Curious Tides is the YA dark academia fantasy debut by Pascale Lacelle, first in a duology set in a world where people have magic based on which phase of the moon they were born in. The level of magic any given person has varies across the population and only those who are gifted enough can attend college for further education in order to access more prestigious occupations and higher levels of society. One of our protagonists is Emory, a mediocre Healer born under the New Moon who is struggling to maintain her place at Aldryn College—but after surviving a bizarre and fatal ritual conducted in secret by some of her classmates, Emory suddenly finds herself capable of wielding impossible powers that can only come from outside her lunar house. Our other protagonist is Baz, a greatly gifted Eclipse-born student at Aldryn who restrains himself from using the magic that his kind is held in contempt for possessing and does his best to abide by the rules and be a model citizen…until Emory begs for his help in training her to control her forbidden magic in secret.
The story is told from the third-person perspective alternating between Emory and Baz, allowing the reader to gain a fuller perspective of this fantastical new world. Emory is intent on unravelling the tragedy that took place in the Dovermere sea caves which claimed the life of her best friend and it takes her down a twisty, treacherous path involving the elite popular clique of students at Aldryn and a secret society with immense power and influence whose interest in her spells danger. The struggle to harness her chaotic new powers also threatens to upend her life as Emory risks Collapsing, a cataclysmic implosion when Eclipse-born lose control of their magic and it spills out, wreaking havoc on anyone and anything nearby.
Baz knows all too well about this deadly phenomenon, having lost his father and schoolmate to Collapse, which inevitably led to their incarceration at the dreaded Institute where they are branded to prevent them accessing magic ever again and live as shadows of their former selves. From Baz, we learn more about the rampant prejudice in their society against the Eclipse-born and witness the daily injustices that people like him have to swallow down just to live their life in peace—the fear that people hold towards Eclipse-born might seem to make sense on the surface, given the possibility of their magic being unleashed uncontrollably, but it really is no different to those of other lunar houses whose magic could also be used for ill and yet they don’t face the same stigma. Where Emory’s arc is very personal as it centres around self-preservation and finding closure after losing her best friend, Baz’s arc revolves around gaining a greater understanding of what it means to Collapse and the treatment of the Eclipse-born who have been imprisoned, propelling him to take greater risks and rebel against the system that he’s never questioned before.
The world-building is phenomenal and very intuitive—it could have been overwhelming to readers faced with an intricate magical system based on five houses with multiple variations of powers in each, but basing this system on the moon phases makes it much easier for readers to parse. We’re all familiar with the new moon, waxing moon, full moon and waning moon, and the abilities tied into these phases make sense, such as lightkeepers who manipulate light belonging to House Full Moon and reapers who can take life belonging to House Waning Moon. The author also weaves in snippets from a story that Baz is obsessed with known as Song of the Drowned Gods, a renowned manuscript held in high regard that some believe may actually depict real events and could be used to reach the deities known as the Tides. Its inclusion is enigmatic and intriguing, a puzzle that the reader will linger on, and the manner in which it eventually intertwines with Baz and Emory’s path is exciting and expertly written.
Curious Tides is a lushly evocative tale that will effortlessly mesmerise readers and transport them to this prestigious but troubled college where glitz and glamour go hand-in-hand with secrets and sacrifice. Our protagonists must not only face a society that would condemn them for powers they each fear and revel in, but also find the strength to overcome loss, betrayal and figure out where they truly belong.
Curious Tides is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of October 3rd 2023.
Will you be picking up Curious Tides? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Ninth House meets A Deadly Education in this gorgeous dark academia fantasy following a teen mage who must unravel the truth behind the secret society that may have been involved in her classmates’ deaths.
Emory might be a student at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, but her healing abilities have always been mediocre at best—until a treacherous night in the Dovermere sea caves leaves a group of her classmates dead and her as the only survivor. Now Emory is plagued by strange, impossible powers that no healer should possess.
Powers that would ruin her life if the wrong person were to discover them.
To gain control of these new abilities, Emory enlists the help of the school’s most reclusive student, Baz—a boy already well-versed in the deadly nature of darker magic, whose sister happened to be one of the drowned students and Emory’s best friend. Determined to find the truth behind the drownings and the cult-like secret society she’s convinced her classmates were involved in, Emory is faced with even more questions when the supposedly drowned students start washing ashore— alive —only for them each immediately to die horrible, magical deaths.
And Emory is not the only one seeking answers. When her new magic captures the society’s attention, she finds herself drawn into their world of privilege and power, all while wondering if the truth she’s searching for might lead her right back to Dovermere…to face the fate she was never meant to escape.
