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Salt & Starlight: A Memory-Curse Ocean Romantasy
A tide-born girl haunted by the father she couldn’t save.
A cursed sailor who forgets everyone he loves.
And a heartbroken ocean that believes all love ends in abandonment.
Isidra Ovalle has spent five years believing her tide-calming magic failed the night a storm claimed her father. Hiding her power is the only way she knows how to survive, until a devastating storm threatens her coastal village and she instinctively stops it.
The ocean answers by whispering her name and delivering a broken sailor to her shore.
Cael does not remember how he got there, only that the sea owns him. Bound by a curse that steals his memories of love, he knows one terrible truth. The more he cares, the faster the ocean takes him. When Isidra saves his life, an invisible bond forms between them, syncing their hearts to the tide as he teaches her to read the sea’s moods and its grief.
Because the ocean is not just magic.
It is a sentient god, abandoned long ago, convinced that all love ends in leaving.
As Isidra and Cael fall for each other, the curse accelerates. Names fade. Faces blur. But feelings remain. Their first desperate kiss stills the entire sea, proving for one fragile moment that love can be stronger than grief.
Then the ocean demands a sacrifice.
To save her village and the man who is forgetting her, Isidra must face a devastating truth. Some storms cannot be calmed. Some gods cannot be appeased. And loving Cael may mean losing him to the sea forever.
Some loves refuse to be forgotten.
Some sacrifices echo louder than the tide.
And some choices change the fate of gods.
Salt & Starlight is a lyrical adult romantasy filled with ocean folklore, sentient magic, and soul-deep romance, perfect for readers who love heartbreak, devotion, and choosing each other even when memory fails.
Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses who
🌊 Sentient magic & mythic sea gods
💔 Cursed, soft-hearted heroes with memory loss angst
🔥 Slow-burn romance & first kisses that stop storms
🩸 Devastating sacrifice and impossible choices
✨ Lyrical prose and love that defies fate
A cursed sailor who forgets everyone he loves.
And a heartbroken ocean that believes all love ends in abandonment.
Isidra Ovalle has spent five years believing her tide-calming magic failed the night a storm claimed her father. Hiding her power is the only way she knows how to survive, until a devastating storm threatens her coastal village and she instinctively stops it.
The ocean answers by whispering her name and delivering a broken sailor to her shore.
Cael does not remember how he got there, only that the sea owns him. Bound by a curse that steals his memories of love, he knows one terrible truth. The more he cares, the faster the ocean takes him. When Isidra saves his life, an invisible bond forms between them, syncing their hearts to the tide as he teaches her to read the sea’s moods and its grief.
Because the ocean is not just magic.
It is a sentient god, abandoned long ago, convinced that all love ends in leaving.
As Isidra and Cael fall for each other, the curse accelerates. Names fade. Faces blur. But feelings remain. Their first desperate kiss stills the entire sea, proving for one fragile moment that love can be stronger than grief.
Then the ocean demands a sacrifice.
To save her village and the man who is forgetting her, Isidra must face a devastating truth. Some storms cannot be calmed. Some gods cannot be appeased. And loving Cael may mean losing him to the sea forever.
Some loves refuse to be forgotten.
Some sacrifices echo louder than the tide.
And some choices change the fate of gods.
Salt & Starlight is a lyrical adult romantasy filled with ocean folklore, sentient magic, and soul-deep romance, perfect for readers who love heartbreak, devotion, and choosing each other even when memory fails.
Perfect for fans of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses who
🌊 Sentient magic & mythic sea gods
💔 Cursed, soft-hearted heroes with memory loss angst
🔥 Slow-burn romance & first kisses that stop storms
🩸 Devastating sacrifice and impossible choices
✨ Lyrical prose and love that defies fate
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 28, 2026
3 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Review of advance copy
Salt & Starlight is a hauntingly beautiful ocean romantasy that blends memory, magic, and longing into a story that feels like standing ankle-deep in the tide while the stars burn overhead. Gracen Marshall crafts a lush, atmospheric world where the sea remembers everything—even when the characters can’t.
The memory-curse element is the true standout. It adds an aching emotional weight to the romance, making every connection feel fragile and hard-won. Watching love unfold when memories are unreliable creates a slow-burn tension that is both painful and intoxicating. The romance leans more yearning than explosive, but when the chemistry hits, it hits—salted with desperation, devotion, and just enough spice to leave a lingering warmth.
The ocean setting is immersive and lyrical, almost a character in its own right. Stormy, beautiful, and dangerous, it mirrors the emotional currents running beneath the story. There’s a softness to the prose that pairs beautifully with the heavier themes of loss, identity, and fate.
While parts of the pacing felt a little slow in the middle, the payoff was emotionally satisfying and well worth the journey. This is a romantasy for readers who enjoy atmosphere, emotional depth, and a love story shaped by magic and sacrifice rather than constant action.
Overall, Salt & Starlight is a tender yet powerful tale—perfect for readers who love ocean magic, cursed lovers, and romance written in starlight and saltwater.
Perfect for readers who love:
🌊 ocean & sea magic
✨ memory curses
💔 yearning, emotional romance
🌌 dreamy romantasy vibes
The memory-curse element is the true standout. It adds an aching emotional weight to the romance, making every connection feel fragile and hard-won. Watching love unfold when memories are unreliable creates a slow-burn tension that is both painful and intoxicating. The romance leans more yearning than explosive, but when the chemistry hits, it hits—salted with desperation, devotion, and just enough spice to leave a lingering warmth.
The ocean setting is immersive and lyrical, almost a character in its own right. Stormy, beautiful, and dangerous, it mirrors the emotional currents running beneath the story. There’s a softness to the prose that pairs beautifully with the heavier themes of loss, identity, and fate.
While parts of the pacing felt a little slow in the middle, the payoff was emotionally satisfying and well worth the journey. This is a romantasy for readers who enjoy atmosphere, emotional depth, and a love story shaped by magic and sacrifice rather than constant action.
Overall, Salt & Starlight is a tender yet powerful tale—perfect for readers who love ocean magic, cursed lovers, and romance written in starlight and saltwater.
Perfect for readers who love:
🌊 ocean & sea magic
✨ memory curses
💔 yearning, emotional romance
🌌 dreamy romantasy vibes
Review of advance copy received from Author
Salt & Starlight is an alluring and immersive ocean romantasy that will transport you to the dark shores of Brinemeer, a small coastal village that is home to the Ovalle family. Lady Isidra Ovalle is tide-born like her mother. Her younger sister Marina is also tide-born, wise and brave beyond her years. She is motivated to grow and harness her abilities in order to protect her family. (Marina was my favorite character, I hope we will see more of her in the future books!)
Five years ago, a storm took their father’s life and that is a memory that still has Isidra pinned beneath the heavy weight of grief. Another storm is rolling in and it bears both a blessing and a curse.
Most days Cael can’t remember his own name without reading over his journal, the only tether to his past and present. The memory curse bestowed by the ocean ensures that he can’t love anyone more than the ocean if he can’t remember them. Every day like building an elaborate sandcastle knowing the tide will wash away every trace of it.
A brutal storm destroys the ship Cael was sailing on and he finds himself on an unfamiliar shore. Isidra brings him to safety and they feel a connection almost immediately. Their love for each other quickly becomes a light in the darkness. The low spice yet soul-deep romance was perfect for this story!
The village is fearful of tide-born and omens, the Ovale family is supportive but cautious, the ocean is waiting and listening…
Five years ago, a storm took their father’s life and that is a memory that still has Isidra pinned beneath the heavy weight of grief. Another storm is rolling in and it bears both a blessing and a curse.
Most days Cael can’t remember his own name without reading over his journal, the only tether to his past and present. The memory curse bestowed by the ocean ensures that he can’t love anyone more than the ocean if he can’t remember them. Every day like building an elaborate sandcastle knowing the tide will wash away every trace of it.
A brutal storm destroys the ship Cael was sailing on and he finds himself on an unfamiliar shore. Isidra brings him to safety and they feel a connection almost immediately. Their love for each other quickly becomes a light in the darkness. The low spice yet soul-deep romance was perfect for this story!
The village is fearful of tide-born and omens, the Ovale family is supportive but cautious, the ocean is waiting and listening…
January 28, 2026
A whimsical tale of love and survival, Gracen Marshall's “Salt and Starlight” is a gaslamp romantasy set in a seaside village where the tide speaks to those who listen.
🌊 Memory Loss
🌊 Lord's Daughter x Sailor
🌊 Sentient Ocean Deity
Isidra and Cael weren't insta-love, but close enough. They fight for love and each other as they struggle to break prejudices and Cael's curse, even at the risk of losing each other. It was hard to see their love so wrought with struggle without a moment of reprieve. It's a love story built on borrowed time, and all I want is for them to have their happily ever after without conditions or limitations. It was beautiful to see them hold on so tight.
The tone of the story felt ethereal at times; it wasn't casual or serious, it felt almost lifted instead.
Marshall introduces characters known as tide-borns, humans marked by the Ocean, and Heralds, tide-borns lost to a hurt ocean. Transparent and foamy, they weren't mermaids, but it scratched that itch all the same.
The Ocean is hurt and broken, believing that love is abandonment and that everyone chooses land over the depths of the Seas. The notion was beautiful and sad, a depth all its own. The metaphor of it all can apply to so many things – illness, age, loss… It was beautiful. It weighed on my heart in a way that felt needed.
🌊 Memory Loss
🌊 Lord's Daughter x Sailor
🌊 Sentient Ocean Deity
Isidra and Cael weren't insta-love, but close enough. They fight for love and each other as they struggle to break prejudices and Cael's curse, even at the risk of losing each other. It was hard to see their love so wrought with struggle without a moment of reprieve. It's a love story built on borrowed time, and all I want is for them to have their happily ever after without conditions or limitations. It was beautiful to see them hold on so tight.
The tone of the story felt ethereal at times; it wasn't casual or serious, it felt almost lifted instead.
Marshall introduces characters known as tide-borns, humans marked by the Ocean, and Heralds, tide-borns lost to a hurt ocean. Transparent and foamy, they weren't mermaids, but it scratched that itch all the same.
The Ocean is hurt and broken, believing that love is abandonment and that everyone chooses land over the depths of the Seas. The notion was beautiful and sad, a depth all its own. The metaphor of it all can apply to so many things – illness, age, loss… It was beautiful. It weighed on my heart in a way that felt needed.
February 2, 2026
Memory Fades, but Devotion Endures
Salt & Starlight draws you in like a swim. Before you know it, you’ve been bodysurfing with the swells and treading water for hours because this ocean is a sentient force.
What begins as an atmospheric story about tide magic and a shipwrecked sailor turns into a meditation on love that survives even when memory does not.
Isidra’s suppressed magic and unresolved grief over her father’s death give the story its power. When she saves Cael - a sailor bound to a curse that steals his memories of the people he loves - their connection is immediate, but never easy.
Every tender moment carries dread, because love itself accelerates his forgetting. It’s a cruel, emotional twist.
Shared silences and recurring feelings, even after names are lost, ignite the slow-burning romance. Cael forgetting details while still being drawn back to Isidra tugs at the heartstrings.
Salt & Starlight asks what love means when everything else is taken away. Lyrical and mesmerising, it’s a romantasy that lingers and deserves five stars for sheer escapism.
Salt & Starlight draws you in like a swim. Before you know it, you’ve been bodysurfing with the swells and treading water for hours because this ocean is a sentient force.
What begins as an atmospheric story about tide magic and a shipwrecked sailor turns into a meditation on love that survives even when memory does not.
Isidra’s suppressed magic and unresolved grief over her father’s death give the story its power. When she saves Cael - a sailor bound to a curse that steals his memories of the people he loves - their connection is immediate, but never easy.
Every tender moment carries dread, because love itself accelerates his forgetting. It’s a cruel, emotional twist.
Shared silences and recurring feelings, even after names are lost, ignite the slow-burning romance. Cael forgetting details while still being drawn back to Isidra tugs at the heartstrings.
Salt & Starlight asks what love means when everything else is taken away. Lyrical and mesmerising, it’s a romantasy that lingers and deserves five stars for sheer escapism.
February 3, 2026
“Even when you can’t remember the face of the person you love, you can still choose to protect them.”
The ocean in this story is not just a setting, it is a living, breathing force. She holds heartbreak in her depths and calls back those she loves, changing them forever. There’s something haunting and poetic about the way nature is portrayed here: powerful, emotional, and completely indifferent to the rules of men.
For our main characters this is a story filled with love, sacrifice, and a truly unique magic system woven seamlessly into the world. While this book isn’t fast-paced or edge-of-your-seat intense, it invites you to sink into its atmosphere. You don’t race through it, you drift through it, getting lost in a world where the sea is never fully peaceful and beauty always comes with a cost.
Overall, I’m giving this one 3.5 stars. I’m deeply intrigued to see where the next book takes this story and this world.
February 5, 2026
loved it !! what a great start for this new series !! love Cael and Isidra... this is their love story... a fast paced rom/drama... with a memory stealing curse and a sentient Ocean... Isidra is heartbroken that she couldn't save her father.. she has magic to calm the ocean but, it was not enough that fateful day... she hides that she has magic and lives quietly... but, when, a major storm rolls in... she uses her magic to save her village... and she is rewarded with Cael... the Ocean gives him to her.. by half drowning him and tossing him on the beach... but, he is cursed... his memories disappear of the ones that he grows to love... this is their story... a heartbreaking one to be sure !!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 31, 2026
A Gentle Fantasy Full of Wonder
I found Salt and Starlight to be a beautiful and thoughtful story.
The world feels soft and mysterious, blending everyday emotion with touches of magic.
The characters grow through loss, hope, and courage in ways that feel honest.
I enjoyed how the story takes its time and lets moments breathe.
This book left me calm, reflective, and grateful for stories that shine quietly.
I found Salt and Starlight to be a beautiful and thoughtful story.
The world feels soft and mysterious, blending everyday emotion with touches of magic.
The characters grow through loss, hope, and courage in ways that feel honest.
I enjoyed how the story takes its time and lets moments breathe.
This book left me calm, reflective, and grateful for stories that shine quietly.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is an emotional and harrowing tale of a love founded by magic and belief, powers that are often misunderstood, and a curse threatening to disrupt their world.
The atmosphere crafted by Gracen is truly immersive and spellbinding.
For those who appreciate romantasy, stories of found love, and narratives involving grudges, I wholeheartedly recommend this.
The atmosphere crafted by Gracen is truly immersive and spellbinding.
For those who appreciate romantasy, stories of found love, and narratives involving grudges, I wholeheartedly recommend this.
February 5, 2026
fantasy romance
First off, the cover is amazing. Really grabbed my attention and immediately screamed fantasy. After reading it I would say the book leans more romance with fantasy elements than vice versa. But it was still very enjoyable. If Romantasy is your thing, you can’t go wrong with this one.
First off, the cover is amazing. Really grabbed my attention and immediately screamed fantasy. After reading it I would say the book leans more romance with fantasy elements than vice versa. But it was still very enjoyable. If Romantasy is your thing, you can’t go wrong with this one.
February 6, 2026
I liked it
I am just getting started with fiction and I must say I am satisfied with this (my third book) read
I am just getting started with fiction and I must say I am satisfied with this (my third book) read
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews