Song of the Current (Song of the Current, #1)

Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. Her father is a wherryman, as was her grandmother. All Caro needs is for the river god to whisper her name, and her fate is sealed. But at seventeen, Caro may be too late. So when pirates burn ships and her father is arrested, Caro volunteers to transport mysterious cargo in exchange for his release. Secretly, Caro hopes that by piloting her own wherry, the river god will finally speak her name. But when the cargo becomes more than Caro expected, she finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies. With much more than her father's life at stake, Caro must choose between the future she knows, and the one she could have never imagined. From School Library Journal Gr 9 Up—Caroline "Caro" Oresteia knows that like her wherryman father, she belongs to the river god. Yet at 17 she's still waiting for him to whisper to her. When her father is imprisoned for refusing to carry mysterious cargo, Caro elects to take over. She arranges to captain her first ship and get her father out of jail. After a pirate attack, Caro opens the cargo to find a boy escaping from his would-be murderers. As Caro and the boy slowly share secrets and admit their attraction to each other, they begin to realize that their fates may not be what they thought. Ultimately this story is one of self-discovery. Caro must balance what she thinks she wants with who she actually is. All the characters are fully developed and complex, including Caro's cousin Kenté, who joins the crew and demonstrates powers that would surprise her prominent family. The first in a series, this debut fantasy includes various mythical elements; a map is featured at the front of the book proclaiming, "Here be drakons," and a frogman is a member of the ship's small crew. While the narrative is often action-packed, the pacing does not feel rushed and gives readers time to learn about the characters and the world they inhabit. VERDICT This enticingly written tale will take readers on an adventure and leave them craving more. For fans of titles such as Heidi Heilig's The Girl from Everywhere or Susan Dennard's Truthwitch. Highly recommended for all YA collections.—Rebecca Greer, Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative, FL Review "This enticingly written tale will take readers on an adventure and leave them craving more. For fans of titles such as Heidi Heilig’s The Girl from Everywhere or Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch . Highly recommended for all YA collections." - starred review, School Library Journal "Caro's description of her boat home, the Cormorant, will make even readers unfamiliar with sailing feel as though they belong on the water with her. Tolcser blends the right amount of epic fantasy, sea voyage, and romance for a rollicking, swashbuckling adventure." - starred review, Kirkus Reviews "A fantastical tale of survival and finding one’s place in the world . . . perfect for fans of swashbuckling pirate tales and works by Victoria Aveyard and Leigh Bardugo." - VOYA "First-time author Tolcser has created a hearty sea adventure, laced with romance and fantasy." - Booklist "Kristin Cashore’s heroines find a worthy sister in Caro; readers will eagerly await her further adventures in the hinted-at sequel." - BCCB "Adventurous and dangerous! Fate and fires, pirates and shadowmen, Song of the Current will carry you into a treacherous and fantastic world, which you will not want to leave." - Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of CARAVAL About the Author Sarah Tolcser lives in New Orleans, where she is an elementary technology teacher. A graduate of St. Lawrence University, she double majored in writing and philosophy. She enjoys video games and NBA basketball. She is married, with two cats. http://www.sarahtolcser.com/blog/ @SarahTolcser Caroline Oresteia is destined for the river. For generations, her family has been called by the river god, who has guided their wherries on countless voyages throughout the Riverlands. At seventeen, Caro has spent years listening to the water, ready to meet her fate. But the river god hasnt spoken her name yetand if he hasnt by now, theres a chance he never will. Caro decides to take her future into her own hands when her father is arrested for refusing to transport a mysterious crate. By agreeing to deliver it in exchange for his release, Caro finds herself caught in a web of politics and lies, with dangerous pirates after the cargoan arrogant courier with a secretand without the river god to help her. With so much at stake, Caro must choose between the life she always wanted and the one she never could have imagined for herself. From debut author Sarah Tolcser comes an immersive and romantic fantasy set along the waterways of a magical world with a headstrong heroine determined to make her mark. Den syttenårige Caroline bor ved floden med sin familie. Hun har længe ventet på, at flodguden skal afgøre hvilken fremtid, der er tildelt hende, men da Carolines far bliver arresteret, beslutter hun sig for at tage sin skæbne i egne hænder. Uden støtte fra flodguden, bliver hun viklet ind i et net af politik og løgne. Hun møder pirater og en arrogant kurer med en hemmelighed. Caroline må vælge mellem det liv, hun altid har ønsket, eller et liv hun aldrig havde forestillet sig