This was just perfection. This historical fantasy just had the perfect blend of history and magic. The political machinations between the French and the English, and the small islands caught in between, with whimsical layers of fairytales (Cinderella, The Little Mermaid). So beautifully written. And that ending? That epilogue? One of the best I've ever read. A definite addition to our collection, no questions asked. Happy to recommend this to anyone and everyone wanting a magical read.

Truly one of the most beautifully written books I've read, the prose kept me awake far into the night and the ending is simply <chef's kiss>.

Luce is the youngest daughter in the powerful and wealthy Leon family, although unlike her stepmother and two stepsisters, she is happiest when she's sailing. Samuel, her smuggler friend, feeds her need for the sea by teaching her to sail, until one day when Luce comes upon a shipwreck, and a lone surviving man. The man - the Eric to her Ariel - offers everything Luce could possibly want: a future together where she is not bound by the rules of society, where they can sail the ship she has just received from her doting father.

But you know what they say about things seeming too good to be true . . .

I adore Luce - she deals with her physical disability as best she can and she does not let it stop her from pursuing her dreams, and is brave and strong through dangers and mysteries. Each revelation breaks a little more of her heart, but she stays true to herself until the end, and her choices denote the goodness in her heart.

Also, look at that cover, it is a work of art.

I love a good retelling, and this one blew me away. Think a dark historical fantasy, mixing The Little Mermaid with Cinderella. That sounds like a lot for one book, but it’s so masterfully done that it feels effortless in its complexity. Kell Woods creates a hauntingly beautiful historical backdrop that feels like a character in itself, without being heavy or burdensome.

The tales of Cinderella and The Little Mermaid are interwoven through a feminist lens, making Lucinde a brave heroine rather than a helpless maiden. I mean, the novel even starts with her rescuing the man! I loved how the author turned the tides (pun fully intended) on what we know and expect from these fairytales. While I saw threads of them throughout, they are transformed into something completely new and empowering. Because of this, it was difficult for me to anticipate what happens next. I. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

Upon a Starlit Tide is simply unforgettable. I’ve never read anything like it, and I know this will be one of my top reads of 2025. Kell Woods has automatically become an auto-buy author of mine, and I will be devouring anything she writes from now on. 5 easy stars from me!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the gifted eARC!

4.5 stars! This is a wonderfully crafted fairytale that is 85% The Little Mermaid with a sprinkle of Cinderella and a dash of originality. Absolutely gorgeous historical fantasy!
Lucinde de Leon is the youngest daughter of a wealthy ship merchant. While her sisters are busy trying to arrange advantageous matches and sleeping until noon, Lucinde is combing the shores and wishing to sail away on adventure. Only her best friend, Samuel, an English smuggler knows of her desires. One day, Lucinde rescues a sailor from a shipwreck, setting into motion unforeseen consequences and a wonderful story that will have you wishing it was 500 more pages long.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for this digital e-arc.*

"𝓐𝓷𝔂𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓲𝓼 𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓫𝓵𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝓼𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀 𝓶𝓮𝓮𝓽𝓼 𝓼𝓮𝓪"

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group, the author and to NetGalley for this ARC. All the below comments are my honest feelings.

As a huge fan of both Historical Fiction and Fantasy, I knew the moment I came across this book, it was going to be a favorite. The name, the cover, and every sentence in this remarkable historical fantasy novel were simply beautiful. The way Cinderella and the Little Mermaid were seamlessly woven into the story, while still taking you on a completely fresh and unique adventure, was pure magic. Picture Cinderella with semi-likable sisters, a ship instead of the pumpkin carriage, and a surprising fairy godmother accompanied many types of fascinating Fae characters. The twists and turns were absolutely worth the wait, and Luce’s journey gave me butterflies. Additionally, the not-so-subtle jabs at human greed and ignorance had me both shaking my head yet rooting for Luce’s to take a stand.

Overall comment: I. Want. More.

"𝐵𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝒶𝓋𝑒. 𝐵𝑒 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒"

The balance of fairytale, history, and romance in this book should really be studied.

I am not a historical fiction reader by any means, a fact I will remind everytime I get sent an invitation to read a title like this one, but this had it all.

It's compellingly written, creating a solid mesh of historical privateering and trade with a certain beloved Hans Christian Andersen tale and a glass slippered princess that needs no introduction.

It borrows and borrows from so much and yet it feels brand new. Like finding a chest sunken deep, worn by time, probably crusted with barnacles and pulling out something ancient yet shining.

A new fairytale that combines Cinderella and the Little Mermaid together. She is the youngest daughter of a wealthy French shipowner who has spent her life sheltered and trapped inside... she longs for the ocean, it calls to her. She spends her days secretly being taught to sail by Samuel, her best friend and an English smuggler. Yet one day Luce saves a drowning man from the sea, a man who kisses her and soon Luce finds herself drawn into a world of glittering balls and faerie magic. Luce finds herself torn in two directions, in the socialite life her father wants for her, filled with balls and the charming stranger who she saved turns out to be a wealthy man who wants to pursue her... or in the path that has always called to her, a life of freedom at sea, with Samuel, the man who she's been in love with all her life, who despite being from a different station than her... has loved her too. Luce's world is only further turned upside down when she discovers that her longing for the sea, the way she can hear it and feel it is something more.... something more with who she is and who her real parents are as she was rescued as a child by her current father and adopted into his family. Secrets, betrayal, and romance all come together in this fairytale about mermaids, forbidden romance, and following the tides whichever direction they come. I had fun reading this and do think it combines the fairytales and creates something new with it. It's a great read for fans of fairytales and enjoy retellings. I liked the ending and how it all wrapped up and thought it was a perfect end. It's a great story for fans of fairytales and one I'd absolutely recommend.

Release Date: February 18, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

eARC Review: Under a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods 🐚

I have finally been made happy because Breton folklore has been used in a way that isn’t making me screech to the high hills in fury (*ahem* a specific Shakespearean retelling). This book was everything that I needed and at the same time didn’t know I needed to read. It was generously sprinkled with Breton folklore with a plot that wonderfully mixed Cinderella and The Little Mermaid together. The end product was spectacular and made me one very happy reader for sure. 🥰

The book follows, Luce, a young woman in 1750’s Saint Malo, Brittany, as she tries to navigate her slowly worsening disability and a life where she doesn’t feel like she fits in with her sisters and mother. From The Little Mermaid side of the story, I loved Luce’s secret life as a storm diver through her friendship with the English smuggler, Samuel, contradicts her pampered life as a the youngest daughter of the region’s renowned shipbuilder, Jean-Baptise León. It also was a bit of an interesting flip on this fairytale as instead of the mermaid longing for land, Luce longs to be by the sea instead of cooped up in a fancy house. 🌊

Luce’s family dynamic is reminiscent of the Cinderella tale, but without the cruelty. I really enjoyed the dynamics that the sisters had with each other. Charlotte and Luce’s relationship was especially fascinating as Charlotte at times does come off as a snobby middle sister, but you can still see the buried but devoted love that she has for Luce. 🎭

The love triangle that happens in this book is just superb in my opinion. Samuel is a dashing smuggler who Luce is incredibly fond of, and I loved their budding romance even if the third wheel was quite charming. Morgan de Châtelaine is the classic fairytale prince that sweeps you off your feet but leaves you with a lingering feeling of something isn’t quite right. I won’t go into detail about this man, but ooooh was he a piece of work to pin down. 😈

The Breton folklore is what sold this book for me. I’ve been voicing my need for more Celtic mythology and folklore inspired fantasies outside the Scottish and Irish branches (as much as I adore these two), and to get Breton folklore through the lens of a fairytale retelling? I was immediately hooked. 😍

HUGE thank you goes out to Tor Books and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest review; and to the author, Woods, for crafting the folkloric fairytale novel that I’ve utterly fallen in love with. ❤️

Publication date: February 18!

Overall: 5/5 ⭐️

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

while you should know that upon a starlit tide is a mash-up retelling of the little mermaid and cinderella, it is very loosely based on those fairytales, creating a whole new and uniquely beautiful story. i find that i enjoy retellings more, and they linger longer with me, when they are able to take inspiration from the original myth/fairytale and create an entirely new story. kell woods has done exactly that.

this was not just a love story, but one most importantly of freedom and choices, which brought me to tears.

the narrator did an absolutely beautiful job!

this was my first book by kell woods, and i will certainly
be reading her other works.

Breathtaking, brilliant, and beautiful. This is the perfect meld of historical fiction and fairytale fantasy. The inspirations of Cinderella and The Little Mermaid were entwined together in a beautiful way that still created thus amazing original story.

I loved the character development of Luce. Strength is measured in different ways and she showed strength in multiple facets. The interactions between all of the characters felt so real and effortless. The magic never felt out of place in this historical setting.

I had so many emotions while reading. If I could choose one word to describe my emotions overall, it would be ‘bittersweet.’ But I loved every second of it.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC!

Woods' writing is evocative, really bringing to life Saint-Malo and the time which it is set - I was transported on page one. The writing style also felt like a fairytale.

I thought the author did a good job portraying Luce's disability and disfigurement, not shying away from her experiences with pain and both external and internal shame. She is portrayed as capable, adventurous, and willing to do what it takes to protect her family and her happiness. Luce didn't read as inspirational, or less than. She felt real.

So why three stars? There were moments in the plot that felt unnecessary or circuitous. The romance at times bothered me because the dynamics of Luce and her suitor changed in a way that took a bit away from Luce's strength. The villains were obvious to me, and most of their big scenes were over-the-top and a huge swing from how they behaved in previous scenes.

It also took me some time to get into the book.

I will definitely pick up another book from this author as the writing was particularly beautiful.

This is an easy 5 stars--what a lush, romantic fairytale!

I loved that this took elements from both Cinderella and The Little Mermaid and wove it into a fairytale all its own. I don't find myself reaching for fairytale retellings/reimaginings very often but these are the kinds that I really fall in love with. The drama and the romance were unbeatable--I think in my heart I KNEW that Morgan was awful but ugh!!! I was charmed just as much as Luce was. What if I could fix him

I think I loved its differences from the original fairytales more than the similarities, personally. I feel like I have so much I WANT to say but I really don't want to spill the details of the whole book in these reviews... I was touched by Luce's relationships with the people around her and the hurt that she endured was like a knife in MY gut. The writing and pacing in this is really well done and I felt like I breezed through this; once I found myself IN there I almost couldn't pull myself back out.

I LOVED this one. Highly recommend!

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC! This was an enchanting and magical read, and just what I needed to transport me to another place and time. I thoroughly enjoyed this unique combination of fairytales. I wasn't anticipating being as enchanted as I was. The characters were real and their relationships drew me in, and sucked me in even more than I expected. As well, the historical fiction aspects of the story made this even more interesting. 4.5 stars for sure and will be recommending this title to others. One of my favorite books so far of 2025!

This book unfortunately fell a little short for me. I wish the Cinderella and The Little Mermaid elements blended into one story better but instead they just felt like two separate stories. I didn't love Luce, she was fine but definitely not a character I just have to keep reading about.

I didn’t love the first book I read by this author. I don’t often talk about transitions in my reviews, but “After the Woods” really highlighted how important a basic technique like this is to good storytelling. I often found myself confused by sudden shifts in focus and disjointed pacing. The characters were also fairly inconsistent. That said, between these struggle points, if you squinted, it was possible to see some true lyricism and style to the writing. With that being the case (and the fact that I’ve yet to come across a truly great re-telling of “The Little Mermaid”) I picked this one up with a hefty dose of wariness but also my usual hope. And wow, am I glad I did!

There are so many places to start with this one! But first and foremost, this is an excellent fairytale fantasy story. It perfectly captures the magical tone found in that sort of story, but also includes the necessary balance points of mild horror and, of course, swoon-worthy romance. I will say, this is rather loosely connected to “The Little Mermaid.” Other than the fact that she’s, you know, a mermaid, there’s not a whole lot of the original tale to be found here, other than a few familiar scenes that, even then, play out in a very different context than they do in the original. On top of that, the story also includes a nod to the “Cinderella” story, leaving the book as an interesting mash up of the two.

But first and foremost, I think this story much more closely lines up with selkie/seal wife fairytales. Like those stories, this one focus heavily on longing, wildness, and freedom. And it is here that the romanticism and lyricism of the writing really shines. The beauty and horror of the sea neatly aligned against the beauty and horror of humanity. And with Luce in the middle, a child of both worlds who struggles to understand herself and where she fits, torn between the great loves of the sea and her family and the man she grows to love. This could be a simplistic story, but there was such a depth of heart to Luce that the entire affair felt poignant and wondrous throughout.

As I mentioned, there were also some horror moments included, perhaps more than I had expected. Again, we were exposed to horror in the more fantastical sense, but it was the actions of the people that were truly despicable. The story’s strong foundation in a historical time and place truly reinforced these human-made horror moments, as some of the more powerful scenes drew from events/actions that were truly carried out.

I also want to heap immense praise on the author for her handling of the love triangle. I don’t want to spoil the way that this plot line plays out, but Woods is clearly winking at readers as she twists her way through some of the common romantasy tropes found in these sorts of stories and with these sorts of characters. And, best of all, she correctly identified when to give up the triangle altogether and allow the true romance to move forward. This is a stand-alone book, after all, so it was great that we were given what felt like a good chunk of time with the primary couple, initial love triangle bedamned.

One small criticms here would be that as these two “romances” were getting started, it felt like Luce’s feelings came a bit out of nowhere, especially for one of them. As the story continued, we were given more of a foundation to build upon. But those initial points of interest felt a bit instalust-y. However, they were saved by the lovely story that followed that delved into the tragedy and beauty of Luce’s position as a child of the sea who loves a man of the land.

I loved this book, if you can’t tell! As much as I love gobbling up books from authors who have a long list of solid titles, there’s something special about finding a great one from an author you didn’t connect with the first go-around. I can pretty much confirm now that this one will end up on my “Top 10” list for the year!

Rating 9: Like the exploring the sea itself, plumbing the dark depth of this book’s mysteries is an adventure into a world of beauty and romance! Perfect for all fairytale fans!

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on Feb. 21

"Upon a Starlit Tide is a dark and enchanting historical fantasy combining elements of "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" into a wholly original tale of love, power, and betrayal.

Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758. To Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of a wealthy French shipowner, the high walls of Saint-Malo are more hindrance than haven.

While her sisters are busy trying to secure advantageous marriages, Luce spends her days secretly being taught to sail by Samuel, her best friend - and an English smuggler. Only he understands how the waves call to her. Then one stormy morning, Luce rescues a drowning man from the sea.

Immediately drawn in by the stranger's charm, Luce is plunged into a world of glittering balls and faerie magic, seduction and brutality. Secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface, but as Luce wrestles with warring desires, she finds that her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.

Or the scales of a sea-maid's tail."

Because some people are like me and drawn to the sea. I should note that sadly I am not any kind of mermaid.

So this is a dark historical fantasy fairytale retelling and not just 1 retelling but 2. It’s combining cinderella and a little mermaid. It’s set in 1758 in France and we follow the youngest daughter to a wealthy ship owner, though she has trouble with her feet, she dreams of owning her own ship and sailing and one night she wakes up to find a man drowning in the sea. There is magic, fae, it does have an enemies to lovers romance if that’s your thing. The cover honestly sells me on it’s own though I’m not much of a fan of retellings anymore. This did surprise me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you Kell Woods with TOR books and NetGalley for allowing me for read this book in return for my honest review. This was a very interesting book. I’m slowly working my way into the fantasy genre and this was a great book to get me into the genre. Marketed as a retelling of Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, and it very much is, but so much better! In the middle of a war, Luce is the daughter of a sailor. Luce loves being on the water, more than she realizes. She spends most of this story on the water wear she finds secrets and a man.

4.5 Stars. Upon a Starlit Tide is everything I love about fairy tale retellings--enough familiarity to keep you guessing how you'll see the familiar tales pop up. I loved the historical setting of 18th century coastal France and all the enchanting fae. Upon a Starlit Tide was a perfectly whimsy and reflective with romance to make you swoon and a proper fairy tale heroine--a loveable dreamer who's equally potentially terrifying. And as fairy tales are wont to do, a woman looking for her own sovereignty. Highly recommend.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this on eGalley from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this; it was beautifully written and was an intriguing mashup of The Little Mermaid, Cinderella and historical fiction.

Lucinde has horribly disfigured feet that cause her a lot of pain to walk on. The only relief she finds is when she is in the ocean. Once day Lucinde finds a man washed up on shore; at first she thinks he's dead but when she approaches he kisses her. Lucinde makes sure the man is rescued but doesn't realize he remembers her. Lucinde wants to spend her days secretly learning how to sail, but suddenly she is drawn into a world of deception and glittering balls. A world her sisters love but she despises. When a horrible danger come to Saint-Malo, Lucinde may be the only one who can save the city.

This was an intriguing blend of multiple fairy tales with some historical fiction thrown in, and it was well done. I enjoyed Lucinde (Luce) as a character. I do wish some of the other characters had been more filled out. Luce's sisters were intriguing as well, but very much in the background.

The story is decently woven. It does feel a bit busy at the end when the threat of invasion happens. Then there are some big gaps in time right at the end that felt a bit awkward. However, I enjoyed how everything ended up wrapping up.

This is beautifully written, and I loved the setting and how faerie is subtly woven into this world.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. This is beautifully written and a wonderful blend of fairy tales and historical fiction. I enjoyed Luce as a character but wished some of the other characters were a bit more filled out. I also felt like things got a bit frantic at the end and that some of the time gaps were awkward...however, I did enjoy the way the story wrapped up. I would recommend if you enjoy beautifully written fairy tale retellings in a historical background. This was well done, and I plan to keep an eye out for future works by Woods.