These Wicked Waters has a slow start, but once it picks up it is well worth the read. Interesting characters and storyline.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was a really cool take on the little mermaid story. I have no idea if that was intentional because this book is about sirens not mermaids but there are definitely parallels.

I really like Annie's family issues. They informed a lot of her character and explained a lot.

It was a bit slow at first but once it gets going it does not stop. This could easily be a stand alone but I'm really hoping for a sequel!

I enjoyed this book. Engaging storyline, lovely characters, and a beautiful setting. Overall an interesting read.

Thank you to Emily Layne, NetGalley, and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

3.5*
This was a good debut novel. I enjoyed the writing style, some of the descriptions were really beautiful. Annie, the main character, was fun and relateable -mentioning sparknotes and I particularly related to her fear of the ocean and not being able to swim.

It took me a while to get into the book, sadly. Unbelievable figures like 200,000 being paid to Benny immediately dragged me out of the story. Around 1/4 of the way through and I wasn't that interested until the ruins and bones were discovered. It was then that it started to pick up for me and it totally caught me off guard which was great.

I enjoyed the romance between Annie and Victor; it was cute, playing on the enemies to lovers trope but not that extreme (more like annoying to I like you trope in this instance). But, I wasn't in love with it. I don't think it was as fleshed out as it could have been so I wasn't fully committed to it (and anyone who knows me knows I get committed).

Throughout the novel, I was never really interested in Lorelei's POV. I don't fully know why. I think partially it was because that side of the story never felt fleshed out and that I never really cared for Lorelei - never sympathy or love or hate etc...

In addition, I was really interested about Annie's relationship with her family and its dynamics. It never felt fully fleshed out, perhaps that will occur in the sequel (I assume one is planned) or its just one of those debut author problems. Her family was one of the most prominent aspects of her life that defined her behaviour and I just needed a bit more as a reader. But, I did really enjoy it.

The climax was interesting. I think some of the sequences were cool to read and I loved reading about when Victor pushed Annie against the wall to protect her and was pulled out to sea. However, I thought the peak fight with the Queen was disappointing. It was very short and she was supposed to be deadly and evoke fear. I read it twice, the second time just to check I hadnt missed something. It fell flat and it really dissappointed me.

The big reveal at the end that Annie's a siren reincarnation was a huge surprise to me. The fact that the Greek Goddess was there was also a huge surprise. It was a great and unexpected plot twist that I assume would be explained in a sequel because otherwise that ending would not be satisfying.

I would be interested in reading a sequel and seeing what direction the story goes in. I think a lot of the problems I found where simply debut author problems as well as the fact that the book was only 274 pages. I dont think the author should be afraid to thicken any other books to ensure that all the positives that are already there are fully developed.

A really great read that reminded me a little of Mira Grant’s “Into the Drowning Deep” up until that second to last chapter.

“These Wicked Waters” finds Annie working at a resort on an island that’s got a a bit of a history and with tourists going missing and something lurking beneath the waves, Annie finds herself hunting for answers even if it means confronting a creature believed to exist in only myths.

This does a good job of working through the slow burn of the mystery behind the disappearances and strange deaths that begin to plague the island while giving us a bit of a history to the creatures themselves before tying both stories together with a fast paced and bloody climax. There’s also a bit of a parallel between both young women as they work to right the wrongs of the past and hope to avoid a similar fate in the future.

There’s some romance here which I’m not sure was really necessary but it didn’t impact the story and the main arc too much so I guess I shouldn’t complain.

The sirens in this are bloody and vengeful reminding us more of movie monsters than a Disney Princess which I can always appreciate but those few paragraphs in the second to last chapter snapped me out of it so fast it was almost laughable even with Annie’s commentary validating the ridiculousness of the scene, I can handle the reveal but not the messenger.

This is a fun read that will make you long for summer as you wait for its October release and it’s left a bit open and I hope that means we’ll be revisiting the sea sooner rather than later.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

Emily Layne establishes the atmosphere for this story from page one. These Wicked Waters has polished writing and attention-grabbing fantasy elements that mingle with grounded storytelling. I liked it!