Review: Shadow and Tide by Rachel Greenlaw

I received this book via the publisher HarperCollins. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Shadow and Tide by Rachel Greenlaw
Series: Compass and Blade #2
Published by HarperCollins on 2025-03-04
Age Range: 13+
Length: 384 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher HarperCollins
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2025, 2025 New Release Challenge

The second irresistible adventure in the Compass and Blade trilogy, full of intrigue, sizzling romance, dark magic and monstrous beings.

A magical bargain always comes at a cost.

On Rosevear, Mira is plagued by nightmares. She is lost and untethered – and then the watch strike, burning her home. The attack ignites a spark within her, and Mira knows it’s time to call in her bargain with Elijah, and tear down Captain Renshaw and the watch. But she must find allies to help her unlock her siren abilities, and the witches aren’t all on Mira’s side.

In Coven Septern, Brielle has always believed in her work as a hunter, is proud to slay the monsters plaguing their world. She’s a trained weapon, a sharpened blade, a nocked arrow. She knows the blood she drains will be used for good, and yet her next assignment is a human girl. For in the eyes of the council, Mira is a monster, and monstrous creatures must be tamed …

Shadow and Tide by Rachel Greenlaw is the follow-up book to Compass and Blade, which follows a young woman as she navigates her new abilities, hides from the Watch, and works to save those she loves. Picking up one month after the end of book one, this one starts with fire and death. Mira and her fellow islanders are under siege. The Watch wants to try Mira for crimes, but really want her for her siren abilities. With the help of Elijah, she escapes and begins her training to take on the Watch and bring Captain Renshaw down.

Mira continues to grow as a character in this book. Her grief over losing her father and what is happening to her village eats away at her and drives most of her actions. She closes herself off to others, not wanting to feel the pain of losing them if something were to happen. Mira’s need for revenge against Captain Renshaw and Seth eclipses everything else that is going on around her.

While a majority of the story is told from Mira’s perspective, we are introduced to Brielle, a hunter for the witch covens. Brielle offers a fresh perspective on Mira and her island. She is hired to hunt Mira, but unlike most of her hunts, she is told to bring Mira in alive and unharmed. This proves to be a challenge. Brielle sees Mira as a monster capable of destruction and murder. She hunts her relentlessly throughout the book, but something about Mira always holds Brielle back from taking her.

While I enjoyed Brielle’s POV, it tended to break the pace of the plot. Mira’s story would just be picking up speed and creating interest when we’d flip to Brielle’s POV. It was frustrating and served to detract from the story. The lore we learn from Brielle’s perspective about the witches and other magical creatures makes up for this some. I also struggled with the romance subplot between Mira and Elijah. It was obvious in book one that Elijah would become the love interest, however after Mira’s disastrous crush on Seth, I felt it didn’t fit the narrative.

Overall, Shadow and Tide was an okay read for me. I didn’t love it or hate it. I’m kind of ambivalent towards it. The story ends on a cliffhanger, and I most likely will not continue the story. A lot of the issues I had with book one (repetitiveness, too much inner monologue, telling instead of showing) is still present in this book. If you enjoy pirates, magic, and adventure, this one may work for you. Sadly, it was a miss for me.

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