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First, the covers for this series are breathtaking. I loved how atmospheric these books and the authors writing was.

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Thank you Harper Collins for the eARC. This review is honest, and voluntary.

This is such a beautiful conclusion to this duet. I loved seeing Lore find more confidence in herself and in her magic. The journey to find the second grimoire allowed Lore and company to see more of the world, which was very fun. I loved the underwater kingdom. The descriptions were vivid, and I felt like I could see it playing out in my head.

There was a lot packed into this book, and it felt a little slow at times with the world building. There was still plenty of action, adventure, and romance.

I would definitely recommend this duology. It's a great time and a unique story.

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DNF at 52% - unfortunately this was a miss for me.

Let’s start with the good! The covers for this series are gorgeous! I think they illustrate the world inside very well, and the world inside is enchanting. In this book, we start out on a ship, and then make our way into a siren’s kingdom. The magic and the settings described are engaging and magical. I also think the world-building is decent, though I could have definitely used more of a book 1 recap.

I do have significant issues with the dialogue and relationships. There is simply no tension between Lore and either of her romantic interests. There is also no relationship-building that makes either of those love interests make sense. The dialogue is somewhat awkward as well, and characters speak in ways that are unnatural. Lore is pretty cruel in her words to her antagonists which I don’t mind, but the insults she hurls are almost childish.

I realize I didn’t get through the whole plot, so I can’t comment on the resolution. However, the pacing in the first half was stutter and start, and left me frustrated.

Thank you to Analeigh Sbrana, Avon and Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC.

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Lore of the Tides is an atmospheric, richly imagined fantasy that pulls you into a world of maritime lore, ancient magic, and high stakes destiny. The author’s worldbuilding is fantastic, with salt-stained ports, shipboard intrigue, and mysterious deep sea creatures that feel vivid and real.
I loved the morally complex characters and the slow-burn relationships, both romantic and platonic. The plot is twisty without being too confusing, although the early chapters require a bit of patience. Once it gets going, it’s hard to put down.
My only complaint is that the pacing drags a little in the middle, and I wanted more depth for some of the secondary characters. But overall this is a rewarding read.

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Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I read Lore of the Wilds and while it didn’t completely blow me away, the ending left me curious enough to continue the duology. Unfortunately, Lore of the Tides didn’t quite deliver the reading experience I was hoping for.

To start with the positives, I was intrigued by the early chapters where Lore is held captive on the ship. That section had a strong atmosphere, even though her internal monologue felt repetitive and dragged in places. I also appreciated the introduction of a new tribe and the presence of sea creatures, which added some unique worldbuilding elements.

However, the romance between Lore and Finn didn’t land for me. It had potential, but the pacing felt rushed. The explicit scenes, in particular, felt out of place. The book is marketed as adult fantasy, but much of the writing (especially outside the romance) reads more like YA. The inconsistency in tone—between the worldbuilding and plot, and then the romance and dialogue—made the story feel disjointed, almost like two different books merged into one.

Most of the action takes place in the final 10% of the book, and it felt rushed and underdeveloped. There was a lot of potential here, but overall the story felt uneven and a bit all over the place.

I still gave 3 stars because I didn’t feel it was terrible, just some things didn’t read easily and the story dragged at times, slightly repetitive.

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❤️‍🩹Love triangle
🐲Mythical creatures
🔥Slow burn
✨️Magic
💛Found family

Lore of the Tides was such an amazing read! I absolutely loved the adventure this story swept me into. It felt like I was right there alongside the characters, experiencing every twist and turn as they happened. The world-building was so vivid that I could picture every scene playing out like a movie in my mind, and I loved it so much. The amazing places I visited in this world were truly magical 🤩✨️

The characters completely stole my heart; they were so lovable, and their story kept me hooked from start to finish. Their journey, the bonds they formed, and the obstacles they faced made this such a fun and immersive experience.

Thank you for the advance e-copy.

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Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for honest review. 4.5 beautifully written stars!

This book was a fabulous conclusion to Lore of the Wilds. I loved Lore in book 1 and was so ready to see where things went in book 2.

After Asher/Syrelle's betrayal at the end of book 1, Lore and Finndryl are kidnapped and taken by Syrelle to help find the second of his grandfather's grimoires. The book follows the adventures that they all must take in order to find the grimoire and restore peace to their lands. I loved the new characters we met in this book, the magic was so cool and I adored getting to see Lore and Finn's relationship blossom. I was so proud of Lore for coming into her own and becoming a true leader for the humans and finding a way to bring peace between the Fae and humans.

Would definitely recommend to anyone who loved book 1, as book 2 is even better!

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I read the first book the same day it came out and finished it in a day, so it's no surprise that I was beyond excited for the sequel. From the characters, to the pacing, to the worldbuilding - this book was everything I expected and wanted it to be. I've absolutely adored Lore since the first book, and watching her grow throughout the duology has been such a great experience. Lore of the Tides felt just as much like a breath of fresh air as Lore of the Wilds did, and I'm so excited to keep supporting Analeigh as she continues her author journey. The representation this book brings into the Romantasy genre and fiction in general is nothing short of life-changing for me and many others around the world - it means everything to be able to see yourself in a main character this way.

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I really enjoyed this book! It picks up immediately where book 1 ends and we take off from there.

We see old faces, new faces, and more in this journey with Lore. Her ultimate goal remains the same - save her people, the humans, but she still stops along the way to help others in need.

Overall I really enjoyed the characters and story here - the challenges Lore & crew face were unique and the fact that Lore struggled through the ups and the downs was refreshing to read. I was not sure there was going to be a way to forgive/like Syrelle in the end but Analeigh surprised me with how she tied all that up.

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Lore of the Tides by Analeigh Sbrana is a strong and satisfying conclusion to the duology, delivering even more depth, emotion, action, and spicethan the first book. The characters come into their own, the world expands in exciting ways, and the story wraps up in a way that feels both complete and rewarding. A great read from start to finish—loved it even more than the first.

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4.5 stars

"If they were going to accuse her of it anyway, terrorize her for it, end her life for it, then she would embody it. Let her be their monster, their demon, the witch from their nightmares."

Lore of the Tides delivers on the promise of feminine rage, magic, and reclamation. This book was chaotic in the best way, it packed in so much that it easily could’ve been a trilogy.

The FMC’s transformation arc was fantastic. I loved the magic system, the worldbuilding, and the sharp, socially relevant lines like "You bowed to a king of darkness. You are as complicit as he in the crimes against my people, and for that, I condemn you all to death."

A bit predictable at times, but emotionally satisfying and thematically powerful. After Lore of the Wilds (which was just fine for me), this one was a resounding yes.

Thank you to Harper Voyager, NerdFam & NetGalley for the free eArc!

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I read this physical and audio. I really love the audiobook narrator on this one. The story had some really interesting parts but as a whole, it did not keep my interest. I wanted there to be better pacing. And it just felt a little bit disjoint from the first book. There was some good character development for the main character but by the end it did feel a little bit too predictable for my taste.

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Bugs. I hate bugs. Lore was put through the wringer in this one. From not only the situation she found herself in at the end of book one; Lore finds herself underwater helping sirens with a problem while [REDACTED], having to go through the small trials/tasks to obtain the grimoire, and then eventually come face to face with the king to try and free her people. She really needs a break. I was exhausted reading everything she had to go through and was ready for a nap.

This is the final book in the Lore of the Wilds duology and follows Lore Alemeyu following the events of book one, Lore finds herself on a ship in the middle of the ocean as a prisoner. Lore is tasked with finding the sun book, a grimoire. All this while dealing with the sting of betrayal and being surrounded by those distrustful to her and would harm her in a moments notice given the chance.

What you Can Expect:
📖Fantasy Romance
📖Spice
📖Love/Hate triangle
📖Conclusion to the Story
📖Sirens & Sea Monsters
📖Bugs, SO MANY BUGS **internally screaming**
📖Magic
📖Darker at times
📖Feminine Rage

“It’s true, Lore. You’ve had my heart since you trusted me enough to sit upon the swing in the garden. I’d tried to fight it . . . Gods, I tried to ignore your irresistible charm, gorgeous freckles, and wild, unyielding spirit . . . but every wall I built crumbled when I saw you swinging there in my favorite place in the entire world, the moonlight kissing your hair . . . I wanted to kiss you so badly it terrified me.”

Lore’s eyes welled up again. “I hate you.” “I deserve your hate . . .” His tone turned bitter. “And I still can’t keep you safe. I leave you alone for a single bell, and it’s my own people who try to kill you. I thought this was safest, getting you away from my uncle, but you’re in danger no matter what I do.”

I want to talk a little bit about the characters and some changes I noticed from book one to book two. Firstly, being Lore. Lore remained pretty similar to her personality and thoughts from the beginning of the duology. Which I don't expect a ton of character development when honestly if we think on the timeline of this story, not a lot of time has passed, only A LOT of events. We do get to see this feminine rage side of Lore and I know that the king is bad, but I was gasping at what she did at the end. I blame too many superhero movies of me thinking they're has to be an alternative. Like some of the actions she had to take in this book really messes with your soul. Although, she did seem relatively unphased by it at the end.

Finn. Finn the broody, gumpy bar keep in Wilds sort of changed into golden retriever energy man. I loved Finn's grouchy demeanor in Wilds so I was slightly saddened to see him shift his character into moreso just pleasing Lore and doing things for Lore. He did have some moments where it was touch her and d-- but overall, it was very I shall please Lore PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY, if you catch my drift.

Syrelle. I don't care what he did in book one which led to the events of this book. I was always rooting for him. This man had depth and was flawed. We learn some more about why he is so flawed and despite his upbringing and life, I think he turned out good. Reading the end, made me understand his course of actions and why he did what he did. PLUS it wasn't that he didn't feel bad for the things he did. He was not heartless. If I was praying for a why choose it would be this duology because Lore ran to Finn essentially because of the actions in book one, but Syrelle stole our hearts.

As for the progression of the story, Lore spends a lot of time traveling. Like a lot. Girliepop is never gonna leave her home by the time this adventure is over because I was exhausted for her. There were some action which were the tasks that she was traveling for. They were kind of brief and Lore didn't encounter a whole lot of bumps. I think the bug scene really was the worst of it. But even then it was more so swatting away all the critters trying to crawl all over her.

I think my favorite place Lore traveled was her time in Lapis Deep. I would have loved to spend more time there and get to know Prince Hazen in the personality that he took on there more. Once they left the ocean it felt like he was more just the money bags and extra body and didn't provide as he could've character wise in the story.

Lore really proved how strong and brave she is by the end of the duology and I loved that she preservered in the revolution despite how absolutely terrifying it was getting.

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It was out of rooting for this author—and honestly, general curiosity on how the series would wrap up—that I carried through to read Tides. An underwater setting & seafaring adventure sounded promising. Unfortunately, Tides struggled in ways similar to Wilds, namely in plot, character development, and tone.

First, a few positives: There’s some nice character development here with Asher, and I wish she’d gone deeper on building out his family dynamics. I also liked the Sirens, and felt that world was visual and interesting.

Once again, though, this book reads like YA up until almost jarring sex scenes are thrown in. I really wish someone had encouraged Sbrana to just keep this story YA. While there’s spice, there’s really no tension here. I couldn’t’ve been less invested in Lore’s relationship with Finn—there’s no chemistry and he doesn’t seem to have much of a personality other than being a grump.

This book also struggles with the same pacing and plot issues of the first. The beginning felt so slow again, with waffling that made me like Lore a lot less. In other climactic moments, you don’t once have a feel or sense of stakes - everything just resolves easily. It makes it hard to invest in the characters—you’re expecting the resolution and so when you get it, there’s nothing really to celebrate.

The ending here, too, felt predictable and honestly, a bit boring. I actually think the other choice romantically would’ve been more compelling had she developed it well.

Look: I think Sbrana has so much potential. The ideas, the creativity, it’s all there. Fantasy needs more authors who can bring this authentic and genuine a perspective into injecting fantasy with much-needed diversity. It’s just a shame she wasn’t given a stronger editor and team to help her shape this one better.

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I had high hopes for this sequel after enjoying the first book a fair amount, but I fear this second book has almost entirely lost the plot.

Let’s start with what I liked: we saw SO much of this magical, exciting world Analeigh created in this book. The different locations and creatures were obviously created as a total labor of love, and did add something captivating and exciting to the story. I loved the underwater kingdom especially, as well as the stretch of traveling with an Orc.

Unfortunately beyond this, I was severely underwhelmed. It just really felt like the first 60% of the book was one very, very long side quest. It had loose ties to the overall plot, but mainly just serving as Lore needing to get out of a situation in order to move forward with her overall goals, and learning some more about her power. It was just entirely too long to spent on this task, and then the retrieval of the next magical artifact felt rushed (which really felt like what should have been the primary focus of the first half, but really, really wasn’t).

All of this led to. Severely rushed final showdown, enough so that even after 90% I was suspecting th at a third book would have been necessary to wrap up the plot (and I still feel this way). It just felt like Lore became conveniently overpowered, and a bunch of her prior convictions flew out the window by the end. The romance also unfortunately felt wildly flat to me, and the spicy scenes felt tonally off and out of place.

I will give this authors next work a try, as I have historically had a lot of luck with later loving an authors work after the growing pains of their debut series. This just wasn’t at all what I hoped, unfortunately. Thank you to Avon & Harper voyager for this eArc!

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This was the perfect ending for this duology! I loved Lore’s journey and adventures throughout this book, especially their time spent with Queen Naia. This has found family, a love triangle to die for, and a really unique magic system. Finn and Syrelle perfected yearning to the point where I wasn’t always sure who I wanted Lore to end up with. This is a great story full of hope, love, female strength, and adventure. I am sad to have finished Lore’s story but it was so worth the journey!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

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After blazing through Lore of the Wilds, I was so excited to immediately press on to Lore of the Tides. I was also so glad that I didn’t have to wait for the next installment, what with the previous cliffhanger. Unfortunately, the sequel didn’t live up to the intrigue of its predecessor for me.

Lore and Finn have been betrayed and captured, now stuck on a boat to an unknown land and be used as unwilling guide and leverage, respectively, in Syrelle’s quest to find the grimoire he considers his birthright. Lore can trust no one, least of all the man who so deeply hurt her, even if he is one of the only ones on the ship who doesn’t outwardly despise her. She hasn’t been allowed to see Finn, is forced to scry for the location of Auroradel, and is given a riddle in order to pinpoint its location from the book itself. Lore is determined to have her revenge and save the humans left helpless in Duskmere. But how can she escape when she can’t even trust her own feelings?

For the first part of this book, I was willing to go with the narrative, despite noticing a few inconsistencies. (e.g. Who is Ember? When was Ember named? Where did Ember go, and how?) Though the pacing was more off than I’d found it to be in the first book, I wasn’t really bothered by much until reaching the end of part two about halfway through. That was truly where the plot seemed to unravel in several ways. The characterization, especially of the trio we’re most familiar with from the first book (Lore, Finn, Syrelle), was all over the place. I understand the complicated nature of the feelings Lore had for Syrelle, and vice versa, but neither of them were consistent in their actions, both in terms of themselves and each other. This felt much more pronounced on Lore’s account, as we’re effectively in her head. Conflicting feelings make perfect sense; deciding to hate Syrelle and kill him one chapter and then trusting him in the next is too much of a swing. Lore’s thoughts themselves also seem to be all over the place, and not always consistent with the tone or setting of the book. Some terms aren’t necessarily too modern (like the use of the word “business” at one point), but in context feel out of place.

One of the most jarring things I experienced, though it was present in the previous book, became a much larger issue for me in this one: timing. The jumps between chapters were abrupt, often with chunks of time missing and not particularly well explained. Some things happen extremely slowly, and others are way too fast. The last twenty percent of the book is where I see this the most: when Lore returns home, everything suddenly moves at a glacial pace, despite the urgent nature of their situation. Then once the confrontation of the king happens, events happen both extremely quickly and without much care for any progress we’ve seen the characters make. I simply can’t justify that someone who was incredibly powerful, regardless of the extreme trauma she’s experienced, can go from utterly broken by torture to believing (and forgiving) someone she has previously entirely distrusted to suddenly be ready to fight the same man who tortured her. Even accepting this fantasy world for what it is didn’t allow me to suspend disbelief to the point that the characters that had been relatively well fleshed out in the first book would so swiftly fall apart at the (very late) climax of the series.

Overall, I would definitely suggest anyone left bereft by the first book’s cliffhanger should try to make it through this one, if not for anything other than closure. I sadly just lost the ability to connect with the characters in this book. Many threads from the first book, or questions I had, were dropped or unanswered. (Why the emphasis on astronomy, especially if the sun and moon are almost exclusively tied to the time of day the magic is active? Lore was so strongly connected to the woods, do why does it barely feature here? What is Ember’s purpose other than to be a magical creature somehow bound to the Source magic?) It is, of course, possible that the author was rushed in finishing the book due to publishing deadlines. And I’d still be curious to see what she has for us in the future. But sadly, Lore of the Tides fell flat for me. I hope it doesn’t prevent me from rereading the first book again in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

🌶️

Rating: 1.75 stars

Review posted to StoryGraph on July 1, 2025 (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/8b4eb401-136d-4514-810b-185495e0569c)
Review posted to Instagram: PENDING

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What can I say if not that’s I am obsessed? This was such a fun read and really got me out of the mini slump I had put myself into!

This story is an adventure and a half that will leave you reeling! Full of hard decisions and showing the strength of love! Found family has to be one of my favorite tropes and this was absolutely amazing! There is a slew of tropes including betrayal, hidden identities, and a love triangle 👀

This story will make you fall in love with the characters and the plot is absolutely amazing! I loved being able to see the conclusion to this wonderful duology!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This is probably my new favorite 2 book series. The way Analeigh Sbrana sets every scene is so picturesque and every single one of the characters we meet has incredible depth. I love the way this author tells stories. I love Lore. I love how this book had me on the edge of my seat, kicking my feet and giggling. LOVED!!!!

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Lore of the Tides has been one of my most anticipated new releases for this year, and this was such an engaging conclusion to this duology. If you’re seeking a feminine rage recommendation, Analeigh Sbrana dialed up Lore’s rage to 100 in this book. This book had its tender, emotional, and comedic moments, but the story was really in service to rising up against racism and oppression.

I found the plot twist at the end of Book 1 very shocking when I read it last year. While there were reveals in this book that took me by surprise, there was nothing on the level of the Book 1 plot twist in this book. To make up for that, though, this book moves around a lot: It’s split into three parts, and each part has its own cohesive location and plot arc. There is abduction, there is adventure, there is a side quest, and there is, of course, the big mission. I thought this was all well-organized, and I liked how unique each part was compared to the others.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the romance arc. I don’t want to say too much in order to avoid spoilers, but I thought Analeigh did a lovely job balancing the intensity of feelings and intimacy against the tender emotions and bond forming between the characters.

I appreciated how the story was woven for how the humans aimed to get out from under the oppressive dark fae regime. It was a powerful allegory for real-life resistance, and although I never share more than one quote from ARCs when I’m reviewing (in case of edits), I saved multiple quotes related to their conversations around fighting back against the oppression, the importance of maintaining hope, the necessity of allies, and the power of their community.

I do have one of the same critiques that I had for Book 1, which is that sometimes the dialogue felt unnatural in terms of how people would naturally speak out loud in normal conversation. It was oddly formal at times. (I do know some of this may have been changed in edits.) There were also a couple of plot points that felt like they weren’t as well wrapped up as I would’ve liked; I still had questions at the end. There were explanations provided for these things; I personally just wanted more thorough explanations than what was given.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this conclusion and look forward to rereading it in the future to catch details I missed the first time!

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