: I received an e-book at the request of the author (Mandi Tucker Slack) as part of a blog tour
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