Review Detail

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.