This was quite a vibe. The world building and magic system were actually pretty good and it's a fun addition to the dark academia niche. Overly predictable ending though and needs work on the character driven piece.

Interesting magic system in this story. Dependent on the moon you are born under, with those being eclipse born, deemed usually dangerous and need to be watched in case of collapse. I admit that I kind of liked Baz's chapters better than Emory but their paths to find the truth about sister and friend, Romy after the Dovermere tragedy were cool, from secret societies looking to gain all the power, to hidden truths and lies about the past and I enjoyed the journey. Not really a fan of the love triangle, mostly because I had a feeling how it would turn out and I was right. Besides I knew which guy was definitely better for Emory.

I also enjoyed the bits from the Song of the Drowned Gods, which were nicely tantalizing about the truth of magic, especially that of the Tidecallers, and how worlds are connected. It led up to a very exciting conclusion and now I really need to read the second book to find out what is going to happen with Baz and Emory and their friends, especially if the truth gets out!

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Curious Tides" captivated me from the moment I saw its stunning cover. The book seamlessly blends elements I adore: a mysterious magic school, secret societies, and a powerful magic system.

The story follows our protagonist as she grapples with the unexplained disappearance of her classmates while simultaneously struggling to control her burgeoning magical abilities. Lacelle masterfully crafts a richly detailed and atmospheric world, immersing readers in a captivating mystery.

While the romance subplot wasn't a strong draw for me personally, the intricate plot and well-developed characters more than compensated. The story delves deeper than expected, exploring themes of loss, identity, and the consequences of unchecked power.

"Curious Tides" is a captivating and atmospheric read that will appeal to fans of magical academies and dark fantasy.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #simonandschuster #curioustides #pascalelacelle

Definitely more of a 3.5 star for me if I could. Despite a slow start, this book ended up surprising me. I did consider DNFing this one but then got to 50% in and knew I had to finish. The magic system in this book might be my favorite of all time. The play on the tides and moons was so fascinating. I loved Baz but Emory was a close second. Emory just is a lost soul until she discovers how special she really is. I did enjoy the plot twist because it really pulled everything together. Until the plot twist, I felt the dual POV made for a repetitive story but once that twists hits, it was like an epiphany. This was a coming of age YA that will leave you on a cliffhanger wanting to jump right into the second book.

This is everything I was hoping for in a magical dark academic fantasy novel. I cannot wait for book 2!!!

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Margaret K. McElderry Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

First, the cover of this one... absolute magic. Would buy it just for that!

Second, dark academia is always hit or miss for me. Sometimes it's too angsty and doesn't have strong world building. That was not the case here. Emory is a healer who has discovered she has forbidden magic. Her only hope is her late best friend's brother to help her learn how to harness the power. He is angry and bent on finding out what really happened to his sister. Together they dig into a cult-like student group who may be responsible for the deaths and trying to tap into larger more earth-shattering magic.

I loved the uniqueness of the magical world and the pace with which the myths and magic were revealed. I thought Emory was a very practical young adult female protagonist. There is some romantical scenes but all PG which I appreciated. I did delay reading this one until closer to the release of the second book because I heard whiffs of a cliffhanger which I just can't tolerate anymore and I'm happy I did. Looking forward to picking up book 2 when it comes out next month.

This was a wonderfully crafted tale of magic and destiny. I really enjoyed it and I'm sure my patrons will as well.

This book has been on my TBR for a while and I am so mad at myself, it has taken me this long to read. Holy moly I loved this book so much. The cover first called to me but that blurb. Ah, I knew I needed this book in my life. Baz's chapters were so good and his perspective Emory, it was so darn sweet. I need the second one like now because I have a feeling it is going to get better.

I really enjoyed this book and the sequel! It was so interesting to read about the mythology of the isle and how the gods interacted. I liked all of the main characters and they were three-dimensional. I didn’t always agree with what they did but I always understood why they took their actions. This book kept me guessing! I highly recommend this book if you like themes of family, found family, mythology, magic, and love.

Oh my god, Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle blew my expectations out of the water! I knew I was going to like it, but just knowing that I finished it brings tears to my eyes. I loved this! I won't even be surprised if there ends up being a sequel for it. It was that good. Beautiful writing, a unique concept for lunar magic, and absolutely heart-wrenching scenes. This is a must-read if you love the dark and mysterious with ocean vibes. A dark academia fantasy about a girl named Emory who witnesses a dark ritual in the Dovermere sea caves that kills a group of her classmates and leaves her as the only survivor. Since that dreadful night, she discovers that besides her own healing abilities, she now possesses powers that could destroy her life if they're not kept secret. With the help of another student, Baz, the last eclipse-born student left in Aldryn College and whose sister happened to be one of the students who drowned as well as Emory's best friend, she tries to learn how to control her new abilities while also searching for answers to what really happened that night.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and Pascale Lacelle for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I tried to read this a few times and could never get into it… I’ve heard a lot of great reviews for it though so that was likely just a personal issue. I still recommend picking it up and trying it yourself!

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 Turn The Page Tours 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!!

Excellent read if you like dark academia, secret societies and book within book. It takes a while for a world building and action to build. But it’s worth it and world is captivating and unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC of Curious Tides.

I wanted to love this book. The magic system was so unique and interesting but the pacing is so slow. Anytime there was any action in the book the characters then spent another 3 pages overanalyzing everything they have ever done leading up to this moment. Emory was not a very interesting or likable character, which even she seemed to be aware of. Baz was so wrapped up in his self-doubt that he was also rather uninteresting. There are basically no interesting or likable characters which also made it hard to connect with the story.

I did put this one down for several months before picking it back up to finish so some of my memory on the beginning of the book is hazy. However, for being "dark academia" the school has little to no impact on the events of the book other than providing a setting for young adults to be together. There are no classes, a little library time, but mostly just a secret student society with WAY to much power and influence.

I am interested enough that I plan on picking up the next in the series but I am definitely going into it with lowered expectations.

After about 70% I dnf'd this book. I love the premise, but I didn't get the dark academia I was hoping for and while the magic system sounded fascinated, it didn't quite make sense to me. There is a lot of description and back and forth between narrators, setting, and conflicts, but it took too long for something to happen and to capture my interest. I also struggled to like Emory, a main character, and found her annoying and constantly making stupid decisions. Overall there were too many elements that made this book a chore to read more than a joy.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Firstly I love the cover. It gives off witchy magic dark academia vibes. That being said I’m going to temporarily DNF the book at 20%.

While the writing itself is not bad, it is very lyrical and kind of a drag as so far there has been little action. The first portion is just describing a murder (with very little description before the MC gets interrupted to maintain the illusion of mystery). All this is doing is making me frustrated because it seems like the book is going around chasing its tail.

The book is normally right up my alley, but I’m going to have to put it down for now until I’m in a better more patient mood.

THIS IS HOW YOU DO DARK ACADEMIA. I loved every second of this book. It's delightfully atmospheric, with heavy doses of mythology and magic and overall gloominess and forboding. Creative world building and incredible character connections. I am itching to read more.

This was the most fantastic dark academia that had me continuously gripped and I’ve recommended it to so many people now. It had one of the best magic systems I’ve ever encountered, anywhere, and I loved the fantastic horror elements - just enough to feel so, so tense; but not enough to tip the book completely into the ‘horror’ genre. I can’t wait to read more from this incredible author and this is a book I’ll 100% be buying for myself and others - and will be one of my top recommendations of the year!

I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down. I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, the plot, the setting. I cannot wait for more from Lacelle.

I think this book is a good fit for fans of The Magicians, Atlas Six and A Study in Drowning. It has the slower pace, the angst, the messy, morally gray characters and an enthralling world.

I loved the magic system in this read. While it seemed simplistic at first, it truly was the most intricate and fascinating part of this story.

While the characters fell a little flat and the pace was a little slower than I liked due to some redundancy/repetition, I enjoyed the world Lacelle created. I think book 2 will have more momentum based on how this first book ended, and I’m looking forward to reading it.



Thank you to Simon and Schuster’s Children Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this ebook. I am leaving a voluntary review. All thoughts and ideas expressed are my own.