Kell Woods

I was completely carried away by this one. It’s marketed as a Little Mermaid/Cinderella mashup, but reads more like an original story about smuggling and aristocracy in a seaside 18th century French town. I loved the layers of depth with the characters. Avoid spoilers if you can, because the surprises are delightful. It’s excellent on audio and I couldn’t put it down. Luce and her disfigured feet, love of the sea, and disregard for regular customs made her an excellent heroine. I show more thought the added fae elements in the story felt almost real in the way they were presented. Just fantastic. show less

What a fantastic book! It was such a joyful, immersive read. You can feel the classic fairy tale influences throughout, but the story still feels fresh and original, with characters that are easy to fall in love with. The pacing is excellent. It was effortless to devour and evolved enough to stay gripping throughout. The writing strikes a great balance, being lyrical but accessible, never veering into overly pretentious despite the period setting. It even managed to sneak in some great show more twists and more than a few tears from me. The characters are lush and fully realized. I loved Luce. It was easy to step into her world and care deeply about the people she loves. This would make for a stunning film adaptation, full of heart, magic, and emotion. It’s a rich escape from reality with enough heft to bring along real feelings. Give it a read! show less

Wow, this book was excellent and I will eagerly read anything else Woods writes. Set in 16th century Germany against a backdrop of interstate conflict, witch trials, and religious intolerance, it tells the story of the folktale Hansel and Gretel's titular characters (Greta and Hans here) after the woods; that is, as adults, post-witch and -oven, and -gingerbread house. The setting is fantastic, the descriptive language is fantastic. The blend of historical fact and fairy tale elements is show more fantastic. The pacing is fantastic. The characterizations are wonderful and strike the difficult balance of depicting characters with believable strengths and weaknesses without slipping into caricature or melodrama, and desires and agency without relying on anachronism or unrealistic motivations or capabilities. This is a definite winner, and I will read it again. show less

CW: Grisly death of a secondary character

The worldbuilding is exquisite in this mashup of The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, with a smidgen of [b:Pride & Prejudice|129915654|Pride & Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1681804503l/129915654._SX50_.jpg|3060926] thrown in for good measure. I don't say this lightly, but Upon a Starlit Tide reminded me at times of fellow Aussie [a:Juliet Marillier|8649|Juliet show more Marillier|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1373081365p2/8649.jpg]'s work, if slightly less evocatively intense. The plot takes a while to get going, and the heroine becomes suspiciously bulletproof in the last 25% (physically, not emotionally). But Woods' sly embrace of some tropes and subversion of others means that the path to HEA is full of surprises.

I'm off to find Woods' debut, [b:After the Forest|200379018|After the Forest|Kell Woods|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1697891152l/200379018._SX50_SY75_.jpg|97432941], which checks in on Hansel and Gretel 20 years after the almost-eaten-by-a-witch incident. show less