No Regrets
Beyond The Rising Tide by Sarah Beard is a clean YA fantasy romance novel and I really enjoyed it, in spite of being considerably older than a YA! I found Beyond The Rising Tide a most beautifully written novel. The love contained within its pages, sinks deep into the readers’ soul. As the novel ends, the reader feels calm, peaceful and loved.
The novel is about love. A gentle love that permeates all it touches. A sacrificial love motivated by the best interests and love of another. It reminds the reader of Jesus’ words “greater love hath no-one than that he lays down his life for a friend.” (John 15:13) Love is giving, not taking. This novel lives out 1 Corinthians: 13.
The story in contrast also deals with regret. Seventeen year old Avery is paralysed by her memories and regret. She is unable to move forwards as her heart is stuck in the past. She needs to have “courage to take back the life I discarded.” Life is too short to live in the past. “Get up. Life is too short to stay down when we fall.” Sometimes one needs help to rejoin the human race and to live our lives once more.
There is an energy throughout the novel. There are many scenes surrounding water and surfing. Energy is needed to surf. The reader senses both the latent energy and the power of the ocean. The ocean can be seen as a motif for our lives. There is so much untapped potential that we need to grab hold of. Life is for living. We need carpe diem… to seize the day and really live.
Sarah Beard tackles some hard hitting topics within the novel – alcohol, drugs, anger, neglect – these are all sensitively dealt with.
Sarah Beard also shows how our life choices have the ability to affect our eternity. We need to make positive, good choices because long after our earthly bodies are gone, our souls will live on.
The novel is written in the first person from the points of view of both Avery and Kai. This enables the reader to get inside both of their heads. The reader feels the pain and hurt of Avery and understands her motivation or lack of it, for life. The reader also feels the great love that motivates Kai. One feels his pain when he stands at the cross roads of decision.
I absolutely loved Beyond The Rising Tide. As a novel, I ‘felt’ it wrap its arms around me. I did not so much read its pages, as glide through them. It had an ethereal quality that spoke to my heart. I ‘felt’ the great love radiating from its pages.
Whatever your age, I can highly recommend Beyond The Rising Tide. Settle down and immerse yourself in a great love that knows no boundaries.
I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review. No monetary compensation was received and all views expressed are my own.
JULIA WILSON
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