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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for granting me access to the advance e-reader copy of Curious Tides, and a double thanks to TBR and Beyond and Simon and Schuster for sending me a finalized copy for me to read and review.
Think back to when you were a kid, a teen, and you picked up a series that was so magical, so breathtakingly fantastical, that the feeling of reading that book has stuck with you into adulthood. For me, it was Peter and the Shadowthieves by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson. Something about that retelling was so incredibly magical, it stayed with me even into adulthood. That is the type of book Simon & Schuster have found in Pascale Lacelle.
This is that book that will stay with you years later. The mystery and wonder just sticks to your bones and becomes apart of you.
Lacelle has fully captured me, my heart, my imagination, and my dreams with this stunning debut. It’s a unique dark academia take on fantasy that stands strongly on its own, ready to dole out book hangovers left and right as the last pages are turned. She has a talent for weaving the mythology and lore of her fantasy world tightly into the story without breaking stride. Even character backgrounds and flashbacks are woven seamlessly in, making the connection to the two main characters stronger. With so much to explain as to how her world and its magic system works, the strong pacing and plot structure are outstanding testament to her writing and editing abilities.
As a fantasy entry into the sub genre, Dark Academia, this does mean that there are some darker themes to this story. Some huge ones she tackles are grief, survivors guilt, depression, anxiety, and trauma. And bless, Lacelle for handling each of these difficult topics with care and full understanding of what these forms of trauma can do to a person. They’re complex circumstances and she pays each one the respect they need. She doesn’t brush them under a rug or sweep them aside. They are obstacles that shouldn’t just be hurdled, but ones that will trip the heroes up as they push forward. They’re obstacles that give the heroes chances to learn more about themselves and about their strengths and exactly how strong their hearts really are. And Lacelle also shows the reverse of what can happen should you allow these hard circumstances in life to completely take over.
If this book hasn’t already made its way onto your TBR, then it should, and it should be jumped up to the top. This truly is a stunning tale, full of mystery and magic, excellent representation, dynamic characters, and all set into a unique dark academia fantasy atmospheric setting.
While I’m here, massive recognition to the Interior Designer, Irene Metaxatos. Her stunning design work fused effortlessly with the story, elevating Lacelle’s words. The little touches of the transitioning moon phases on each page, the choice to blacken the pages and use white text for Song of the Drowned Gods just added so much more to the story. This design job is absolutely phenomenal.
If you can get your hands on a physical copy, ABSOLUTELY do it! It’s a breathtaking piece of art - both the story and the physical book itself. A lot of love and care went into the making of this book and its evident from cover to cover.
This is a well, WELL deserved 5 star read!!
Think back to when you were a kid, a teen, and you picked up a series that was so magical, so breathtakingly fantastical, that the feeling of reading that book has stuck with you into adulthood. For me, it was Peter and the Shadowthieves by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson. Something about that retelling was so incredibly magical, it stayed with me even into adulthood. That is the type of book Simon & Schuster have found in Pascale Lacelle.
This is that book that will stay with you years later. The mystery and wonder just sticks to your bones and becomes apart of you.
Lacelle has fully captured me, my heart, my imagination, and my dreams with this stunning debut. It’s a unique dark academia take on fantasy that stands strongly on its own, ready to dole out book hangovers left and right as the last pages are turned. She has a talent for weaving the mythology and lore of her fantasy world tightly into the story without breaking stride. Even character backgrounds and flashbacks are woven seamlessly in, making the connection to the two main characters stronger. With so much to explain as to how her world and its magic system works, the strong pacing and plot structure are outstanding testament to her writing and editing abilities.
As a fantasy entry into the sub genre, Dark Academia, this does mean that there are some darker themes to this story. Some huge ones she tackles are grief, survivors guilt, depression, anxiety, and trauma. And bless, Lacelle for handling each of these difficult topics with care and full understanding of what these forms of trauma can do to a person. They’re complex circumstances and she pays each one the respect they need. She doesn’t brush them under a rug or sweep them aside. They are obstacles that shouldn’t just be hurdled, but ones that will trip the heroes up as they push forward. They’re obstacles that give the heroes chances to learn more about themselves and about their strengths and exactly how strong their hearts really are. And Lacelle also shows the reverse of what can happen should you allow these hard circumstances in life to completely take over.
If this book hasn’t already made its way onto your TBR, then it should, and it should be jumped up to the top. This truly is a stunning tale, full of mystery and magic, excellent representation, dynamic characters, and all set into a unique dark academia fantasy atmospheric setting.
While I’m here, massive recognition to the Interior Designer, Irene Metaxatos. Her stunning design work fused effortlessly with the story, elevating Lacelle’s words. The little touches of the transitioning moon phases on each page, the choice to blacken the pages and use white text for Song of the Drowned Gods just added so much more to the story. This design job is absolutely phenomenal.
If you can get your hands on a physical copy, ABSOLUTELY do it! It’s a breathtaking piece of art - both the story and the physical book itself. A lot of love and care went into the making of this book and its evident from cover to cover.
This is a well, WELL deserved 5 star read!!
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The magic system in this book is so cool and unique, absolutely the best thing about the story! It’s definitely a plot book and not gonna be great for anyone who wants a character driven story, but I was so sucked in. While the plot twists weren’t that surprising, it got just crazy enough to be really fun. I will say, the end got a little bogged down by over explaining the emotion and significance of things that were happening and it became a little tedious to get through, but overall a fun easy read.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This could’ve been really great for a dark academia, it was really promising and I was looking forward to book 2, but book 2 just didn’t do it for me and pulled down my rating for this one too. I’m sad about it because I loved the queer representation. But I don’t think I’ll finish the series.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Curious Tides is a dark academic fantasy novel set in a mysterious coastal university where magic is governed by the shifting cycles of the moon. Pascale Lacelle crafts a richly imaginative world filled with tides, secrets, and a deep undercurrent of betrayal. The story follows Emory, a struggling student who is inexplicably tied to powerful magic she doesn’t fully understand. Her quest to uncover the truth behind her powers and the dark lore surrounding the school quickly spirals into obsession, leading her to make costly choices—including betraying her last remaining true friend.
The book features a dual POV structure, though much of the focus remains on Emory. Unfortunately, her character can be hard to root for. Deeply flawed, willfully ignorant, and often self-righteous, Emory’s internal narrative occasionally grates on the reader—especially as her poor decisions compound. While Lacelle’s worldbuilding is compelling and full of originality (the lunar-based magic system is especially fresh), the book feels overlong, with several sections reading like filler rather than essential plot.
Side characters like Baz and Kieran add layers to the narrative, but even these dynamics can become frustrating. Baz, in particular, is consistently supportive, even risking himself for Emory’s sake—yet his loyalty is rarely rewarded. Meanwhile, Kieran’s manipulative tendencies are apparent early on, which diminishes the weight of the late-stage plot twist and further weakens Emory’s credibility as a protagonist.
Though not without its issues, Curious Tides offers enough intrigue and atmosphere to satisfy fans of magical academia and morally gray storytelling. The ending delivers a mild cliffhanger that promises more revelations in the second and final installment of the duology.
Such a good story idea but totally flopped in the execution. I felt like the author didn't know how to blend the mystery, with the romance, with the adventure. It felt like different stories instead of one cohesive story. The middle of part of the story really dragged and the "shocking twists" at the end I had already guessed.