I really enjoyed this beautifully written, slow-burn tale! It has elements from some of my favorite childhood fairytales, but darker and more intriguing! The narration was great and easy to listen to. I look forward to reading more books from this author!

I absolutely adore this book!!! It felt like it was speaking to my very soul. The prose was lovely and the story was recognizable but new and revamped. It is clear the author did her research very well in terms of the history. I loved the FMC so much as she navigated so much hardship. While I did predict the ending, it was a beautiful journey. I do think this will be a fave read of 2025!

The audiobook was decently done. However, I wasn’t a big fan of the voice used for the love interest. It felt a bit too old and raspy in my opinion.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed this book by Kell Woods. As others have said, it had a bit of a slow start, but the pay off is well worth it! This adult version of fairytale mash-ups has beauty, romance, and betrayal. I imagine most Fiction readers would treasure this book with a touch of whimsy.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story. The narrator did a fantastic job with tone and pace. Her accent even added another immersive element.

Thank you to Kell Woods, Macmillan Audio, and Net Galley for the ARC!

This is so beautiful. I love the setting and the narration. I love the darkness that is evident in this romantic tale. This is why I keep coming back here for more audiobooks.

A jealous sister, a stolen sea maid, a magical ball. This historical romantasy gave Cinderella and The Little Mermaid vibes all the way through. I loved the combination.

Lucinde, the daughter of a wealthy ship owner, is at the shore one stormy morning where she finds and rescues Morgan, the son of a powerful ship owner. His crew were not as fortunate. Morgan's mother invites Lucinde and her family to a ball she is hosting, as a thank you for allowing her son to recover in their home. The town they live in has always been protected by the fae and their magic, but the fae are leaving.

Upon A Starlit Tide audiobook was enthralling. Esther Wane was the perfect choice for the narrator.

I was invested right from the beginning when Lucinde rescued Morgan. There is something about Morgan that draws Lucinde in. Her best friend, Samuel, is a storm diver. Their friendship is hidden from her family, as they would frown upon it. As Lucinde and Samuel collect the remains of Morgan's ship, Lucinde tells Samuel about Morgan. Samuel instantly dislikes Morgan. It was hard to tell whether it was jealousy—that Morgan caught his attention and would be a good fit for her in her parents' eyes over a lowly smuggler like Samuel—or if it was something darker he sensed. Although, Lucinde feels guilty, she still attends the ball she was invited to, but not without some troubles. It is obvious someone doesn't want her to attend.

The way that Lucinde seemed to befriend the remaining fae, even the ones that were feared was interesting to me. I was waiting for the catch on what she may have owe for what the fae gave her in order for her to attend the ball.

Their was one unexpected scene on Lucinde's ship that turned gruesome.

cinderella • fae • fairytale • historical fantasy • mermaid • retelling • romantasy • the little mermaid

Just beautiful. A touch of the little mermaid (darkness and all), a touch of Cinderella (masquerade ball with a touch of magic to get here there), and a healthy dose of feminine rage. I’ll take every single part of this story! Didn’t want to put it down. Loved it!

Thank you to #macaudio2025 and @netgalley for a copy of this audiobook for my review.

I really loved the cross between the Little Mermaid and a French Cinderella story. I loved Luce’s character development and her relationship with Samuel. I was in tears because of Bones, and truly loved the way this book kept me throughly entranced. I wish there was more to Luce’s story at the end, but overall it was a fantastic audible. I also loved the British accent of the narrator.

I loved this. I’m so glad I listed to this book instead of read it. The narrator added to the story and I would have absolutely butchered some of the names of places and people. This was magical, dark, romantic and just beautiful. I loved the characters, and the story. It was a love letter to fairy tales but became its own unique fairy tale all at the same time.

Absolutely my favorite ARC read of the year. I was gripped from the very beginning, and could not put it down until the magical epilogue. I loved the unique magical realism setting-18th century famous French port city, with mythical sea and other folklore creatures roaming at will. The characters were complex and dynamic, and there was never an uninteresting moment. My only complaint was that at times in the middle the pacing felt slightly muddled but it was still absolutely worth it. While I received this as an ARC audiobook via NetGalley (Esther Wane does a WONDERFUL narration), I will probably purchase the physical copy because frankly I enjoyed it so much and the actual copy of the book is stunning!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing a copy for review. All opinions are my own.

4 out of 5 stars

Thank you to #macaudio2025 and @netgalley for a copy of this audiobook for my review.

I enjoyed this one! It took a little while to get into but then after about 30% in it got very intriguing. I thought the Little Mermaid/Cinderella retelling was so fascinating. The way she wove the two stories together to make one large story was so inventive. Also, I really loved Samuel and Luce. The narrator did a good job, although sometimes I thought some characters were older than they probably were based on the voice they were given.

Keep in mind that if you are sensitive to gore like myself some of the parts will be difficult for you, it was for me but I was able to make it through. I would read books by this author in the future.

Upon a Starlit Tide is an historical novel set during the Seven Years War that tells the story of Lucinde Leon. The story itself is a creative retelling/mash-up of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, but don't let retelling of old stories fatigue stop you from passing this one over. The author takes great care to develop complex characters that don't neatly fit into "cruel stepsisters" or "evil stepmother" stereotypes. Additionally, the narrator for the audiobook, Esther Wane, does a fantastic job of bringing the story and its characters to life. If you have the chance to listen to it, take it.

This story is a unique retelling of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, with a hint of fae magic. As much as I loved the originals, I think and an adult, I appreciated this one much more. It was more complex and realistic in many ways. The relationships in particular felt more realistic - sibling bonds and jealousy as well as male love interests. The story line was so seamless, it almost felt like this has always been the fairytale out in the world.

You will love it if you enjoy:
Fairytale retelling
Love triangles
Medium paced books
Seaside adventures

Audiobook:
I tend to listen at 1.5, in case that impacts my opinion.
This was a single narrator with a lovely British accent. Overall, it was easy to distinguish characters, though I would have preferred a slightly different voice for the MMC. That being said, I think it fit his character’s background well - it just wasn’t as swoon worthy. My only other comment would be that when the FMC gets emotional, the voice gets a little too much warble for me. It was something that didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story too much, though.

I thought the pace was overall good and thought she did the story justice.

All in all, a good book to read, especially if you love the elements above.

I enjoyed Kell Woods’ debut novel After the Forest immensely. Woods’ ability to describe lush beauty in the worlds she creates is unmatched. I do consider it to be more of an adult novel (despite having a young adult female main character and being marketed as young adult) because the themes are mature and there are some open door bedroom scenes.

Upon a Starlit Tide hit the same notes for me - dark themes (disability cruelness, abuse, colonialism, violence, torture) and too much open door spice for this to be a young adult novel. And while I could simply consider this adult as I did with After the Forest…I just couldn’t get past the pacing lags in Upon a Starlit Tide. I also probably overlooked the use of swear words in After the Forest that just felt so jarring in Upon a Starlit Tide.

{more details here: https://www.wilsonhillworks.com/reviews/uponastarlittide}

If you’re interested in a Little Mermaid and Cinderella mash up set in a vibrantly described fantasy world of true historical relevance, and you are looking for a bit of heat between two characters, then definitely give this a go.

This is probably 3.5 stars for my but I've rounded down to three here.

Thank you to Kell Woods, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the Advanced ALC.

This was such a fantastic read! The synopsis sounded really intriguing, and once I started reading, I couldn't stop, I was interested in these characters, and I had to know what was going to happen next! Watching as Luce works to get what she wants, while political tensions are rising, I loved it!

The fact that it's a mix of The Little Mermaid, as well as CInderella, was such an interesting mix in the story, and I really enjoyed seeing it all play out, and whether it was going to lean into the Disney side of the tales, or the Brothers Grimm.

Luce isn't mistreated, per se, but she is her adoptive father's favourite, at the expense of his daughters by blood. Which isn't the best parenting decision a person can do. But when she rescues Morgan, it results in a series of events, that I had to keep reading to see how things would unfold! And boy, were there some reveals, and some pretty epic twists!

Once answers started coming in, about the fae and what had been done, yeah, I wanted to know what was going to happen because of that. So I found the end really satisfying, thought that bit with her love, that hurt, but that epilogue healed that hurt!

Loved reading this book and I would love to read more by Kell Woods!

ALC Review: Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods
Pub Date: February 18th
Narrator: Esther Wane

Thank you to @macmillanaudio for the ALC. All thoughts are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily #macaudio2025

Upon a Starlit Tide is a historical fantasy inspired by Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. This is going to be an all vibes no thoughts kind of review honestly. But I did really like the vibes! I liked the French setting and history regarding the conflicts between them and the English as well as the fantasy world building. There were parts of the plot that surprised me towards the end and there were parts that were a bit predictable.

The book was just a bit too long for me and some of the fairy tale elements somewhat heavy handed. This book isn't YA but feels like it is for a lot of the book.

I enjoyed the narration by Esther Wane who I don't believe I've listened to before. Her voices for characters felt distinct but not overdone.

6/5 stars no notes-an enchantingly perfect book i will be yapping about to anyone willing to listen. I recommend going into this blind-it combines elements of Cinderella and the little mermaid, but trust that this story is entirely its own. Lucinde is a captivating heroine-her journey felt so well earned and there were so many twists i didn’t see coming. Just a masterfully written historical fantasy!!

I really wanted to love this book. The world-building is absolutely stunning, with rich detail and an immersive setting that pulled me in right away. But unfortunately, the main character and the romance fell completely flat, which made it hard to stay invested.

The protagonist had no real personality, and her choices felt more like plot devices than natural reactions. There were so many missed opportunities — great ideas that never fully developed because the story was stuck following a character who didn’t feel real. The romance, which should have been a strong emotional thread, lacked chemistry and depth.

It’s frustrating because there was so much potential here. If the character work had been as strong as the world-building, this could have been an incredible read. Instead, it just felt hollow. In short: Beautiful setting, disappointing execution.

Upon a Starlit Tide had me a choke hold the whole 10+ hours of this audio production by MacMillan Audio.

I absolutely loved this Cinderella and Little Mermaid retelling mashup set in the 18th century of France. The story follows Luc, who is an adopted daughter of a very wealthy merchant family dealing with a special magical rock which is a primary building material for the cove. This story includes faerie folktales and merfolk in a very fresh and delightful way. I really enjoyed the sister dynamics- how fickle and caring they were at times. It was refreshing to not see the "evil sisters" trope but rather a really flexible and deep level of complexity admidst jelousy, etc.. I really enjoyed the historical aspects of this story, from the war between England and France and also especially the GOWN details for all the sisters. Please give me fan art asap artists! I need to see THE dress (if you know, you know).

I felt like the villain was so good too!

I adored many of the side characters and really enjoyed the twists (even if somewhat predictable). I definitely need to read more of Kell Woods!

This was a very delightful fun read- with a dash of sizzle, daring, and danger.

Content: Some detailed kissing, semi-open door, and some swear words from some savory smugglers

Upon a Starlit Tide is a beautifully crafted fairy tale of a book, a perfect merging of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, yet so much more. It immerses you in 1758 France, off the coast of Bretagne (Brittany) - where noblemen and sea pirates plunder the sea.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys alternate histories that are filled with magic, mermaids, princesses, sisters, and Cinderella stories. This was definitely a five star for me! Esther Wane's narration was fabulous and really drew me into the story.

Upon a Starlit Tide is a not quite straightforward fairy tale retelling but clearly draws from Cinderella, Little Mermaid and other stories mixed in a historical 1758 Brittany during ongoing war with England. Woods does a good job of weaving together new and familiar elements in a manner that gives glimpses as to where the story is going at times while telling a story that is its own. Esther Wane’s narration is well paired with the historical fiction setting and cast of characters for the novel as well as the more fantastical and action elements of the story as they arise. This is a novel that will shorely appeal to anyone that enjoys fairytale retellings or this era of historical fiction; but will likely find fans beyond those groups

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an audio review copy of Upon a Starlit Tide. Full review is available in episode #297 of Narrated podcast: https://narratedpodcast.com/episodes/297