Strange Tide

The city feels almost like a character itself—how much of that setting was drawn from real locations or urban legends? I wonder what inspired the author to create such a vivid sense of place.

The narrative picked up again towards the end, but I found myself wanting more momentum earlier on. Was this a deliberate choice to build suspense or just the natural flow of the story?

The characters seem to grapple with who they are versus how society perceives them. I'm curious how much of that was intentional and if the author drew from personal experiences or broader social issues.