A review by kalarosereads
Chasing River by K.A. Tucker
4.0
I was excited to read Amber's story because of the glimpses we got of her character from Water's book. The first few chapters gripped me right away but then it became a little slow for me in the middle before picking back up again. However once I finished the entire book I appreciated the "slower" chapters as they gave a lot of insightful context and background to River's character and his family background. I have never read a book based in Ireland before so I really enjoyed learning about the history and the culture.
A huge theme of this book was loyalty, which also ties in to the continuing theme of this entire series where we get glimpses of different scenarios where there really is no black or white for "right" or "wrong". K.A. Tucker really forces the reader to recognize that "grey" moral area in between the traditional society rules.
Amber's character is initially portrayed as the quintessential rule following girl next door, however she has taken this trip to branch out from the stereotypes she has been pegged with her entire life. This book also made me even more excited to read the next book which will be Ivy's, as she served as a major side character in this book and between Amber and Ivy's new friendship they discovered they had both judged each other in very similar ways.
Amber finding out the truth behind her father's involvement in Jesse and Water's story was really well written, I enjoyed how it was intertwined with Amber's dad showing up when she least expecting it, proving that even though his decisions are not as straight and narrow as she always thought, he is still her dad and still has the same morals that he has always had. It gives Amber the courage to make her own decisions when dealing with a similar situation.
River's journey throughout this book is really intriguing to me, we learn about his family background and dynamics and what loyalty truly means to him. Amber helps him discover what is truly important and helps him find the courage to finally make the "right" decision to protect the innocent members of his family who deserve it, even if it means causing someone else he loves pain.
As always, I loved how K.A. Tucker ends her books in this series, there is no perfect wrapped up ending with a bow, it seems realistic and raw. And although I always crave more of the characters, I do prefer these kinds of endings.
A huge theme of this book was loyalty, which also ties in to the continuing theme of this entire series where we get glimpses of different scenarios where there really is no black or white for "right" or "wrong". K.A. Tucker really forces the reader to recognize that "grey" moral area in between the traditional society rules.
Amber's character is initially portrayed as the quintessential rule following girl next door, however she has taken this trip to branch out from the stereotypes she has been pegged with her entire life. This book also made me even more excited to read the next book which will be Ivy's, as she served as a major side character in this book and between Amber and Ivy's new friendship they discovered they had both judged each other in very similar ways.
Amber finding out the truth behind her father's involvement in Jesse and Water's story was really well written, I enjoyed how it was intertwined with Amber's dad showing up when she least expecting it, proving that even though his decisions are not as straight and narrow as she always thought, he is still her dad and still has the same morals that he has always had. It gives Amber the courage to make her own decisions when dealing with a similar situation.
River's journey throughout this book is really intriguing to me, we learn about his family background and dynamics and what loyalty truly means to him. Amber helps him discover what is truly important and helps him find the courage to finally make the "right" decision to protect the innocent members of his family who deserve it, even if it means causing someone else he loves pain.
As always, I loved how K.A. Tucker ends her books in this series, there is no perfect wrapped up ending with a bow, it seems realistic and raw. And although I always crave more of the characters, I do prefer these kinds of endings.