It was a decent book. It wasn’t uninteresting but it wasn’t amazingly captivating. It would be a maybe for me.

Lore of the Tides by Analeigh Sbrana took me over the seas and under the seas, providing a fun, summery fantasy read. After reading book one, Lore of the Wilds, I was intrigued about where the duology would take us in book two. That being said, Lore of the Tides took off, both with the adventure and the spice.
I’m a sucker for a love triangle trope and kept questioning where Sbrana was taking me. Is this a side quest? Is it all part of the master plan, tied up in a beautiful, fairytale finish? What a journey these characters experienced! Although I enjoyed the fierce feminine rage, I thought our fmc Lore was short-sighted, borderline arrogant at times. I know, it’s a necessary human flaw to continue the storyline. I felt for a couple of the characters on the receiving end of her wrath, but I was also thrilled to watch her eviscerate other enemies.
Thank you NetGalley, Analeigh Sbrana, and Harper Voyager for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lore of the Tides is the second book in the Lore of the Wilds duology. The first book I flew through in like 3 sittings. It was a rough start with me getting into Lore of the Tides. I'm not sure if too much time had passed since reading the first book but after reading the first 20 or so pages I was confused and went back and read a recap of book one. Even then, I found myself not reaching for it. FINALLY after she goes under the sea the story moves along a bit. Although, I found her inner thoughts about how hot and sexy Finn is, was repetitive and unnecessary. Especially when there's almost a whole chapter dedicated to it while she's SUPPOSED to be listening to the Queen. Like calm your hormones, I'm trying to find out what's going on! I did enjoy the duology as a whole and I'm glad I read it.

I've really liked the start of this. I was a bit fuzzy on some details from the first one, but generally been catching up as I read.
- The tone and voice of the palace aide is spot on, captures the voice perfectly.
- The banter between Jaladri and Naia is :chefskiss:
- The library! Love that we got a second amazing library in a second amazing book
- Love the ending, but maybe not every detail of the path to get there.
- Definitely still a bit of love triangle going on, so be aware of that if it's not your thing. It's not my favorite trope.
- Spice increased compared to the first book, up to maybe 2 peppers in this book

Thanks to the author, HarperVoyager, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for this advanced copy. All opinions in this review are entirely my own.

After the betrayal and heartbreak at the end of book one, this sequel picks up with Lore’s journey to find the second grimoire and liberate her people from the rule of the alytherians.

“We cannot be cynical when fighting for justice. When your cause is a worthy one, it is hope that will fuel the fires of change.”

This book it’s very much an exploration of real-world oppression, discrimination, and the strength of community-led resistance. Through Lore’s fight for her people’s freedom, the author discusses themes that feel deeply relevant to so many marginalized communities today. It doesn’t shy away from the realities of injustice, yet still leaves you with a strong sense of hope.

Lore’s character development is one of the highlights of this book for me. We get to know her in a much more intimate way than before. Her journey isn’t just physical, it’s deeply emotional. We watch her deal with betrayal, helplessness, rage, forgiveness, and love, and through it all, she grows into herself in a deeply empowering way.

I think the love triangle concluded incredibly well. The way it transitions from book one, made it feel like there’s wasn’t really a choice at all, but I was still so torn between the two MMCs. Even though I knew where the story was headed, I could help but feel just as conflicted as Lore. The author really made me care deeply for the person Lore doesn’t trust, and I love morally grey characters, but in the end, it’s hard to reconcile and come back from lies and betrayal.

Her relationship with the mmc was just perfect. He was supportive, loyal, attentive, charming, and respectful. He really believes in her strength and doesn’t try to save her from it. Their bond was safe and real, the kind of love that makes you feel seen and cherished and that’s build slowly with trust and devotion.

The new characters introduced in this book, Prince Hazen, Queen Naia, and her betrothed, were also standouts. Their introduction to the story really helped expand the world and bring a lot of dimension to the story.

My only con was the pacing of the book. The beginning was a bit slow for me, but the rest kept a steady momentum, until the very end, where I wish there had been a deeper exploration of Lore’s confrontation with the alytherians and the liberation of her people. That part felt a little rushed compared to the emotional buildup we went through throughout the book. Overall, the ending had a satisfying conclusion.

I also really appreciated the inclusion of everyday details like hygiene, periods, and hair and skincare, things that I think are often overlooked in fantasy books. This added a layer of realism to the world building, especially because these things are part of the lived experience of us women.

Lore of the Tides was an incredible way to close out this duology. The adventure aspect, especially the underwater scenes and the journey to find the second grimoire, was exciting and immersive.

I would also like to highlight the representation in this book, it was powerful and refreshing. This world centers around black characters and doesn’t rely on the addition of poc or racially ambiguous characters to meet a diversity quota. I encourage readers to read more stories like this, that broaden our views and offer meaningful insight into experiences that don’t often get space in mainstream fantasy.

Final Rating:
⭐️ 4
🌶️ 2 (emotional intimacy, romantic tension, a couple of steamy moments)

Read if you like:
🪸 BIPOC fae
🪸 Stories about liberation and resistance
🪸 Rich worldbuilding & magical adventures
🪸 Female rage + empowerment arcs
🪸 Soft but strong MMCs
🪸 Morally grey love interest that make you question everything

Analeigh did such an amazing job with this story! I always love a book where I don't know who to root for. Is it bad I Low-key am in love with Syrelle? But also madly in love with Finn?? The world building and expansion in this book I literally can't talk about enough (don't worry, no spoliers here) . And the spice was spicing. I can't wait for my physical copy to arrive so I can add it to my shelf.

This duology has entered comfort books level for me

After meeting this author at Apollycon, I was so excited to request the ARC. I enjoyed Lore of the Wilds (4🌟) because the characters were unique, and I had not read anything like it. The second book in this duology didn't hit the same for me though. This may just be me, but I feel like Lore lost her original goal of wanting to save the humans and return them to their home world, and it transformed into "save the humans and kill the fae king." While this is a totally great goal because he's actually the worst, I missed that "home world" aspect. It showed up in the end, but got lost throughout the rest of the story. I feel like this could've been two separate books between the journey to Lapis Deep and then to Ma Serach, and it felt like all the ribbons were tied together in a rush at the end.

I still enjoyed it overall. 3.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it!! I think it was a really good conclusion to the series. I also think it picked up the pace and it was more interesting this time around in comparison to the first book. I enjoyed the first book, but like I wanted more and when we finally got to the second book, it was giving me everything that I wanted!! This is a fantasy with a slow burn romance, love triangle vibe and it also has found family, magic, and so much more! Our main characters are Lore, Asher/Syrelle and Finndryl. This book picks up right after Asher’s betrayal(still not over that) and now Lore’s goal is to locate the second grimoire and use it to save her people. After the betrayal, it took Lore a while to reconcile with him and me as well because I was not feeling it. I was so hurt by that. I will say because of all that I love seeing how things progressed with Finndryl. Overall, I really enjoyed all of the new characters that we were introduced to and got to see in this book and how things played out. It was really good. The series is great and this was a great way to end it.

3.5/5⭐️

I liked this, but not as much as book one. I found Lore of the Wilds hard to put down. But this one was just a little slow. With that being said, I feel like this was such a satisfying ending to the duology. I liked seeing Lore come into her power and really find her voice. I also loved seeing Finn and Lore finally get together.

I honestly could not have asked for a better conclusion to the fantastic story of Lore. If you have not read Lore of the Wilds yet, Ima need you to do so expeditiously! Especially if you are looking for a fantasy book filled with diversity, adventure, romance, magical creatures, mystery, and so much more. This duet is truly everything I could want in a fantasy. In LOTT we get a new setting, new and returning friends, and even higher stakes. So many of our questions get answered and we see Lore truly step into who she’s meant to be 🥹 This book was so beautiful and yes I was weeping at the end because I couldn’t believe this wild, amazing ride is over!!

Let me say the romance is romancing and absolutely SIZZLING in this book. OMG. I was blushing. I was giggling. AND I WAS KICKING MY DANG FEET BECAUSEEE 🤭🥵🫠

Lore Alemeyu is everything to me. She’s the character I could only dream of when I was a little girl. She is the definition of Black girl magic and she will always hold such a special place in my heart 🥹 I love her 3000!

What a sweeping and exciting journey to conclude a magical duology!🍄🫧

I first read Lore of the Wilds last year and from the second I finished it I was craving the second book! I’m so lucky and thankful to Analeigh Sbrana, Netfalley and Harper Voyager for giving me access to the e-ARC of such a highly anticipated book for me!

This journey was so engaging and well rounded in the variety of places Lore got to experience. I really enjoyed part one and was sucked in to all the action and discovery’s made on the ship. Part two and three HOOKED ME IN and had me locked to the book until I finished it!

Lore is an FMC who will always be ranked so highly on my list. She is strong and caring, and she finds how to balance the light and dark of her life in a truly beautiful and inspiring way.

I still think it’s amazing how Analeigh can truly make such a cozy fantasy setting also so full of action😂 It’s a really good balance for me and I truly enjoyed her writing so so much.
Also, may I just say that every description of clothing and scents were just beautiful every time. The environment of each place was so well described and really immersed me into the settings.

This will definitely be a duology I come back to and continuously recommend.

I didn’t think I would love this series because it felt so similar to other books in the genre, but I can safely say that I was wowed by both Lore of the Wilds and now Lore of the Tides as well! Analeigh Sbrana just has such a special writing style that gives the characters so much life - the descriptions of their facial reactions to situations is even so telling of their personalities without having to do a deep dive description of the character themself. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a story that I genuinely liked every character that came onto the page, but Lore of the Tides still has me gripped by so many amazing characters.

I would so highly recommend this book! Really the whole series is an amazing read, and great for either those starting in the fantasy / Romantasy genre or people like me who have been into the genre for a long time who wanted a unique story within the genre. Please go read this series, and then please come talk to me about it - it’s just such an easy but meaningful read and I hope everyone enjoys this little world that Analeigh Sbrana has brought to life.

*“You are magic, Lore. You can harness the power of a million stars in the sky, a million suns. Craft your own paradise.“*

I really enjoyed the coziness of Lore of the Wilds and couldn’t wait to see how the next part of the story would go, especially after the cliffhanger ending.

Much like Auroradel is the sister book to Deeping Lune, Lore of the Tides is the companion to the first book, in both tone and power. I loved how much more tense this one was than the first and watching these characters grow and develop into full beings. There was so much more adventure here and the visuals that played in my head during each read were gorgeously detailed! I thought the library from the first book was a dream, but the one here (and the whole underwater kingdom, honestly) was even dreamier! This also had a few things mentioned that I have either never or rarely seen portrayed in novels when it comes to female characters and I really appreciated the care taken in those moments.

This was a great conclusion to this world and I hope nothing but the best for these characters beyond the final page. I could definitely see myself returning for rereads in the future now that both books are finally in my hands.

Loved it ! I read the first and second book back to back and I’m so glad I did.
In this book Lore is still dealing with a broken heart and newly found powers. She must figure out a way to save her people from the big bad Fae king. She also must find the second grimoire to get the power she wants, oh and cause the guy that broke her heart is literally making her.
While doing this many other obstacles arise, including dealing with old and new emotions for past and present love interests.
I read this book in two days and was sad when it ended because so did following Lore’s journey. Her growth throughout both books was epic. As mentioned lots of obstacles get in her way before the end but not so many that it seemed overdone. I loved the enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies angle with the 2nd MMC tossed in. I honestly didn’t know who she’d ends up with till the very end.
The world building was great and so was following how Lores powers grow.
I would definitely, definitely recommend !

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager as well as Analeigh Sbrana for letting me read eARCs of both books !

After the cliffhanger of the first book…idk I was anticipating something more. All the repetitive talks with herself was giving me a headache 😅 the settings were cool. The little touch of magic was cool. But I’m sorry, Lore and Finns relationship was giving surface level. Even with their history in the first book, it still wasn’t clicking. Maybe it was the “good girl” he was saying bc it didn’t seem genuine if his character from the first for him to say this lol idk maybe reading a high sci fi before this book ruined it for me bc I loved the first book 😩

I can finally RANT about this book!!! It deserves more than 5 stars and Lore and Finn's relationship is something so special! And i even found myself finding pity on Syrelle on the end too. I really actually wanted them to end up ad one happy family!! I recommend this for any who is looking for cozy fantasy that is written with Black and Brown characters! Lore is such a delight. Her love for books, her kindness and just protective nature made her instantly my favorite character!

I honestly fell in love with this book from the first page !!! gripping story, amazing romance GIVE ME MORE !!!

This was amazing! I went into Lore of the Wilds not knowing there would be a sequel. I loved Lore of the Wilds and the cliffhanger had me wanting, waiting for this read. The story was medium pace and left nothing unturned. I loved how descriptive it was. I could visualize everything, but it wasn’t overwhelming where it took over the plot. There were multiple problems that needed resolution and Lore did not disappoint. Lore of the Tides was everything, and the way this story was wrapped, bravo.

When I finished this book I was filled with HOPE. There was so much love and hope woven through the pages. I felt that I could keep reading just to see how the world would unfold. She did a beautiful job of giving us the lay of the land, but not burying you with too many details. It was enriched in culture, hardship, persistence and the underlying feeling of love. I haven’t read a character like Lore in a while. She was filled with gumption, stubborn, inquisitive and was a DREAMER. This book feels like it is right on time, with the state of the world right now. It will fill you up with all the good feels and leave you dreaming. I LOVED it.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the world and characters. It was well written and the story telling was great! I did think the pacing was inconsistent but it did not in any way take away from the content and world building. I think the characters were authentic and very much a young adult book.