While I was originally drawn in by this book’s gorgeous cover, I ended up staying for the synopsis itself. Not only was this book comped to Ninth House and A Deadly Education, but I always enjoy a good dark magic school with a secret society. I generally enjoyed my time with Curious Tides, but unfortunately, it didn’t end up becoming a new favorite for me. 

One thing I did think this book did well was the world-building and general pacing of the plot, though it may be too slow for many readers. I found the way the story unraveled to work well for me, and it was balanced well with us learning more about the magic system, the secret society hidden Aldryn, and the world’s history in general. When there are so many moving pieces in a story it can often feel like they’re racing each other or fighting for the reader’s attention, but this book was a good example of how it all can work together. There were moments it did drag a little bit and I did start to feel the book’s length, but it wasn’t generally an issue for me!

Unfortunately, this book lost me a little in the characters. A lot of the motivation for our narrators comes from Romie, the sister/friend who died before the story began. Even though we do see flashbacks of before, it didn’t really endear me to Romie and it made the intense motivation to bring her back feel hollow to me. We really only see the moments where Emory and Romie’s friendship is already suffering and beginning to fail, and it honestly didn’t do enough to help me understand Emory and Baz’s intense desire to bring her back. I completely understand wanting to reverse the loss, even at the expense of others or yourself, but it’s an easier motivation to follow when you (as the reader) as feel the loss of this character. I also wasn’t always a fan of Emory and the decisions she would make, and it made some of her choices quite frustrating to read and follow. Lastly, I also wasn’t entirely convinced by the romance in this book and the love triangle that ended up forming. I didn’t find either of the relationships very appealing, and I was often left more frustrated than intrigued by the romantic subplot.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this book and did like where the ending seemed to be heading, though I’m not entirely sure yet if I’ll end up continuing the series!