A clever melding of Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, Upon a Starlit Tide retains some of the darker edges of the original versions and hits all the key beats of each story without being too predictable. It follows Lucinde, the adopted daughter of a successful Malouin corsair turned trader who longs to sail herself, after she rescues a drowning man from the sea and her carefully structured life begins to show cracks.

What helps keeps you guessing about this story is how well-rounded most of the characters are. Each character has realistic charms and flaws, making you want to believe in them when they’re being sweet, but also giving them various reasons to be less than trustworthy, so that you really don’t know who’s going to turn out to be wicked by the end and who might just be a bit misunderstood. Lucinde’s sisters are a great example of this; we expect the stereotypical vain, jealous stepsisters, but Woods demonstrates how their parents’ favoritism and the social expectations of the period have hardened the three girls in some regards even as they truly love and try to care for one another. I would have actually enjoyed seeing both sisters play a little more active roles in the story, especially towards the end, because I think there was so much that could have been explored in their dynamic, but I’m still satisfied with what we got (mostly…I really wanted to know the reaction to a certain letter one of them received). The two characters who I feel could have been a little more strongly developed were actually Lucinde’s two love interests. It’s not that they were flat, but I don’t think we got to see their nuances displayed like we did the sisters’.

As for the world-building, I enjoyed the weaving in of sailor’s superstitions and the fae along with the expected sea-folk; it made those magical details feel more grounded and like they could have been part of 18^th century Saint-Malo, as well as adding some new elements to the familiar plot lines. The real Saint-Malo isn’t a location I’m familiar with, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of any historical details, but Woods certainly paints a vivid enough picture of this seaside community.

All in all, I give Upon a Starlit Tide 3.5 stars. It’s a satisfying retelling of not one but two fairy tales, and I definitely think it’s a book I’ll be revisiting in the future.