The Unkindest Tide

So. The overarching metaplot is still fascinating to me— I have a bunch of theories about Maeve and where she is. Hooks from earlier books keep paying off.

That said, every bit of book focused on Gillian and Toby's relationship makes me mad enough to stop reading. Toby's self-centered desperation to reconnect with her estranged biological daughter reminds me of all of my friends who have had to forcefully cut off ties with a parent, or who have had parents show up years late. The narrative seems to support this idea that because they're a biological relation, Gillian is doing something wrong by putting boundaries in place. She asks for Toby not to be referred to as her “mother” and is treated as though she said she hated Toby's guts. She says that she's done with being used as a pawn and wants Toby to leave her alone— and the narrative sees nothing wrong with Toby immediately ignoring the boundary and sending a boy who may as well be Toby's adopted son to talk to her. It's nearing the edge of what I'd call “harassment” if not “abuse”.

The murder mystery wasn't up to par either. The whole Isla Chase murder and reveal are treated as barely a c-plot, and the reasons as well as method aren't treated with much respect. It felt more like a mystery being thrown in because the Toby books are supposed to be about mysteries, but it doesn't mesh with the rest of the plot. (And the reveal focused so fucking hard on Toby's feeeeeeeeeeeeelings about Gillian that she barely notices a man grieving so hard he was in a murderous berserker rage. The fuck.)