Rip Tide puts Ty and Gemma back together as they try to find their parents who were kidnapped after trying to sell their crops. The pair are soon enveloped into the politics and class distinctions that are a reality for the ocean residents who aren't given enough supplies to live and are willing to take part in life threatening fights to help their towns. Ty and Gemma face many dangerous situations as they search for Ty's parents.
Rip Tide was full of action and adventure and although it is a sequel to Dark Life it felt like it was written for a different and older audience. Dark life is very political with the plot being based on the caste like system that keeps different groups of citizens in different lives. In between the political wrangling is a ton of (often very violent) action scenes. I had some problems getting through this book and found it fairly clunky and lacking the charm of the first book.
Appropriateness: While the first book was written for a young middle grade audience (9-11) this book seemed like it was for a more mature audience (which is perfect if your child read the first book when if first came out) because of the political basis for the plot and because the book was very violent. There are several brutal fight scenes which are a little much for an elementary school audience. However, all the action will make this a must read for boys who will really enjoy the action scenes. There is also a hint of romance and a tough female character for female readers. The lexile of Dark Life was 690 putting the book at a fourth grade level so this book should be around the same. I would recommend this book to readers 11-15
Review copy obtained by Amazon Vine
