An interesting mystery with a Greek-themed setting. The beginning was slow to get into but once you got to know the characters and once the plot built up this book was hard to put down. It was an interesting page-turning filled with mystery and fantasy.

Not only did Annie have other plans for this summer, but she’s been afraid of the water since almost drowning when she was ten. The island of Visio Nisi is not where she wants to be. But her mother is the new owner of the island, and it’s the opening season for the newly built resort.

Annie has heard the rumors, and when first a guest goes missing, then a couple employees, she knows there’s something out there in the water.

This was a quick, fun read. It definitely sets up at the end for a sequel, but the storyline does come to a satisfactory conclusion. It wasn’t a particularly complicated story, and there weren’t any real surprises, but I enjoyed it.

Interesting idea and mystery story. However, I was put off somewhat by the narrator’s point of view. At times Annie comes off as a spoiled, whiny brat. I had trouble caring what happened to her.

What started of as a slow, boring at times, book turned around and became fast paced. The plot was very interesting and I always like to see peoples versions of sirens. The ending left me wanting more, I can't wait to see what's in store for Annie.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. These Wicked Waters was full of angry sirens, missing people and creepy ruins. I really enjoyed the creepy ruins, the Greek aspects of the book and the siren who wanted to help save the humans from her angry family. I felt like the characters were just mediocre and the story could've used more excitement. My favorite thing was definitely the cool Greek island setting!

I really enjoyed this book and the unique way sirens are interwoven in the story.

It took me a bit to get into the story and get past the MC Annie's spoiled rich girl vibe (she's being "punished" by having to spending the summer in a resplendant villa on a tropical island owned by her mother and is angry that she couldn't rock climb in Greece by herself <eye roll> ).

Beyond that, the parallel story of Annie and the sirens was intriguing and was very well done. I did feel like the whole "I've seen sirens but no one believes me" went on a little too long, but it was eventually resolved...somewhat.

The story moved along nicely and was entertaining; I read this book in one day. If you want a light, YA read, with a little splash of sirens, pick this one up!

4/5.
Sinceramente, no esperaba que este libro me gustase tanto. Para quien no me conozca, si hay un libro de sirenas, lo tengo que leer. Junto con los dragones son mis criaturas mitológicas/fantásticas favoritas así que cuando se me presentó la oportunidad de leerlo no lo dudé.

Este libro tiene por protagonista a Annie, una chica de 16 -casi 17- años que tiene que ir a trabajar al resort que acaba de abrir su madre en una isla. ¿El problema? No solo que ella no quiere trabajar allí, sino que hay leyendas que dicen que la isla está maldita, que es peligrosa y si a eso le sumamos que ha desaparecido gente y que los anteriores dueños murieron, pues no inspira mucha confianza. Cómo no, la madre de Annie cree que son tonterías y está encantada con su nuevo negocio. Pero las cosas empiezan a torcerse cuando un cliente desaparece y nadie sabe qué ha pasado.

Tengo que admitir que el libro empieza a ser interesante cuando llevas el 20-25% leído, antes de eso es mas bien introductorio. La trama me ha gustado mucho, me ha parecido original cómo se han tratado ciertos temas de las sirenas y el final, aunque había un par de cosillas que me olía, hay otra que me ha sorprendido. Una de las cosas que más enganchada me ha tenido a la lectura ha sido el descubrir qué había pasado con las desapariciones y con las leyendas que circulaban alrededor de la isla, cómo se habían formado y por qué estaban ocurriendo todas esas cosas. La autora ha jugado conmigo en un par de ocasiones y eso me ha gustado.

Los personajes han estado bien, en su línea para las edades que tiene. Quiero decir, Annie es una chica de 17 años, no esperéis un comportamiento super madura de una chica de 25. Pero lo cierto es que me hubiese gustado saber un poco más cómo era su relación con su hermana y su padre. Son temas que aparecen en el libro pero creo que tendrían que haber tenido más profundidad.

Si os estáis preguntando por el nivel de inglés, es mas bien avanzado, no lo recomiendo como primera lectura ni mucho menos. Si bien es interesante y creo que de este libro puedes aprender mucho vocabulario, si no estás habituado a leer en inglés puede que se te haga cuesta arriba.

Finalmente solo puedo decir que, aunque este libro es autoconclusivo perfectamente podría haber una segunda parte, de hecho me gustaría, ya que como digo la trama ha tenido cierta originalidad y desde luego con ese final se puede tirar del hilo.

*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this book. I’ve read almost every title released by Owl Hollow Press and have never been disappointed. These Wicked Waters was no exception. This is a story that centers around the important of family and in particular the bond between sisters. The main character is Annie and I loved her. She was strong, determined, and as an adult reading her story she reminded me what it was like to be a teenager and to have unwavering belief. We sometimes lose that as we age and indulging in teen reads is a great way to remind yourself of the magic of youth.

Annie’s journey begins with her stepping off the boat onto the Island her mother has purchased. She is to spend her summer here as punishment instead of going rock climbing. She’s a typical teen and we’re immediately drawn into the mystery that surrounds the island. We also witness the strained relationship between Annie and her mother.

I loved the changing chapters where we are introduced to Loralie, the siren, and witnessing her story and again the bond she had with her siren sisters is so well done. These chapters built up the story before it merged with the every day and the horror that ensued.

The writing in this book is excellent. The characters are superbly written. I loved Benson, Victor, and all the supporting cast.

This whirlwind adventure has it all and although I think it is aimed at younger teen readers, I have to say as a 40+ woman, I enjoyed every moment of it. Annie proved herself time and time again and her belief never wained. Although she tried to warn her mother and other adults of the danger they faced, no one listened and it was up to Annie to try and save the day.

There’s so much to this story and it’s hard to review without giving away spoilers, but I will say the family dynamics are beautifully mastered as are the teen emotions and dilemmas. I loved reading about the sirens and I thought the ending was just perfect.

The settings and descriptions were stunning and I know some of the sentences and phrases used will stay with me.

If you are looking for a teen read that will pull you in and drown you in the depths of emotion and action, I highly recommend These Wicked Waters by Emily Layne.

A big thank you to Owl Hollow Press for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this book.

I couldn't put this book down! It wasn't what I was expecting at all. This is a great page turning mystery.

These Wicked Water definitely surprised and in the best way!

The writing was very good. It was very light and easy read (I ended up reading it all in one seating), and definitely very fun and intriguing.

I liked the mysteries and I was hooked from the beginning, especially when it comes to the family drama. I’m very fond of those, which means that I have high expectations about them... This one didn’t particularly meet my standards and I felt the resolution of it was rushed, but it did work to keep me reading until I was interested in other aspects of the book.

Which leads me to... sirens! I really loved the use of the creatures here and the parallel story we get concerning them. The world building of the creatures was pretty good and I like the little twist we have with them (at least the timeline thing was a twist to me).

Speaking of twists, though, the one by the end felt quite unnecessary and I felt like its only purpose was to open the door to a sequel and didn’t really feel earned within the narrative.

As for the characters, Annie annoyed me sometimes because I felt like she was the stereotypical rich girl who couldn’t understand that the people around her had bigger life issues than “my mom didn’t let me go to Greece alone”. But overall she was okay and her relationship with Victor was sweet. My favorite thing was her relationship with her mother by far.

Overall, I had lots of fun with this books and its mythology and it was a great distraction for a couple of hours.

This wasn't at all what I expected I thought it'll be more of a mystery, trying to find what happened to the missing guests and what this old curse is. Instead, this was very obvious from the first chapter, at least for me. The book turned darker towards the middle and end, which I really enjoyed, it suited the story quite well.
My only problem was the protagonist, Annie. I think it's an age thing - she just acted a lot younger than what I expected and I couldn't really connect with her but I think this is personal. There were quite a few times that her reactions and thoughts just baffled me but that came from her young age.
Overall, I think it's an interesting read that will surprise you, especially if you're going into it thinking it's a solve-the-mystery kind of a book. Definitely, suited more for teenagers than 20-somethings.

I adore a YA book that incorporates vocabulary!

This story took the time to build up the plot and also allows readers to get to know the characters creating a fantastic novel!

If you love YA fantasy or novels about mermaids, I would recommend this developed page turner! It gives a modern spin on the tale of mermaids and I’m ready for the next installment!!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review your novel!

I really enjoyed this book! A ton of positives: characterization, creation of the island in the past and present, the lore, strong plot with an excellent ending that tied up all lose ends while still allowing the potential to have a second book. There was something so beautiful about the ending (I don't want to reveal too much) I can't stop thinking about it!

I was concerned when starting this book that it would be better suited for a younger YA reader, but I was proven wrong when this gave me more of the feels that Stranger Things did in season 1 - geared towards a young YA while still adding something...darker when it comes to themes of death/violence, overcoming negative pasts/moving forward and the nature of humanity.

Earlier this year, I read to Kill a Kingdom and I would slide These Wicked Waters next to that book on my shelf of incredible ocean theme reads. Five Stars!

I definitely did not expect to like this book as much as I did.
An enjoyable mix of fantasy, romance and investigative mystery that follows 17-year old Annie on her mission to discover the truth behind the disappearances of a guest and a colleague from the holiday resort she's working at for the summer.

I've always been a sucker for anything mermaids and sirens, and giving the lore a little gory twist was almost certain to make me fall in love with it. Add in a mature and smart young heroine, a low-key, slow-burn romance and some gripping mystery, and I was a very happy reader.

I did not, however, like the little twist at the end whose sole purpose seems to have been to set up the next book.

All in all, though, this was a fantastic debut by Emily Layne, and I can't wait to get my greedy little hands on her future works.

I love mermaid books, it's like one of my all time favorite genres of books, and I really enjoyed this book. I was invested in the curse that formed on the island. I really loved the characters in the book and would love it if there was more to this book.

It’s been a long time since I devoured a book in one sitting but that’s exactly what I did with these wicked waters. Told from the points of view of Annie - daughter of the woman who has just opened a resort on the island of viaii Nisi - and lorelei a siren. I loved this! 😍 no sweet little mermaids here!
Lots of action and I was hooked from page one! Really hope there is a second book following Annie?

*received a copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Interesting premise having sirens still living in our oceans. I enjoyed parts of it but would have preferred it to be more fantasy based since it seemed quite unbelievable. I might tackle a second book in the series.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

For a novel involving sirens, I found "These Wicked Waters" to have a unique and interesting story line compared to other stories I've read in the past that involve these mythological creatures. Emily Layne did a great job keeping me interested and wondering where the plot was going to lead and how the story was going to end. From the challenges of betrayal, trust, and family problems; to hope, new friendships, and love; the story takes the reader through the ups and downs of the MC's life. Lastly, I enjoyed the MC Annie, because she was quirky, adorable, brave and honorable; miss Layne did a good job showing the growth of her main character when exposed to such devastating, as well as thrilling adventures during her summer break. If there were a sequel, I would read it, but the way the book ended it seems this is a standalone.

This book starts off a little slow, but once it picks up it’s really enjoyable. The setting and characters are well developed.
There is love and family and it came off as a newish The Little Mermaid but with Sirens. It was definitely unique and different!

I picked up this book not having heard of it or knowing anything about it other than an assumption that it involved mermaids (and I love mermaid stories!!!) I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I really like the characters, especially Annie. She’s a bit awkward, your typical teenager, and I find her to be likeable. I think Victor is my favourite, though! He is such a great part of this story and the way their relationship builds is so much fun to watch! I enjoy the flashbacks that are included for the reader to get to know Lorelei’s character better- although the Lorelei we meet is quite different. If you are a fan of sirens, and fun ya stories you should pick up this book!!!