Orphans of the Tide follows Ellie, a girl who extracts a boy from a whale one day. The city soon deems this boy, Seth to be The Vessel aka the host of The Enemy sent to bring chaos to the city. This book was okay. It was a little predictable, but that could be because I'm not the intended audience. Perhaps middle graders won't find the twist so easy to uncover. More than that I found the children to be not very distinct except for maybe Ellie who said "shut up" more than I would have ever been allowed to as a child, but I guess that's because she's an orphan. I thought the journals were probably the most interesting part of the story, I'm not sure if I'd recommend this or not, but thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Orphans of the Tide, Struan Murray’s debut novel, is a great middle-grade read. I was drawn in immediately by the unique world-building. The novel is fast-paced, filled with action, and populated with delightful characters.

The City, the only remaining city in the world, is built on a mountain that juts from the sea, dating from the flood that covered the world and during which one god drowned the other gods. A whale washes in with the tide and lands on the roof of a cathedral. The protagonist, Ellie, seems to be the only one in the city with any common sense, and she prepares to vent built up gases escape from the animal before it explodes. When she makes the first cut, a human hand pops out. A group of men called the Inquisition function much as the Inquisition did during the fifteenth century, torturing people and ruling with iron fists, as they aim to control “the Enemy,” a parasite that grows within the mind of a human Vessel until the Enemy becomes powerful enough to take on his true and terrible form and wreak havoc in the human world.

Ellie, an orphan, no longer lives in the orphanage but makes a living building steampunk type machines and repairing those made by her mother. Her best friend is Anna, still living in the orphanage and in charge of a motley crew of Baker Street irregulars. Seth, the boy pulled from the whale, is mysterious with no memory of his past other than his brothers and sisters are missing.

This is one of the best written children's books I've read recently, a high-stakes read, full of twists and turns that will keep readers enthralled. It is, however, somewhat dark, and parents should be aware of that.

For a children's book, this book is fantastic. Being as I'm 22 and would normally not read something meant for children, I decided to give this book a try because I wanted to read something short and simple. I full-heartedly believe my 12-year old self would have been in love with this book.

The main characters of the book are two strong-willed girls and an honorable boy. The story mainly follows Ellie who is an orphan in a place called The City. The City is the only city to exist and with this knowledge, the townspeople are very adamant in their beliefs. They believe that there is only one god left in the world (the rest were killed) who latches onto a host and is called The Enemy. If The Enemy finds a hosts and manifests, dark times are sure to come.

This book follows Ellie's journey as she watches a young boy come out of the belly of whale and the town accuses him of being The Enemy. It is fast-paced, action packed, and filled with many memorable moments. The content is a little dark (a lot of past killing mentioned and the children themselves are targeted) but it doesn't go overboard.

If you're like me and just wanted a quick read to pull you away from reality and could be easily finished, I would recommend this book. If you're a parent or someone younger who doesn't know if they'll like this book: give it a try!

Thank you to Netgalley, Struan Murray, and the publishers for an ARC of this book. All opinions are honest and my own.

I received the ARC for what I believe is the American publication since this book has been out in the UK for a year.

This book has it all for any young reader who enjoys a quick-paced, exciting, if somewhat dark, fantasy.

Ellie lives in The City, a mysterious and largely sunken island full of old cathedrals, tall, spired buildings, and statues worn with age from the sea. She is smart and independent, yet she is deeply troubled by her past. From the very beginning of the story, she finds her own life entwined with the life of a boy who washes ashore in the belly of a whale. There is something different and strange about this boy, but Ellie is unable to keep her distance from him, especially when her village comes to believe he is host to an evil entity known only as The Enemy.

Overall, I found this book to be wildly engaging and thrilling. It certainly left me wanting more! I look forward to reading the sequel "Shipwreck Island".

This book craps the readers attention from the first page and keeps up the pace through out the book. Even though it was over 5oo pages it didn't seem that long