Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury

 

One of my students pointed out Hold Back the Tide at the book fair and said it seemed interesting. I took a look at the description and was immediately hooked. I checked it out on SORA and started reading over dinner that night. It started out perfectly: "Here are the rules for living with a murder. One: Do not draw attention to yourself. It's pretty self-explanatory--if they don't notice you, they won't get any ideas about killing you." And Salisbury did not disappoint!

If you're looking for a happy ending, this is not the book for you. It wraps up well, pretty as you please. But I was not expecting it to make me tear up. Alva makes for a sensible and determined heroine. Yes, she could be described as "plucky heroine," but I hesitate to call her that. While she isn't a typical Action Girl, her determination to survive is well tempered by her moral compass. She's neither selfless nor is she especially selfish. She looks out for herself, but does the right thing. Suffice to say, I like her. She's not waiting to be rescued and is capable of taking care of herself. 

My only criticism of the book is that it's set in an indeterminate time period that obviously isn't modern times--there's no electricity, horse and carriage or wagon is the main method of transportation--but Alva's thoughts and words reflect a more modern version of the language and doesn't seem to reflect possible time in which the novel is set. More of an observation than a criticism. As a Young Adult novel, this actually works really well. 

I'm considering adding it to my school library collection despite being a young adult novel. There is violence and several supporting characters die, but the violence is typical for a fantasy or horror novel at a middle grade level. There is no sex or innuendo, though Alva is held against her will at one point by the mayor of the town, who attempts to force her to change into an old dress of her mother's. Alva knocks him out and is vindicated by the mayor's son, who is a good person. I think it's firmly appropriate for 7th and 8th grade, but might be a little scary for 6th graders. Or at least some of them--the rest of them demand all the scary books!

Absolutely a great read if you like a good "my dad murdered my mom and now there's some sort of ravenous mythical creature prowling around" kind of story set in the Scottish Highlands.