Lord have mercy this book is so good it almost hurts. The dark academia setting is delicious, the romance thrilling, the cult-centric layers of mystery are peeled back so artfully it is applause-worthy (there’s a story within a story here that is just flawless, folks) and several titular characters are, of course, not what they appear.

But the swan song of “Curious Tides” is easily the very last couple of chapters; where we see the protagonists make exceedingly risky choices that build up to absolute chaos, a pulse-pounding scene where everything gets laid bare, and a glimpse at the fuller storyline fueling one big impossible mystery finally becomes clear. Pascale LaVelle’s glorious debut closes on a cliffhanger that is guaranteed to leave you gasping, wanting more. More answers, more foresight into what’s next, more inexplicable magic. I am shattered that I have to wait an undetermined amount of time for a book two.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*