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!!!

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!