Curious Tides Summary, Characters and Themes
Curious Tides by Pascale Lacelle is a moody, spellbinding dark academia fantasy set in a world where magic is governed by the moon’s phases and the sea holds ancient, forgotten power.
It follows Emory Ainsleif, a student at Aldryn College for Lunar Magics, who survives a deadly ritual that drowns eight others, including her best friend. Haunted by grief and mystery, Emory is drawn into unraveling old myths, forbidden magic, and the secrets behind a powerful underwater realm. With lush prose and eerie worldbuilding, Lacelle’s debut delivers a deeply atmospheric tale of grief, legacy, and the terrifying pull of the unknown.
Summary
In a world where the tides and lunar phases dictate the flow of magic, Aldryn College trains the magically gifted under a strict hierarchy of moon-aligned houses.
Emory Ainsleif, a quiet, rule-following Healer from House New Moon, returns to campus as the lone survivor of a failed ritual in the Dovermere Caves—an event that killed eight other students, including her vibrant, fearless best friend, Romie.
Part I, The Scholar on the Shores, introduces a grief-stricken Emory who is plagued by survivor’s guilt and unsettling visions of the sea.
A mysterious silver spiral mark has appeared on her wrist since the accident—something she soon discovers is also shared by Keiran Thornby, a popular Full Moon student who rescued her from the drowning.
As Emory begins to question the events of that night, she crosses paths with Baz Brysden, Romie’s reclusive older brother and a Timespinner from the ostracized House Eclipse.
Baz suspects there was more to Romie’s death and digs into the college’s Vault, uncovering a note Romie hid in a book of myth titled Song of the Drowned Gods, hinting at forgotten deities and a deeper purpose behind the ritual.
In Part II, The Witch in the Woods, Emory investigates Romie’s growing obsession with dream magic and the idea of reaching a place beyond their world—a realm tied to the Tides and the enigmatic entity known as the Shadow.
Keiran becomes both a comfort and a mystery, his involvement in the night of the ritual unclear. A secret society known as the “Shadow Order” may have lured Romie and the others into the caves, believing they could access forbidden magic.
Baz uses his time magic to peer into fractured visions of the past, glimpsing Romie mid-ritual, and realizes her death wasn’t just an accident—it was part of a deliberate attempt to open a gate to another realm.
In Part III, The Warrior of the Wastes, alliances begin to shift. Emory’s healing magic is changing, acting beyond its usual lunar limitations. She and Keiran grow closer, but she begins to question his trustworthiness.
Baz unearths long-lost theological writings about the Tides and the Shadow, challenging the belief that House Eclipse is cursed—instead, it may be connected to ancient, pre-lunar powers. Emory comes to suspect that the drowned students weren’t victims but were chosen by something ancient—and that Romie may have sacrificed herself willingly.
Part IV, The Guardian at the Gate, takes Emory, Baz, and Keiran back to the Dovermere Caves as a new ritual begins, one that threatens to fully open the gate between their world and the drowned gods’.
The spiral marks link Emory and Keiran to the guardians of this threshold. Baz’s time magic reveals the truth: Romie summoned the gods, and the drowning wasn’t a mistake. Emory discovers that Keiran may have been watching the ritual all along—his silence rooted in guilt.
In Part V, The Damned in the Deep, Emory and Baz cross into the drowned realm—a haunting, liminal space of moonlight and ash. There, Emory learns the Tides were once protectors who failed to seal away the Shadow and became trapped. Romie’s soul lingers, fractured by her attempt to free the gods.
Another student tries to finish her work, believing salvation lies with the Tides, but it’s a lie—the gods only wish to escape. Emory chooses to seal the gate, sacrificing her connection to Romie. Baz helps her escape, both scarred but alive.
In the epilogue, The Sleepers among the Stars, Emory and Baz return to Aldryn, forever changed. Though the gate is closed, the sea still whispers—and the story of the drowned gods isn’t over.
Characters
Emory Ainsleif
Emory Ainsleif is the protagonist of the story, a Healer from House New Moon who returns to Aldryn College after surviving a failed magical ritual in the Dovermere Caves. She is haunted by survivor’s guilt, the trauma of losing her best friend Romie, and the strange silver spiral that marks her wrist.
Emory’s character is defined by her struggle to reconcile her past with her present and her desire to uncover the truth about the ritual that went wrong. Her evolving magical abilities, particularly in healing, begin to take on an unpredictable nature, suggesting she is being affected by ancient forces tied to the drowned gods.
Emory is a deeply empathetic character who is reluctant to embrace her own power, but as the story progresses, she grows more confident and aware of the responsibility she carries. Her journey is one of self-discovery and facing her fears, culminating in her decision to seal the gate to the drowned gods’ realm, choosing life over the unknown and sacrificing her connection to Romie in the process.
Her relationship with Baz and Keiran grows increasingly complex, as she forms alliances but also navigates distrust and betrayal.
Keiran Thornby
Keiran Thornby is a student from House Full Moon, with whom Emory shares a mysterious connection due to their identical silver spiral marks. Though he initially comes across as an enigmatic and somewhat aloof character, his role in the story becomes increasingly significant as the narrative unfolds.
Keiran is depicted as someone with deep secrets, particularly surrounding the night of the ritual. He is initially portrayed as someone who rescued Emory from the caves, but his involvement in the event may be more complicated than he lets on.
Over the course of the story, his loyalty is questioned multiple times, especially as his connection to the ancient forces grows stronger. The tension between him and Emory is amplified by their shared trauma, and their bond grows, yet there is an underlying distrust due to the mystery surrounding his actions that night.
Keiran’s character represents the tension between desire for control and the fear of the unknown. His motivations are often ambiguous, leaving Emory—and the reader—wondering whether he is a victim of circumstance or a player in a larger, more dangerous game.
Baz Brysden
Baz Brysden is a member of House Eclipse and a Timespinner, a rare and powerful magic user capable of manipulating time. He is reclusive, introspective, and carries the burden of knowing more than he lets on about the ancient magics and their connections to the Tides and the Shadow.
His relationship with Emory begins on a tense note, as he suspects she is hiding important truths about the ritual that took place in Dovermere Caves. However, as they form an uneasy alliance, Baz reveals himself to be a key ally in uncovering the dark secrets of the drowned gods.
His ability to manipulate time allows him to see fragments of past events, particularly the tragic night of Romie’s death, and his knowledge of the past becomes crucial in understanding the ancient powers at play. Baz’s character is a mix of practicality and emotional depth, as he carries the burden of knowing the consequences of meddling with time and fate.
He is pivotal in helping Emory navigate the perilous journey into the drowned realm, offering his support despite the toll it takes on him. His loyalty to Emory and his desire to prevent further tragedy make him an integral part of the story, even if his methods sometimes appear cold or detached.
Romie Brysden
Romie Brysden, although deceased at the beginning of the story, is a key figure whose influence reverberates throughout the plot. She was Emory’s best friend and a member of House Eclipse, known for her obsession with dream magic, time distortions, and her connection to the secret society possibly known as the “S.O.” or “Shadow Order.”
Romie’s tragic fate plays a central role in the narrative, as it is revealed that she intentionally summoned the drowned gods, believing she could free them from their prison. However, her actions backfired, and she sacrificed her life to open the gate to the drowned gods’ realm.
Romie’s character embodies the theme of obsession and the consequences of seeking power beyond one’s understanding. Her actions drive much of the plot, and through her, the reader learns about the dangerous potential of the ancient magic and the lure of the drowned gods.
Though Romie is absent for much of the story, her presence is felt through Emory’s memories and the unraveling of the secrets she left behind.
Themes
The Burden of Survivor’s Guilt and the Haunting Nature of Trauma
The protagonist, Emory Ainsleif, experiences the weight of survivor’s guilt throughout the narrative, particularly stemming from the disastrous magical ritual in the Dovermere Caves that left her as the sole survivor. This guilt is not simply emotional but also spiritual, as it affects her interactions with others and her self-perception.
Her internal struggle is compounded by a form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), evident in the way she is constantly haunted by the traumatic memories of her friends’ deaths. The traumatic event is not only an external incident but also marks a psychological and mystical transformation in Emory, where the magic that saved her links her forever to the mysterious forces of the sea and the drowned gods.
This theme explores how deep emotional wounds manifest physically and psychically, underscoring how the past continues to haunt the present, whether through recurring nightmares, mysterious markings on her body, or an inexplicable draw toward the Dovermere Caves.
The Inescapable Pull of Forbidden Knowledge and its Consequences
A key theme in Curious Tides revolves around the perilous allure of forbidden knowledge, particularly when it comes to uncovering ancient and hidden truths that are not meant to be discovered. This is embodied by Romie’s obsession with time magic and dream manipulation, which ultimately leads her into dangerous territory involving the Shadow Order and the mythic Tides.
The novel delves into how such knowledge, once uncovered, becomes a force that cannot be easily controlled or dismissed. The characters, especially Emory, Baz, and Keiran, find themselves entangled in a web of secrets that they initially think they can manage, but it slowly becomes clear that this knowledge comes with grave consequences.
Romie’s tragic fate is a cautionary tale about the destructive power of seeking truths that disrupt the natural order. Emory’s own journey reveals that some truths are too dangerous to confront, with the ultimate question being whether humanity can truly handle the powers they try to control.
The Interplay of Fate, Free Will, and Manipulation
Another profound theme in Curious Tides is the tension between fate and free will, as the characters struggle with their seemingly preordained roles and the decisions they must make. Emory and Keiran, bound by their silver spiral marks, are manipulated by larger cosmic forces that seem to control their paths.
This manipulation, however, is not entirely external; they themselves make choices that ultimately shape their destinies, suggesting that while their fates may be influenced by the ancient powers of the Tides, they are not completely powerless. This theme is explored in depth through Emory’s struggle to reclaim her autonomy after surviving the ritual, as well as the revelations that others, like Romie, were equally trapped by forces beyond their control.
The idea that individuals can make choices while being trapped by larger cosmic forces mirrors the human condition’s struggle to reconcile personal agency with the weight of inevitable destiny.
The Reconciliation of Light and Darkness Through Sacrifice and Redemption
Curious Tides explores a theme of redemption through sacrifice, particularly in the context of Emory’s journey. The narrative frequently blurs the line between good and evil, showing that the ultimate balance between light and darkness can only be achieved through personal sacrifice.
As Emory, Baz, and Keiran navigate the murky waters of the magical world, they are confronted with the realization that to stop the awakening of the drowned gods, they must make profound personal sacrifices. Emory’s choice to seal the gate, even at the cost of losing Romie forever, highlights the complexity of this theme.
It suggests that redemption often comes at the expense of personal desires or relationships, and that true healing may require letting go of something deeply cherished. This theme is not merely about saving the world but about the personal cost of doing so, highlighting that every victory is tainted with loss.
The Existential Question of What Lies Beyond the Veil – Death, the Afterlife, and the Unknown
A recurring motif in the novel is the exploration of what lies beyond the veil of death, particularly in the drowned realm that Emory and her companions enter. The spectral presence of the Tides and the Shadow offers insight into an afterlife that is neither entirely peaceful nor wholly malevolent.
This realm, existing between worlds, functions as a liminal space where death is not an end but a transformation. The question of what happens after death becomes central to the narrative, as Romie’s soul lingers in this realm, caught between life and death, illustrating the concept of unfinished business and the consequences of incomplete rituals.
Emory’s final decision to close the gate reinforces the idea that some mysteries are better left undiscovered, and some forces, once unleashed, are not meant to cross into the realm of the living. This theme pushes readers to question their understanding of life, death, and what may lie beyond the physical world.
The Dangers of Reawakening Ancient Forces and the Consequences of Power Imbalance
The central conflict of Curious Tides revolves around the attempt to awaken ancient forces—the drowned gods and the Shadow—that have been dormant for millennia. These forces are portrayed as powerful, elusive, and dangerous, with their influence often manipulating the characters in subtle and insidious ways.
The novel explores the consequences of disturbing these ancient powers, which have long been sealed away for good reason. The tension between the longing to resurrect these forces and the inherent dangers of doing so underscores a theme of power imbalance, where the ability to access and control such immense forces comes at a high price.
Characters like Romie, who attempt to access these powers, are ultimately punished for their hubris, suggesting that the imbalance of power—whether through magic, knowledge, or divine intervention—can have catastrophic effects. This theme resonates with the broader idea that certain forces are beyond human control and that the pursuit of such power often leads to self-destruction.