Title: Toxic Tides
Authors: Grace Hamilton & Riley Miller
Genre: Post Apocalyptic
Release Date: 5th February 2025
BLURB
No one saw it coming. One day, the rivers flowed. The next, they were poison.
Water is toxic. The dead are piling up. And no one is coming to help.
But for Hazel Northrup this is her first day of freedom. The Wellspring cult was the only home she ever knew. Now she’s on the run with her little brother, Caleb, vowing to keep him safe.
Yet the world beyond their prison is nothing like she was warned—it’s worse. The land is dying. Rivers choke with toxic algae. And threats appear from every direction… including the ruthless men sent to drag them back.
Deep in the Oregon wilderness, a research team stumbles upon a nightmare. When one of their own falls sick and dies—his symptoms swift, brutal, and unexplainable—scientists Emily and Sam, along with their hardened guide Bash, know something is wrong.
The water should be safe. But it’s deadly.
As they race to escape the forest, their path collides with Hazel and Caleb, forcing them into an uneasy alliance.
Cut off from the world, survival is up to them. The groups only hope lies in Bash’s remote cabin, days away through treacherous terrain. But with dwindling supplies, sickness creeping in, and dangers closing in from both nature and man, survival is far from guaranteed.
The further they go, the clearer it this isn’t just a disaster. It’s a collapse.
And the last safe water may already be gone.
When the world turns toxic, survival isn’t just about outrunning disaster—it’s about protecting the ones you love. As water grows scarce and society unravels, ordinary people must become something more, risking everything to keep their family alive in a world where safety no longer exists.
REVIEW
The cover sort of draws you in and makes you want to know more about the characters depicted on it. It awakens your curiosity as to what the characters are looking at and what trials they are enduring as this is a post-apocalyptic book.
The book is told in three parts, there are chapters at the beginning, then volume 1 & 2.
There are four main groups of characters, there’s Hazel & Caleb escaping from Wellspring, the scientists Emily, Frank and Sam and their wilderness guide Bash collecting rock samples. Then there’s the addition of the rather conniving and volatile Prophet Saul & his Wellspringers who want to keep their followers and will go to extreme lengths to get them back. The final group of people are the National Guard who you would think would be a helpful source for all but it seems that its “every man for himself”
The book begins with an almost 18 year old Hazel and her younger brother 8 year old Caleb have lived at Wellspring as long as they can remember. Wellspring is a commune, though as the book goes on, we come to realise that it is much more like a cult. The leader is Prophet Saul, he rules everything and leads all the Wellspringers to worship the water that protects them and can cure them of anything. When girls reach the age of 18, they are married to a man chosen by the Prophet. It has been arranged that Hazel will marry the prophet’s nephew Hank; a man much older than her. When she marries her brother Caleb will be taken away from her and placed in another household, as she should not have any distractions from her husband and creating a family with him. Hazel has no choice in the matter and anyone that answers back in anyway about anything is severely punished until they toe the line. It’s no wonder Hazel wants to escape and take her brother Caleb away from this restricted lifestyle and the regular beatings if you step out of line. Though the thing is Hazel would probably put up with it all if she wasn’t going to be separated from Caleb whom she has brought up like a mother since their parents died. They escape, scared at every step they will be caught and knowing that when it is discovered that they are missing, Prophet Saul will send men after them and if caught they will be forced back to Wellspring where they will both face harsh punishment. Hazel’s plan is to forage, live off the land until she is officially 18 and then go to the nearest town for help. For Hazel evading discovery until she is 18 is of the upmost importance, as once she is 18, she is an adult no one will be able to take Caleb away from her.
The other main group of characters in the book are Frank, Sam, Emily who are scientists studying rocks in the area & collecting samples to take back look at further. Bash is their wilderness guide helping them navigate the terrain in a safe and respectful way. They are having quite a good trip collecting suitable samples until Frank suddenly becomes ill and dies. Unfortunately, this is the first sign of the deadly algae bloom. The algae bloom contaminates most of the fresh water which immediately complicates everything. The scientists realise how dire the situation is when Frank dies after drinking the contaminated water.
It’s because of the upheaval of the algae bloom that pushes Hazel & Caleb and the scientists & Bash together. The group ends up being whittled down for various reasons and then its just Hazel, Caleb, Bash and Emily. Left alone I think they could have a happy existence at the cabin, sadly when outsiders literally turn up at the door, one with an infection, they are forced to help. Unfortunately, their kindness is soon forgotten when they are betrayed, with their supplies stolen and then again later when their whereabouts are revealed to both Prophet Saul and his followers and the National guard. Both are interested in having access and possession of the clean water source and of course the Prophet wants his “lost sheep” back.
Favourite characters were, Hazel, the protective sister/mother who is not even officially an adult yet. Hazel may be beaten down by the ways and rules of Wellspring but she has an inner strength and will do anything at all to protect her brother Caleb, who is himself a cute, lovable character who wants to look after his sister. Both Hazel and Caleb are naïve to the world outside of Wellspring which is both endearing for the reader yet dangerous for the character!
I immediately adored the quieter, perhaps brusque, observant gentle giant wilderness guide Bash. He watches and listens and though he may know the right way of doing something or getting somewhere he will listen to the other’s opinions. I enjoyed the growing friendship between Bash & Caleb, though Bash had to earn the trust of Hazel to get anywhere near her brother. Bash is used to racial prejudice and being considered “different” due to having a tough start in life and being adopted and going through the foster system, being bullied, lack of people to care for him, and lack of care from those supposed to care for him. He knows from personal experience what it is like to distrust every one, even adults util they have proven themselves to you. Bash works hard, and slowly to obtain first the trust of Hazel and then that of Caleb too.
I really enjoyed the book and felt pulled into it quite quickly. The book felt fast paced and I seriously did not want to put it down! Of course I am routing for Hazel, Caleb, Bash & Emily, the good guys of this post-apocalyptic world. I enjoyed the foraging references and the morals of foraging about leaving enough behind for the growth cycle to continue.
The relationships change as the characters learn to trust each other with Bash and Emily becoming role models for Hazel & Caleb. With Bash and Emily around, Hazel gets to be a young girl again and have a little freedom and time to herself to work out what she wants for her own future. Bash and Emily become quite parent like allows Hazel to become more like a fun sister rather than the constant authority figure of mother to Caleb.
I enjoyed the aspect of the algae bloom being the thing that turned the world post-apocalyptic. You really don’t realise how something contaminating the water could affect so much. I felt like I learnt a few things from survival skills to how the fresh water being contaminated meant that the rain was too.
My immediate thoughts were great characters and plot!
Summing up, I enjoyed the element of the cult and Hazel running away from it, their reasons for doing so and their ideas for their future lives. I found the algae bloom component to the story fascinating too. I found the plot realistic with the inevitable deaths that occurred in the book. I certainly became attached to the characters and am looking forward to reading more!
