“They were a mutation of creation, she told me, spawned from abomination, the old world disrupting the natural way of things. A species that could live without land, without men. Everything they were was against God.”

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Seawomen’ by Chloe Timms.

This debut novel is described as a retelling of the witch trials and as is so often the case in dystopian stories, it is the girls and women who are strictly controlled by the society depicted.

‘The Seawomen’ is set on Eden’s Isle, a deeply religious community that for many years has cut itself off from the mainland in order to find salvation. It is a society ruled by fear of damnation, fear of the outside world, and fear of the evil that ever lurks beneath the waters….the Seawomen.

In this society women are controlled completely including their being married off to men chosen by the religious leader, Father Jessop. Once married they must conceive within an appointed ‘motheryear’ or be marked as cursed and cast into the sea in an ritual named the Untethering. Eden Isle is certainly giving Gilead a run for its money!

At the opening of the novel Esta witnesses a woman Untethered and is deeply shaken by it. Left an orphan following the deaths of her parents in a fire and raised by her devout grandmother, the future looks bleak for Esta as well as dangerous given that she finds herself inexplicably drawn to touch the sea and even to enter it!

This was quite a somber tale though with less mermaids (or mermen) than the cover suggests. It portrays a horrific society ruled by a religious elite.

I really felt for Esta and through her narrative voice I came to appreciate the conflict she experiences between the society that she was raised in and the lure of the unknown that calls to her from the sea.

Overall, a promising debut that proved a compelling read as well as a haunting, cautionary tale.

What a read! This book is one of the best dystopian novels I’ve read for sometime up there for me with some of the best. This book for me was the perfect blend of The Handmaid’s Tale and the movie The Village with its tale of a life where women in society are controlled by men for breeding and its claustrophobic, dark and edgy atmosphere. The story telling in this book is perfect. I loved the language, and the pace of the story as it weaved its tale. This is most definitely a dystopian novel but I like the way the writing really creates a sense of good old fashioned folk lore with the creation of The Seawomen who have this mythical hold over the Island. This is a cracking achievement for a debut novel and I can’t wait to read what comes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book revolves around the issue of men controlling women, particularly their ability to reproduce, so for it to come out right as the US Supreme Court is considering whether to repeal Roe v Wade means the issues chime that much more with the zeitgeist. Regardless of that, the novel is well-written and tightly plotted, with believable characters, and it's an impressive debut on a par with Alderman's The Power. Timms is one to watch.

The story is set on an island called Eden, cut off from civilisation and controlled by religion. Stories of evil, manipulative Seawomen cursing the island are spread to scare women from going near or even looking at the sea and the people of Eden are punished for the smallest indiscretions at the hands of the Ministers; men who rule the island claiming to be doing God’s work.

The MC Esta, raised by her extremely religious grandmother is kept in the dark about her mother and father’s death. As she gets older and finds out more information she becomes aware that not everything on Eden is as it may seem and she becomes desperate to escape the island.

This was a harrowing read that had so many ups and downs. I was desperately rooting for the women on the island, especially Esta. I found the first half of the book a little slow but it really picked up the pace after that and I couldn’t put it down. The ending was wrapped up pretty nicely but I feel an epilogue set a few years later would’ve made it even better.

Enjoyed this on a hot day in the garden! It reminded me of Kirsty Logan’s books, so I was unsurprised to see that Kirsty had been a mentor for the author. She shares the same beautiful and very readable writing style and themes of a young women coming of age on a remote and unusual island. This is a lot more sinister though, and I enjoyed the revelations throughout as the extent of the control and oppression of the women on the island became clearer.

In a Nutshell: An outstanding, if slow-paced, atmospheric dystopian fiction that depicts what control a misogynistic cult has over its island. Feminist, raw, provocative, brilliant for a debut work!

Story Synopsis:
Esta stays with her grandmother Sarl on the ironically named Eden’s Isle, an island that is cut off from all other places by choice. “Lording” over this island is the fanatical Father Jessop along with his ministers. They use a contorted version of the Bible and preach values especially to the women inhabitants. Prime in their sermons is the warning to stay away from the sea and its monstrous residents, the seawomen, who can pollute the female residents and use them to create havoc on the island by corrupting men. Married women are expected to conceive within twelve months of their “motherhood year” and if they fail to do so, they are sacrificed to the sea in a brutal act called the Untethering. Esta witnesses one such untethering as a child and her zealot grandma doesn’t miss any opportunity to remind her why she needs to follow the “Great Book.’ But when Esta gets the taste of freedom during one of her childhood adventures, she isn’t able to let go the lure of the sea. What lies in store for a rebellious girl on an island where the women aren’t free in any sense of the word?
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Esta.


Where the book worked for me:
😍 The characters, whether good or evil, are sketched so well. Be it Father Jessop - the wolf in sheep’s clothing, Sarl - the grandma who has a dark secret, Esta – struggling between mind and heart, or the various other secondary characters, most come clearly-defined. The sole exception would be the “Eldermothers” – I feel they were in the backdrop but never get a full-fledged role to play.
😍 Quite a lot of the book feels so real. There are many religious cults that brainwash their followers using distorted belief systems. This story nails this attitude perfectly. There are also some fictitious verses written in biblical format, with ominous names like “Beginnings” or “Flesh”, giving you enough of a clue about what the next section will contain.
😍 The writing is just as atmospheric as the story deserves. It gave me the creeps!
😍 If I have to sum up the book in one word, it won’t be “religion” or “dystopia” but “corruption.” Every person, every idea, every thought in the book has various levels of corruption. The Biblical adage of “Let who is without sin cast the first stone” has been corrupted into “Let’s commit the sin but cast stones on others.” This leads to a dark read with hardly a few moments of respite from the gloom. I loved the match of the writing with the dismal levels of humanity present in the story.
😍 Though the story is slow-paced in the initial quarter or so, the content kept me hooked. The pace increases steadily throughout the book and the final section is just captivating!
😍 Luckily for me, despite that alluring cover, I didn’t go into this book expecting fantasy. While there are some fantastical elements, the prime feel of the book is dystopian, and it does perfect justice to this genre.
😍 The ending. Just perfect. It reveals enough to know how things will go ahead without going overboard into explanations and neatly tied arcs. It is the ending that ensured the story stayed in mind long after the last page.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
😔 While I don’t mind foreshadowing in novels, I felt that the few instances of foreshadowing in this book spoiled my fun rather than intrigue me further. They felt almost like spoilers, which I hate with a vehemence.
😔 Esta’s voice needed more variation. While the book has her narration at various ages, she sounded the same to me throughout. There are clues to let us know whether she was 6 or 16, but as it’s a first person narration and not in flashback except for a couple of scenes, the voice should have matched the age.
😔 I think the cover creates very different expectations about the content of the book. I don’t want to go into spoilers but let’s just say it advertises something that isn’t the prime focus of the book.

All in all, despite the somewhat slow start, I relished this read. It held my attention from start to end, though there were many scenes that left me feeling claustrophobic. Much recommended, though it makes for very uncomfortable reading at times if you are a woman. I am definitely going to keep my eye out for future works by this young author.

4.5 stars. (I am going a little higher as this is an outstanding attempt for a debut and it captivated my attention all the way. For an established writer, I might have gone with 4.25 stars.)

Dear Chloe Timms, can we have a sequel please so that you-know-who gets their just desserts?

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Seawomen”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

’Esta has known nothing but Eden's Isle her whole life. Raised by her grandmother in a deeply religious society who cut itself off from the mainland in the name of salvation, Esta dreams of without fear of damnation. On the isle, fear rules: fear of damnation, fear of the outside world and fear of what lurks beneath the water - a corrupting evil the islanders call the Seawomen.

Married off, the women of the island must conceive a child within their appointed motheryear or be cast into the sea as a sacrifice in an act called the Untethering. When Esta witnesses a woman Untethered she sees a future to fear. After a brief taste of freedom, the insular world Esta knows begins to unravel...’

Drawing on real-life events and societal issues such as the witch trials, the early corruption of religious leaders and the lack of autonomy for women, this is a really impressive debut novel from Chloe Timms.

I’m not normally a huge fan of dystopian writing, but I was hooked by this. The story is a really compelling mix of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥'𝘴 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦 and 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘩. There is such a level of high tension all the way through that reaches a peak at the climax. I couldn't put this down. Esta's development from brainwashed child to a young woman determined to change her future was one of the highlights of the book, and I found the ending so fitting for such a powerful story.

What I want to discuss in a review of ‘The Seawomen’ relies upon events from midway to the close of the novel, and so contains major spoilers.

On one hand, the fact that a novel broaches discussion of a same-sex relationship between women should be noted. However, what is the wisdom of comparing that lesbian relationship between Maddow and Rose to the central relationship between the female protagonist Esta and the male object of her desire, the merman Cal ‘I knew what forbidden love felt like. It drove me the way it had driven her.’

The novel forcefully claims that both relationships are equally doomed and unholy, and a blight upon the community. By doing so, the author eliminates the possibility for commentary upon the visibility of homosexual females, by - in actual fact - doing just what society does to us. That is, erasing or overwriting our experience in favour of heteronormativity. If the barriers erected in the way of a lesbian relationship are simply presented as a foil to inspire pity for the protagonist who suffers in her heterosexual relationship, is the author really making any statement at all about how marginalised and silenced or subjugated lesbians are?


Publishers, librarians, reviewers, and readers should question the virtue of commending an author at all simply for glancing at female homosexuality in the first place. Why should we feel especially grateful just for showing up in a text; just for gleaning a mere mention? I was enraged by the conflation of the lesbian character Maddow with the archetype of 'bad mother', who leaves her child behind to run away with her partner. It is so tired and anything but original, this presentation of lesbians as unmotherly, barren, and unwomanly. This novel appears to bolster the opinion that women in same-sex relationships are somehow the antipathy of motherhood, a corruption of what it is to be female: i.e., fertile, maternal, and child-bearing, child-rearing.

To elaborate: ‘The Seawomen’ undertakes no genuine exploration of Esta’s mother’s motives; Maddow is one-dimensional, as flat as the reductive ‘bad mother’ trope that Timms employs. There is a unique and vital opportunity here to investigate women’s experiences of homosexuality in an isolated, oppressively patriarchal society. In fact, in the absence of this investigation, I find it bizarre that Timms seemingly randomly assigns this sexuality to Esta’s mother. It’s absurdly arbitrary.

As an author from a marginalised minority group, an advocate for equality, accessibility and inclusion, Timms opens up a charged space to discuss the motives of a lesbian mother faced with the dissolution of her family and imposed heterosexual marriage, as well as the implications for her child. Instead, Maddow functions as nothing more than a foil for Esta, to throw into relief Esta’s heteronormativity and experience of the overdone motif of ‘forbidden [straight] love’.

The ultimate insult is that the author overwrites any significance or value added to Maddow’s experience by giving Esta the happy ending, where she is reunited with her straight paramour and lives, what looks by all accounts in the final words like, a fulfilled life as a mother who can keep and raise her child in a peaceful and free community.

My takeaway message is: STRAIGHT = GOOD, GETS TO BE A MOTHER; LESBIAN = BAD, CANNOT BE A MOTHER.

For these reasons, this text is problematic in the extreme and I have rounded down to one star as the minimum rating.

As I read past 70%, I felt a little ashamed of myself for always being such a hopeful reader, eager to award that fifth star in a review, which I normally reserve for books that are ‘lesbian friendly’. And I would note that that is a shamefully small reserve of books; readerships shouldn’t be quick to assume that all novels labelled LGBTQ can be counted. Very rarely do any of the authors who slap on that populist label actually fairly represent lesbians in a realistic or normative manner. Often, lesbians won’t even get a mention amongst a cast of GBTQIA characters. Hence, my hopeful eagerness to award that ‘lesbian-friendly’ fifth review star and my awareness that a precious few books will reflect me and my genuine life experiences. Even in this age of ‘wokeness’, authors and publishers too often remain unaware or ignorant of the fact that they are compounding the worn-out ‘Dead Lesbian Syndrome’ narrative, or simply neglecting to feature any female homosexuality at all. Can you name three successful, well-promoted novels published in the last year that feature a lesbian relationship centrally and where the lesbians get a happy ending?

In my perfect world as a librarian and a reader, I wouldn’t have to interrogate every book where my sexuality was reflected, to see whether it was realistically done, or to question the motives and virtues of authors and publishers, because I would be able just to trust that I would get a fair deal - and not just in Sarah Waters or Emma Donoghue novels, or Virago publications, for instance, and their Lesbian Landmarks reading project.

I’d be really interested to hear what other lesbian readers think of this novel.

Thank you to the publisher Hodder and Stoughton and to NetGalley for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

What an absolutely incredible debut this was. Chloe Timms has written a stunning, powerful and dark feminist fantasy set entirely on an island apparently under attack from a group of mermaids known as the Seawomen. These Seawomen apparently corrupt women, and even looking too long at the sea can lead to a woman's downfall from God. The religious figure who leads the cult like mentality is terrifying from his first appearance, and as you grow more invested in Esta's story, the more sinister he becomes. The mood that Chloe Timms creates on Eden Island is as dark and oppressive as the lives of these women, all of who are made to feel corrupted by the sea if they show an independent thought.

I particularly loved Cal, the merman, and the journey he and Esta went on. Another highlight is Barrett, the old man who lives in the harbour who shows no fear of the sea (he actually broke my heart) The pacing was uneven on occasion, especially towards the end, and I felt like the last sections were rushed but I still loved this book. I'm so glad I got to read it.

I was looking forward to reading this unfortunately i was disappointed by it. It was really slow to start and i just got bored and couldn't really connect to the MC. It was a lot of telling rather than showing and there wasn't a lot of nuance to the characters and i ended up skimming the end of the book because i just didn't care.

3.8 stars
The Seawomen , by Chloe Timms is a fantastic dystopian feminist fiction. I really liked it, the cast was very interesting and i really found the characters very well developed. The story was so beautifully written, it was really nice reading it. I loved that the island was not only remote in the book but it also seemed really different from our world. And I really enjoyed it! Everything about this cult-like mysogynist society was so so so interesting, i was really hooked and the twists were so good.
I really loved this book and would totally recommend it.

The Seawomen is a dark and dystopian tale of religious fervour and the subjugation of women. All the action takes place on Eden's Isle, and the narrative is deliberately vague on the location and time frame of the story, adding to the sense of isolation within as everyone on the Isle only knows this tiny little world. I initually felt like it was set in the past, with little machinery, no devices such as phones or tablets, and the treatment of the women on the island, but there is a reference to the Atlantic being an old term which felt like it was a future post-apocalyptic book.

The people on the island are controlled by fear - fear of the Seawomen who live out in the oceans and come to symbolise freedom. Fear drives the islanders to hunt and persecute the women, seeing this as self-defence, forcing them away from the island. The story had a witch hunting type of feel to it - any woman who behaves outside of their norms is persecuted - and was reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale, with women just seen as chattels whose only purpose is to look after the men and provide them with children. Son's are celebrated, while daughters are seen as less than. Religion is used as an excuse to control the occupants of the island, and they are brought up to fear the outside world.

I enjoyed the character progression of Esta, from terrified child to curious and questioning woman, and was cheering her on during her discoveries. She is a strong female on an island that fears and hates strong women, which obviously puts her in danger, and the book felt claustrophobic, isolating and oppressive (in a good way - I felt how the character would have felt).

The book was easy to read and fast paced and I flew through it in two sittings. It would have been a five star apart from the last chapter which felt a little rushed. I do enjoy an ambiguous ending (again echoing the Handmaid's Tale) but I wasn't sure how realistic it was, and felt like had it been developed a little more it would have been more believable. I really enjoyed this and will definitely keep an eye out for future works from this author.

The Seawomen | Chloe Timms
Pub date: 14/06/22
Genre: Fantasy fiction, dystopian fiction, feminist fiction, women's fiction

The Seawomen us the debut standalone by author, Chloe Timms.

The story follows Esta who has grown up on Eden Isle, a patriarchal religious based society which is cut off from the mainland. The islanders are raised in constant fear of the Seawomen, who are thought to be responsible for all bad events or actions occurring on the island. Esta begins to question everything she has known and believed about the island regime and her past.

This type of book is not my usual choice but I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and intriguing premise. It took me a little while to get into the story (I'll confess I started and put it down again around 3 times before being fully hooked and continued). The story is told from third person POV and the prose is intelligent and mature. The themes are difficult to read and I found myself feeling angry at events and the treatment of the characters. For me this is a sign of a good story, when I feel emotionally invested and engaged in the characters outcomes.

There are some fantasy elements but this isn't the main focus. I'd describe this more as a feminist or women's fiction. It has similarities in themes to The Handmaid's Tale.

I enjoyed this debut and feel this author is going places. I'll be keeping an eye out for other books she writes.

Thank you to Chloe Timms, the publisher and Netgalley for granting me an ARC of this book.

Esta has been raised by her strict and disapproving grandmother on Eden's Isle since the fire that scarred her face and destroyed the rest of her family. And she tries to do everything that she is told - she prays, she stays away from the sea for fear that she will be lured into sin by the evil seawomen, and she attempts to make peace with her future as a dutiful wife and mother. But the sea calls to her...

'The Seawomen' has many elements that feel familiar - an isolated island setting, a repressive patriarchal society, a protagonist striving for freedom and self-determination, and yet this story has a mysterious magic of its own. A beautifully wild and invigorating voyage of a book - loved it!

I haven't been able to discover who the artist is but the cover design is absolutely gorgeous as well.

This book feels very relevant to the world today, the themes surrounding the oppression of women and the power of religion when used by those with evil motives is written is such a thought provoking and harrowing way in this book. It really provoked feelings if rage and desperation for the women in this story. Im not sure if the intention was a reimagining of the Salem Witch trials but it feels this way and i am here for it!

The imagery used made me really feel like I was there with the characters, i loved the character development and the way the female lead develops throughout the book and the relationship she builds. Its beautifully written and I cant wait to read more from this Author.

I enjoyed The Seawomen in a way that I didn’t expect to enjoy it. This fiercely written story managed to give me chills and create an adventure that I couldn’t let go of at the same time.

The idea of the island of damnation seemed like a trope that we have heard of a million times but that was reimagined in a way that made it feel new and exciting.

At times, the story was a little too dark for my taste but it did fit the storyline and enriched the world-building in a way that made it feel more real than it might have been without going to such depths.

This is the first time that I have read a book by Chloe Timms and I would not hesitate to pick up another!

What's the book about?

Eden Island is completely cut off from the outside world. Citizens follow a twisted interpretation of the Bible preached by fanatical priests generation after generation. Everyone is kept in check by the fear of 'The Seawomen,' creatures who can morally ruin the women and summon God's wrath. Women are expected to bear children and take care of the home. Every woman is given a 12-month window to conceive otherwise she is drowned in the ocean. The islanders believe that every societal misfortune is the result of a woman who has been influenced by the Seawomen, and she is hunted and punished. Esta is an orphan raised on the island by her deeply religious grandmother. Esta learns to question everything she's been taught and tries to fight the corrupt world around her for her freedom and rights.

My thoughts:
What a cracking debut! Beautifully written and, in parts, extremely relevant. I can't help but draw parallels with The Handmaid's Tale. Having said that, it's mostly well-paced, and I finished it in one sitting.

What. A. Novel.

The Seawomen is a savage feminist dystopia - the comparisons with The Handmaid's Tale make perfect sense.

Esta has always lived on Eden's Isle, a deeply religious, close-knit community that is, frankly obsessed with women's reproductive health and motherhood, and any women who don't comply are ritually sacrificed. Brutal, right? Esta has never known anything else than this oppressive life, and through her Timms explores gender, seuxality, women's roles and religious oppression in spine-chilling and powerful detail. At its best, The Seawomen reminds me of the work of Sophie Mackintosh, Hannah Kent or Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

It is hard to believe this is a debut - Timms' writing is exquistite, compelling and well-crafted, transporting the reader to Eden and subsequently forcing us to feel Esta's poweerlessness. I felt borderline unwell at parts of this novel from the sense of claustrophobia perveading it. I had to tear myself away from this one; consider me a fully-paid up Timms fan.

A beautifully crafted dystopian fantasy.

Esta is raised by her Grandmother on the Isle of Eden. A tight knit community ruled by religious doctrine where women are viewed with suspicion and deemed vulnerable to corruption by the most evil and dangerous of creatures the Seawomen.

But she wants more than a life of toil and a loveless arranged marriage. She wants to be free.

A chance encounter with an outsider begins a painful journey uncovering the corruption and deception at heart of Eden’s religious doctrine, the truth about her parents deaths and the real nature of the Seawomen.

This story gave me Handmaid’s Tale vibes in the best possible way. Highlighting the ways in which women are so often blamed for the desires and sex crimes of men. And how secrets and lies can be used to manipulate and control people, communities and nations.

The claustrophobic nature of the community and the way religion was used to control information and people were expertly crafted. Esta’s struggle was both poynant and believable.

This was a brilliant read and a truly amazing debut by Chloe Timms.

I acquired The Seawomen pre-release in exchange for an honest review

god, what a gripping read.

I heard it pitched as The Handmaid's Tale meets The Shape of Water and you cannot get a more fitting description. this is BRUTAL every action is like a stab to the page, it has everything that makes a good dystopian drama, a group lowered to being a cult, rights stripped from people. secrets, connection, a dictator, it works on every level perhaps even more than its inspiration, especially story-wise.