Stranger Skies (The Drowned Gods, Book 2)

Some sequels keep the story going... and then some sequels grab everything you loved about the first book, throw it through a magical doorway, and somehow make it even bigger, stranger, and more emotionally devastating. Stranger Skies did exactly that.
I already loved Curious Tides, but this book completely exceeded my expectations. Pascale Lacelle doesn't settle for expanding the world—she shatters it wide open. Suddenly, the story stretches across worlds, across time, and into legends that may not be legends at all. Every chapter revealed another layer of mystery, and every answer seemed to create three new questions. I was hooked from beginning to end.
One of my favorite parts was seeing the characters pushed far beyond the safety of Aldryn College. Emory, Baz, Romie, and Kai continue to grow believably as they're forced into impossible situations. Their friendships, loyalties, and fears are tested constantly, making every victory feel earned, and every setback hurt just a little more.
The world-building becomes even richer than in the first book. New realms, ancient stories, forgotten magic, and time itself all weave together into a narrative that never failed to surprise me. Despite how ambitious the story becomes, it never felt overwhelming. Everything fit together like pieces of an enormous, magical puzzle.
And then there are the twists.
Every time I thought I understood where the story was heading, Lacelle reminded me that I absolutely did not. The final stretch had me flying through chapters because I needed answers, only to arrive at an ending that left me desperately counting the days until the next book.
If you love dark academia, magical mysteries, intricate world-building, multiple points of view, and fantasy that isn't afraid to get wonderfully weird, Stranger Skies absolutely delivers. Just make sure you have the next book on standby... because that ending is downright cruel in the best possible way.

Stranger Skies delivers a robust second book in the Drowned Gods Trilogy. I can see why the author went from planning two books to making it a trilogy because that is the only way to do this story justice. Some second books limp along, trying not to reveal too much, so there is enough content for a third book. That is not a problem for this book! I love that this story builds on the first book, but adds so much to the plot that in many ways it is very different.
In the first book, we learn all about tide and moon phase magic of the world Emory and Baz live in. There is a mystery to what happened to Romie, the eclipse magic being stolen, collapsing magic, and a famous book that becomes central to all their lives. In this story, Emory finds herself in the dreamscape with Romie as they enter magical doors that take them to other worlds with new magics to discover. The famous story is what they are now in as they search for the center of all magic, where the gods reside.
The audiobook had four narrators as the story is told from Baz, Kai, Emory, and Romie’s perspectives. It was the right decision to help keep this detail-rich story easy to follow along and enjoyable to listen to.
This book offers so much - found love, quests, character growth, surprising reveals, danger, impeccable world - building that it was a pleasure from start to finish. Nothing felt abrupt or forced as new magic systems, time loops, and betrayals keep this story multilayered and interesting.
Overall, this is a complex and well-done addition to the world Pascale Lacelle has woven. I am so excited that the third book is releasing soon.