Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods (After the Forest) is a deeply enchanting novel. Set in 18th-century French high society in Saint-Malo, Brittany, this dark and luscious world is full of sailors, smugglers, fishermen, and the Fae.
The Malouins know that their success at sea comes from their connection with Brittany's supernatural folk. Many Malouin families have thrived and become wealthy merchants and traders, but no family has risen higher than the Léons, the "Lions of the Sea." Jean-Baptiste, the patriarch, has three beautiful daughters: Veronique, Charlotte, and Lucinde. Luce, the youngest, was adopted by Jean-Baptiste after he found her on one of his voyages, and her sisters resent the way Jean-Baptiste favors her. Luce herself longs to go to sea, which has always called to her, and she resents the strictures of Malouin society, which require her to stay at home as all demure, upper-class ladies do. Although her feet are "gnarled and brittle... turned inward and under," which makes every step painful, Luce is determined to explore her world, taking secret sailing lessons from her friend, an English smuggler.
But when Luce rescues a man from the sea, her action sets into motion a series of events that rock the very foundations of Saint-Malo. No longer content to roam the shore, Luce begins to play a much higher stakes game with the sea and its spirits.
Paying homage to both "Cinderella" and "The Little Mermaid," Upon a Starlit Tide is a ravishing novel of magic and bravery. Fans of Naomi Novik or Juliet Marillier will adore it. --Jessica Howard, freelance book reviewer