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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
On the misty streets of Shelwich, a strange magic rises and falls with the Tide …
When the waves are out, the magic is only a murmur, but when the water is high, anything can happen - and people have started to disappear. Rumour has it they are being snatched by monsters, but Ista Flit doesn’t want to believe that. Not when her own father is among the missing.
And Ista is a face-changer, able to take on the appearance of anyone she’s seen, making her the perfect detective. Teaming up with unexpected allies Nat and Ruby, who have both lost family too, Ista must delve into the hidden caverns beneath Shelwich to find her father before it’s too late …
In the city of Shelwich, almost everyone has some kind of magical ability. Situated on the banks of The River, when the tide is high each individual’s ability is at its strongest and when the tide is out, their ability weakens.
Ista Flit is a shapeshifter, able to make herself look like anyone at all, right down to mimicking their abilities. She came to Shelwich several months ago looking for her dad, a musician who suddenly went missing several months earlier but on her first night was waylaid by a grilko (a frightening magical creature known to snatch people from the streets). She was saved by Alexo Rokis, an enigmatic man whose own Tide Blessing is the subject of much speculation but is generally considered to be tied to Nimble Lane where he lives, but Alexo took her dad’s clarinet and Ista agreed to perform 20 errands for him to get it back.
For her 19th errand Alexo wants Itsa to pose as Jarmak Hettle (the son of Governor Betrika Hettle who is currently running for re-election), attend an event that the Governor is holding in the Moon Tower and steal a small telescope for him. Itsa knows that the task is high risk, but the prospect of getting closer to completing Alexo’s errands and getting her father’s clarinet back means she’s willing to take the chance. But in the course of the night she meets Ruby (whose family run a pickle and preserves business) and Nat (a “dropless” - someone who doesn’t have a Tide Blessing - whose younger brother was taken by grilkos and whose mother is a reporter for the city’s newspaper) and encounters a grilko who tries to take her for a second time.
When Ruby’s younger sister Saf is taken by a grilko, Itsa and Nat team up with her to find out what is driving the attacks. The more they investigate though, the more of the city’s secrets that they uncover and discover there are sinister forces at play that will do whatever it takes to fulfil their plans …
Clare Harlow’s debut fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series and beautifully illustrated by James Mountford) is a vividly imagined, enjoyable story with solid characterisation, a great sense of place and an interesting plot. Itsa is a well drawn and driven protagonist uncomfortable with having to trust Nat and Ruby. The fantasy elements are thought-through and the cliff hanger ending ensures I’ll read the sequel.
I picked this up because I am always a sucker for a good children’s fantasy and this one very much lived up to my expectations - to the point that I can well understand why it’s been nominated for the 2025 Waterstone’s Children’s Book Award.
Although there’s nothing particularly original about the Tide Blessings that most of Shelwich’s inhabitants have, the way that Harlow has thought them through is well done. Itsa’s face-shifting ability could, in less skilled hands, come across as a bit of a Mary-Sue ability but Harlow avoids that by showing Itsa’s limitations and by tying it into some important plot points. Itsa is a well drawn character, desperate to try and find her father but who nonetheless has a found family through living with Padley and Giddon who run a restaurant called The Fletwin. The budding friendship that grows between her, Nat and Ruby is pretty well handled. Nat is more fully realised than Ruby but this is only the first book and I’m looking forward to seeing them more in the sequels - particularly Nat as his ‘Dropless’ status is something I am keen to see explored.
One of the best things about the book is the marvellous sense of place that Harlow has created. Her descriptions of the buildings, inhabitants and streets are vivid and evocative and although they don’t need the map that’s been included, it is a lovely touch that helps bring it all to life - as do Mountford’s evocative illustrations. I particularly liked the way that Nimble Lane can only be found when it wants you to find it and hope that the underground caverns will crop up again in later books.
Also good is the way Harlow weaves Ista’s storyline in with the Governor elections and the mystery as to Alexo’s Tide Blessing. There’s a real sense of balance to it all and Harlow ensures that when they all come together in a way that maintains the plot’s pace without doing too much info-dumping (although there is some of that in the final quarter, albeit I think it’s unavoidable and did not affect my enjoyment).
The book ties up most of the loose ends but still manages to end with a bit of a cliffhanger and I am invested in Ista enough to want to see what happens to her next.
The Verdict:
Clare Harlow’s debut fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series and beautifully illustrated by James Mountford) is a vividly imagined, enjoyable story with solid characterisation, a great sense of place and an interesting plot. Itsa is a well drawn and driven protagonist uncomfortable with having to trust Nat and Ruby. The fantasy elements are thought-through and the cliff hanger ending ensures I’ll read the sequel.
TIDEMAGIC: THE MANY FACES OF ISTA FLIT was released in the United Kingdom on 11 February 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
When the waves are out, the magic is only a murmur, but when the water is high, anything can happen - and people have started to disappear. Rumour has it they are being snatched by monsters, but Ista Flit doesn’t want to believe that. Not when her own father is among the missing.
And Ista is a face-changer, able to take on the appearance of anyone she’s seen, making her the perfect detective. Teaming up with unexpected allies Nat and Ruby, who have both lost family too, Ista must delve into the hidden caverns beneath Shelwich to find her father before it’s too late …
In the city of Shelwich, almost everyone has some kind of magical ability. Situated on the banks of The River, when the tide is high each individual’s ability is at its strongest and when the tide is out, their ability weakens.
Ista Flit is a shapeshifter, able to make herself look like anyone at all, right down to mimicking their abilities. She came to Shelwich several months ago looking for her dad, a musician who suddenly went missing several months earlier but on her first night was waylaid by a grilko (a frightening magical creature known to snatch people from the streets). She was saved by Alexo Rokis, an enigmatic man whose own Tide Blessing is the subject of much speculation but is generally considered to be tied to Nimble Lane where he lives, but Alexo took her dad’s clarinet and Ista agreed to perform 20 errands for him to get it back.
For her 19th errand Alexo wants Itsa to pose as Jarmak Hettle (the son of Governor Betrika Hettle who is currently running for re-election), attend an event that the Governor is holding in the Moon Tower and steal a small telescope for him. Itsa knows that the task is high risk, but the prospect of getting closer to completing Alexo’s errands and getting her father’s clarinet back means she’s willing to take the chance. But in the course of the night she meets Ruby (whose family run a pickle and preserves business) and Nat (a “dropless” - someone who doesn’t have a Tide Blessing - whose younger brother was taken by grilkos and whose mother is a reporter for the city’s newspaper) and encounters a grilko who tries to take her for a second time.
When Ruby’s younger sister Saf is taken by a grilko, Itsa and Nat team up with her to find out what is driving the attacks. The more they investigate though, the more of the city’s secrets that they uncover and discover there are sinister forces at play that will do whatever it takes to fulfil their plans …
Clare Harlow’s debut fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series and beautifully illustrated by James Mountford) is a vividly imagined, enjoyable story with solid characterisation, a great sense of place and an interesting plot. Itsa is a well drawn and driven protagonist uncomfortable with having to trust Nat and Ruby. The fantasy elements are thought-through and the cliff hanger ending ensures I’ll read the sequel.
I picked this up because I am always a sucker for a good children’s fantasy and this one very much lived up to my expectations - to the point that I can well understand why it’s been nominated for the 2025 Waterstone’s Children’s Book Award.
Although there’s nothing particularly original about the Tide Blessings that most of Shelwich’s inhabitants have, the way that Harlow has thought them through is well done. Itsa’s face-shifting ability could, in less skilled hands, come across as a bit of a Mary-Sue ability but Harlow avoids that by showing Itsa’s limitations and by tying it into some important plot points. Itsa is a well drawn character, desperate to try and find her father but who nonetheless has a found family through living with Padley and Giddon who run a restaurant called The Fletwin. The budding friendship that grows between her, Nat and Ruby is pretty well handled. Nat is more fully realised than Ruby but this is only the first book and I’m looking forward to seeing them more in the sequels - particularly Nat as his ‘Dropless’ status is something I am keen to see explored.
One of the best things about the book is the marvellous sense of place that Harlow has created. Her descriptions of the buildings, inhabitants and streets are vivid and evocative and although they don’t need the map that’s been included, it is a lovely touch that helps bring it all to life - as do Mountford’s evocative illustrations. I particularly liked the way that Nimble Lane can only be found when it wants you to find it and hope that the underground caverns will crop up again in later books.
Also good is the way Harlow weaves Ista’s storyline in with the Governor elections and the mystery as to Alexo’s Tide Blessing. There’s a real sense of balance to it all and Harlow ensures that when they all come together in a way that maintains the plot’s pace without doing too much info-dumping (although there is some of that in the final quarter, albeit I think it’s unavoidable and did not affect my enjoyment).
The book ties up most of the loose ends but still manages to end with a bit of a cliffhanger and I am invested in Ista enough to want to see what happens to her next.
The Verdict:
Clare Harlow’s debut fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series and beautifully illustrated by James Mountford) is a vividly imagined, enjoyable story with solid characterisation, a great sense of place and an interesting plot. Itsa is a well drawn and driven protagonist uncomfortable with having to trust Nat and Ruby. The fantasy elements are thought-through and the cliff hanger ending ensures I’ll read the sequel.
TIDEMAGIC: THE MANY FACES OF ISTA FLIT was released in the United Kingdom on 11 February 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
