Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

When the Sea is Rising Red

by Cat Hellisen (Goodreads Author)

3.48 of 5 stars 3.48 · rating details · 887 ratings · 225 reviews

After seventeen-year-old Felicita’s dearest friend, Ilven, kills herself to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita chooses freedom over privilege. She fakes her own death and leaves her sheltered life as one of Pelimburg’s magical elite behind. Living in the slums, scrubbing dishes for a living, she falls for charismatic Dash while also becoming fascinated with vampire Jann...more

Hardcover, 296 pages

Published February 28th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

2012 Debut Authors (Young Adult & Middle Grade)

42nd out of 793 books — 4,491 voters

YA Novels of 2012

224th out of 1,156 books — 8,360 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 16, 2011 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Disclosure first. I am Cat's boy/man/plaything.

Why 4 stars instead of 5? Well it appears that I don't quite understand goodreads, and have been using my own personal rating.

To me, a good book is worth 3 stars, an awesome book is 4. A book which I quite happily read over and over again is 5-stars... but 5-stars means very little as far as quality's concerned. If there're aeroplanes and flying, or King Arthur, then even if the book isn't that great, I still want to read it over and over again 'cau...more

like 27 likes · see review

Jun 27, 2012 Ashleigh Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: creepy-and-i-love-it, it-is-giving-me-ideas, makes-feminist-me-very-unhappy, shit-or-get-off-the-pot, the-decent-shelf-of-meh, whut

See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten!

There are books out there that are so creepy/strange that they drive some readers away and draw in others who want to bask in its strange beauty. When the Sea is Rising Red is one of those books and I am one of the readers happily basking in it. The novel may have its issues with pacing and clarity, I enjoyed it. This is no paranormal love story, people. Ignore that jacket copy!

Felicita isn't the best person--she's rather spoiled and prejudiced and sometim...more See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten!

There are books out there that are so creepy/strange that they drive some readers away and draw in others who want to bask in its strange beauty. When the Sea is Rising Red is one of those books and I am one of the readers happily basking in it. The novel may have its issues with pacing and clarity, I enjoyed it. This is no paranormal love story, people. Ignore that jacket copy!

Felicita isn't the best person--she's rather spoiled and prejudiced and sometimes childlike--but I loved to read about her and her three-dimensional personality was appreciated in all its strengths and flaws. Her narrative voice is often understated and sometimes poetic. The class warfare going on, gaining strength over the course of the novel, is well-developed. Both sides are right and wrong at the same time, shades of gray in a dreary, miserable world that Hellisen's prose brings to life. The romances are no passionate affairs with declarations of love flying around; One of them is... I don't even know what Felicita's relationship with Dash is based in, but what she develops with Jannik evolves mostly out of mutual needs being together would meet.

Hellisen's world of Lammers, Hobs, boggerts, and scriv-magic are never really explained; they simply are, and whether or not you can just go with it is the detail that will make or break a novel for a reader. Such sink-or-swim worldbuilding approaches often lead to some confusion on my part and I admit, I still don't understand everything that happened. If the novel had been a little more clear, that would have been great, but that didn't keep me from enjoying this unusual world and all its imperfect inhabitants.

While I ended up reading roughly seventy-five percent of the book in one day, it is not well-paced. After Felicita's quiet escape from her prison-like home and induction into Dash's house of misfits, the plot becomes thin and ambles around. Despite how much of the novel I read in one day, I regularly stopped reading, drifted off to do something else, and then came back to it. Not quite as impressive as sitting down and reading it all at once, is it?

And I suppose one more disappointing element is that while a minor theme of the novel is Felicita (and Ilven in a way, since her suicide appears to be motivated by her desire to escape an arranged marriage) escaping the power men have over her, she still ends up being controlled by a man. Almost every measure of freedom she receives from the beginning of the novel to the end is given to her with the help of a man. Even when she thinks she has finally escaped the power of men, she really hasn't, and that just makes me sad.

I can happily recommend this novel for all the other readers out there who like strange books, but whether or not one should read the prequel story Mother, Crone, Maiden (which stars Ilven, who kills herself early in the novel for reasons the prequel story reveals) with it is debatable. It left a bad taste in my mouth regarding Ilven and negatively affected my experience with the novel I wish I'd never read the prequel.(less)

like 11 likes · see review

Apr 19, 2012 Wendy Darling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, 2012-publication, pn-vampires, gorgeous-prose, pn-sea-creatures, fantasy, 2012-favorites, mature-ya, victorian, read-2012, costume-fiction

What a weird, beautiful little book. Review to come.

This photo is for Kate, who shares my love of tea and Victoriana:

like 34 likes · see review

Oct 30, 2011 Logan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-debuts, arc-tour, fantasy, ya-paranormal

First impressions: Fourteen pages. That's how long it took for this book to completely wow me. Cat Hellisen creates a beautifully unique world with full and vibrant characters that made it nearly impossible to put the book down.

Lasting impressions: There were a few moments that had me wailing, "Noooooo!" Despite some of the frustrations with the plot, I still found this to be a well-written and unique story.

Conflicting impressions: It always sucks when the love interest you want is not what you...more First impressions: Fourteen pages. That's how long it took for this book to completely wow me. Cat Hellisen creates a beautifully unique world with full and vibrant characters that made it nearly impossible to put the book down.

Lasting impressions: There were a few moments that had me wailing, "Noooooo!" Despite some of the frustrations with the plot, I still found this to be a well-written and unique story.

Conflicting impressions: It always sucks when the love interest you want is not what you get. I had to work to find happiness with the ending, but I grudgingly accept that it was probably for the best of the characters involved.

Overall impressions: This book is being compared to the works of Neil Gaiman and Jacqueline Carey, and though I (gasp!) have yet to read anything by these fabulous authors, I recognize that they are fantasy geniuses. So, too, is Cat Hellisen. The village of Pelimburg is rich with magic, supernatural creatures, and a protected elite class bearing down on the lower castes. The world in this novel is easily imaginable and effortlessly complex.

Felicita is caught behind a powerful brother who rules her life and that of her mother. In Pelimburg, the patriarchy is strict and unchallenged, and Felicita faces an unhappy arranged marriage with few rights. Determined to take control of her own life, she flees to the streets and falls in with a group of poor workers who sometimes also fight against the elite under the charismatic boy-in-charge, Dash.

Dash has his own plans, and secrets, that entwine Felicita and her new friend, the vampire Jannik. As Felicita gets drawn deeper into Dash's plotting, she struggles with trusting him. Does he care for her or is he using her to get his way? As the story progresses, things get more convoluted and enemies stay firmly in gray areas. You never know who to trust in this ragtag group of street kids, which is part of the fun of the novel. I thought the plot went kind of crazy all over the place during the climax, and I wasn't satisfied that Felicita found true happiness the way I wanted, but it was definitely a fun journey.

I'd by lying if I didn't admit that I was mostly disappointed with the love interest. Felicita and Dash start something that seems cute and fun, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Things are complicated by some apparent affections for Jannik, her new vampire friend, but for the most part they stay platonic. For a story that starts out with fears of arranged marriage, I so wanted Felicita to find love and companionship in someone of her choosing, but I guess we don't always get what we want. In my opinion, this would have been a five star read if I'd just been able to find Felicita some true love. Ah well. A highly recommended fantasy read nonetheless!(less)

like 7 likes · see review

Mar 20, 2012 E rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: not-a-fan

Also Found On: A Book and A Record

This book wasn't really my cup of tea, it was very well written and the plot was well established. It held with the same ideas through the entire thing and I felt that all of the characters were justly motivated I just didn't really like any of the characters.
Dash can basically be caught as a player from a mile away. He’s a drunkard and a drug addict that likes to sleep around, and while Jannix is quite devoted to Firell (Felicita) he is still a vampire, and pr...more

like 3 likes · see review

Aug 29, 2012 Cat Hellisen marked it as i-wrote-this · (Review from the author)

It was bugging me that it kept showing that "I WANT TO READ" button underneath it because let's be quite honest, I do not want to read it.

I've read it a thousand times (only a slight exaggeration). When the final copies arrived I couldn't even look at them. Haha.

This is not a review. In case that's, like, not immediately obvious.

But here, have a song, it's the closest thing to a soundtrack I had for this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSpqj3...

like 6 likes · see review

Oct 18, 2011 Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was at the hospital all morning getting all these funky tests done on my right hand (need surgery) and holding this book in my left hand (which is really hard to do- try flipping pages while holding a book without using your other hand- impossible). Long story short (my story-not the book), I really enjoyed this book. Obviously, I practically inhaled it.

Review coming in January.

like 6 likes · see review

Apr 27, 2012 Nafiza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nafiza by: Wendy Darling

Shelves: debut-authors-12, 2012, favourites

People do not seem to like this one too much so obviously I, contrary creature that I am, like it a lot. I liked how courageous the book and obviously it's author are to present something that is so very different than what is flooding the market nowadays. All books try to be different but ultimately conform to the standard. Ms. Hellison's novel, in my not so humble opinion, succeeds in not just being different but being different in a good way.

Felicita is a very likable protagonist and as a wo...more People do not seem to like this one too much so obviously I, contrary creature that I am, like it a lot. I liked how courageous the book and obviously it's author are to present something that is so very different than what is flooding the market nowadays. All books try to be different but ultimately conform to the standard. Ms. Hellison's novel, in my not so humble opinion, succeeds in not just being different but being different in a good way.

Felicita is a very likable protagonist and as a woman, I immediately felt myself able to empathize with her predicament. Whether I would have gone to the lengths she did to extricate myself from the future her brother laid out for her...well, I don't know but the fact that she does, that she has the courage to go forth and take her destiny in her own hands shows the spunk and um, guts she has and I find that very admirable. (We'll get to you later, Cate.) The attraction of the book came from the careful and detailed world building. There is a strong sense of whimsy, a sense of surreality that surrounds it - a parallel universe that is full of magic and strange creatures - the imagery is very strong and I found myself easily calling to mind the streets, the beaches and the people described in the novel.

Felicita's attempt to become Firel, to become someone with a whole lot less than she is used to makes for an interesting read. The strange motley of people who give her a home and offer her friendship and new experiences are also fascinating. The plot is perhaps my favourite part of the book and I can't say too much about it without giving it away. The Sea is Rising Red very much resembles a fairytale come to life with its intriguing mix of legend and supernatural creatures.

The reason most people probably have trouble with this novel is the interesting way in which romance is approached. If you want fervent confessions of true, everlasting love, you might want to give this one a miss. The romance in this is a bit capricious, a bit playful and, maybe only to me, a bit exploratory in tone and even execution. There are two love interests but not quite a love triangle. I sincerely hope that this is a series because one of the love interests fascinates me. None of the characters are superhotbeautifulgorgeous and I love, love, love that.

You will like this book if you like curious things, if you are open to something different than hot boy notices plain girl, there are fireworks and then a kiss. The folklore-ish feel of the novel will be a hit with some and a miss with others. Ah, if you liked The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley, you will certainly like this one. (less)

like 6 likes · see review

Jul 09, 2012 Ashelynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: recommend, reread-a-million-times

If I were to actually review this book and rate it, it'd be five stars. I absolutely adored this one. It's a quiet book and I love those ones. It's like having a secret that only a few handful of friends know. When The Sea is Rising Red reminds me of Cold Kiss, because they're both quiet and written gorgeously. And they both deal with death.

The characters in this book came to life, just like the world. I want to live in Pelimburg, it's that amazing. The entire Hobverse, as Cat Hellisen calls it...more

like 3 likes · see review

Nov 30, 2011 Day rated it 4 of 5 stars

So...this was one of the most interestingly different books I have read. It took me a really long time to get into the story but I was never bored with it, just puzzled and intrigued. I was hoping to be instantly enthralled, and that did not happen. In fact, it was probably half way through the story that I really felt connected to the adventure. Over all, this was a satisfying reading experience that has given me lots to ponder, but it wasn't easy getting there...I had to work for it.

I would p...more

like 1 like · see review

Aug 20, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Beautiful, haunting, and endlessly imaginative, WHEN THE SEA IS RISING RED is a novel that will stick with me for a long time.

like 1 like · see review

Aug 22, 2012 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Maria by: Wendy Darling

Shelves: ya, fantasy, paranormal

I like When the Sea is Rising Red.

*****

This book is so weird. Fortunately, I like weird. Having said that, When the Sea is Rising Red is not for everybody. and I meant that. I'm impressed with Hellisen because she is not afraid to tell a story that is a whole new level of different. So, the questions is: Are you bold enough to read this?

Felicita was stunned when her best friend Ilven committed suicide. When she realized she's facing the same situation that made Ilven jumped, she ran away after f...more

like 3 likes · see review

Apr 05, 2012 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers who enjoyed Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres

Shelves: titles-i-love, 2012-reads, glad-i-gave-it-a-chance, exceeded-my-expectations, world-building-worth-noting, want-a-sequel, out-of-the-box-ideas, wish-i-could-write-a-book-like-this, writing-to-which-i-aspire, left-me-feeling-conflicted, left-me-with-mixed-feelings, best-endings, couldn-t-stop-reading-it, reviewed

(Actual Rating: 3.5 stars)

I love books that surprise me. That may seem a strange thing to write from the perspective that, ideally, all the books you read should surprise you in some way. Given that we don't live in a perfect world, though, every reader is bound to come across plots, characters, and ideas that come across as predictable or derivative to them. That's just the way things are.

However, When the Sea Is Rising Red, debut novel from Cat Hellisen, is far from predictable or derivative....more (Actual Rating: 3.5 stars)

I love books that surprise me. That may seem a strange thing to write from the perspective that, ideally, all the books you read should surprise you in some way. Given that we don't live in a perfect world, though, every reader is bound to come across plots, characters, and ideas that come across as predictable or derivative to them. That's just the way things are.

However, When the Sea Is Rising Red, debut novel from Cat Hellisen, is far from predictable or derivative. In a book world of trend waves and overused tropes, this novel is refreshing in that it doesn't stick to any of those things many of us have come to expect from various YA novels but instead strives to pave its own path, free of such restraints and focused on one thing: telling a good, imaginative story.

In Rising Red, Felicita -- daughter of the once-renowned House Pelim -- lives in a strange world where the sea can promise curses and death, magic requires the use of an addictive mineral called scriv, and humans try to keep hold of what power they can even as vampire families rise up and gain prominence. But Felicita's worries are closer to home: she feels trapped under the standards of her strict mother and her cold older brother. Only once the death of her best friend occurs does Felicita decide to grab her own chance at freedom and brave the shadowy world of the common people known as Hobs.

Beyond strength of prose or tightness of plot, I believe the make-or-break mark of a good storyteller is the ability to build strong, believable worlds -- and Hellisen definitely has that mark. Felicita's world is striking and haunting, the kind of place where dark fairy tales are the reality and not the nightmare.

As much as I enjoyed the world within the novel, though, I can't say my reading experience was always smooth. For a time after Felicita settled into a new way of life for herself, I felt as if the plot had reached a snag and lost its focus. It didn't help either that I just couldn't jump on board with how much of the "bonding" Felicita and the Hob characters had occurred during instances where alcohol and drugs were present. None of it seemed genuine to me from the perspective that people in general are rarely ever themselves with such substances addling their senses, and thus I felt wary and distrustful as the reader while the narrator herself never was. Though those scenes weren't without their purpose in the overall story, they simply didn't sit well with me.

On the other hand, I found myself intrigued by some other aspects of the story: particularly the character of Jannik, whose appearances throughout the novel are few and far between but who is a remarkably fleshed-out character nonetheless. The plot itself -- of the sea rising red -- really amazed me, even though I wish the sense of danger and mystery surrounding it had been interwoven into the story a bit more consistently. By the end, I felt satisfied by all that had transpired and found myself longing for a sequel, so that's saying something, isn't it?

When the Sea Is Rising Red may be a strange beast of a story compared to the usual YA fare, but I would recommend it simply because it has a lot more going for it than against it. If you're in the mood for a story that blends fairy tale and fantasy and dystopia, then definitely consider giving this one a try. Even with its flaws, it is still a story well worth the read.(less)

like 13 likes · see review

Sep 10, 2011 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all my friends

I have had the privilege of reading the ARC of When the Sea is Rising Red.
This is one of those books that you end up saying to yourself, "okay, just one more page then I will go do..." and yet, you find that one more page turns into one more chapter. I identified well with the characters in the book, even finding myself talking out loud now and then to the main character Felicita.
This is one of those books that will appeal to the more mature reader as well as the YA group.
Sales in tea will mos...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 25, 2011 Rachael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Felicita was born to a privileged magical family in Pelimburg, but as a woman, that means she has practically no power at all. Her family will control her life, right up to her arranged marriage, and after that, she will be controlled by her husband and his family. This is not the life that Felicita wants for herself, so when her best friend Ilven kills herself to escape her arranged marriage, Felicita follows suit—at least in appearance. She fakes her own death and runs away to the slums, where...more Felicita was born to a privileged magical family in Pelimburg, but as a woman, that means she has practically no power at all. Her family will control her life, right up to her arranged marriage, and after that, she will be controlled by her husband and his family. This is not the life that Felicita wants for herself, so when her best friend Ilven kills herself to escape her arranged marriage, Felicita follows suit—at least in appearance. She fakes her own death and runs away to the slums, where she scrubs dishes for a living. But just as Felicita is getting accustomed to her new life under the protection of the charismatic yet mysterious Dash, her world is about to be turned upside down once again. Ilven’s death has called a dark and wild magic up from the sea; Felicita’s friend’s desperate choice has disastrous consequences for all of Pelimburg. Felicita must decide where she stands—with the magical elite she used to call family or with her new family, those who want to harness this wild magic to bring down Pelimburg and its cruel caste system once and for all.

When the Sea Is Rising Red is a novel with many fascinating ideas, but something about it failed to completely win me over. I loved the fantasy world of Pelimburg, where magic wielders, vampires, and ordinary people are divided into separate classes and are constantly at odds with each other. Hellisen presents readers with characters who are then further marginalized within their own groups, like Felicita, who is a woman in a male-dominated magical family and Jannik, who is a man in a female-dominated vampire family. This certainly gives readers a series of interesting perspectives on the negative effects of a rigid social system. Then problem for me, then, lies with the characters themselves. I was never entirely sympathetic to Felicita’s problems; though I applauded her strength to fake her own death and run away from everything she’s known, she tended to be rather annoying the rest of the time. The plot did little to impress me as well, as the only truly interesting segment was at the very end of the story. I loved the worldbuilding in When the Sea is Rising Red, but unfortunately, the story itself is much less satisfying.

When the Sea Is Rising Red still appeals to fans of Plain Kate by Erin Bow, The Keepers’ Tattoo by Gill Arbuthnott, and Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

like 1 like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Literary Princess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: character-focused, lgbtq, horror, fantasy, literary, teens, plot-driven, romance

I'm torn about my rating for this book. It was exquisite to read, but I spent far too much time being confused about the people, the hierarchy, the history, and the way of life in this world. Many things never really came clear unfortunately. Also, there were a lot of different fantasy/fairy and folk tale/paranormal elements mixed in, like the author wanted a mash-up of all make believe that appealed to her.

This was incredibly dark and really quite depressing. I liked that there were no neat, e...more

like · see review

Jan 02, 2013 Jules rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This is a bizarre, gritty fairy tale. Half urban fantasy, half Alice in wonderland morality tale. The world building is superb. (Too many fantasy authors seem to think that throwing in a few fantastic beasts and magically gifted individuals, then stirring in a thin plot equals a fantasy novel.) This is done much more cleverly. There's no big reveal as to why things are the way they are, much like life some things just happen. Magic comes at a heavy price and there are no white or black hats here...more

like 2 likes · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Karen! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cant-turn-pages-fast-enough, epic, not-so-probable, teen-lit

This book had my attention from the first chapter. The writing flowed, though I think that some of the characters could have been developed further.

I loved the premise, that magic is inborn to the noble class which is what keeps their control of society, but that in order to use their magic, they have to take an enabler called scriv. This is, of course, hard to come by.

The societal layers are interesting as well. That in the protagonist Felicita's upbringing the males are superior and extremely...more

like · see review

Aug 09, 2012 c a t h e y rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, fantasy, took-me-by-surprise, 2012-twenty-twelve, up-late-reading

This book holds a strange, bleak and wonderful story. When the Sea is Rising Red took me completely by surprise. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. I would've given it three stars, but the prose was so delicate and beautiful that I had to give it four. A liberating read, where the romance wasn't clichéd: there wasn't a pure, beautiful girl waiting for her one and only Prince Charming. (view spoiler)...more

like 4 likes · see review

Jul 03, 2012 Navdha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: it-was-okay-ish, not-very-happy, not-what-i-expected, predictable

I am so very conflicted right now. I don’t know what I just read. Well, partly I do know, but it’s all confusing.

Being introduced to this new world was confusing and strange. It was like how societies used to be before we had democracies and republics. There are Houses that consider themselves superior than everyone else because they can do some magic using scriv which is more like being high on some dusted drug made by some magical being. There are Hobs and vampires and unicorns and so many ot...more I am so very conflicted right now. I don’t know what I just read. Well, partly I do know, but it’s all confusing.

Being introduced to this new world was confusing and strange. It was like how societies used to be before we had democracies and republics. There are Houses that consider themselves superior than everyone else because they can do some magic using scriv which is more like being high on some dusted drug made by some magical being. There are Hobs and vampires and unicorns and so many other strange creatures in this book. The Houses basically look down on all the other low class people and call themselves High-Lammers. The low-lammers, as the name suggests, are like the common men but the lowest class are the Hobs. There are vampires who are powerful and have magic but are hardly tolerated by the city. There are certain rules and restrictions that are to be followed by each class.

The protagonist in this story is Felicita. She is from High House Pelim and is a War-Singer which means her bloodline can control air. Her older brother Owen is a cruel man who only cares about his wife and his unborn baby. Her mother only cares about Owen and the honor of their House and follows the rules set by the males of the society blindly. Felicita feels only close to her best friend Ilven who is supposed to marry another high lammer. However, the story starts when Ilven commits suicide because she doesn’t wanna marry anyone to bring her family more lands and honor. It’s believed by the Hobs that the suicide of high lammers brings sickness and poverty to the shores. Felicita plagued by her best friend’s death finally decides to leave her house when her ten years older brother wants her to marry a man she doesn’t want to spend her life with.

Major spoilers ahead:

Felicita is selfish. She is shallow and looks down on almost everyone in the beginning and is prejudiced but I will blame her upbringing for that. However, there is "some" change in her throughout the book. I think she was utterly naïve. She had no idea what she was doing leaving her house. She just wanted out of her glorified prison and she took a leap without even considering the consequences. I don’t blame her much because she was grieving and she had no idea of the world outside her mansion. The beginning of her journey is troublesome and she held on pretty well. But after Dash got involved she just went downhill. I don’t even think she made the right decisions. She might have got a decent ending in the end with a clean slate but I don’t think I like her.

Also, I couldn’t understand Dash. Jannik was easier to figure out but Dash was a mystery. Even after the book has ended I don’t know what I feel about his decisions. They were harsh and too bold and some-what selfish but I really don’t know if I can truly blame him. If the reason for his vengeance and all the rumors that were spread about Owen are believed to be true, I think I would like to sympathize but I really can’t. Even then his plan was cynical. He risked the lives of a lot of innocent people to achieve some twisted vendetta against the High Houses. I agree that Felicita messed it all up. She was responsible for the deaths of a lot of people because she was too mad after being betrayed but I think she should have seen that coming. Dash was a very complicated character. He must have been some kind of a freak since the beginning. I mean, which nine-year old has connections or even the mind to kill a person? All his power and control seemed to be theoretical. I guess I would’ve been more convinced if more of his story was revealed. Felicita was a fool to trust him. She hardly knew him and even after Lils warning she couldn’t be more alert and suspicious. She was too slow to connect the dots. The book was too obvious at places and yet it left me perplexed with no idea about what just happened at other places.

The whole Jannik and Dash thing seemed kinda off. I understand that Dash did everything he could think of to get some money and destroy the high lammers and I admit that he was smart and played good mind games. His intentions had been clear from the beginning and he knew how and where to set the pawns. I don’t know if Jannik and Dash were really romantically involved. I can’t figure out a lot of things. I’m sometimes annoyed by authors who point out everything to the readers even if it’s damn obvious but I feel like an imbecile cause I would have better understood a lot of things if the author had given a clearer picture. I don’t know if Owen really did kill Dash’s sister. I guess he did but I’m not sure. I don’t know if Anja and Dash were somehow romantically involved as well. I don’t know if Dash ever took Felicita as something more than his jackpot in his big scheme of events. I don’t know if Jannik felt anything for Felicita other than respect. I guess he cared about her but did he care about her as much as he cared about Dash? It’s all tangled up in my head and I am unsure of almost everything after ending this book.

I liked the world building. The plot was honestly unclear to me in the beginning. But later it was all about trying to blur the lines between the different classes that existed or something along that line if I’m vaguely correct. I still don’t know what happened in the end. There was a sea-witch and selkies and bogglers and Ilven draining the life out of Dash and hanging around to say a final goodbye to Felicita (WUT?) and then Felicita killing Owen because she finally figured out how big a mess she had created and then Jannik and her marrying (Again, WUT?).

It was so much fantasy when most of the book looked quite un-fantasy like; if that even makes sense. I don’t know how to rate it. I wasn’t bowled over by it or anything but it was okay.

2.5 stars. But it will be 2 according to the goodreads rating cause I'm not sure that I like it enough to give it 3 stars.
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Jul 01, 2012 Sandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, ya

I almost gave up on this book as I thought there was way too much wording and details in the story for me. It just seemed that in the story, it could have been said with way fewer words and would have had more affect. Every last detail was written out and every thought was written out and I was just had too many words to read, ahhhh! The story itself was good and I thought if I could read it without all the details, I could probably enjoy it so I tried my best to forget every “faded purple” and...more

like · see review

Jun 02, 2012 Monica! rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, genres-are-so-last-week, what-is-this-feeling, you-go-girl, i-love-you-for-your-cover, the-sparkles-mean-its-magic, i-see-dead-people, dammit-author-stop-being-awesome, skin-of-a-killer

This was a strange, dreamy, mesmerizing book, and I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to talk about it, but I’m going to do my darndest.

Talking is what Monicas do best, after all!

So normally, guys, normally when I find a novel with a cover this amazing, I am totally let down by the actual text.

NOT IN THIS CASE!

It was written like… like… it was really, really well written, is what I’m trying to say.

Rin is lying stomach-down in the mud, one arm pillowing his cheek. His body is intact, strange...more

like 9 likes · see review

May 02, 2012 Hilary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, tri-review, young-adult, speculative-fiction

This is a striking debut novel. Cat Hellisen is already being compared to fantasy powerhouses Jacqueline Carey and Neil Gaiman. The rich detail Hellisen provides the patriarchy of Pelimburg -- rife with magic, supernatural creatures, and class strife -- reveals masterful world-building.

Felicita lives the life of Pelimburg’s magical elite. But when her best friend, Ilven, commits suicide to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita fakes her own death to avoid a similar arranged marriage and runs awa...more

like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Victoria Strauss rated it 4 of 5 stars

A haunting YA fantasy by a debut author.

Seventeen-year-old Felicita, a sheltered aristocrat, flees the rigid traditions and stifling conventions of her caste, taking refuge in the slums and falling in with a rag-tag band of outcasts, grifters, and revolutionaries. Struggling to adjust to her new life, she plunges headlong into a dangerous infatuation, and is swept up in events she doesn't understand. By the time she realizes the true nature of what she's become part of, it's too late to escape.

T...more

like · see review

Apr 13, 2012 Sarai rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, fantasy

I did finish this book, only because I wanted to know what was going to happen with Dash and Jannik, but mostly I skimmed through it because I couldn't understand what was going on most of the time. The language was impossible and irritating, the world created but not explained. Plus I also thought some things happened in the middle which cleared a couple of things up for me, but apparently I was wrong because at the end the characters talked about it as though it was a big mystery. Um, okay. Ju...more

like · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Mindi Ridgeway rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I was really looking forward to this book, and i did like it, i just expected over-the-top love and it never really got to that point. It took me awhile to get a feel for the space, to understand the strange names and concepts, since it was written as if we had already been introduced to this new world. I thought i was missing something but no, the flyleaf clearly states this is a debut novel. So bold move new author, throw us right in there! And oh yeah, make it clear right from the start that...more

like · see review

Feb 28, 2013 mich rated it 2 of 5 stars

First of all, I didn’t rate this 2 stars because it’s a bad book. It’s more of a it wasn’t for me and I just didn’t really like it kind of book. I can appreciate the creativity it took to imagine this rather unique fantasy setting which was actually quite interesting and written well enough to evoke a very bleak and haunting atmosphere. Still, I could never really get a handle on many elements of the world and in the end, everything was just sort of a jumbled mess in my head. I hate infodumps as...more

like 1 like · see review

Feb 10, 2012 Kathy Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a complex fantasy about a young woman who has to remake her life. She runs away from home in grief for her lost friend who commits suicide to avoid a forced marriage and to escape an unwanted marriage herself. She wants freedom and finds that it isn't so easy to claim. She runs to the poor part of town where her kind are not welcomed. There she makes friends and learns about the lives of the ordinary people of the city as she works doing dishes in a tea shop.

Felicita meets Dash - a hob...more This was a complex fantasy about a young woman who has to remake her life. She runs away from home in grief for her lost friend who commits suicide to avoid a forced marriage and to escape an unwanted marriage herself. She wants freedom and finds that it isn't so easy to claim. She runs to the poor part of town where her kind are not welcomed. There she makes friends and learns about the lives of the ordinary people of the city as she works doing dishes in a tea shop.

Felicita meets Dash - a hob - who takes her in and makes her part of his crew of half breeds and hobs. He both fascinates her and confuses her and he has quite a hidden agenda. She also meets Jannick who is a vampire - called "bats" in that city. They are a despised minority. They also have a social order that is the reverse of Felicita's. In his world, the women have the power and the men are deemed worthless except for breeding stock. Jannick admires her because she ran away from her old life.

The story is filled with characters with different kinds of magic. Felicita is a War-Singer. When she takes a certain rare drug - scriv - she can control air. However, the drug is very addictive and Felicita spends a lot of the story craving it. Her class is the only class that is allowed to do magic. It is the highest class in the city. In fact, her family founded the city but has sort of fallen on hard times. The hard times are being made worse by Dash's actions as he looks for revolution and revenge. Dash has gathered other magic users around him including a woman who binds nightmares in her hair. When she looses it the nightmares run loose too. Even Jannick has a sort of innate magic that calls to Felicita - which is a source of irritation to his sister who has none yet who will have the power in the family.

This was a fascinating story with memorable characters. It was also complex as we tried to figure out what Dash was up to and what the relationships were between the various characters. It is difficult to watch the struggle Felicita has as she tries to make a new life for herself. I recommend this story to readers who like complexity and intrigue.(less)

like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Shannon Kitchens rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: top-picks-of-2012, ya-reads-for-non-ya-readers

I'm really struggling with whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. It's a really interesting book, with some major flaw, but I've decided that it derserves a 4 for creativity.

What works:
Voice, Setting, and Lenght.

What doesn't work:
Pacing, Lenght, a slightly confusing ending, and the cover

Bonus Points:
Vampries, sex, and drug addiction.

There is also a bit of oddness with some of the characterizations, but I don't know if it's a fatal flaw.

So the good parts:

Hellisen throws us into this reall intere...more

like · see review

Jun 21, 2012 Tiah added it

The more I read the greater the pull the book had over me. I was told this is a YA novel. This seems to be very much the case at the start of the book. But the ending is very adult.

Cat swipes away utopia and brings a raw reality to fantasy that speaks greatly of human nature and the underbelly of revolution. There are no saints. The is no absolute Right even in the face of obvious injustice.

I was also impressed how Cat refused to allow the old fashioned setting determine the story's politics....more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
South African Boo...: When the Sea is Rising Red (Spoilers)	1	16	May 21, 2012 09:15am

combine
Other Editions (3)

Genres

Fantasy

129 users

Young Adult

106 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

70 users

Paranormal > Vampires

65 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

33 users

Fantasy > Magic

26 users

Romance

20 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

16 users

Science Fiction

7 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Paranormal

7 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Harbinger
by Sara Wilson Etienne
Shadows Cast By Stars
by Catherine Knutsson
The Vanishing Game
by Kate Kae Myers
Cybernetic
by Laura Riken
Katana
by Cole Gibsen

About Cat Hellisen

Presumably a person, occasionally a table.

Actually, I really hate bios. They sound like the kind of pretentious twaddle written by a machine disguised as a human working in some kind of hideous Orwellian agency.

Every time I think oh crap, I really need to be professional and write this stupid thing, I spend hours writing and deleting the same two lines. It's sad and pathetic.

Since I can't imagine...more

More about Cat Hellisen...

Books by Cat Hellisen

Something Wicked Anthology of Speculative Fiction, Volume Two

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About When the Sea is R...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from When the Sea is Rising...

“No matter what the results, it is my choices that define me. And I will fight for them, even when it seems that failure is inevitable. Perhaps most especially then.” — 13 people liked it

“In the end, we make our choices on our own. And no matter how stupid they are, we have to live—or die—with what we’ve done. Sometimes choosing our moment of death is the only freedom we have left.” — 12 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: When the Sea is Rising Red
avg rating	preview: When the Sea is Rising Red Goodreads rating: 3.48 (887 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11388429-when-the-sea-is-rising-red?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345321003l/11388429.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11388429-when-the-sea-is-rising-red?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen[/url]

When the Sea is Rising Red

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website