Upon a Starlit Tide: Review, characters, spicy chapters & triggers
Upon a Starlit Tide synopsis.
A dark and enchanting fairy tale-inspired historical fantasy combining elements of "The Little Mermaid" and "Cinderella" into a wholly original tale of love, power, and betrayal.
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.
Get Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods here.
Upon a Starlit Tide characters.
Lucinde Léon is our Ariel-meets-Cinderella-coded female main character, and the story unfolds in third-person narrative, through her point of view. It’s a perspective that invites us to question the roles we inherit and the dreams we dare to pursue, making her journey feel both intimate and universal.
Keep reading to read the full list of characters.
Lucinde “Luce” Léon (main character)
Jean-Baptiste Léon
Gratienne Léon
Charlotte Léon
Veronique Léon
Samuel Thorner
Bones
Morgan de Châtelaine
Camille de Châtelaine
Castro de Châtelaine
Nanette
Marie Jeanne
Anna Marie
Madeleine
Jean Francois
St. Jean
Jean Pierre
Jean Jacques
Jean Germane
Gabriel Daumard
Monsieur Le Fer
Monsieur Fontaine Roux
Margot (The Groac’h)
Mother Aggie
Martha
Margaret
Tobias
Flora
Thomas
Debret
Upon a Starlit Tide book cover by Lindsey Carr, illustrator.
Can we just take a moment to bask in the sheer majesty of the Upon a Starlit Tide cover? Illustrator, Lindsey Carr understood the assignment and decided to make something so stunning it almost justifies judging a book by its cover.
Upon a Starlit Tide, book cover illustration by Lindsey Carr.
Get Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods here.
Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods: Review.
My rating: ★★★★★
Every author and their dog (or cat) seems to be writing a mythological, folklore or fairytale retelling these days. Which, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE that for us. Stories are meant to evolve, to be reimagined through different lenses, to find new ways to enchant us. But the best retellings don’t just lean on nostalgia, they reinvent, surprise and pioneer. My favourites off the top of my head are Leigh Bardugo’s The Language of Thorns, Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver or Elizabeth Lim’s Six Crimson Cranes.
And that’s exactly what Kell Woods has done here. I didn’t know I needed a Cinderella and The Little Mermaid historical fantasy hybrid but here we are and it was genius.
She doesn’t just remix those two iconic tales. She unravelled them, threw in a pinch of Bluebeard and a good helping of Breton folklore and stitched them back together in a historical fantasy with something far darker, stranger, emotional and haunting. Plus, when I thought I knew where she was going in the story, she subverted cliches and surprised me, many different times.
Moreover, I have to hand it to Woods for walking that fine line between historical fiction authenticity, immersive fantasy and romance (there is a love triangle and that is all I can say without getting into spoiler territory). She walks that genre blend tightrope effortlessly, never overcompensating in one area or letting another fall flat.
From La Manche (The English Channel) to the malouinière descriptions as well as Saint-Malo itself, the setting feels like it’s less of a backdrop and more of a lead character. Add in Breton superstition and folklore and magic and you’ve got a world that feels real, yet imbued with the eldritch. I also thought the romance was sweet and swoony, but not in a cloying, saccharine way.
While I won’t go into plot or story, trust me—go into this one blindfolded—what I particularly appreciated was the richness to the family dynamics in the characters, particularly in Ariel-coded FMC’s Luce’s relationship with her sisters. I almost caught a whiff of the dreaded ✨not like other girls✨ trope, but Woods sidesteps it beautifully by layering the female relationships with nuance.
For example, her sisters, at first glance, slot neatly into the “wicked stepsister” mold, but Woods does something far more interesting: she makes them human, shaped by their father’s blatant favouritism, by the rigid social order that measures a woman’s worth in marriage prospects and made them complex, layered individuals who genuinely love and care for Luce and vice versa.
Finally, I have to shout out Woods’ growth as an author. Having read After the Forest, I’m blown away by her evolution and this book proves that she’s not just a one-hit wonder. She’s here to stay, and I can’t wait to see where she takes us next. Highly recommend this one for anyone who ever loved The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, and loves a dark retelling... I was awestruck!
My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley & HarperCollins Publishers Australia for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
View my Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods book review on GoodReads here!
Upon a Starlit Tide FAQs.
Some answers may spoil this book if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.
What are the Upon a Starlit Tide content and trigger warnings?
Torture
Murder
Death of a loved one
Death of a parent
War
Guns
Colonialism
Sexism
Sexual content
Gaslighting
Grief
Classism
Is Upon a Starlit Tide spicy?
Yes, Upon a Starlit Tide brings some mild spice with open-door scenes that don’t go into explicit detail. Perfect for readers who enjoy a little heat without the full blaze.
Spice level: 🌶
1/5, mild spice
What are the spicy chapters in Upon a Starlit Tide?
You can find the spicy chapters in Upon a Starlit Tide here:
Chapter 16
Chapter 19
What are the tropes in Upon a Starlit Tide?
Love triangle
Friends to lovers
Slow-burn romance
Opposites attract
Hidden identity
Grand masquerade ball
Small town
What types of fantasy creatures can I expect to encounter in Upon a Starlit Tide?
Upon a Starlit Tide is filled with the fantastical, with a particular homage to Breton folklore, mythology and fantastical creatures.
Mermaids/Sea-maids
Fae
Lutines
Jetins
Water sprites
Groac’h
Bugul Noz
Korrigan
Enjoyed reading Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods? You may also enjoy reading:
One Dark Window | Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft
The Serpent & the Wings of Night | Six Scorched Roses | The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King | The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent
Fourth Wing | Iron Flame | Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
A Court of Thorns & Roses | A Court of Mist & Fury | A Court of Wings & Ruin | A Court of Frost & Starlight | A Court of Silver Flames
