Reviews

Black Tide by K.C. Jones

auggietheking's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bucher_freund's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Perennial screw-up Beth is house sitting a wealthy couple's out-in-the-boonies coastal Oregon home, as well as their doofy yellow lab, Jake. She befriends Mike, the lonely next-door neighbor, just in time for them to experience the end of the world together. 

This Bram Stoker nominee is a scifi/cosmic horror hybrid page-turner. Most of the story finds Beth, Mike, and Jake stranded on a beach, fending off some very nasty other worldly creatures. The characters are sympathetic and  vividly drawn, and Jones excels at writing descriptive, suspenseful action with a few punches of much-needed humor. A fast, excellent read. 

Mild spoiler: If you are a reader who has trouble with animals getting hurt, be warned that Jake gets put through the wringer alongside Beth and Mike. 

thefmark's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

angelsgift1986's review

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

kiradelelongshlong's review

3.0

If I got mediocre dick from a man who's not over his divorce and then woke up to some alien bug apocalypse I think I'd kill myself. Rip my boy Jake he should've been the only one to live don't careeeeee

fleeting_indecency's review

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

courtknee_bee's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jasmeaniethebookish's review

4.0

Black Tide is a book that swiftly gets to the point and does not let up until the very end. I initially requested this novel because I noticed it was highly rated on Goodreads/NetGalley. Sometimes you need a story that can hook you immediately, and choosing this one was exactly what I needed.

Black Tide is an excellent marriage of sci-fi and horror. I think I saw someone compare it to “A Quiet Place,” and honestly, that’s probably the best description. The claustrophobia seeps from the pages and doesn’t let go until the very last word. The only thing that I’d warn readers about is triggering animal stuffs. Everything else is kinda covered when you bring up sci-fi/horror, I think.

So yeah, this was a 4 star read for me. I needed a book to hook me, and Black Tide answered that call pretty well.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, TorNightfire, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

jinxei's review

4.0

Sorry, humanity. You needed a Sarah Connor, or an Ellen Ripley, or even a Katniss Everdeen. You got me.

Beth, a 33 year old struggling to make ends meet dog-sitter, meets Mike, incredibly unhappy neighbor to the house she is watching, on the Oregon coast. After a one night stand with Mike, Beth finds her dreams plagued with aliens and, unknown to either of them, Mike watches the meteor shower that is bringing that apocalyptic world to them. Mike and Beth leave in the morning to go investigate what they witnessed and deal with the aftermath.

First of all, Jake the dog steals the show for me. I spent the entire novel in agony worrying about his safety because dogs are never safe in apocalyptic novels. The entirety of the novel takes place over 24 hours and gives a small localized look into the aftermath of meteors, and what they bring with them, crashing into Earth.

If you liked The Quiet Place or Cloverfield, I definitely recommend this.

gawdz0rz's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

i enjoyed the writing style, thought it was well-written, and i really like the self-deprecation of characters. the story was also good, very unique, though the ending felt very empty, sort of a forced “and then they all lived happily ever after” trope that didn’t really fit. the aliens (or maybe their descriptions) were really unique but also a bit convoluted for what the author was trying to portray. also, the sex scene in the middle felt really out of place, considering the situation. 

overall, i really liked the book. 

i didn’t mind the fact the dog died (though that really sucks, media should really let the animal companions live) but it seemed very unnecessary to torture the poor thing for multiple chapters by letting it bleed out only to then have it somehow gain the energy (and blood) to sacrifice itself(???) to an alien so the humans can escape.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Blood, Suicide attempt, and Body horror

Minor: Emotional abuse and Vomit