Upon a Starlit Tide

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Manufacturer: Kell Woods
Brand: Historical Fantasy, Fantasy Fiction
Brew: Ebook
Steeping Time: 417 pages
Tea Service: Recommendation
Strength:

Synopsis: Saint-Malo, Brittany, 1758.

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.

It’s currently early October 2025. I’ve just finished Upon a Starlit Tide. I can confidently say that this is my top book of the year. Hands down. No competition.

Upon a Starlit Tide is one of those books so steeped in magic that it swallows you whole. I slipped into the pages as easily as Luce slips into the sea, and all I wanted was to stay there. This story touched a depth of my soul that words can’t begin to describe. The nostalgia and longing I have for a place and time and magic I’ve never known is beyond description. But let’s take a step back and set the stage.

Upon a Starlit Tide follows Lucinde Leon, called Luce by family and friends, the youngest daughter of the Leon family. Found alone on the beach as a toddler, the patriarch of the family scooped her up and brought her home, where she became his greatest treasure, much to his other daughters’ chagrin. Luce spends her days living a life she’d never have known, but it isn’t all it’s cut out to be. Surrounded by lavish furnishings, tutors, feasts, and courtly balls, she longs for the sea. The water calls to her, as does her best friend Samuel, whom she meets at water’s edge in the wee hours of the morning. He alone understands her longing to take to the ocean, to sail the seas far and wide.

But one morning, Luce does not find her usual fare washed up on the sand.

As she hunts for treasures from the sea, she spies a man in the water. He’s lashed to a piece of wreckage, barely clinging to life. Luce makes the choice to save him, robbing the sea of what it was near to claiming, and setting her life off on an adventure she never imagined.

From the jump, I loved Luce. It was so easy to relate to her, and I felt for her situation. Adopted into a family where the other sisters aren’t exactly welcoming. Born with misshapen feet that make even walking a painful endeavor; forget dancing at a ball or following her sisters up the many stairs of the cathedral in Saint-Malo. Longing for a life beyond the walls of her home, of her city, of her country. I immediately connected with her. But another aspect that pulled me to Luce was her draw to the ocean. Her need to be near the water resonates so deeply with me, and the faint hint of magic in it spoke straight to my soul. I was Luce’s instantly.

I didn’t exactly love how easily Luce slipped between her feelings toward Morgan and Samuel, but I did have to remind myself that she’s on the cusp of adulthood, seventeen, when emotions are high and the world is brand new. And honestly, who could blame her? Two handsome guys who both want your attention? It’s hard to say no to that, especially when you’ve been led to believe that you’ll probably never find a marriage partner due to your deformed feet. I didn’t love it, but I understood it.

Every character is so well fleshed out, and every setting feels like I could step right into it.

Not a single thing lacked, in my opinion. From the smallest housemaid to Jean-Baptist Leon, Luce’s father, every person felt real. They had personality, purpose, goals, dreams. Even the ocean seemed to be a character unto itself. And then there are the magical creatures we meet in Luce’s world, as well as the myths and legends they uphold. I loved the groac’h, from perceptions about her to who she actually was. She was definitely one of my favorite characters in the book. Another of my favorite parts pertained to a magical group known as the sea-dead. Without getting into it, our first meeting of them was downright spooky in the best way possible. I couldn’t get enough.

The locations we visit are so clear and vivid. It was like actually being there. After finishing the book, I learned that Woods spent a good deal of time visiting Saint-Malo and Dorset for research. It shows, and I can say that it absolutely paid off.

The writing style grew on me, but I’ll admit it wasn’t my favorite when I first started.

It felt flowery at times, disjointed at others, but once I found the flow, the current swept me away. Truly, Kell Woods may have just become a must-buy author for me. You can bet if I see her name grace a cover, I’ll be taking it home sight unseen. She created the kind of magic I’ve always longed for, and I never want to leave it.

The pace of Upon a Starlit Tide is a good medium pace for the most part. However, there’s a moment about eighty percent of the way through where we start running and we don’t stop. I couldn’t put it down! I made it about halfway through Upon a Starlit Tide before I had to jump ship and read our book club’s pick for the month, and every day I was away, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was almost torture not to pick it up. I worried that I’d forget a decent amount in the few weeks I was away from it, but no. Luce’s story stayed with me every day I was away, a siren song calling to me from the dark.

Once I returned to Upon a Starlit Tide, I wasn’t prepared for the ride I was about to embark on.

Every emotion swirled through me. At one point, such rage flowed through my veins that I had to put the book down and literally step away. Other moments brought tender heartache, while others saw joy and pleasure. At other times, I openly cried, mourning alongside these characters I’d come to know and love. Their story was not always an easy one, but it was one I’m glad to have known.

No spoilers here, but the ending had me absolutely weeping.

I loved this story so much. This is one of the most disjointed reviews I’ve ever written, and it’s because I don’t even know where to begin. I just want to shove it into people’s hands and make them go read it. I want to scream from the rooftops about how much this story resonated with me. So here I am, shouting into the void, hoping you’ll love Upon a Starlit Tide as much as I did.

If you’re a fan of magic, fairy tales, a twist on fairy tale retellings, and love above all else, Upon a Starlit Tide needs to be your next read. Get swept up in the magic. Follow a path of stars.

Have you read Upon a Starlit Tide? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought about it! Want to read it for yourself? Click here to get a copy of your own.
Cheers,
Lydia