Whilst the magic system was gorgeously rendered, the characters felt less cohesive than I would have liked, and left this feeling a little like the potential of the premise wasn't entirely filled.

I got given acces to this title when I was new to netgalley and didn't know that the pdfs in the app expired so I never got to read it. This was also before I realised my kindle doesn't render PDF documents successfully and thus I am unable to read them on my kindle.

I don't understand why the NetGalley shelf app has an expirey date on the titles on there.

If you’re looking for a dark and gloomy dark academia book, Lacelle really nails those vibes ands you won’t be disappointed!

The magic system in here is complicated, necessitating the cheat sheet that is thankfully included in the front, and it does take a bit of time to get your head around. The concept of people only having access to their powers at certain times unless they effectively borrow that power from their future selves was really interesting! I do think it’s a shame that the main character ends up being so overpowered though. I would’ve preferred for her pov to be more constrained by the world’s established magic system, given that the other pov character was already an overpowered exception to the rules (even if he refuses to let himself use his abilities outside of emergencies, which is so boring of him but also completely understandable given the circumstances lol.)

Speaking of those characters who are exceptions-to-the-rules, the Eclipse-born, the way that they’re treated within the book’s world was certainly interesting. The explorations of in-universe mythology, and differing sources offering different accounts of what actually happened in this world’s past, were also interesting. In my mind, there is undoubtedly something of a metaphor here how some people use particular translations of holy texts to justify their hatred for queer people, while ignoring other passages, interpretations, and translations that provide no justification at all or even imply the opposite. If I felt like rereading this book with a pen in hand I could potentially write an entire essay exploring this metaphor but I don’t want to do that so we’ll just have to leave it as that was my interpretation of this aspect of the story. The emotional arcs that the pov characters went through certainly resonated with queerness to me.

I have, on more than one occasion, described at length to my irl friends the ways in which this book reminded me of watching Supernatural or Merlin, specifically in regards to a certain relationship in this book. There are just certain ways of describing people that, when used, are generally romantically coded, and the ways in which Basil talked about Kai had me checking and double checking and triple checking to see if this was a queer book or not. It was a bit of a surreal reading experience ngl. Eventually it turns out that Kai actually is queer and it’s Very Strongly Implied that he has feelings for Basil and I’m not saying that they should end up together because clearly the main romance plot is between the two pov characters but Basil is bi and I will die on this hill.

Also Kai is the best character in the whole book which I have a feeling Lacelle is very aware of dsfjhg

I really enjoyed how descriptive this book was, almost as if I was there myself! The dark acadamia vibes were vibing, it was super dark and gloomy. Enjoyable writing!

Curious Tides is a glamorously dark fantasy full of lunar magic, secret societies, love triangles, and dark academia.

Really nice dark academia read but just a little bit too long. I found the characters to be a little hard to connect with. I think the story idea was really good, I just didn’t connect with the main characters which pulled me out of the story a little bit.

This lunar fantasy debut was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 - dark academia, lunar fantasy and that art deco cover? It was a yes from me, but I ended up being pretty disappointed by it.

An atmospheric dark academia fantasy for fans of The Atlas Six, The Binding, The Hazel Wood and Fourth Wing, set in a world of lunar magic, secret societies and dangerous friendships.

Emory is returning to the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magic for one reason: to uncover the secrets behind the night that left her best friend, Romie, and seven other students dead.

But Emory has plenty of secrets herself, not least that her healing abilities have been corrupted by a strange, impossible magic, granting her power no one should possess.

Turning to the only person she believes she can trust, Emory enlists the help of Romie’s brother Baz – someone already well-versed in the dangers of his own dark Eclipse magic.

But when the supposedly drowned students start washing ashore – alive – only for them each immediately to die horrible, magical deaths, Emory and Baz are no longer the only ones seeking answers.

There's a hidden society at the heart of the school, and they’re attracted to nothing more than they are to power...

This was the second book we discussed in this season of our podcast, ‘The Dark Academicals’, and you can listen to the full episode right here:

This is a long book - the UK hardcover sits at 544 pages and the audio racks up 16 hours and 41 minutes - and not a lot happened for the first 400 pages of it.

I was so excited about discovering the magic system, and with the promise of such a long book I was expecting a lot, but it didn’t quite give me the depth and breadth of it that I had hoped. Lunar magic isn’t something that I’ve come across before and I loved the idea of a person’s type magic being dependent on the moon phase that they were born under and the way that it waxes and wanes along with the changes every month. It’s a really fascinating set-up, but we so rarely actually saw the characters practicing magic in any way, or even learning about it in the school setting, it just was.

I wanted more from it.

When it comes to the characters, I ended up wanting something just different to what was delivered. In our podcast episode we discussed the want for the novel to written from the perspective from side characters who were meatier, more challenging and more unexpected and the way that would change the narrative and push more focus onto the things that we both felt were lacking - the magic system and the wider world-building.

Pascale Lacelle’s writing is beautiful and her ideas are vivid and exciting, but the execution just missed the mark for me this time.

I picked this book up because of the cover and that it was a murder mystery with magic and I ended up really enjoying it. It started off a little slow and I wasn’t sure if I would like it but then once we got into the story it was a lot more interesting and I enjoyed the different PoVs. I loved the build up and slowly piecing the pieces of the puzzle together until we got to that ending and the secrets that were revealed. I’m looking forward to the next book!

What a way to welcome in 2024. With its luscious worldbuilding, captivating magic system, and atmospheric dark academia vibes, Curious Tides gripped me from the very start. I couldn’t stop reading and yet I didn’t want the book to be over as I delved further into the mystery of the ritualistic drownings plaguing the magical Aldryn College. With two equally driven, voicey POVs searching for the truth absout their lost friend/sister, I could never truly predict where their quest for answers was going to take them next. Such an amazing debut from Pascale, and I’m so excited to see what’s next from her.

I was too hyped up for this one I think and ended up feeling a bit flat about the book as a result.

It was too long and there was a lot of repetition. The characters seemed a lot younger than they were meant to be.

It did really ramp up at the end and I think an interesting book 2 has been set up in some ways, but in others I am not sure how it's going to be a cohesive or satisfying story.

I can feel the promise in the prose but this one wasn't quite there for me. Too dreamy and not enough drive to the narrative. This is a hard balance though especially for a debut.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The magic and secret societies really had me gripped. It took me awhile to get into it but it is a book I rather enjoyed. The writing was good and the world building was in a way that didn’t over do it with too much information and I really liked that. Cannot wait for book two and to read more from Pascale.

Curious Tides is, to say the least, one of the most exceptional YA books I’ve read in a long time. Everything about it, from its characters to the setting to the meticulously crafted magic system, lures you in, sinks its teeth into your heart, and does not let go. Pascale Lacelle has clearly put so much time, effort, and love into crafting this story, and it shows so vibrantly and brilliantly onto its page.

One of the first things that had me so ensnared with Curious Tides was its characters. Both Baz and Emory are fully fleshed and wonderfully realised individuals, with both talents and flaws that make them realistic to the readers. Emory, in particular, was a character that stood out to me in the book: you could so clearly see how much she wanted to be seen after being in Ronnie’s shadow for so much of her life, and that want to be more and have more struck a chord in me while I was reading. Lacelle has also spent care crafting the side characters in this book, and it’s a testament to her skill with how fully they shine in the story. Each of them feel as well crafted as Emory and Baz do, and you can clearly get a feel for their wants and ambitions even though you never spend time in their heads. Not every book gets me to love its side characters as much as I do its main characters, so I’m very happy that Curious Tides falls in the former category.


I also can’t talk about this book without mentioning its brillaint subplot involving Song of the Drowned Gods. A story within a story is one of my favourite additions to any book, so when it popped up in Curious Tides I knew i’d love it, but what made it stand out so much for me in comparison to other books which employ the same technique is how devoted the characters were to the book at the heart of the story. Their obsession with Song of the Drowned Gods reminded me of my own love to my favourite books, and brought me a little closer to the characters. The feverish, wide-eyes devotion they held to the story and their want to uncover its secrets and many layers reminded me of late nights poring of books I adore, trying to get to the heart of their stories and see what the author was truly trying to get across.

Overall, I thoroughly adored Curious Tides, and it remains a standout book for me in 2023. Is it too soon to ask for the sequel?

Wow! (Please note my review is very very late and was supposed to be posted for the release date last year). What a cover, dark academia you say? Count me in.

I love dark academia books filled with power hungry students and secret societies, add a dash of mystery and a potential forbidden romance and you have a winning combination.

Curious Tides is a beautifully written, lyrical debut. I appreciate a unique magic system, though I did find it a little complex at times and there was a bit too much info dumping for my liking. I enjoyed the dual POV, it was definitely needed for this story, I LOVED Baz , the MC and I loved how his character was developed throughout the story, Emory our FMC was typically reminiscent of most "not like other girls" but she was tormented enough that I can forgive her for that.

Curious Tides is definitely not a fast paced action packed book, with twists and turns every other page it is much more a "here for the vibes" kinda book but honestly I loved that. At just over 500 pages Curious Tides is not a short book but there's enough surprise and mystery to keep you going, I flew through it, I'm hoping there's a sequel!

Highly recommend Curious Tides for fans of dark academia, unique magic systems, lovers of secret societies and illicit power.

I actually really enjoyed this book I didn’t really know what to expect going in but I was happily surprised as I finished! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

I loved the dark academia vibes of this story! The secret societies/mystery elements had me hooked. It was quite long for a YA book but I'm glad I pushed through and got to the end.
Overall, a rich, atmospheric read with an interesting magic system and an intriguing dark academia setting.

I choose this one to be my first read of 2024 but sadly I had to DNF it at 20% as I felt like it was all dragging and struggling to get into the plot which is a shame as I was really looking forwards to this one.

An atmospheric, dark academia book with an intriguing mystery and swoony romance!

The characters are in college, and the overall themes and development of the story definitely feel young adult with a predictable plot outline. What strengthened and matured the narrative was Baz's POV chapters. His backstory, relationships, management of his magic, grief, loss, and subsequent need for emotional and magical control, were very compelling. The conversations with his mentor Jae and scenes in the institute were a fascinating part of the narrative.

An engaging fantasy with memorable characters!

It’s been four months since Romie, Emory’s best friend, died along with seven other students from their school, Aldryn College for Lunar Magics. Emory, the only one who survived the tide that night, is determined to find answers.

I was initially intrigued by the magic system, which relates to the moon’s phase when you were born. I was also keen to discover the secrets behind the secret society and learn what really happened in the caves.

“What if it messed up the ritual?”

There is a lot of love for this book and I had high hopes, but ultimately it wasn’t for me. We’re introduced to Romie by those grieving her so I didn’t feel the loss like I would if I’d known a character prior to their untimely demise. I didn’t connect with Emory and I got bogged down in the magic system. It probably didn’t help that I’m anti love triangles.

I’d recommend you read some 5 star reviews before deciding if this is the book for you. It’s clear that the readers who loved it really, really loved it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children's Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I feel like reviewing this book does it a disservice, because I could never describe the elegance and eloquence of this book.

Curious Tides is a work of art, one that I don’t know how to describe. It pulled me in from the start, and I was immediately obsessed with the worldbuilding. It felt like something I could fall into, a world I could become obsessed with. This is truly a dark academia novel, in more than one way.

Yes, it has all of the characteristics of a dark academia novel - a secret society, characters obsessed with magic and power, murders, and more. But it’s also one of those novels where as the reader, you become obsessed with the magic and the world and the lore. I genuinely want to live inside of this book. I want to live in this world. It’s so well done, so detailed and fleshed out. It has the breadth of a certain magical world that shall remain unnamed (because we don’t support that author here), but this book gave me the same feelings.

I wish it had more readers, because we truly could get something special out of it. New magic systems, a new house system, kick-ass tattoos. This deserves the same treatment that we gave that other series.

Seriously, I want a House Eclipse tattoo, someone artsy draw them stat.

And this is just the incredible worldbuilding, we’ve not talked about the characters yet. Your honour I love each and every single one. Once again they were so well fleshed out, their motivations so clear. Also everyone was just in love with everyone and I am here for it.

Also I read the audiobook and it was fantastically narrated. Seriously, the Nightmare Weaver’s voice made me want to melt. This book was so good, please give it some love and attention.

The idea is interesting but not very well executed. Because of the jump in time, things are told rather than shown, which slows the action down. The world-building is both confusing and repetitive, and of course there's the token queer character.
But I liked the mythology of tidal magic and moon phases.