[Review] Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser

Series: Song of the Current #1

Rating: 4 stars

Published: June 6th 2017

Goodreads Synopsis:

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 hasn’t spoken her name yet—and if he hasn’t by now, there’s 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 cargo—an arrogant courier with a secret—and 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.

The Oresteia family has spent generations on the river, hearing the voice of the river god. Caro thought she would be next in line after her father, but has not yet heard the god's voice. But now Caro is tasked to deliver a mysterious box, and becomes embroiled in the politics and deceit of several nations. Without her father and without her river god, Caro must battle the waters alone.

It was a pretty fun adventure! Caro's feisty and headstrong personality was a pleasure to read, especially when she butted heads with Markos (which was pretty often). 

"You thought if you... you seduced me, I'd take you to Casteria, didn't you?" He said nothing. "Didn't you?""All right! I mean, that's not -" He exhaled. "The thought crossed my mind, yes. When girls think they're in love, they -"
"They what?" I brandished my knife. - p. 84

I just really enjoyed this reoccurring theme of family name vs. individuality that Markos and Caro often brought up. Markos came from royalty, as the next Emparch, while Caro came from two polarizing families - her mother's, full of traders, and her father's, full of river men. And it was great watching both of them grow from trying to conform to their family name, to watching them flourish as their own individual selves. 

Besides that, it's usually this big thing in YA to have the main character be an orphan or have one parent but I really appreciated that Caro had both of her parents doing a decent amount of parenting - their bickering and dynamic was also something I liked. 

There were some characters that weren't really as fleshed out, like Kente and Fee - I do wish that there was more interaction/involvement with them in the story. 

But other than that, I can't wait to see where the sequel leads.