Stranger Skies (The Drowned Gods, Book 2)

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Age Range
14+
Release Date
November 04, 2025
ISBN
978-1665939317
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Ninth House meets The Hazel Wood in this “richly written” (Booklist, starred review) sequel to the New York Times bestselling dark academia fantasy Curious Tides, following Emory, Baz, Romie, and Kai on their desperate quests through worlds and time!

Opening locked doors has a price—even for those who hold a key.

After going through the door that called to them both in dreams, Emory and Romie find themselves in the Wychwood: the same verdant world written of in Song of the Drowned Gods, albeit a twisted, rotting version of it. A sinister force has awoken with their arrival, intent on destruction as it spills across realms, and now Emory and Romie must stop it before it reaches their own shores.

Meanwhile, Baz and Kai are desperate to follow their friends through the door to other worlds, but a mishap pulls them back in time instead—where they come face to face with Cornus Clover himself, famed author of Song of the Drowned Gods. Stuck together in the past, they must navigate a very different Aldryn as they unravel the school’s darkest secrets.

Across time and worlds, Emory, Romie, Baz, and Kai find their fates eerily interwoven with the heroes from Clover’s book. But when stories can’t be trusted, friendships are put to the test, and deadly enemies are not always as they seem, they must decide who gets to be a hero—and who is desperate enough to see themselves become a villain.

Editor review

1 review
Robust plot and character development
(Updated: June 25, 2026)
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
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.
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