Title: Sweet Black Waves (Sweet Black Waves #1)
Author: Kristina Pérez
Rating: ★★★★★

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

“Odai eti ama. I hate and I love.”

When I talk about how I want more books based on Celtic mythology and Irish folklore, this is what I’m talking about. As soon as I saw that this was a retelling of Tristan and Iseult, I knew immediately that I needed to read it. Sweet Black Waves was everything I could have asked for and more. 

There is so much to love about this book. To start, the world-building and setting was stunning. You can tell that Kristina Pérez is very knowledgable in this area, and the way she wove fantasy elements with history was fantastic. Her writing was absolutely breathtaking; it was lush, descriptive, and dreamy. At first I found the plot to be moving along a little too slowly for my likely, but then I found out this was going to be a trilogy and in retrospective I think the pacing is actually perfect.

“The pale late-autumn sun hit the water just right and the waves turned black. She rubbed her palm and closed her eyes. No one would sing songs of Branwen’s lost love.”

Since I know the story of Tristan and Iseult inside and out, I had pretty much figured how this book would end. That still didn’t keep me from hoping the author might go in a different direction, but then IT happened and my heart broke into a million pieces. I suffered the distinct feelings of wanting to curl on the floor weeping and also wanting to toss my book kindle across the room simultaneously. My heart broke so hard for poor Branwen after that scene and my stomach is still a knot of angst thinking about it. That ending was cruel and unnecessary and I seek reparations. 

Sweet Black Waves is a wonderful fantasy full of Celtic mythology, Irish legends, love, angst, friendship, heartbreak, magic, and adventure. I’m so looking forward to the next book in the series and following Branwen on her continued quest to ensure peace, and dealing with the repercussions from that ending. This is a must read for those who love medieval Irish settings or are fans of Tristan and Iseult!