Curious Tides

Curious Tides is the first book in a fantasy series set at a school for Lunar magic. Emory is the only survivor of a ritual gone horribly wrong: eight students died or are missing, presumed dead, after Emory follows them to the dangerous sea caves of Dovermere. Emory was only trying to find out what her best friend was doing, but her uninvited presence at the ritual may have caused the disaster. Her best friend, Romie, is gone, and now Emory has strange new magic.
Emory turns to Romie’s brother, Baz, to help her understand and control the dangerous Eclipse magic she now has. Together, they try to unravel the mystery of what Romie and her secretive new friends were trying to do. When two of the missing students return, only to immediately die, Emory is convinced Romie is still alive and needs to be rescued.

Popular boy Kieran invites Emory to join the secret Selenic Order, the same group Romie had joined. Emory returns to Dovermere with Kieran and the Order, believing they are going to help her reach Romie, but they plan to use her magic to summon the drowned gods and harness their power.

Baz’s father and best friend have been institutionalized because their Eclipse magic got out of hand and they Collapsed. Baz discovers that the Institute is actually siphoning off their magic to give extra powers to those in the Selenic Order, and he rescues the two of them.

Emory opens the door to an in-between realm where Romie is trapped. Kieran tries to follow, but he is attacked by nightmare umbras. Baz and his friend arrive in the caves in time to prevent the door from collapsing, but Emory and Romie can’t reopen it from their side. The book ends with Emory and Romie choosing to venture deeper into the other world, and Baz and his friend, Kai, staying at the school to learn more about Eclipse magic and the myths that might explain where Emory and Romie have gone.

Curious Tides has a complicated magic system and a somewhat confusing mythology surrounding it, but, at heart, it’s a relatable story of teenagers wanting to be accepted for who they are. Emory and Baz are looked down upon for various magic-related reasons, and so Emory is susceptible to Kieran’s manipulations, and Baz is a recluse. Emory and Baz help each other develop the confidence to question the stories they’ve been told about themselves and claim their own value. The “dangerous” magic they are both afraid of is a threat not to them but to those in power who want to keep it to themselves.

Emory is an understandable but not particularly likeable character. Her insecurities lead her to lie, use people, and reject genuine friendship. The love triangle between Emory, Kieran and Baz is painful to watch. Readers will likely sympathize much more with Baz whose feelings for Emory are genuine. His caution and hesitancy are a foil to Emory’s recklessness, and he has to keep rescuing her from herself.

Romie and Kai are important characters, but their absence in the first half of the book means they are introduced awkwardly through flashbacks and memories. Both are more intriguing than either Baz or Emory: seen through their friends’ longing (and jealousy, in Emory’s case), the missing characters seem larger-than-life. Presumably they will play a greater role in the sequel.

For such a long book, there is not much plot. A lot of exposition is required to explain the 16 different Lunar magics, and snippets of the myth of the drowned gods are included in each part; this all provides much atmosphere but slows the pacing considerably. The magic school is beautifully described and is an enjoyable setting, even if no one ever attends any classes!

Readers who like poetic prose and magical atmosphere as a backdrop to a story about friendship and fitting in will enjoy Curious Tides.