I had requested this book on Netgalley some time ago, but because I ended up DNFing the book I didn't leave a full review. I honestly don't think anyone would enjoy this book and for me it rates at a solid 1 star. It was an easy DNF and I won't be trying again in the future.

When Oceans Rise is a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of climate change and its impact on humanity. Alvarez masterfully crafts a narrative that is both gripping and emotional, drawing readers into a world that is both familiar and unsettling. The characters are richly drawn and relatable, their struggles and triumphs resonating deeply. The story is a powerful reminder of the urgency of the climate crisis and the importance of collective action. While it paints a stark picture of the potential consequences of inaction, it also offers a glimmer of hope, reminding us of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love and community. If you're looking for a book that will challenge your assumptions and inspire you to make a difference, When Oceans Rise is a must-read.

This book is beautiful. From the writing to the narrating to the overall storyline. I absolutely freaking loved it. It was one of the best reads in Mer-May! The narrator’s voice definitely added to the written story.

Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to listen to the audiobook before it got archived!
I will make sure to get a copy or the audio version, myself to give a review on my socials.

I was fascinated by this book, it is so addictive. I loved it from the premise to the execution of the story. The characters are strong and very well constructed. The cover is beautiful. I highly recommend it!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded

We need to take a moment to appreciate that cover. Look at it. Go. Look. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful covers that I’ve ever seen.

As a fellow mixed-Filipina, I was thrilled to read this book and see more of the Filipino culture and mythology. Admittedly, I was triggered by some of the more personal qualms that Malaya encountered when it came to relationships and her upbringing. I too don’t speak Tagalog or any dialects. (Like, how rude, I read to escape).

The plot is very reminiscent of The Little Mermaid. I kind of like that it’s a modern retelling with some Filipino mythology.

I will say that the pacing of this book is kind of odd. At moments, it goes by really fast and then nothing important would happen for a moment. If anything, I think it should be reversed. For instance, Malaya’s first encounter with the sea witch could’ve been expanded or slowed down a bit and then her moments in the alternate universe could’ve been matched in a way (if that makes sense).

But the moments with her family and friends in the alternate universe were very touching and Malaya had such great character development.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Oceans Rise is a magical YA retelling of the Little Mermaid steeped in Filipino mythology. I loved the genuine connections between the characters in this novel. This is definitely a younger YA story, but I liked that — too much YA these days is decidedly more A than Y! Overall I would say that the story could have been trimmed down a bit, but it didn’t feel overly complex like alternate timeline narratives often do. A fun listen!

DNF at 25%.

The writing and story telling was not that great, at least not in my opinion. All of the things that were said, how characters were described and what not was so wild and seemed a bit too insensitive and too much of stereotyping.


For example the way the main character said and explained certain things such as:

“Is he Mexican or Filipino? Why? I don’t know, so I can figure out what our babies would look like. What is going on with me? It’s like I can’t get my hormones under control.”

This is such a wild sentence and thought process to me and was just the last straw for me and ultimately made me DNF it. There were several others things that were said that was in similar fashion but I can’t remember exactly.

The way the story was told was just kind of confusing and I was not able to get drawn into the story whatsoever. I didn’t like any of the characters to be honest. There were plot holes or the plot was just straight up confusing. I lost interest pretty early on in the book but I decided to try my best to finish since I received an audiobook arc from NetGalley. Unfortunately this was not for me.

🐚🪸 When Oceans Rise 🪸🐚
By Robin Alvarez

● FIRST IMPRESSION ●
A story of culture, superstitions, identity, love, betrayal, abuse & gaslighting.

⚠️ Trigger Warning ~ Sensitive topics that could be upsetting for some.
And I do not just say this. I myself had a physical reaction to the beginning of this book as I was in a similar first love relationship to the Main Character and it definitely brought up some old emotions for me.

● NARRATION ● by Jennifer Aquino
Jennifer perfectly fitted the characters. She did an exceptional job at separating them by changing her volume, pace, tone & accent.
Her talent truly brought it to life. I could picture the individual characters and see the story playing out in my mind. For me, this is very important when there is one narrator. There needs to be that separation for you to be able to follow along.

● FLOW ●
The "tick, tick, tick" is an excellent edition to add breaks & separation between timelines & events. It is also a very important key element that brings the cultural superstitions to reality. You 'watch' as they transform.
We are taken on a journey of a girl falling for her first love, slowly separated from her loved ones, gaslit and emotionally & physically abused, instilled with fear of no way out. Malaya feels she has no other choice but to escape, to seek help from a sea witch her 'Aunty' told her about, although she doesn't truly believe they exist. The pace picks up when she gives up her voice in exchange for a do-over, where she never got with her abusive boyfriend. Once the fear of old wives' tales becomes reality, events & elements are presented quicker.

I did find the transition between love & abuse to the supernatural elements a little clunky. The merge of these different genres could have meshed better.

● OVERALL ●
There is love, heartbreak, family, friends, supernatural beings & creatures, all in one. Malaya discovers new friends, love, and a closeness with family she missed in her previous life. She sees the dangers in magic and not taking responsibility for your actions. In the end, Malaya has to make hard decisions once she realises the sea witch did not truly give her a do-over, but instead, what she actually did means loss, heartache,and possibly the end of the ones she loves.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thanks to @netgalley & @tidescollide for an ARC (Audio). This review is 100% my own honest opinions.

All of this felt like too many ideas forced into one book. It jumped around from the toxic relationship to Filipino mythology and I couldn’t get a sense of what the genre was. The book felt very rushed and I’m still not certain of the major themes or what the book was supposed to be about. The narrator was very good at least.

Immersed in a toxic relationship, Malaya seeks solace in the sea, only to be thrown into the clutches of a sea witch. Cursed by her family's tragic past, Malaya must navigate a world where her first love is destined to bring death. With the help of the sea witch, Malaya attempts to rewrite her fate, but unleashes chaos in the process. Can she and her allies defeat the sea witch and save both timelines? Dive into this thrilling tale of myth and redemption.

Interesting Premise, unfortunately, this wasn’t my cup of tea, DNFed it at 50%
I might pick it up later

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

I did not finish this book in time for release. The introduction to the story was very interesting, but a bit slow for me

When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez is a well crafted and refreshing story. Alvarez weaves intriguing lore into the story, alongside relatable and engaging characters. The main character, Malaya, is especially relatable to teens searching for their sense of self amidst toxic romance, and traumatic families. While Malaya's damaging decisions are somewhat attributed to a familial curse, by the end of the novel she has regained some significant agency over herself and her own identity. Through world building, Alvarez gives just enough without revealing her whole hand. My only complaint is that I didn't want some of the conclusion to be as rushed as it was. In general, really good book!

The premise sounded interesting, I’m getting more into retellings lately and it was available in audio format. What could go wrong? I tried and I tried but I couldn’t get myself to like it. This was already a lengthy audiobook so I was hoping for a good pace to keep the story moving, but it was so slow. This book handled a heavy topic but didn’t seem to explore it to its full potential. There were a few things I couldn’t wrap my head around, and it’s understandable, not being in the situation the main character was in, but still… Some things shouldn’t have been left to go on for so long. Then again, there wouldn’t have been much of a book, I guess. I struggled to place this book as a romance novel as well because of the themes used.

Before I get into the details, I want to tick off some minor thoughts. First, the cover is to die for! I won't say that the jacket is why I picked up this audio, but I will say it helped. I wasn't a fan of the narrator, Jennifer Aquino. Between the first quarter of the story and Aquino's storytelling, this book almost resulted in a DNF. Luckily, the novel won me over, and I could bypass Aquino's voice. I found her stiff and robotic. Thirdly, I applaud Alvarez for making a content warning paragraph in the Author's Note section. If not for that, I would have judged the main character harshly and viewed the outcome of this story way differently.

I have never felt this emotionally anxious and pissed off about a book until I read this one. I got angry. I got angry for Malaya, and then I got angry at her. But the story doesn't necessarily revolve around this abusive relationship. Once we meet the Ursula of the Philippines, Malaya's story changes. I did like the use of The Little Mermaid mixed with Filipino mythology in the tale. I also like how Alvarez spun the story so it wasn't about finding the right romance in another lifetime. It was about choices. Malaya got to see different friendships with different people, how well she got along with her family, and how she could find a love interest the right way in a different reality.

3.5 stars

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Fairy tale retellings are popular for a reason, but they can be TOUGH to make unique and as captivating as Robin Alvarez’s When Oceans Rise.

The author did a wonderful job of integrating folklore and magic into the story and creates a world that pulled me in and wouldn’t let go.

This story tackles relationships, both romantic and familial, in a way that is authentic and exciting. I felt like I knew each character and was so invested in what would happen next.

I love Jennifer Aquino. I’ve listened to a few books narrated by her and she does such a good job of making each character distinct and memorable. This book is no different. She takes Robin Alvarez’s words and brings them to life and her narration had me on the edge of my seat.

If you like action-packed fairy tale retellings full of magic and folklore, When Oceans Rise is a great fit for you.

Thank you Tides Collide Publishing for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

When Oceans Rise is such a beautiful story about love, family, friendship, abuse, Filipino mythology. I was first drawn into the story because it is a Little Mermaid retelling. I liked the twist of Mal leaving her original timeline and slipping into the new timeline to escape her abusive ex boyfriend. Normally abuse would really tigger in my a book but in When Oceans Rise it was well written and not to graphic. I also liked that Mal found love in the new timeline. It showed her how she deserved to be loved.

One of my favorite parts of the story was learning about the different Filipino monsters. The story deals with many different monsters and they are all equally terrifying. Except for the Tikbalang, Felipe, who is my absolute favorite monster. He might have been a bad ass on his own before but now they are a bad ass team when it comes to getting the timeline fixed and saving the world from monsters.

Another of my favorite aspects of the story is Malaya's relationship with her mother. I feel like as the story progresses she is able to look outside of her narrow original viewpoint and understand her mother's reasoning more. Her mother just wanted what was best for her even though she wasn't always able to verbalize it in the way that Malaya need to hear.

Overall I really enjoyed When Oceans Rise. It is a great debut novel and I can't wait to read other books Robin Alvarez puts out in the future.

5 out of 5 stars
Video Review link: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLBmrCBj/

When Oceans Rise by Robin Alvarez is a very powerful book. In the novel, Malaya is cursed to fall in love with a dangerous boy. Wanting to escape the abuse and emotional ties she has with him, she makes a time altering deal with a sea witch.


When Oceans Rise, is full of Filipino culture and mythology. It is also a retelling of the little mermaid and with a splash of science fiction particularly different timelines and alternative selves.


I love the rich cultural elements throughout the book. It definitely makes me want to dive into more Filipino media.


The little mermaid theme mixed with Filipino monsters and Gods was expertly done and captivated me. I believe the plot also aligned with the original Hans Christian Anderson’s story as Malaya struggles with a doomed love and the sacrifices she must make to protect others.


As far as the abusive relationship that the plot centers around, it is painfully realistic to how abusers can tangle you to them. Also, how family bonds can become broken because of these relationships.

However, the novel takes Malaya on a healing journey both for herself and her family. Although at the beginning, I found the book difficult to read, I eventually found my own realizations and some healing while reading about Malaya’s path to freedom.

I highly recommend this book to young and older adults. I think readers of fantasy, mythology lovers, and family drama readers will love this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me this novel in exchange for my honest review.