This was a great ending to the Lore of the Wilds duology! You do need to read the first book as the story picks up right where the first book ends. I could not put this book down! There was almost non-stop action, the pacing was wonderful. The only thing that keep this from being a 5 star read was the few spice scenes. The male character says "good girl" to the female character and it just felt very degrading. Like he was talking to a child or a dog, very off putting. Thankfully, there was not much spice in the book. Overall, this is a wonderful story.

This was wonderful. I loved book one and that ended on a cliff hanger and when I got this arc, I read it so fast. This is such a fun and unique story and I can’t wait to see where this series goes. Definitely worth the read.

I went into this sequel to Lore of the Wilds with so much excitement. The first third of the book was a struggle for me so I stepped away from the book for a few weeks so I didn’t unfairly rate this book. While the first third of the book dragged on, once we were introduced to the Sunken Garden, the pace picked up and the story had me engaged. Like Wilds, Lore of the Tides resolved conflicts quicker than I would have liked, making that part of the story feel rushed. However, I enjoyed the story overall and will miss Lore, Finn, and Syrelle now that their story is concluded.

Thank you Avon / Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lore of the Tides is a gripping sequel that takes Lore on a high-stakes journey across the ocean in search of the second grimoire, Auroradel. This book has everything—adventure, danger, and magic!

Lore’s character growth is a highlight; she’s stronger, more determined, and still learning to trust again. Finndryl steps up in a big way, and their dynamic adds a lot of depth to the story. The world-building is immersive, making every new location feel alive. The pacing, however, is a bit uneven. The beginning takes a while to get going, but once it does, it really takes off—maybe a little too fast toward the end.

The love triangle also could have been more fleshed out, and some of the mature scenes felt a bit out of place, but overall, this book delivers a great ending to an awesome duology.

"Lore of the Tides is the perfect conclusion to this duology that will rip out your heart, stomp on it a few times, and then put it back together again. I was completely entranced by the magic, the world, the characters, and the way Sbrana reminds you to stand up in a world that tries to make you feel small. It was a battle cry and a love letter, and I was here for it all."

Lore of the Wild was my top read of 2024 and there is a very real chance this will be my top read of 2025. Woah, that was good.

The first third was a smidgen slow, but the rest of the book more than made up for it!

The slow burn of book one continued into book two and morphed into some delicious pining (love me some good mutual pining). I suppose my only complaint was how quickly the end wrapped up. I don't want to put spoilers, but there was more pages of doubt than actual pages of any battle. But it didn't really detract from the overall story and it's message of hope in resilience.

Thank you net galley for this arc. This is the second book to the Lore of the Wilds. I enjoyed this book very much, there's adventure and fantasy in this story. Lore is a prisoner on this ship and she has to navigate threats on the ship and try to make it out.

The cover IS STUNNNNNNNNING!!! I will post a full review on goodreads here soon! But I absolute adored this book, and the continue from book one! Can't wait to read more from you!

What. A. Journey! I’m genuinely sad that this book is over, because I’d love to spend more time exploring this world and all of the places that were introduced in book two!

Lore is just such a goooood heroine! She knows what she wants and she’s determined to get it, and she’s just the type of character that you want to root for! You go with her through personal and physical struggles, and the angst of making hard choices.

Also, we need more of the feisty siren prince!!

I loved that this book expanded so much more on the world we were introduced to in book one. We got to meet some new characters and explore some new lands, and I was here for all of itttt!!

If you haven’t picked up this duology yet, I encourage you to do so! It was a quick read, and just such a beautiful fantasy story! From cottagecore, to fae, to an underwater siren kingdom, you definitely won’t be lacking for a good adventure!!

Thanks so much to the author for this early book opportunity! All opinions expressed are my own! I can’t wait to see what comes from Analeigh Sbrana in the future!!

A world full of immersive aesthetics, a plot full of intrigue and wonder, Lore of the Tides was a rollercoaster ride. After being trapped in her village for majority of her life Lore sets off on an amazing powerful journey. With queer and trans characters and a Black centric story---I found this book to be a healing escape from the horrors of this world. Although I loved Lore of the Wilds, this book? These characters? They will always have a special place in my heart. I think about Lore regularly. Her hope, her love for her people, her quest for power to overcome her enemies and her desire for more. Not just for herself, but for those around her. I absolutely devoured this book and I am so so so grateful that I received this arc. Finally, after completing this duology, I know that I will be rereading it, because it is so comforting and powerful. Analeigh Sbrana shouldn't be under estimated. Her pen is powerful and beautiful and I am eager to see what she brings us next. Continue to write! Continue to inspire! And know that you are my favorite, auto-buy writers. Congratulations on completing your debut duology! What a ride!

DNF ~20%

Part of this is on me - I requested this ARC before reading the first book, because based on the marketing and hype, I assumed I would love Lore of the Wilds. I did not. However, given that Lore of the Wilds was a debut novel, and I do think the concept is interesting AND I want to support more Black fantasy, I figured I would give Lore of the Tides a chance. Unfortunately, many of the issues I had with the first book in terms of both writing style, character development and plot continue to be an issue for me.

Mostly, I feel like Sbrana needs a better, more ruthless editor. While I get with a second book in a series or duology, there is some element of catching up the reader, it was way too repetitive. Lore's internal monologues are long winded and tiresome (they last literal pages and pages). While I understand wanting to convey a character's internal struggle over events that have happened, we go around in the same circles every single time.

The plot flow suffers from the same lack of continuity as the first book. Small and large periods of time are just dropped from the narrative, even when they are said to be important (by the plot/characters, not my impression). Character actions are also stagnant or wooden - early in the book Lore is threatened at knife point by a guard for mildly disagreeing with one of the MMCs - it feels so out of the blue and simply to put a "bad guy" in the mix. The stakes are repeatedly told to be high, but the actions and urgency of the characters remains low.

I appreciate the authors efforts and may keep my eye on future work, but this duology is just not it. Too much potential and no delivery.

I really wanted to love this book. The premise was super interesting, and the characters had a lot of potential, but I just couldn’t fully get into it. The same thing happened with the first book—I struggled through most of it, only for the last part to finally grab my attention.

The pacing was the biggest issue for me. It felt slow for too long, and by the time things picked up, I was already kind of checked out. The writing style just didn’t pull me in, which made it hard to stay engaged.

And then there’s the smut. It felt rushed, out of place, and honestly pretty underwhelming. Instead of adding to the story or character dynamics, it just kind of… happened.

The ending also left me wanting more, but not in a satisfying way. It didn’t feel like a proper conclusion, and I kept expecting more closure that never came. It almost feels like there needs to be a third book or a novella to wrap things up properly because, as it stands, it doesn’t feel fully resolved.

Overall, Lore of the Tides had some great ideas and characters, but the execution didn’t quite work for me. I liked the concept, but the uneven pacing and lack of a satisfying ending left me feeling a bit let down. If there’s ever a follow-up to truly wrap things up, I’d consider giving it a shot.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

This was a disappointing sequel I’m afraid. Really needed better editing and thought process in making the plot sharp and the language work.

DNF @ 50% - I desperately wanted to like this book as I thoroughly enjoyed the first book.
That being said, this one just felt disjointed and seemingly lost the plot. The true nail in the coffin was realizing how poorly edited this was. I just could not push through this as hard as I tried.
To be clear - I am aware this is an unedited proof. But this was beyond the standard level. Along with that, a majority of what I am talking about should have been caught in an earlier round for continuity and flow, not just grammar and spelling mistakes. It read like a first draft vs a copy that is far enough along for advance reader copies.
The plot of this book seems as though it should have been a different story vs continuing the one she initially had.
The tone and language in the book seemingly shifted drastically from the first book to this one. The sex scene was far more in detail than the first book and felt rushed and didn’t fit the tone of the story.
This author and story have so much potential, I truly think this is an editor fault as they should have been the one to catch all the disjointed issues.
As I did DNF this, I cannot say as to if it got better as the story went on, but at 50% I just couldn’t push through anymore.
That being said, I am excited to see what the author puts out next but this one just was not for me.

Lore of the Tides is the sequel I was truly hoping for. With book one, I enjoyed it but I didn’t love it. This book shows the growth of the author and also the characters. I enjoyed this story and felt like it was more complete. My favorite quote “ We deserve to be safe, we deserve to take up space. We will have that. We need only light our torches with her fire, hold them high, and fight…”.

Is this book perfect, no. But the growth is clear. Great job.

An incredibly beautiful end to this duology. The emotions that Sbrana is able to evoke while still keeping you locked into the vivid imagery she creates is astonishing.

A brilliant conclusion to Lore's story! I absolutely loved LORE OF THE WILDS and LORE OF THE TIDES delivers on so many wonderful fantasy tropes. This one is much spicier than book 1 with that slowburn and it's worth the wait! Analeigh is an instant buy for me. And the cover!

After the jaw dropping end of Lore of the Wilds, I was full of anticipation for this sequel. And it was good! Overall, I really enjoyed it. There were a few bits of the plot that felt slightly off, and I do think I preferred the first book out of the two. However, everything was beautifully wrapped up and I was very happy to have read it!

Thank you to the publisher for sending a copy for review

Thank you to NetGalley, Analeigh Sbrana, Avon, and Harper Voyager for allowing me access to the e-arc.

Overall, I enjoyed this sequel. I loved the different settings that were described. It felt like I was right alongside the characters. The love triangle was well written. I’m glad Lore was still a strong FMC for most of the book. My only disappointment is the ending felt rushed. I wanted a bit more suspense. I do think I would have loved to see Lore fight back harder in the end. The ending of the book was wholesome and beautiful. I would recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Thank you Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC!

(This review contains spoilers.)

Lore of the Tides picks up right after the shocking ending of Lore of the Wilds. In the wake of Asher’s betrayal, Lore’s goal is to locate the second grimoire and use it to save her people from the tyrannical fae king.

The world building and imagery in this book was lovely, and the author does a great job with descriptive writing. However, the pacing was a bit uneven. The beginning seemed fairly slow, and then there was a lot of action packed into the last 20% of the book. While Lore’s inner monologues were important to showcase her character development, they felt a little repetitive.

I really enjoyed Finndryl as a character and Lore’s relationship with him. He surprised me in the first book, and I loved their banter in this one. I’m glad that there wasn’t an actual love triangle with him, Lore, and Asher/Syrelle in the sequel. Because Asher slept with Lore in the first book, and then betrayed her, I felt far less sympathetic to his plight. He was an interesting character, I just can’t see myself rooting for him and Lore when his goal was to deceive and use her. It took a little time for Lore to reconcile the feelings she had for the fae she knew as Asher, but once she reunited with Finn, they were a done deal.

I liked the addition of the sirens and Prince Hazen, he was an unexpected and fun side character. The cover art for this book is also absolutely stunning. Overall, this was a good debut duology and I am interested to see what Analeigh Sbrana does in the future!