"Stranger Skies", an In-Depth Review

BAZ FANS RISE UP!!!

I cannot believe it's happened, at a delicious 589 pages, I have finished the second book of the Drowned Gods trilogy.  Now, all I have to do is wait several months more for the third and final release. There is so much I have to discuss on this book, and I think Pascale Lacelle is one of my new top authors. 

Anybody here who has read any of my other reviews of books that involve fantasy and romance, know that I am quite picky on both categories. There is nothing wrong with folks reading the romantasy genre, and I think as long as you are reading that's a plus. Yet I can't deny that I am biased to epic fantasies, and slow burn romances that don't step on the toes of the plot. Stranger Skies is a book that checks almost all of the boxes for me in these two categories, yet I will give it some time as I have just finished this book and have not yet exited the honeymoon phase. Although I'm pretty sure most of my opinions will stay fairly intact. 

Here's what I'll cover:

- Writing style/execution

- Characters

- Plot

Writing Style/Execution

Right. So.

Usually I start off a blog post gushing about the characters and their flaws or traits I am fond of, but this time I need to start with the writing. 

Whenever I read a book with more than 2 points of view, I am always a bit worried about how well I will be able to understand the story, especially in a book like this, where they are not only in separate locations, but also separate timelines. I was nervous going into this book, seeing as how the narratives doubled (now adding Kai and Romie to the mix) and I still had a lot of confusion and unanswered questioned for the first installment of the series. I was worried this would only add to my previous confusion. When time travel was introduced, I was even more worried.  If I couldn't keep up with the original lore of ONE of many worlds, how could I keep up with the lore of FOUR, and follow a plotline 200 years in the past? I found that throughout the book, some much needed explanations came in the form as a character's own realization. Baz, Kai or Emory would usually be brainstorming about something, get hit with a sudden realization, and then explain it to themselves. Because of the confusion that came with the many mechanics at play in the first book, this came as a great relief. Normally in a book, when something like this is revealed through an "A-ha!" moment, I get a little irritated because it feels kind of... well, lazy. But in Stranger Skies, there was already so many other things happening and playing out, that I found myself honestly quite happy with the delivery of these answers. I didn't have to wrestle with the pages to try and answer all of these questions myself, write notes, study any cryptic texts, interactions or visions. It was just sort of handed to me on a silver platter, which again, I think only worked as well as it did for me personally because of how much was going on. Now, another thing I think really helped air out any confusion while reading this book WAS the time jump. It kept everything nice and separate for a while, allowing me to digest each side of the coin without also trying to keep multiple opinions, secrets, and revelations about the same thing separate. I wasn't seeing the same painting through 4 different lenses, but I was seeing two paintings, each with their own set of glasses. I think these "A-ha!" moments sort of served as a correction to that confusion in the first book. While reading, it did feel exactly like that, a correction, but I think it was written and delivered well enough into the story that it served more as a relief than a frustration. In my opinion. Some might disagree, but I was very happy to get some answers. Another thing I think was well executed in this book was the purpose of these multiple points of view. The purpose in the first book felt like attempts to reveal truths for each character. Let me explain. 

Reading through both Baz and Emory's points of view in Curious Tides felt like being handed two encrypted messages. Each message had its fair share of missing words, and you had to compare and contrast both encrypted messages to get a combined answer. Like picking puzzle pieces from two different puzzles to combine them and create an entirely new puzzle. This felt as if it sort of changed in the second book, and instead was showing the same information, just through a different light. It felt more like emotional insight that further drove each character's development, instead of offering layered riddles for the plot. This was very easy on the eyes for me, and really helped build my excitement for the romance building between Baz and Kai.

The Characters

ALRIGHT.

Mentioning, Baz and Kai (swoon) I have to dive into the characters. 

A few members in my book club expressed their dislike for Emory, which I could ultimately understand but could not myself agree. All valid points as to why they might dislike her as a character, not disputing that, but I felt as if her flaws had a purpose. Now, even I had a reason to be frustrated with Emory near the beginning. This frustration disappeared as the story went on, but I definitely groaned once Emory continued to lie to Romie upon their reunion. I thought to myself: She's a compulsive liar!! It felt like the only reason she was continuing to lie was to save herself from her own shame? I couldn't excuse her behavior on survival anymore, as the stakes didn't seem so high like they used to be. She had found Romie, and at this time in the plot, they figured all they had to do was find a way to make it back home and all would be swell again. This definitely had me rolling my eyes a bit, but wasn't a dealbreaker in any means. If anything, it just further pushed the notion that Emory is a flawed character, as they (and we) all are! Emory slowly started to grow into this woman who was becoming more self-aware, not just in her abilities but also in how she hurt those around her. There was a period of time where Emory was in denial, refusing to accept what her powers had been doing to the other three keys. She felt ashamed at the name of Tidethief, so she shied away from any accountability that would label her as such. Eventually she grew out of this, and we sort of read her becoming more self-assured. More self-accepting. Emory does still believe that she has some sort of darkness, or some sort of evil inside of her, but she comes to a realization that she does not believe that she herself is evil. She admits she has done wrong and has hurt people, ended up apologizing to them, and tries to find ways to put whatever powers she has due to her unique birth to good use. She decides not to follow any path any deity has already planned out for her, but decides to find a way to forge one for herself. One that would involve her own self-acceptance, while also still keeping and protecting her friends. Romie herself at the very end seems to acknowledge this conclusion Emory comes to and respects her for it. 

Romie on the other hand, had a habit of irritating me the same way Emory in the first book irritated others in my book club. 

For the entire first book, we are met with the overwhelming shared narrative of grief. Baz believes his sister is dead, Emory believes that her best friend is dead. Emory goes so far as to use bloodletting as a form of self harm (mentioned in the very beginning of the first book) to try and cope. Everyone is suffering greatly because of how much they loved her. Emory so much so, that she went to some pretty great lengths for some closure and for the possibility that she might be able to save Romie. She was (supposedly) dead! She was mourned, had a burial, her mother was estranged and her family was tearing apart at the seams, Emory was wallowing in grief to the point she ended up becoming Keiran's tool, and all Romie can care about is following the song DEEPER???

GIRL! Do you not understand the amount of pain all your folks back home went through? Romie didn't seem to care at all about anybody back home! She didn't even seem to acknowledge it at all, really. Maybe I just missed it, and maybe its supposed to be used to show just how strong this magical pull on Romie and the other keys really is. Yet I just couldn't shake the irritation. Throughout the rest of the book, I often found myself rolling my eyes at Romie whenever she felt the need to interject her opinion. She really just seemed to be very bitter, a tad bit jealous, and over all very close minded. I don't think she tried very hard, if ever at all, to think outside of the narrative she had been fed. I don't think it was until the last chapter where she realized Emory might have had some good points, and that the keys were just walking right into their deaths. And according to the last section titled "The Damned" I don't think she cared much! She was too eager to roll over and die because it was her "fate". Where Emory goes to challenge whatever paths the deities are trying to manipulate her towards, Romie seems all too eager to accept them like a dog begging for scraps. Emory wants to jump the table and bring the feast down for herself and her friends, whilst Romie... she just doesn't seem to have much fight in her, which I find really irritating. Shes going to spend her time being super critical (and, in my opinion, fairly self-centered) so those who mourned her greatly, and then just lay down and die when she's proven wrong? Girl, GET UP. Emory's actions in the first book to me, while still morally wrong, were understandable based off of the way it played into her development, and the severity of the situations Emory found herself in. Emory also was heavily manipulated. Romie just seems really self-absorbed, unable to believe that maybe Emory was right about some things, and instead of hearing her friend out or trying to understand everything at play, was quick to jump on the Tidetheif bandwagon and villainize her supposed best friend. Even when her girlfriend tries to explain it all to her, asking her to just give Emory a chance, she nearly sticks her nose up and stomps like a toddler, refusing to do so. Where Emory has given Romie a lot of grace, excusing her behaviors because Emory believes she deserves it, Romie can't seem to find hardly any! This just really made me dislike Romie as a character overall. But hey, character development seems to be a big theme in this series, so maybe Romie will find some redemption in my eyes with the third book. 

Kai. I think a lot of Authors really ruin the bad boy archetype. They just push it way too far, forgetting that their "bad boy" character is also really just a dude with some baggage. I think Kai is a perfect example of a well written "bad boy" that 1. fits his age group, 2. fits his world setting, and 3. does a good job at still remaining "human". Too many times, I end up rolling my eyes at these characters who are basically just a trope put on a pedestal; flat, 2 dimensional, lacking any depth other than just being some fanservice for someone to squeal over. Kai is what I think a "bad boy" should embody in this world he is written into. Minor acts of rebellion as small as slight dress code violations (like refusing to keep the top two buttons of his shirts buttoned), wearing jewelry from his home that acts as a symbol of religious difference, tardiness/poor attendance, etc. Kai has things to lose. Kai, despite being rebellious, also has certain things (or rather a certain someone) that he wouldn't want his acts of rebellion affecting in a negative way. I think plenty of us can relate to wanting change, wanting to make our voices heard, but refrain from doing this to a larger extent because we have something or someone we don't want to take the consequences of our little rebellions. A pet, a lover, family back home, the comfort of a home, the ability to pay a rent or mortgage, the ability to keep your job and put food on the table, sweet treats, these are all things that we would miss and wouldn't want to lose due to any form of consequence, and Kai exhibits this as well. This makes his character, at least for me, feel more human. Kai wants to rebel, make changes in this world, get the truth, but there is at least one person he doesn't want to see hurt by his behaviors. That person is Baz. Even in the first book, he waits until Baz is gone to purposely force himself to collapse. Not only that, but he also does it inside the Eclipse commons, which one I think is just a wise move because its hidden away with limited access, but also it wouldn't leave any obvious signs, or scars, for Baz to mourn over. Of course, this still does greatly affect Baz, but I like to think that Kai had Baz in mind to some extent while doing all of this. In the second book, he is not only a bit rebellious, helping Baz to "go with the flow", but he is also very protective. He has a good sense of character, is able to cut through Clover's charm, and is immediately suspicious of the man's intent. Kai is just a believable character. I never really once found myself scoffing or rolling my eyes at his behavior. He's a young man with a strike of bitterness due to his mistreatment, all over his birth he had no control in. He is fearful of getting hurt again, and therefor has a hard time being vulnerable and opening up to Baz, making himself wait in this aching tension and hoping that Baz will sort of piece it together on his own. He has wants and desires, is too scared of being burned to reach for them, and its highly relatable. This was all written into his character really well, and made him one of my favorites. A "bad boy" isn't just a character you can copy and paste into whatever setting; a "bad boy" is a character that acts in forms of rebellion or resistance that fits for the specific world they are written into. Kai was unique, relatable, and written as a character with a soul. I mentioned in my Fourth Wing review that I couldn't find a single thing to like about any of the side characters, because they weren't written for us to like! They were written as plot devices, to push the story further. Kai was the exact opposite of that complaint, and its lovely being handed a character you can instantly connect with, and builds a deeper fondness for the book in general. I also just want to mention how perfect I think Kai is for Baz. He helps Baz see himself with better confidence and helps the time spinner become more self assured, a trait that he definitely needed to save their world. Kai sees Baz in a very intimate way, he knows his fears, knows his demons, and has helped him fight them off. There is a special connection that builds between two people who are that emotionally intimate. I could find more reasons to ramble about Kai, but I honestly should stop here. I don't have many complaints about his character, I'm just hoping we'll still get to hear from him more in the third book. I would be quite upset if he wasn't an established character. I NEED to see how he handles being separated from Baz, and I NEED to see him listen to his gut on Clover's character, ultimately finding out the truth. 

Baz. Baz, Baz, Baz. How much he's grown. I enjoyed his growth in the first book, and I've enjoyed his growth in the second! He didn't just learn a few lessons from the first book then plateau, he's continuing to grow and adapt. He really does have a powerful magic, and watching him grow into his confidence with it, and then therefore also watching his skills grow, is very very cool. Its again, one of the things I really love about this author and her works. All of the characters are real, they grow and change and they're all just so loveable! For the most part. Baz has been nothing but honest, good natured, and I don't think he has a selfish bone in his body. If anybody were to look at him a little longer, have a conversation with him, I think anybody would feel the way Kai does about him. He is just, an all around good dude! It makes me wonder if as he grows out of his shell, and his powers develop more, if he'll start to sour in any ways. I really don't have much to say about Baz's character, because I don't have much to critique or defend. I love how he can look at the people in his life without a chip on his shoulder. Kai had a moment where he confronted Baz, and was drilling him about Emory, asking him why he still cared for her after how she manipulated him. Baz responded with acknowledging all the ways Emory had used him, but he also acknowledges the way he grew because of his time with her. He seems for the most part pretty emotionally mature. 

The Plot

On my last thing to discuss before critiques, is the plot. 

My chief complaint with the previous book was that it was hard to follow and understand. The world that we saw was one of many, and we only got slivers of clues into what the bigger picture was and what was at play behind the scenes. Naturally, it didn't seem to make sense until the end of the second book, as it seems this is a pretty large puzzle (one that spans throughout multiple worlds) that can take some time to digest. I am much better as visual explanation instead of verbal, so let me include some diagrams.

Let's start, with the ✨lore

Alright. 

This is a fancy little diagram I drew up to help explain the lore of these worlds. 

The Pantheon: This, to my understanding, is a group of 4 gods and a physical location known as the "gods world". They ruled over the ley lines and the worlds placed on them, but didn't want to leave their own comfy home, so they created two messengers to travel amongst these worlds for them. 

The "Messengers": These two deities were not considered gods themselves, but messengers for the Pantheon. One named Atheia, and another named Sidraeus. These two governed two separate realms. Atheia was basically given access to the worlds themselves, while Sidraeus ruled over the "sleep scape" or the places between worlds. They were chained to these separate realms, but found a way to meet. They could only ever travel to the other's realm during an eclipse. This used to happen at least once a year. Through these yearly meetings they fell in love, and wanted to exist together freely. Sidraeus started to plan with Atheia on ways to overthrow the Pantheon, so they could remain together and share both of their magical abilities with everyone freely. It is important to know, that the basic magical powers used by the standard four moon houses is derived from Atheia. The magic the Eclipse Born use is derived from Sidraeus. Once they were able to meet, together by combining their magics, they created the "Tide Caller", or Tide Thief. They are able to use all magics without any restrictions. 

The Leylines/ Spiral: At the bottom of this drawing is what I'm pretty sure is the leylines/Spiral that all the worlds sit on. Magic flows through these lines and into the worlds. World #1, is where the first book takes place, Emory and Baz's world. Romie is the key found in this world. Together, Emory and Romie can access the sleepscape and unlock their way to world #2. This is Aspen's world, aka the "Wychwood". Aspen is the key found in her world, and together Emory and Aspen are able to unlock the next door, enter the sleepscape, and enter the 3rd world. World #3 is Tol's world. Tol is his world's key, and in theory Tol and Emory could have used Tol to unlock the next door, enter the sleepscape, and access the final world. 

This next image will help me explain more on the whole "Key/leyline/sleepscape" fiasco. 

So. 

Emory is the little blue figure. The other keys (Romie, Aspen, Tol, Orfeyi) are the pink figures. Together, Romie and Emory are able to get through their world's door, Dovermere. Emory is the key turner, Romie is the key. Romie's "key" is activated by blood. Together, they travel through the sleep scape. Romie had entered here, and was stuck here in the first book. Since Emory snuck her way into the ritual, both the key turner and the key was present, causing Dovermere to open. But, only Romie (and a few others that were not keys) were sucked in. Emory survives, and this near death experience is what fully awakens her new Tide-caller powers. Since Emory was not in the sleep scape with Romie, Romie had no way out. Once Emory made it back into the sleepscape, and found Romie, they were able to flee into the next world. The spaces in-between these world is the sleepscape. So you have world, door, sleepscape. World, door, sleepscape. So on so forth. At the very center of this spiral of magic that these four worlds rest on, is whats known as the "World of Ash". I'm not sure yet, but I believe this is the place were Atheia resides/will be reborn. 

Another thing to point out, is that Atheia is currently in pieces. She scattered herself, one piece for each world. Her blood, Romie, in the first. Her ribs, Aspen, in the second. Her heart, Tol, in the third. And finally her soul, Orfeyi, in the fourth. With all four pieces of her brought back together and into the World of Ash, she should be able to regain her full strength and come back to her normal form. Atheia, also known as the "Tides", is what Keiran wanted Emory for. He believed if he brought Emory, he could use her as a vessel for Atheia. The very same way Keiran's body was used as a vessel for Sidraeus. 

For some unknown reason, Atheia betrayed Sidraeus and snitched him out to the Pantheon. As punishment, they took his body. Somewhere in all of this mess, he uses the Tidecallers to try and supercharge the leyline and bust down all the door, so that he could overtake the Pantheon. This doesn't work, and instead all Tidecallers died. Without his body, Sidraeus becomes trapped in the sleepscape. In the earlier bits of the story, he was often seen as a shadow figure with an obsidian crown. He later possesses Keiran's body once his corpse is revived.