Uplifting story of healing and enlightenment

Having waited for this book to become available on audio, I was tremendously excited to immerse myself in Of Tides and Treason by fellow rogue, Constance Lopez. And it is fabulous!

This is Ryu and Mellie’s story and centres on healing the land of Arn from a mysterious malady that is causing crops to fail and animals to languish etc. I love love love the whole ‘earth magic’ vibe going on here — manifested by magical creatures tied to specific nations. In the case of Arn, it’s ‘tide foxes’, cute little magical foxes that usually bond to the ruling family, but which have chosen to shun Prince Ryu and his ‘High Sovereign’ mother for, well, shunning them and all magic.

With a setup like that, it was fairly clear to me from the start what Ryu’s redemption arc was going to involve. And it was great to gain some insight into why he and his mother despised magic and why they persecuted mages so badly. Having played a nasty antagonist in the previous book, Ryu has a LOT of ground to make up in the likability department, and it takes quite a while for him to get there. But he does get there eventually (I would have preferred it to be sooner), and by the end he’s enlightened and takes the actions required to save his people and his land. More importantly, he redeems himself sufficiently to win Mellie’s heart.

Let’s talk about Mellie — the perfect foil to Ryu’s hatred of tide foxes and magic. She’s a mage, hiding out in the forest, whose magic is all about animals. She’s accompanied by two ‘flame wolves’ from her homeland and a recently befriended tide fox, Felix. Mellie cuddles Felix a lot, and I swear I would too! He is so adorable. For some reason I imagine him to be blue, but that could be my weird imagination. Mellie is sunshiny and, although she has secrets about her past, she has an open heart. When Ryu persuades (manipulates) her into helping him save Arn, she agrees because it’s the right thing to do. A few times I thought Mellie could have been a little smarter — or less naive — but she’s likeable and manages to play a significant role in Ryu’s transformation and change of worldview.

There’s one side character of note: Asahi, who is Ryu’s best friend/scribe and constant companion. I really enjoyed his character and the banter between him and Ryu, as well as the genuine friendship between Asahi and Mellie. Ryu’s mother, the High Sovereign, meanwhile makes for a chilling antagonist. It was also great to have some glimpses of Liam and Isa from Of Chaos and Cadence, plus Evandren and elf prince Vendar — who it seems might get his own book or story next.

Overall, Of Tides and Treason is an uplifting story about love of country, healing and enlightenment. I do love a good redemption arc, and although it took me a good while to start liking Ryu, by the end I was cheering him all the way!

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