Ninth House meets The Hazel Wood in this “richly written” (Booklist, starred review) 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.
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"This series is so good! The plot, the characters, the world building, everything is so well written. I appreciate a high quality writing especially in a fantasy series. It’s a must read. First book was good but the second was better"
— Sujpuj11 (5/5)
Title fits well with the book.
"Great book, fantastic plot and really interesting magic that all makes sense."
— Benjamin (5/5)
Love!
"I haven't made my way through the whole book yet, but I can say that if you loved Curious Tides, you'll be enthralled with the sequel. I LOVE this author's worldbuilding and writing style. Perfect for dark academia fans."
— Booksandorchids (5/5)
I found the title to be quite intriguing!! I think it alluded both to the study and literatuew as well as elements of gothic literature and writing
"The book study in drowning is great! Personally because i loved the inclusion on the love for reading books and literature as it makes the storyline and plot even more relatable to the reader. Not the mention the added romance and fantasy with faries!"
— Christina S. (4/5)
Stranger Skies: A study in how to not die travelling through the time-space continuum
"I've been waiting to read this ever since devouring The Curious Tides as an ARC, and Lacelle once again proves she's a master at genre-blending sorcery. The multiple POVs? Chef's kiss- though I'll admit I definitely played favorites with some characters' chapters (no regrets). The dark academia vibes, time/space/multiverse-bending shenanigans, and cosmic hero's journey had me LIVING. But. . . I've got some thoughts. Can we talk about those centennial competitions? Twice we're told these are supposedly make-or-break moments for Eclipse-born acceptance, hyped up as major plot points, only to watch them vanish into the void? It felt like they were thrown in just to keep that dark academia aesthetic running while Emory and Romie were out there casually breaking the space-time continuum. Don't get me wrong - I'm still throwing money at my screen for the next book, but this one tried to be everything everywhere all at once, and sometimes that vastness worked against it. Also, can we please talk about Kai? My sassy king deserves the WORLD. Him and Baz are literally my precious cinnamon rolls and I will fight anyone who tries to hurt them. And through it all, Lacelle's writing continues to be everything."
— PKanwar (4/5)
So beautiful
"This book was a wonderful follow up to the first one Curious Tides, and a beautiful cover!"
— Jess (5/5)
Great PJO book
"Slower start than other other PJO books but great once it gets moving"
— Sierra (5/5)
Unique story line.
"Unique story line with an interesting twist on a main character"
— Shan (4/5)
Read the first book to understand
"Amazing story telling. Great addition to the first book, Curious Tides."
— Amara (5/5)
A unique world and creative story
"Book review: 4/5 ⭐️ Genre: YA fantasy Themes: myths and stories, knowledge as power, shadow and light 📖 Read if you like: A Study in Drowning, The Hurricane Wars, Ninth House I had mixed feelings about Curious Tides. It had a lot of promise, and I probably would have given the concept 4. 5 ⭐️, but the characters lacked any depths and are were terribly cliche falling into obvious traps, which we hear about through a string of rambling thoughts in many of the chapters. This dropped my overall review somewhere in the 2. 5 ⭐️ ballpark. The saving grace was of course the magical system interwoven with legend, and the supporting cast. Kai and Jae alone with the eclipse born mystery could have made me want to read this series. I wasn’t sure if I was going to read the next book as I had enough of Emory, but I am sure glad I was able to get an advanced copy of the next instalment because the story was wonderfully imagined with puzzle pieces fitting together in a creative way. Emory grew on me mostly because in comparison Romie was the terribly flat character. Clearly a bad friend, self-centred and judgemental, she lacked the enigmatic persona that I expected from her character after Emory and Baz waxed poetically about her in book 1. It didn’t really make sense why she inspired any loyalty, nor the friendship she claimed to have with Emory. Even with her POV I couldn’t understand why she was so self-righteous and complaining constantly while doing nothing herself. The Emory-Romie chapters were particularly dreary to read, but I often feel this way about YA. If you’re going to have a duplicitous friend make them more interesting, a puritan more polarizing, an outright villain more devious. This lack of commitment left Romie boring I’m afraid. As with the first book, the supporting characters were much more interesting and saved the day with a group ensemble. There were several new faces and some old favourites. Putting the relationship of the MCs aside, the plot was where this book really shined. It was creative and integrated mythological stories within stories, time travel and gods well into the existing world. It was certainly an adventure with a unique magical system that varied somewhat throughout the worlds and a twist that could be seen, but I didn’t mind it. I wish there was a bit more lead up to the final unveiling given how long this book was, but I am just enamoured by the world building and the creative plot. Traversing the sleepscape to enter different doors and fulfill the prophecy to bring back the gods is not as simple as it was written. Not to mention Baz and Kai being pulled into a new challenge out of time itself. As these parallel story lines collide we discover what is really at the heart of The Song of Drowned Gods and the sacrifices needed to save magic and the worlds from collapsing. When the dragon entered the scene that was the final selling point. If you like plot-forward YA with a really creative concept and some dark academia you may enjoy this one. Sometimes second chances really do pay off! Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced e-book."
— Karisbookclub (4/5)
Q&A
Published date: Nov 04, 2025
Language: English
No. of Pages: 624
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 9781665939317
Dimensions:
5.5" W x
1.6" L x
8.25" H
"An expansive and engaging sequel that builds on the fresh worldbuilding of the original."
Pascale Lacelle is a French Canadian author from Ottawa, Ontario. A longtime devourer of books, she started writing her own at age thirteen and quickly became enthralled by the magic of words. After earning her bachelor’s degree in French literature, she realized the English language is where her literary heart lies (but don’t tell any of her French professors that). When not lost in stories, she’s most likely daydreaming about food and travel, playing with her dog Roscoe, or trying to curate the perfect playlist for every mood. You can find her on Instagram and X @PascaleLacelle.
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