This book is filled to the brim with dark academia vibes! It literally set in this fancy elite academy for those with above average magical abilities AND there is a secret society hidden behind its walls. But that wasn't even my favourite part of the book! I absolutely loved the magic system! It was so unique and refreshing plus VERY complex! I mean each moon phase had a bunch of different magical abilities attached to it with their own rules and limitations. BUT WAIT THERE'S EVEN MORE! The secrets and mysteries were just expertly crafted throughout the book! The hidden secrets behind eclipse magic and the true intentions of certain characters were definitely hinted at throughout the book but still revealed to the characters in a way that had me never wanting to put the book down!

Oh and did I mention the storyline is tied around myths and legends of Gods and a book? It also has a touch of forbidden magic and complex, messy characters who are just trying to prove that they are enough.

I just found this book jam packed with everything I love! It was so intriguing and the mystery kept me flipping page after page! I loved the development of all the characters and thought the author really did well at giving them realistic faults as teenagers. Also I still cannot get over the immaculate world building! Like it was SO complex but I was able to understand it and found it so interesting! I cannot wait for the next book to see how the author continues this mystery, the adventure and develops the magic even more!

The one thing I will say is that it took a little bit to peak my interest and at times it was a bit repetitive, the plot was great maybe a few points were predictable but the lead up was still written amazingly. There are not many negatives I can say because the premise really did just hook me in after the first part!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the eArc, this in no way affect my review or thoughts.

I HAVE FINALLY FOUND THE BOOK OF MY DREAMS.

Dark academia meets lunar magic in this absolutely enthralling tale. Gloomy days and secret societies, myths and legends, moon cycles and the effect of the tides; it's all so beautifully woven to create a masterpiece of a book. The world-building was immaculate, the characters well-developed and distinguished, and the plot so unique and refreshing. I fell in love with this book from the first page and it continued to absolutely capture my attention and keep me intrigued throughout its entirety. We also have a teensy love triangle (which I don't usually like, but it works here) and alternating dual POV chapters. The way this story is written is simply magic.

So, a quick rundown: we begin our tale with our FMC, Emory - a mage, mourning the loss of her best friend Romie due to a tragic drowning accident. Baz, our MC and Romie's brother, is also mourning the loss of his sister and this tragic death brings estranged Emory and Baz together again. This shared loss and grief takes them on a journey they never expected, with secrets unravelling and even more questions being raised. They attend an elite school of dark academic witchcraft, and students are sorted into houses based on their birth date; or rather, what phase the moon was in on the day that they're born. This concept of having moon cycles as collegiate houses excited me and captivated me in a way that's hard to explain; it's like two of my most favourite things coming together to provide an intense result. I love it. Such a seemingly simple concept that was executed in such a fantastic, unique and refreshing way.

Another concept I absolutely love in this book, was the excerpts we encounter from Baz's favourite book, Song of the Drowned Gods. The way this was such a key part of the story, the way the prose practically ran off the pages in rivulets, and was so reminiscent of two of my favourite books/authors of all time: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, and A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross. its easy to say this book just captures the essence of storytelling.

Curious Tides had me in a serious chokehold.This is a mesmerizing dark academia, YA fantasy that left me utterly and completely captivated.

"It was all she'd ever wanted, to be seen. To have someone see her for everything that she was and wasn't and deem it enough."

🌊Dark academia, YA Fantasy
🌊Secrets societies and ancient tidal rituals
🌊Lunar magic and lunar houses
🌊Dark and cozy setting
🌊Mystery

The world building and magical atmosphere were immaculate . I cannot wait for book two!

A Dark academia fantasy set at a boarding school where students have magical abilities based on the moon phases and the tides they were born under.

Told from two points of view Emory who lost her best friend Rommy in a mass drowning of what appeared to be the initiation ceremony for a secret society and Baz, Rommy's twin brother.

Both want to learn the truth about Rommy's death and they team up to uncover a lot of secrets, lies and hidden magic in the process.

Some of the magic system did go over my head a bit but I think that was more a me thing than a book thing. I'm a bit lazy about trying to understand the finer points of that stuff when I read.


Lots of twists some of which I did not see coming, a sort of love triangle or was it more of a love square?. A villian who I'd been hating for most of the book.

Curious Tides is a book that traipses in the dark academia and fantasy realm. I likened it as I read it to Babel in a few aspects without a lot of the seriousness and a lot of connections to lunar magic and cycles of the moon. Emory, who is Healer (new moon born) and Baz, a Time Wielder (eclipse born) join forces to find out the truth about the drowning of several of Emory’s friends (and Baz’s sister) where Emory was the lone survivor. Emory’s magical powers were mediocre, yet she survived and inherited magic that was truly out of her explanation.

Emory and Baz in particular are such transformational characters and learn so much from each other and themselves on their quest together. The writing really captured the whimsical, dark and ethereal nature of magic even though some parts seemed a little slow and cumbersome. The symbolic nature of the magical houses is definitely a draw card as an original concept for a story. There were a few surprises a that were illuminated throughout the book which gave it energy from time to time but it seemed to tread along a predictable path. It is long but as this book also sets up a lot of unique magical elements, the additional detail can be warranted. I wonder if some of it could have been explained I more detail in the forthcoming sequel?

Ok first let me say that I LOVE the whole "magic based on date of birth" thing and also all the beautiful artwork of the moon phases in the book, because I am, at my core, a massive astrology girlie so it's right up my alley. I loved this book so much, the dark academia, secret society, mysterious vibes were immaculate and the imagery was so beautiful. I literally flew through this book so fast and then was really sad when I remembered that it's new and there's no second book out yet :(

Curious Tides filled me with wonder, intrigue and excitement. This book embodies dark academia at its finest and it sparked my interest in the genre. Filled with lunar magic cycles, mysterious deaths, secret societies and legends, there is so much to be drawn into.
The cover was beautiful and really encapsulated the fantasy and dark magic vibe.
The dual POV throughout gave insight into the values, ambitions and motivations for both Emory and Baz’s actions. They were both awkward and flawed, as any human is, and I really enjoyed that the main characters weren’t the cliche ‘popular’ or ‘confident’ stereotypes. The budding romance between the main characters was full of yearning and the fact that this wasn’t integral to the plot was fabulous (I was definitely in the mood for some dark and gloomy magic, not romance, when I read this).
The myths and legends pulled me in so much and I wanted to keep learning more and more about the intricate magic system in this story, though after the first read I don’t think I have my head quite wrapped around it entirely (but that’s what second, third and fourth reads are for!). Also, the fact the gods of legend are all women in this story *chefs kiss*.
The climax of the story was fast-paced and action packed and I stayed up late many hours to finish the book because there was no way I was going to leave it hanging. I cannot wait for the sequel to come out!

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster AU for providing me with an ARC copy of Curious Tides – I am incredibly grateful!


This is easily my favourite book of the year! Curious Tides masterfully weaves a dark academia setting and plot into an incredibly immersive and detailed fantasy world with intriguing magic to top it all off! I am already a self-confessed lover of all things dark academia, so I was SO excited to read this based on the blurb alone. Having finally finished it, I can truthfully say that Curious Tides exceeded all my expectations!


Curious Tides is unafraid to place the reader directly into the action, which I am a massive fan of! Not only does this keep you interested from page one, but for me, it helped the pacing stay consistent and made the worldbuilding feel more natural, never ending up too much on the ‘info-dump’ side of developing a new fantasy environment. The rules of the world itself, with everyone at Aldryn College wielding magic based on the moon phase when they were born, were so well developed and felt very intentional, which was amazing. This fantastic fantasy environment interwoven with such a compelling murder mystery, a mysterious missing epilogue connected to the murder, and a cultish lunar secret society hooked me from the moment I picked it up! The twists and turns felt justified but not obvious and made for an immersive reading experience – I simultaneously wanted to devour this book in one sitting but couldn’t bear to finish it too quickly because I was so attached to the characters and world!


I also want to commend just how beautiful this book is! The cover itself is gorgeous, but the insides of this book are equally as incredible, with exceptional detailing on section pages and detailing atop the pages themselves (it took me so long to realise that the moon in one of the page corners was growing precisely like the moon phases as I progressed through the book but when I did my heart felt SO full – absolutely genius addition)!


I loved the dual POV from Emory and Baz, who are complex and exciting protagonists in different ways (I am very much a Baz fan; I adore him) and was so impressed that all the side characters felt very distinct, fleshed out and included some excellent gender identity and sexuality diversity and representation without it feeling tokenistic.


Overall, please do yourself a favour and read Curious Tides as soon as it’s available! I cannot wait to discuss this book in depth with everyone <3


PS. I need the sequel literally right now or I’ll simply combust xoxo

3/5 Stars

I'm sure that regular fantasy readers are used to assimilating to new worlds and new normals much better than I am - although I do enjoy fantasy stories, I tend to prefer ones more closely associated with life as we know it (think Harry Potter or Fourth Wing). For me, Curious Tides was a lot to take in.

Emory is our MC, and she's a Healer. Her power is dictated by the phase of the moon she was born under. In this world, there are also non-magical people, however they seem to exist mostly outside Aldryn College, where the majority of this story is set. There are teachers at the college, and obviously other students in various different years, and not enough power is a bad thing - just the same as too much power, which will cause you to Collapse and have your magic sealed from you.

None of that has any real bearing on the plot, it's just a brief introduction. On top of that we have the story where Emory feels guilt as she was the only student to survive a night in the Dovermere Sea. Her survival leads her to discover new things about herself, and drives her on to find out why her classmates (including her best friend) perished.

For me, the story was good but it was a lot to take in, and this made it feel like a bit of an up-hill read. Lacelle's writing style is also a very descriptive one, which makes the sentences wordy, and adds further weight to the narrative.

For me the "baddie" was quite obvious, and the main character was a little lacklustre. The premise was interesting and, once over 50% through, I started to enjoy it a little more than I had at the start. One of my main concerns is that this story doesn't have a conclusion - it has an open ending. I dislike open endings at the best of times (even if the book is part of a series) however even more so when I've committed so much time (and so many pages) to the story. It feels like a cop out, and leaves many characters in an unknown position. I wouldn't rush to read subsequent books, if this is part of a series, unless those books were a lot smaller than Curious Tides.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an un-biased review.

This was a great read: dark academia, secret societies, gloomy vibes, and powers from the moon? Super cool.

We follow Emory, a Healer, who is grieving the loss of her best friend and struggling with survivor's guilt, and Baz, the deceased's brother. Drowned bodies keep washing ashore, not quite as dead as they should be, and Emory and Baz investigate.

Curious Tides has fantastic world building, full of myths and legends and really cool powers - and there's forbidden magic. I love the dual POV and seeing what's going on from both sides of the story (it's always fun to read love interests swoon about each other). There is academic pressure - and the pressure to be better than everyone else. It is a very slow build to the main action, so the beginning really fought to hold my interest for a while there.

All in all, this was a great YA fantasy!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this one! All opinions are my own.

Welcome to Aldryn College for Lunar Magic. Emory has returned after a string of deaths rock the college, however she comes shrouded in secrets. When she turns to the only person she feels she can trust, the duo head on forward to uncover all of the deep, dark layers and hidden society of Aldryn.

Told through alternating, dual perspectives, Curious Tides follows teenage Emory after the death of her best friend Romie and Baz, Romies brother also still dealing with the untimely death. The worldbuilding is absolutely standout in this one, completely dragging the reader into a dark and wonderful world full of a new magic system. Both Emory and Baz felt very relatable and easy to love - I did however find myself drawn more towards Baz, but we shall see how that goes in the next book. I alternated between the eARC and the audiobook for this one, and I must say for a wonderful, immersive experience. I can highly recommend both.

Curious Tides in the deliciously dark academia read perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House. A special thank you to NetGalley and Pascale Lacelle for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This one is available now!

Um excuse me this book had no business being this good. It was freaking amazing. First book I’ve have read from this author and it won’t be my last. Amazing story, amazing characters.

When Ninth House and Zodiac Academy have a baby...

3/5 ⭐️

Dark Academia with really cool magic system and a secret cult/society? Yesss please!
I had an advance reader copy but ended up listening to an audiobook which was pretty good! I loved the magic system in this book, I think it was very very well done. I think it was so well done, despite leaving a lot out that I am very intrigued for book 2 now.

The female main characters reads very young, like 16, which she is not but I would say it is pretty YA for people wondering. The rest of the characters were written a bit more mature in my opinion which made me love them more that the fmc. I actually don't want to talk about plot and such as I think a reader should just experience this book, without knowing too much beforehand.

Things that were done pretty good in the book:
lgbtg+ rep
loss of a loved one and grief

Not even sure where to begin with how much I enjoyed this book! Curious tides is one of the best fantasy books I have read in a long time, even more impressive that this is a debut novel.

The world building in this book was really well done, with a detailed and unique magic system that was well explained without being spoon fed to the reader. I also loved the way that the mythology within the book was woven throughout to give further insight into its workings.

I also thought that all of the characters were well developed.

Although I did predict to some extent where the story was going, the way that it got there was not so easily guessed so it still developed the tension of the build up and joy as the pieces started falling together

I cannot wait to read the second book!

I was drawn to this book by its beautiful cover, and the writing was no different. One of my favourite genres is dark academia, so I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the author tackled the world building by describing it multiple times, so it really sank into my brain. Can’t wait for the next one.

For me the difference between a great fantasy book and an ok one is the balance between plot and world building. Unfortunately this book focus so much on the world building that the plot suffered significant. The world created was absolutely beautiful, who doesn’t want to read a book about a magical college where students abilities are based off the tides and lunar cycles but not at the expense of a decent plot. It just makes for a pretty boring read. Baz was a delight and I loved his chapters but I found Emory to be pretty self-centred throughout the book which made her chapters harder to enjoy. This is only book 1 and now that I have slogged through the world building I will probably read the next one to see where the plot can go now that it has the space.

A slow journey of learning who you are, when all around you, the world that you know is rapidly changing.
Emory is the remaining survivor from Dovermere and remembers barely anything from the night.
Her world changes when she learns she is of a different nature and a changed person from that night.
Baz, is her best friend's brother and is also learning that things were not what he thought they were.
Together, they try to navigate and to solve only a small part of their life changes, which comes to a head once more in Dovermere.
An exciting read of determination to find who you are, and of trying to belong.
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia for allowing me to review Curious Tides. I cannot wait for the second book to come out and see Emory's journey of discovery.

Curious Tides is a truely thrilling debut novel from Lacelle. The premise of the novel - magical powers based on the lunar alignment during one’s birth - is a unique take on the fantasy genre, and one that was more than welcome. Everything was carefully thought out and I found myself swept away by this seamless world.
The story itself was equally as enthralling. From the start to the end, everything was perfectly worked out. Captivating at the start, and beautifully wrapped up at the end!

Given a physical copy from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review <3

Phenomenal world building, interesting premise. My first foray into the dark academia side of the literary world and I think I’m hooked

Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle has firmly cemented itself as one of the best books I have read in 2023. I went in blind when I started reading this book, drawn in by the Title and Cover Art. The book follows Emory, who attends Aldryn College for Lunar Magic, and she accidentally finds herself involved with Secret Societies, mysterious deaths, and a side of romance.

The writing of the story was phenomenal and the author created such a unique magic system that developed throughout the story. This kept the reader guessing throughout the book and I didn't see the twist coming.

I am so grateful that I received an e-ARC of this book and I thoroughly enjoyed the book so much, that I will be heading out to purchase a hard copy once the book is released. I can't wait to see what Pascale Lacelle has in store for future books.