STRANGER SKIES
Book 2 in the Drowned Gods trilogy — coming soon!
Content warnings: Please be advised that this book deals with and portrays a number of difficult subjects, including death, murder, grief, guilt, body horror, emesis, allusion to suicide ideation, panic attack, bloodletting, self-harm, alcohol, amputation (off-page), war (mentioned), violence, brief mention of child abuse, torture of a fantasy creature, exorcism.
Cover design by Greg Stadnyk.
Ninth House meets The Hazel Wood in this riveting sequel to the New York Times bestselling dark academia fantasy Curious Tides, following Emory, Baz, Romie, and Kai on their desperate quests through worlds and time!
Opening locked doors has a price—even for those who hold a key.
After going through the door that called to them both in dreams, Emory and Romie find themselves in the Wychwood: the same verdant world written of in Song of the Drowned Gods, albeit a twisted, rotting version of it. A sinister force has awoken with their arrival, intent on destruction as it spills across realms, and now Emory and Romie must stop it before it reaches their own shores.
Meanwhile, Baz and Kai are desperate to follow their friends through the door to other worlds, but a mishap pulls them back in time instead—where they come face to face with Cornus Clover himself, famed author of Song of the Drowned Gods. Stuck together in the past, they must navigate a very different Aldryn as they unravel the school’s darkest secrets.
Across time and worlds, Emory, Romie, Baz, and Kai find their fates eerily interwoven with the heroes from Clover’s book. But when stories can’t be trusted, friendships are put to the test, and deadly enemies are not always as they seem, they must decide who gets to be a hero—and who is desperate enough to see themselves become a villain..
CURIOUS TIDES
Book 1 in the Drowned Gods trilogy — out now!
Cover design by Greg Stadnyk, art by Signum Noir.
Content warnings: Please be advised that this book deals with and portrays a number of difficult subjects, including death, grief, branding/tattoos, body horror, mild panic attacks, anxiety and depression, bloodletting, elitism, vivid dreams, recurring nightmares, alcohol use, magical substance abuse, magical asylums/prisons.
Ninth House meets A Deadly Education in this gorgeously dark academia fantasy following a teen mage who must unravel the truth behind the secret society that may have been involved in her classmates’ deaths.
Emory might be a student at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, but her healing abilities have always been mediocre at best—until a treacherous night in the Dovermere sea caves leaves a group of her classmates dead and her as the only survivor. Now Emory is plagued by strange, impossible powers that no healer should possess.
Powers that would ruin her life if the wrong person were to discover them.
To gain control of these new abilities, Emory enlists the help of the school’s most reclusive student, Baz—a boy already well-versed in the deadly nature of darker magic, whose sister happened to be one of the drowned students and Emory’s best friend. Determined to find the truth behind the drownings and the cult-like secret society she’s convinced her classmates were involved in, Emory is faced with even more questions when the supposedly drowned students start washing ashore—alive—only for them each immediately to die horrible, magical deaths.
And Emory is not the only one seeking answers. When her new magic captures the society’s attention, she finds herself drawn into their world of privilege and power, all while wondering if the truth she’s searching for might lead her right back to Dovermere…to face the fate she was never meant to escape.
PRAISE FOR CURIOUS TIDES
“By combining elements common to fantastical dark academia novels with innovative worldbuilding, multifaceted plotting, and an intersectionally diverse cast boasting nuanced character arcs, Lacelle crafts a lavishly imagined dual-narrative tale that will capture readers like a rip current.”
—Publishers Weekly starred review
“Not a word is wasted in this hefty, suspenseful novel as the story, rich with its own mythology, draws the reader in as inexorably as the tide.”
—Booklist starred review
“With chewy, intricate worldbuilding; sparkling characters; and thrilling twists, Curious Tides pulled me under, and I never wanted to resurface from its richly imagined depths. An alluring, immersive debut.”
— Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic
“A beautifully ethereal fantasy that reads like a dream. Filled with beguiling magic and whimsical storytelling, Curious Tides is a reverie I was sad to wake from.”
— Chelsea Abdullah, author of The Stardust Thief
“A world that pulses and breathes. With intricate magic and a mystery that spirals as deep and dark as it can go, Curious Tides is a marvel in atmosphere.”
— Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights
“A darkly enchanting story that had me turning pages like mad. Gorgeous writing, fascinating characters, and the kind of rich magical lore that dreams are made of. Curious Tides swept me away. I'm obsessed with this world.”
— Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn
“Curious Tides sucks you in from page one with a fully realized universe that feels lived-in and otherworldly all at once. The story is alive with lore, and it’s impossible not to be transported.”
— Joan He, New York Times bestselling author of Strike the Zither
“Rich, immersive and astonishingly layered—I want to sink into this darkly magical world and never leave.”
— Laura Steven, author of The Society for Soulless Girls
“Vividly imagined, beautifully written, and as dark as it is dazzling—Curious Tides will drag you under from the very first page.”
— Sarah Underwood, New York Times bestselling author of Lies We Sing to the Sea
UNCHARTED DREAMS
Free prequel short story available now on SimonTeen.com!
Cover design by Greg Stadnyk, art by Signum Noir.
Register for a free account on SimonTeen.com to access this Curious Tides prequel short story.
Romie Brysden is a Dreamer, the best at the prestigious Aldryn College for Lunar Magics. She knows the realm of dreams like a sea captain knows the tides. And she’s gone deeper into this vast sleepscape than any Dreamer ever has.
But there is one dream that calls to her in both the waking world and the sleepscape—a song she cannot shake. The only dream she cannot reach. She doesn’t know what it is or where it will lead her, but she is sure of one thing: this dream is her destiny.
And she’ll do whatever it takes to find it, even if it’s the last thing she ever does in this world…or any other.