I’m devastated that I didn’t love this.

I think my biggest issue is that this isn’t YA, but it should be. The dialogue, character arcs, plot & plot resolutions - all read so YA and if it wasn’t for the (in my opinion, unnecessary) romance scenes, you probably wouldn’t even know it WASN’T YA.

I feel like the magic system is a bit undeveloped maybe? I found it to not be consistent in its application or capabilities, particularly when it came to what the heck Lore was even capable of. We also get zero explanation to why Lore, of all humans, can see “Source”.

I found that even when plot elements were meant to be high stakes (saving Mother Pearl, finding the Book of Sunbeams, fighting the fae king, for example), they were resolved so quickly and easily with absolutely no doubt that Lore would be successful, that I found myself almost bored.

And the romances with Finn and Syrelle for me were lackluster. She’s completely in love with Syrelle in book one (even says he broke her heart), but in book two, is immediately pining over Finn. There’s a throw away line at the end that this could have been a why choose situation but too bad so sad it wasn’t. I just never felt connected to either of these relationships, and frankly felt that Finn lost all of his broody character energy in book 2 and became rather flat as a yes man to Lore.

Also Lore saying “fuck ass ship” … I hope that gets removed for pub because I was cringing out of my skin, it felt so unnecessary and out of place in this fantasy world.

Thank you to NetGalley and NerdFam for the eARC!

Analeigh Sbrana delivers an exhilarating and emotional conclusion to her duology with Lore of the Tides, a lush, high-stakes fantasy brimming with fae magic, oceanic intrigue, and hard-won trust. From the very first chapter, we’re plunged—literally—into Lore Alemeyu’s perilous journey as she wakes aboard a ship bound for secrets and danger. The tension never lets up as Lore contends with a crew that fears her, a betrayal that cuts deep, and the looming threat of the sun book falling into the wrong hands.

Lore remains a compelling heroine—fiercely determined and constantly evolving as she wrestles with loyalty, longing, and the weight of her people’s future. The seafaring setting adds a fresh layer of enchantment and mystery, beautifully rendered through Sbrana’s lyrical prose. While the story races toward its finale, there’s also space for heart, especially in the slow-burn connection between Lore and a certain enigmatic Fae. Their bond brings warmth and vulnerability that nicely balances the novel’s darker edges.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for my honest review. Lore of the Tides is a sweeping conclusion that blends fantasy, romance, and political urgency into an unforgettable adventure beneath the waves.

What an ending to the duology. Analeigh has written a fantastical tale of adventure, trusting your instincts, and falling in love. I love Lore's characters and how she feels for others and works out problems. This was a fun book and I appteciated the new characters there introduced. Solid 4 stars.

Lore of the Tides is the conclusion to the Lore of the Wilds duology. This book picks up where Lore of the Wilds leaves us, and we find our main characters on a ship crossing the ocean to search for the sister book to Deeping Lune. During the journey we meet new friends and foes for our intrepid explorers, the romance between characters evolves, and Lore's magic is tested time and again in her search for help and safety for her people.

While I enjoyed this duology, I do feel like it was written more towards a young adult audience. The writing, problem solving, and arcs of the characters feel more like something you would find in a young adult novel. If not for a few gratuitous 'f-bombs' that are thrown in there (that honestly don't seem very in character with Lore) and a couple of romance scenes, this book could pass for YA easily. The romance scenes were a bit awkward to me, and honestly, I could have done without them in this story line. The almost love triangle between Lore, Syrelle, and Finn left me wondering almost to the last page if this was going to turn into some kind of why-choose scenario, and we are left at the end of the novel with basic resolution to this conundrum, but it didn't really feel resolved to me (but that may be mostly a me problem that others may not find). I do hope that perhaps the author does spin off books to other characters introduced in the duology, because while we're left on a HEA, there are a lot of things that could be further fleshed out in future novels if the author chose (Gray and Syrelle in particular) and it would be interesting to see how this new world is built between their peoples.

Overall, this was an enjoyable duology, just sort of awkwardly written to me. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Analeigh Sbrana for an eARC to review prior to publication.

I’m not sure I have the words for just how amazing this book is! If it wasn’t enough to fall in hopeless love with the characters from the first book, Analeigh doubled down in this one. From the moment we entered back into this world you’re taken on a thrilling adventure. A quest if you will. You meet new and interesting people on the journey and let me just say, some of the BEST banter happens in this book. I LOVED Lapis Deep!!! I love it so much I want to visit. The royals are fantastic. I could have a whole spin off about them. The redemption arcs in this book took me for a ride in the most beautiful way. I love Lore’s strength of character, her resilience, and her resolve to stay the course in the most ethical way, remaining true to herself. Beautifully done. I’ll end with this, because this quote has my heart in a vise grip; “I will love you until they put me in the ground and even then, my love will endure.” Cue the sobbing. Bravo

I don’t know if this quite lived up to the first book, but I still had a great time with this duology. The first book was more magical and cozy with cottagecore vibes and a plot twist I didn’t see coming. Whereas this sequel had a lot of plot and adventure that felt like filler at times and didn’t have the same feeling of whimsy as book one. I would’ve liked more of a slow burn in the romance department, especially because there was only a bit of build up from book one to get us intrigued by that couple, so there was plenty of room for more chemistry in this sequel. Once they reunited, it stayed stagnant and the relationship didn’t have much room to grow. I almost wish there was a slightly different ending for this love triangle but I still like who she picked best. Overall, this was fun and fast-paced and I loved the fresh take on fae fantasy. I will be highly recommending this romantasy duology to everyone I know and I look forward to whatever Analeigh Sbrana writes next!

US Release Date: 7.08.2025
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Format Read: E-Book
Tropes:
❥ Love Triangle
❥ Feminine Rage
❥ Found Family
❥ Political Intrigue

Lore of the Tides starts off where the previous book ended, which is welcome considering the cliffhanger. The writing itself is bright and atmospheric. As with the first one, I felt immersed in the story and scenes through the author’s vivid descriptions. The world building, as in the first installment, is done very well.

A lot of character development happens in this book, which is very much appreciated because I love these characters. Lore was a strong female main character in the first book, but she grows into someone inspiring in this one. I was rooting for her the whole way through. As for the romance, I’m not typically a fan of a love triangle, but I like the way this one was done. The author didn’t ruin one of the characters to prop up the other, which is what I dislike the most about love triangles.

The pacing is unfortunately a little faster than I prefer. The first of this duology was a cozier, slower paced fantasy, whereas this is more adventurous, so I do think that the pacing fits the story - It just felt a little too rushed at times.

Thank you Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC! Opinions are my own.

A great follow up to a great debut! I would have liked about 100 more pages, but I loved it!

Getting to see Lore come into her power was awesome. I loved the new (and returning) cast of characters.

Book 2 of Lord of The Wilds started off with Lore coming to consciousness on a boat out at sea. Her captor is the man she thought she loved, who lied about everything. The underwater world she discovered it magical, and was my favorite part of this story. The love story between Lore and Finn just wasn’t adding up for me. I always have a hard time believing you could be totally in love with one guy in book 1, then a different guy in book 2 (although SJM pulled it off in ACOTAR).

Overall this was a fun duology and I recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced release copy in exchange for a honest review

In terms of how Lore of the Tides was written, I would call it one of the best fantasies I've read in a while. The writing pulled me in and kept me in the moment from the start to the end. The world and the magic system that Sbrana established in book one are both intriguing and I'm very glad that we were able to explore more of both throughout this sequel.

Lore has been a favorite of mine since book one for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, her dedication to her people. Every single thing she does is keep her home and her people at the forefront, and the importance of them in her life and her actions is unquestionable. Additionally, I simply love her as an FMC for the way she doesn't back down, doesn't let 'no' be an option in her quest(s). Even when it comes to her romantic life, she fully intends to put her happiness aside if that means her people will be safe.

There were, however, a few things that I personally struggled with while reading Lore of the Tides. One of these was pacing, and I personally had a hard time with it at two points: the transition from part two to part three of the book - where it felt like a full reset due to the downshift from the end of part two to setting up all over again at the start of part three - and then the ending - where it felt like everything happened very, very quickly and the final confrontation didn't really hit for me. We've been building toward it for two books, yet it felt like I had blinked and it was over.

Also, this is very much a personal opinion (and I want to stress that): I thought the romance felt a bit forced and that the book could have done without it. The number of spicy scenes, too, felt a little overboard and (again, very much my personal thoughts on it) that the book would have been fine with just one, maybe two. Relatedly, the tease toward a poly-relationship felt very hollow, especially when Lore's feelings toward a specific character were very back-and-forth throughout the entire story.

Overall, I enjoyed the conclusion to this duology and I am looking forward to checking out what Sbrana puts out in the future!

I’m so satisfied with the ending to this series!

It’s been an absolute pleasure reading about Lore’s life and her quest to free the humans.

I’m glad to see everyone’s favorite pretend player get redemption, and Finn x Lore’s relationship evolve.

I adored Lore of the Wilds and could not wait to read Lore of the Tides, as it was one of my most anticipated reads for this year.

That being said, I don't think yall understand how devastated I am to not have loved this. I was so excited to see how Lore's story would come to a close, especially after how Wilds ended.

I think the pacing of this is what really tanked it for me. It was repetitive and dragged on for so long only to rush the conclusion—which left a lot to be desired.

I see Sbrana's vision, but the execution let me down.

I was so excited for this sequel! Picking up where the last book left off, Lore is kidnapped by the fae Asher. She taken across the ocean on a journey to acquire the sun book. Lore must survive with no way to escape. Lore's best friend Finn fights as a love triangle is in motion. Mystery, drama and magic unfolds along the way. I enjoyed this and the wait was well worth it. This was really hard to review without spoiling.

Thank you to NetGalley, Analeigh Sbrana, Harper Audio, and Harper Voyager for an eARC and ALC of Lore of the Tides in exchange for an honest review.

Okay I read Lore of the Wilds and I was not wowed but I did enjoy it and the cliffhanger left me wanting to keep reading. However, I had a lot of issues that affected my enjoyment of this book. I felt like even though Lore was 21 a lot of the dialogue and her inner monologue was incredibly juvenile. I feel like a prime example of this was when she referred to her toes as “toesies” a word I have only ever used when playing with my toddlers. That honestly made it impossible for me to overlook any of the other shortcomings. I realize it is one word and seems nit-picky, but Lore is an adult with intimate scenes in this story. It seems wildly inappropriate and infantilizing. On top of that very minimal plot development occurs in the first 40% of the book. This led to a lot of boredom and disinterest on my end. I then felt like too much happened in the last 60% that none of it had enough information and was very rushed. I don’t know, give it a read if those things don’t bother you?

As far as the audio goes I thought the narrator, Marcella Cox, did a fantastic job!

I usually prefer long drawn out fantasy series but this duology wrapped up very nicely in this second book and I enjoyed the story of this one even more! It was an adventure to other realms and parts of their world that were unexpected including a journey across and then under the sea! I enjoyed the continued love triangle and a bit of a redemption arc for one of the male love interests as well as some of the new side characters that were introduced (I love a bickering old married couple lol). This book picked up right where the last left off watching Lore master her powers and become all she was meant to be and work to not only save herself but also her people all the while battling feelings for two fae. I enjoyed the added world building in this as new creatures were discovered through the eyes of lore. I enjoyed this book and the ending even more than the first book and it wrapped up this duology very well! My rating 4.7/5!

This conclusion to the duology picks up after the action of the cliffhanger from Lore of the Wilds. The authors drops readers right in the thick of the emotional turmoil and action that changes this landlocked adventure into a high stakes sea-bound voyage. The pace is quick and doesn't leave a lot of time to sit with the new events and new characters along the way. The plot is driven with a manic energy and single focus as we follow Lore into a live or die challenge to save herself and all of the people she loves along the way. The romance seems to take a back seat to this voyage as Lore's affections have shifted into a tangled weave of love and heartache that battle for her attentions. The best part of this story was the expansion on the magical world and creatures that inhabit it. There was a rich depth to world building in this story that filled in some key plot points, but also felt a bit like the middle of a trilogy with this build and pacing instead of a duology. Readers of the genre will enjoy the world building and those who thrive in a dramatic love triangle will like the romance aspect.

Lore of the Tides was a satisfying and fitting conclusion to Lore’s journey. This installment leaned more into adventure than the cozier tone of the first book, which worked really well for me. I loved seeing the world expanded and Lore's objective given the weight it deserved.

Sbrana’s writing is vivid and immersive, and I especially appreciated the little everyday details she wove into Lore’s character—those touches made her feel more realistic. I always appreciate when a FMC is thrust into heroics but needs help with the day to day(but maybe that's my own executive dysfunction talking).

The pacing overall was solid, but I do wish the final section had a bit more room to breathe. There were returning characters from the first book and new ones introduced, that I think deserved more page time. The main conflict also wrapped up a bit too quickly and didn’t hit as hard as it could have, but honestly, that didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment.

If you liked the first book and are looking for a conclusion that’s more adventurous while still staying true to the heart of the story, this is a great pick.

I’m really glad I read book one first because I absolutely fell in love with it—it completely stole my heart. That’s probably why book two felt like a bit of a letdown in comparison. Throughout the story, I kept waiting for those intense, emotional highs or challenges that would shake the characters to their core, but they just never came. There were several moments where I thought, “Wait… that’s it?” It felt like everything wrapped up a little too neatly. Fights were resolved quickly, problems were handled almost effortlessly, and the stakes I was expecting never fully materialized. The journey to get from point A to point B was long, sure, but the payoff didn’t feel worth the buildup.

Don’t get me wrong—this author still has a beautiful writing style, and I genuinely enjoy how she tells a story. She's firmly on my auto-buy list. But I really wanted more from this book: more tension, more depth, more emotional investment. I ended up giving this one four stars, mostly because of how much I adored the first book. If this had been my introduction to the series, though, it might’ve landed closer to three stars. I’m still hopeful for what comes next, but I’m crossing my fingers that the magic of book one returns in full force.

Lore of the Wilds was such a lovely fantasy that I was beyond excited when I saw it was time for the sequel, Lore of the Tides. Sometimes it can be hard for the second book in a duology to live up to the magic of its predecessor but that wasn't a problem this time.

Lore of the Tides picks up directly after the end of Lore of the Wilds and takes readers out onto the ocean, introducing new realms and characters while keeping connected to the characters we've already met. The world building continues to be fantastic with vivid descriptions and interesting lore established for the new locations. The sirens are such a great addition.

Ms. Sbrana does a beautiful job exploring themes of redemption, love, forgiveness, and courage in this book. She's shown that she is beyond capable of creating a rich fantasy world with complex characters. I look forward to checking out any books she releases in the future and highly recommend picking up this duology. It's well worth the read.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

I really enjoyed Lore of the Tides and felt like this duology hit the perfect sweet spot. It didn’t drag out over three or four books, it gave me everything I wanted in two perfect length books.

There were a few moments where the pacing slowed a bit in this one and some of Lore’s inner monologue got repetitive, but overall, the story kept me interested.

The magic system continues to be interesting, and I loved getting to see more of Lore’s power unfold. There’s betrayal, found family, and a love triangle that’s very done well, to the point where I was rooting for them both to be honest.

The new setting and magical creatures we meet in this one were a fun expansion of the world, and I liked how the stakes felt high, especially toward the end, without losing the heart of the characters.

Also, I switched between reading and listening to the audiobook, and the narrator, Marcella Cox, was amazing as always. I’ve listened to her narrate a few books now and she consistently nails the emotion and pacing. If you’re into romantasy with heart, magic, and love triangles, I think you’ll enjoy this duology as much as I did.

Also want to add this book compared to the first is 🌶️🌶️🌶️.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperAudio for sending this ALC for review consideration. And thank you to Harper Voyager for the eARC. All opinions are my own.