Fantasy Book Critic: Tidepool by Nicole Willson review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nicole Willson lives outside of Washington, DC with her husband and her cats. She has been a frequent visitor to small coastal towns located along the Eastern seaboard but has yet to see anything truly alarming emerge from those waters, much to her disappointment. She's hopeful that her lifelong aversion to eating fish or seafood might earn her a little mercy when the hungry ocean gods finally start coming ashore.

Publisher: Parliament House Press Release Date: August 3, 2021 Cover Artist: Shayne Leighton

OVERVIEW: Do not go to Tidepool. Unless you want hungry ocean gods to feast on you. As a fan of sinister seasides and Lovecraftian overtones, I had a blast reading Tidepool.

Sorrow Hamilton loves her brother Henry. When he goes missing, she follows him to Tidepool, the last place he visited before disappearing. The small shoreline city seems boring and its residents backward-thinking. Just when Sorrow wants to leave, a body washes up on the beach. From there, things only get worse.

Once I started it, I couldn’t put the book down. With twists and scares aplenty, Tidepool won me over with its creepy atmosphere, well-rounded characters, and interesting mystery. Locals want Sorrow gone before she discovers their secrets. She quickly learns that Tidepool isn’t as boring as she thought; it’s terrifying. And every time she tries to leave the place, something stands in her way.

It’s vague, I know, but I think it’s the story that works best when you know as little about it as possible. This way, the thrill of discovery coupled with revealing characters’ mysteries, history, and motivations will be much stronger. Wilson does an excellent job of making Tidepool gorgeous and creepy in turns. Her evocative (but straightforward) writing creates a sense of urgency and foreboding atmosphere that gets under the skin and stays there.

The horror builds gradually over the course of the story and I absolutely loved it. Tidepool is a creepy and absorbing page-turner. Highly recommended.