The Rising Tide

Elevation #2

by Helen Brain

Ebba is back, and she’s starting the learn the rules of the game. But what – and who – will she have to sacrifice to fulfill the den Eeden prophecy and save the world from the Second Calamity? The second book in Helen Brain’s Fiery Spiral Trilogy.

Sixteen-year-old Ebba den Eeden is dealing with all the typical teenage things: first boyfriends, mean girls, overbearing aunts – and, of course, navigating the political schemes of a murderous dictator, running a farm to feed an entire city, preventing the genocide of 2,000 teenagers trapped inside South Africa’s famous Table Mountain, and saving the world from another apocalypse by reuniting four ancient amulets with the help of her ghostly ancestors. Just another day for a den Eeden! In The Thousand Steps, we met Ebba, a red-headed mixed-race teen with a mysterious birthmark who spent sixteen years underground when nuclear war caused massive sea level rise and flooded her home city of Cape Town. Now a second apocalypse is on the way, and according to an old family prophecy, Ebba is the only one with power to stop it. With Hal imprisoned, the Colony running out of food, Micah off leading the Resistance with a gorgeous new sidekick, and the Second “Calamity” only days away, Ebba must listen to her instincts, even if it means destroying the things she holds most dear. Who can she trust to help take down General de Groot and find the missing amulets – and who will betray her? In the second installment of Helen Brain’s Fiery Spiral trilogy, Ebba will learn the impossible decisions – and great sacrifice – that sometimes come with destiny. A dystopian fantasy that plays out on the shores of South Africa, for lovers of Akata Witch and Children of Blood and Bone.
PRAISE FOR THE FIERY SPIRAL BOOK ONE

“This novel will draw readers in with its high stakes and well-developed characters. […] A strong, character-driven work recommended for readers looking for dystopian fantasy with a social justice bent.” - School Library Journal

“A deftly crafted, impressively original, and inherently entertaining novel […]. The Thousand Steps will prove to be an enduringly popular addition to any high school or community library YA Fiction collection.” - Midwest Book Review

“Mixing mythology with real historical atrocities like apartheid, this is a solid tale featuring diverse characters who reflect the real-world communities of South Africa” —Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

248 pages, Hardcover

Published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rising Tide, which is part two of Helen Brain's Elevation series, continues the tale of Ebba den Eeden, the mistress of Greenhaven. The setting is a post-apocalyptic future where the rising sea levels have turned the Table Mountain range into a series of islands cut off from the African mainland. If we'd hoped that things would be simpler for Ebba after she defeated the High Priest, we're sorely mistaken. Her actions have inadvertently ushered in an era where her region suffers military control. Everyone wants Greenhaven – it has the most fertile land – and Ebba is hard pressed to meet the demands placed on her.

What follows is what I'll affectionately term as "Ebba makes one bad decision after the other." In fact, I wanted to slap her upside the head to knock some sense into her. I agree with Aunty Figgy that boyfriend Micah is Bad News, but of course Ebba is so hopelessly in love with the chap that she's willing to let him distract her from her true goal: that of uniting the mysterious missing amulets and saving the world from catastrophe. (Then again, if I consider how boy-mad I was at 16, I forgive Ebba to a degree.)

That bloody Micah has it in his head that he's going to lead a rebellion, even if it means placing everyone on Greenhaven in danger. And I'm pretty sure Ebba has all the right of it to worry about Micah hanging out with the luscious and conniving Samantha Lee. Poor Ebba doesn't stand a chance – it's in this instalment that her sheltered upbringing in the Colony truly hamstrings her as she flounders about trying to do the right thing. (And making more of a mess while she does.)

There's a smidge of "middle book" syndrome at play here – with plenty of foreshadowing for things to come in book three, I'm certain. I spent a lot of my time saying, "Ag no, Ebba, don't." Her limited vision in terms of how she's manipulated by other people and how hard she tries to please other people to the detriment of her own goals grated on me after a while, and I'm not sure if she redeems herself in my eyes by the end. Here's hoping for book three.

What I love about the Elevation trilogy is the fact that the story is unconventional in terms with what I'm accustomed to when it comes to YA. Helen's characterisation, especially in dialogue and the way people are constantly at cross purpose with each other feels authentic. I'm also so pleased for her that she's also signed a lovely big contract that will see this trilogy hit overseas markets. Her voice and her world building is fresh and the story is engaging. I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

[Tiah]

~When I was in the colony, I dreamed of seeing the sky. I pictured it endless and serene, a great blue nothing stretching forever. I never imagined it could be grey as granite. ~

~Take charge, girl. Take charge.~

~When I first came out of the bunker, I thought it was amazing that you could smell rain. ~

~The one thing entrusted to my care, and I've lost it. ~

~The end of the world, one way or another. ~

[Phillipa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a great read. I suspect because I read it so long after the first book and reading it I definitely felt like I needed the initial storyline and setup to be more prominent in my memory. The characters were generally annoying and it doesn't feel like it ended, more just a pause before the 3rd one. Not sure I'll bother.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

a quick and easy read but not very captivating. the characters are one dimensional and no one more so than ebba. who to be clear is in an abusive relationship this entire book. it seems like her friends are well aware of this and no one is helping her. this book could have been twice as long to really build up the council and the resistance and the colony with clear motives but it missed the mark in a big way. two books in and ebba is still ultimately willing to let everyone die for one boy.

[Carla Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Average. Ebba as a character is lacking a bit of development in the second book. Micah's betrayal was expected and the story didn't have many plot twists.

[KayLuvsBooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Arghhh! Reading this book I honestly just got more and more frustrated. I found the main character Ebba so annoying, naïve, and the world's biggest pushover. Over 3/4 of the book is just listening to her whine about how life is so hard and she can't handle it. Everyone tries to take advantage of her and almost all of them succeed with very little effort because she is too scared to disappoint people. EVEN THE BAD GUYS!!! The book had a storyline but it wasn't thought out enough. The whole book was very boring and the small amount of action we see is in less then a couple of pages with very little detail. Everything that should be explained more isn't and everything that shouldn't be elaborated on is. Definitely do not recommend.

[CR · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was not as good as the first book. I wish I could say that this one was amazing but it just wasn't. And this is nothing like Children of Blood and Bone seriously I hate when books say they are fans of this and that when they are nothing alike. I loved the characters but the story just didn't work for me.