Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle is a dark academia fantasy novel, and the first book in The Drowned Gods Trilogy. It follows a student at a magical college who is trying to uncover the truth behind her be
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Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle is a dark academia fantasy novel, and the first book in The Drowned Gods Trilogy. It follows a student at a magical college who is trying to uncover the truth behind her best friend's death, while grappling with new, forbidden powers and a secret society.
Synopsis
The story is set at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, where a student's magical abilities are tied to the moon phase of their birth. The protagonist, Emory, returns to the college for her second year after a tragic night in the Dovermere sea caves left her best friend, Romie, and seven other students dead, with Emory as the only survivor.
Emory's previously mediocre healing powers have been replaced by a strange, new, and powerful magic. To understand and control these abilities, she enlists the help of Romie's reclusive brother, Baz, who possesses a dark, feared form of magic called Eclipse magic.
Their investigation leads them toward a hidden, cult-like society at the heart of the school. The mystery deepens when the supposedly drowned students begin washing ashore, alive at first, but then dying horrible, magical deaths, prompting Emory and Baz to realize they are not the only ones seeking answers. Emory finds herself drawn into the world of the secret society and its dangerous pursuit of power, all while trying to uncover the truth of what happened in the caves and her connection to it.
Reception and Themes
Reviewers praise the novel's atmospheric writing, intricate world-building, and unique lunar-based magic system. The dual perspectives of Emory and Baz are highlighted as a strength, though some reviewers found the pacing slow and the book length a bit excessive.
Key themes include:
- Grief and survivor's guilt: Emory is heavily driven by her guilt over surviving the tragic event that killed her best friend.
- Prejudice and power: The novel explores the dangers of power and the prejudice faced by those with rare forms of magic, like the Eclipse-born students.
- Secret societies and corruption: A hidden society at the school serves as a focal point for the mystery, exploring themes of privilege and the lengths people will go to for power.
- Stories within stories: An in-world book called Song of the Drowned Gods plays a central role in the mystery, adding a layer of meta-narrative to the plot.
Curious Tides has been compared to other popular dark academia fantasies such as The Atlas Six and Ninth House.
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