Curious Tides

Curious Tides is a consuming fantasy in which you can get swept away by the intricate world-building if you aren’t careful. The magic system is determined by the tides and the moon phases during which you are born, so that it is infinitely complex in the type of magic you have. However, nearly everyone fears eclipse-born because their magic is unpredictably special and strong. Then there is the mythos established of how they came to have magic interspersed throughout the story that ends up being more important than I first expected.
The story is told from alternating perspectives of Baz and Emory. We are plunged into the thick of the action from the instant the book begins, with Emory waking up as the only survivor after following her best friend, Romie, into the mysteriously magical cave of Dovermere last spring. Now she has magic she shouldn’t have. To learn to control it, she uses Romie’s brother, Baz, and his attraction to her to overcome his fear of what she can now do. At the same time, she learns of a secret society, secret rituals, and gets in with the elite students at Aldryn College under Keiran’s protection. Baz, meanwhile, is learning about family secrets, secrets of his magic, and the government-sanctioned evil that is being carried out against eclipse-born.
I tried multiple times to use an audiobook for this story, but too much is revealed and explored in each chapter that I needed the written word to keep me grounded in the story, or it would have been confusing. I recommend reading it at a time when you have large chunks of time to dive into it, or it will be hard to keep it all clear.
As much as this book has intricate magic and multiple mysteries at the heart of it is a girl who has never felt adequate. She followed her larger-than-life, vivacious best friend down a life-altering path, and who wouldn’t get caught up in the fact that the coolest boy in school, who is a part of a group with real power, paid her attention. It was predictable that Keiran was using her, and she was the only one who couldn’t see it. Although even the way that was handled was surprising.
I kept expecting Baz and Emory to establish a love connection, so it was an unusual development that she used him just as she was hurt to discover that Kieran was using her. The ending was exciting, but also not what I expected. The next book holds so much potential that I am excited to start it soon.

Starless Sea meets Ninth House in a haunting YA novel about academia, friendships found and lost, and secrets it hurts to find.

This book is built on atmosphere. Aldryn is misty and eerie, and honestly, you should probably expect to find a dead body or two in the caves near the seaside college. Snippets of lore woven into the story explain bits and pieces of the tides and their magic and set up a much bigger world to be explored as the trilogy unfolds. And I enjoyed Emory as a character, as she grapples with overcoming grief, the allure of power, and, slowly, knowing that she has become a part of things that are way over her head. Other highlights include the unique magic system, a side of government conspiracy, and a pretty boy you just know is going to be trouble but can't help rooting for anyway.

I first picked this up at the library and had to return it halfway through, but I got the chance to finish the book and I'm so glad I did. Looking forward to where the series goes next!

I devoured this book! Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle is the first in a fantasy trilogy about a young woman finding the truth about what happened to her and her friends last school year. Emory is studying as a healer at the prestigious Aldryn College when a night in the Dovermere sea caves leaves a group of fellow students dead with Emory the only survivor. Now she has abilities that she shouldn’t have, Eclipse magic. In a race to discover the truth and master her abilities, Emory finds herself at the center of a conspiracy dating back hundreds of years.

Emory is a fun character to follow. Her naivety works in the reader’s favor as she learns about her new magic and how it can be used. Her depression and grief are the center of the story. When one of the students who supposedly drowned washes up on the beach alive, Emory’s depression turns into a desperate search for her missing best friend, Romie, who could also still be alive.

Then there’s Baz, Romie’s older brother. Baz is an Eclipse born and recognizes Emory’s new abilities for what they are. At first, he wants nothing to do with his former friend and crush, distancing himself from her in case she is caught. He’s already suffered so much loss, his father’s collapsing and Romie’s death. But now, he wants answers. What happened to Romie? Why was she out at the caves that night? And the only person that can answer those questions is Emory. So he agrees to train her in secret.

The plot of this book is a book within a book, which is one of my favorite things. In the story, there is a book about a Scholar who travels to the heart of the worlds, going through doorways and gathering other travelers. Everything that happened last spring seems to revolve around this book and its missing epilogue. The deeper Emory digs into Romie’s life, the more she finds: secret lovers, a secret society, and more. The mystery of it all adds to the story's tension, driving the plot at a fast pace.

The world-building is one of my favorites that I’ve read this year. It’s reminiscent of Harry Potter and The Ninth House. I’ve also heard comparisons to Atlas Six, which I haven’t read so can’t confirm. But in truth, The Magicians by Lev Grossman is the closest in similarity. Academic, magical system, and a story within a story. So much fun!

Overall, I loved Curious Tides. I could not read it fast enough. Told in dual POV between Baz and Emory, the story unfolds at a breakneck pace. If you are a fan of fantasy set in an academic setting, I highly recommend it.

Audiobook Note: I listened to this one at my normal 2x speed. There are three narrators: one each for Baz and Emory, and a third who reads the story. I loved this. Each narrator brought something to the story and drew me in. Fantastic listen and highly recommend it for audio lovers.

What I liked:
A unique magic system with the moon phases, a book that several characters are obsessed with finding a missing epilogue for, a college on the sea, and a secret society. Curious Tides is a duology, meaning all the ends should be tied up in the second book. Emory has always been a healer, but when certain events happen, she is empowered with this dangerous eclipse magic. Or is it as difficult as she has always been told? There is a lot to uncover in this book; the setting is unique as the college is based on the sea, and I don't think I read one where the magic system is based on the tides and phases of the moons.
Final Verdict:
Overall, it is a magic and mystery-filled young adult fantasy with a sprinkle of romance and dark academic deliciousness that will be hard to wait for the final book.