For Lucinde Leon, the youngest daughter of one of Saint-Malo's wealthiest ship-owners, the high walls of the city are more hindrance than haven. While her sisters are interested in securing advantageous marriages, Luce dreams of escaping her elegant but stifling home and joining a ship's crew. Only Samuel—Luce's best friend and an English smuggler—understands her longing for the sea, secretly teaching her to sail whenever she can sneak away. For Luce, the stolen time on the water with Samuel is precious.
One stormy morning, Luce's plans are blown off course when she rescues Morgan de Chatelaine, the youngest son of the most powerful ship-owner in Saint-Malo, from the sea. Immediately drawn to his charm and sense of adventure, she longs to attend the glittering ball held in honor of his safe return and begins to contemplate a different kind of future for herself.
But it is not only Luce's hopes at stake—the local fae are leaving Brittany and taking their magic with them, while the long-standing war with the English means Saint-Malo is always at risk of attack. As Luce is plunged into a world of magic, brutality, and seduction, secrets that have long been lost in the shadowy depths of the ocean begin to rise to the surface. The truth of her own power is growing brighter and brighter, shining like a sea-glass slipper.
Or the scales of a sea-maid's tail."
There are so many retellings out there these days that it’s sometimes hard to know which ones will end up being worthwhile. Fortunately, Kell Woods seems to deliver some consistently solid fairy-tale inspired stories. I read After the Forest, a Hansel and Gretel-inspired retelling that takes places years after the events of the story, and really enjoyed her take on that classic tale, despite having a few issues with Woods' writing.
This time, Upon a Starlit Tide draws from The Little Mermaid and Cinderella (I would assume specifically from the original Hans Christian Andersen versions due to the theming and style), and has created something imaginative, compelling, and spellbinding. What I really appreciate about Woods’s approach is that she doesn’t just follow the original stories, she instead expands on them and weaves familiar elements into something that feels fresh and new. I also appreciated how much this book blends a historical fiction style with fantasy, and I think fans of historical fiction and fantasy (or both) would enjoy it.
Upon a Starlit Tide has a darker atmosphere overall, but it doesn’t cross over that line into being too grim. There’s a serious tone underlying the story, but Woods balances it well with moments of whimsy, wonder, and intrigue. The world feels rich and vivid, and the writing has a beautiful fairy tale quality that enhances the storytelling. Her descriptions were incredibly immersive and vibrant, and I could practically the salty sea breeze myself and fully sense Luce’s grand ambitions of captaining her own ship while she observed other ships and imagined her life at sea. I also really felt like I could see how much Woods has grown as a writer since After the Forest and it makes me excited to see what else she will write.
I thought Luce’s relationships with her sisters were particularly well done and was a surprise highlight for me in the story, especially considering I struggled with characters feeling more one note in her previous book. They fit into the classic Cinderella “evil stepsister” stereotype generally, but Woods added a lot of depth to their personalities and made them so much more than just “evil stepsisters,” which also added a lot of dimension to their characters. We see them be harsh to Luce at times, but they also have moments of intimacy and camaraderie with Luce and do manage to get along, much like regular sisters, and I appreciated this nuance in their relationship.
There is some romance in this story that plays a fairly large role in the plot, which makes sense given the fairy tale inspirations. There were moments where it felt like it focused more on the romance than I expected, but that’s probably on me for not anticipating that more. There’s also a little bit of a love triangle at play here, but I think it was handled carefully and well enough that it didn’t feel like your typical frustration love triangle. I thought the reasons behind having it and how it played out was well-developed, and it made sense overall within the framework of the fairy tales that inspired the story. While there were a few moments where it felt a bit overdone for my personal preference, I will say that overall I thought it had a good balance in execution and that it did add to the story in positive ways.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers for this one so there are a few areas that I can’t comment on I’m much detail. However, I do want to mention that Luce has a physical disability that plays a fairly important role in this story, and I thought Woods incorporated it really well and took a lot of care in her portrayal. I loved how it showed that something that may be viewed as a struggle by some can have multiple facets and many different angles to view it, and not all negative ones.
Lastly, I wanted to note that I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narrator did a fantastic job capturing Luce’s voice and the emotions that she experiences throughout the story, and it left me feeling very captivated.
Overall, Upon a Starlit Tide is a gorgeous fairy tale-inspired story that is sure to be a hit for those who enjoy such magical tales. I think there’s a little bit of everything for everyone in this one, so be sure to have a look if it sounds like something you might enjoy.
*I received a copy of Upon a Starlit Tide in exchange for an honest review. This has no affect on my opinions.*
