Kalie Cassidy’s debut In the Veins of the Drowning is a lush, gothic romantasy that sinks its claws in from the first page. Imogen Nel is a siren in hiding, with too much power and too little control, wrapped in a cloak of secrets. Watching her struggle with her own monstrousness while daring to crave love and freedom was deeply moving. And Theo? He’s a king cloaked in ambition and vulnerability, and his slow-burn unraveling for Imogen had me sighing in the best way.

Cassidy’s prose is lyrical and immersive, with siren lore that feels both mythic and fresh (wings instead of tails? Yes, please). The pacing is tight, the worldbuilding rich. This story is tense, tender, and rich with atmosphere. There’s quiet rage simmering under every page, but also hope.

Perfect for fans of gothic romantasy who want their magic dark, their heroines dangerous, and their enemies-to-lovers served with slow tension and sharp teeth.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A thrilling start to a sweeping romantasy series, In The Veins of the Drowning gives sirens a new gothic makeover, blending the familiar myths with new magic, elements of body-horror and otherworldly darkness. The world Cassidy has created is rich and well imagined, with an intriguing magical system I can't wait to explore further. While the romance moved a bit too fast for my liking, I'm still interested to see how that progresses in the next book.

All in all, a solid start!

The book I didn’t know I wanted but desperately needed.

The tension. The yearning. The angst.
It’s all in here and I’m so here for it!

They’re from enemy kingdoms.
She’s a Siren in hiding and the king’s ward. He’s the enemy king.
She’s due to marry the Captain. He’s wanting her.
She needs to escape. He needs her to protect his kingdom.
They perform and blood bond, escape and declare War.


I’m in love with everything in this book, Imogen and Agatha’s friendship, even Theodore’s and Lachlan’s are really sweet, they just want to protect each other from everything. I love how there’s some history as well with the sirens and their lures for sailors. There’s mystery as well, you don’t know who’s the real villain in the story and I can’t wait for the following books in this series!!

Thank you to Orion publishing and Netgalley for the earc in exchange of an honest review.

Hidden Identity
Sirens, God's and Magic
Blood bonds
Yeeearning

Do not sleep on this book!
I really enjoyed this fantasy romance, the pacing was great, the side characters felt realistic and there wasn't too much lore and world building at the start.

I love the sirens and their magic, I hope we learn more about the other gods and the magic of the mages in the next book.

The yearning and forbidden romance was top tier and I ate it up!

A gothic fantasy romance brimming with siren lore, thrilling surprises and a unique adventure for those of us who feel the pull of the ocean tides. An atmospheric and evocative read about a bond forged between a brooding king and a maiden of the waters. This siren song will draw you in and pull you under.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 | 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐳 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐲

This story mixes dark themes of blood magic, sacrificial magic, legacies of gods and trauma with the themes of enemies to lovers romance, marriage bonds and destiny.
There are very few if any laugh out loud, kick your feet giggle moments. It’s quite a serious read.
A siren grows up a prisoner in a court, grows up in fear of the King her whole life. She is betrothed to a captain but if he finds out she’s a siren he would detest her. To escape she tries to force a blood bond on a visiting king but he figures out what she’s doing and stops her.
The story starts off strong, the world building is excellent, the histories and the monarchies and legends of the world are explored beautifully. The magic system is unique in that it is passed through the ancestors of the gods but there is also ‘spells’ which demand a heavy price.
I think the story struggles with its pace a little bit, we spend so long in the castle and the ship in the first third of the book and then get rushed into the new kingdom. The mmc seems to have a personality transplant half way through and is like a different person which is discussed as unusual in the story but was still a bit jarring to read.
The side characters are genuinely supportive of the story and not there for comedic value.
Spice is there in the book but not overly prevalent.
I can’t decide if I’m a bit depressed now I’ve finished it.
I’ve never read a sirens book before and it was not what I expected.
3 stars because it was a good read, the last third in particular when things start coming into place was great. But I don’t really like the fmc.

2.75 ⭐ While this had potential and some interesting elements which meant I continued to read it, overall it unfortunately didn't hit the mark for me. I found that the worldbuilding wasn't significant enough that, as a reader, I felt familiar and well situated in the world - it meant at times there were things that didn't feel clear or I was unsure about, leading them to feel like plot holes (although I'm unsure if they were plot holes or just that I didn't have the understanding of the world and it's history to make sense of it - the main ones for me were to do with the ages of characters vs the timeline of events discussed in the books). I found a lot of the twists and reveals were obvious to me which made reading quite anti-climactic at times and, while I liked Imogen and Theo's romance for the most part, Imogen was immature at times, a character more suited to a YA novel than an adult ( which is how this is categorised)

Thank you to Netgalley & Gollancz for the e-arc. This is my honest review.

This was such an amazing read.

This is an incredible debut novel, so atmospheric, I felt fully immersed in the story and could picture everything vividly. I loved the magic, the sirens, the blood bonds and the side characters.

The longing and angst between Theodore and Imogen was so good, you really feel the tension between them. The twists that came were unexpected for me .

I need to know what happens next! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this ARC

#netgalley #intheveinsofthedrowning
#KalieCassidy

4.5⭐️ 🧜‍♀️

What a visually stunning read this is! A must for romantasy fans, with a moody nautical setting and a sprinkle of enemies to lovers in there. This story is filled with tales of hateful kings, good-hearted rulers and routed in beautiful siren mythology.

This first in the series, this book did an excellent job of building with world, introducing our FMC and MMC, as well as getting us invested in this story. I’m already looking forward to the next one!

The siren mythology and characters feels like a fresher take on any fantasy that I have personally read in a while and this has really drawn me in! The spice is *chef’s kiss*, the characters are a little older which I think adds some maturity to the story and the ‘romance’ doesn’t take too much of a centre stage.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for allowing me to read this arc!

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This will be a good book for Romantasy fans. It’s got magic, fantasy, romance, recognisable tropes. This focuses around sirens who are being hunted by a villainous king. We have islands on the brink of war with each other and a woman who will be a catalyst.

I liked that the protagonists were a little older (mid to late twenties). This made the positions of the characters far more believable and felt like a smart choice by the author. The life experience that the characters had accumulated definitely benefited the story.

My favourite thing about this book was the nautical setting. I loved the integrations of the sea, ships, salt water. It led to a great, moody atmosphere. The siren mythology was great too and I liked how this was unveiled as we went through the book.

The romance was one you can root for but they angst around it did get a little repetitive.

Now if you were like me and you were OBSESSED with pirates of the Caribbean when you were younger then you will vividly remember this scene when the sirens try to lure them into the ocean. 10 year old me was mesmerised. So imagine my absolute delight when I saw that Gollanz posted about ARCS for this siren Romantasy on NetGalley. This follows Imogen, who is a siren quite literally hiding in plain sight in her kingdom. She’s been arranged to marry the captain of the kings guard who hunts sirens, and at one of the weddings celebration she comes across king Theo who is visiting from another kingdom where sirens are embraced.

Theo himself is also betrothed for a political gain but something happens and Imogen and Theo end up in a siren blood bond which means they can’t be far away from each other without being in pain and forces them to protect one another.

Imogen needs to escape her kingdom, Theo ‘kidnaps’ her, they go on a runaway mission across the ocean, things happen, Imogen finds out things about her life now that she’s not sheltered in the castle and is in the big wide world and everything goes to shit really.

We have forced proximity, he falls first, blood bonds, delicious spice and of course, a cliff hanger.

This was incredible. I cannot recommend this enough to any Romantasy readers!! I cannot wait for my physical copy AND for book 2!

“𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐥. 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭, 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥.”

What a powerful debut! Kalie delivers a spellbinding story that completely captivated me. Her take on siren lore is fresh, immersive, and absolutely stunning. With heart-pounding adventure and a swoon-worthy romantic lead who’s EVERYTHING (trust me), I devoured every page. I cannot wait for book two, which is especially cruel considering book one hasn’t officially released yet 😭

the vibes ™:
- perfect for fans of rachel gillig
- siren lore
- gods & their games
- beautiful writing
- TENSION 👀

In the Veins of the Drowning by Kallie Cassidy offers an intriguing premise that blends gods with elemental powers, hunted sirens, ancient prophecies, and the magnetic pull of bonded lovers. The romantasy genre has become crowded lately, but Cassidy manages to carve out a fresh angle with her mythology and magic system.

The romance is the true highlight here—slow-burning and emotionally resonant, built on classic tropes like forced proximity and fated mates. Cassidy takes the time to develop the bond between the main couple, making their connection feel earned rather than rushed.

Where the novel stumbles is in its world-building. While the bones of the setting are compelling, there just isn’t enough depth or clarity to fully immerse the reader. Key aspects of the world—especially the roles of gods, the political dynamics, and the nature of sirens—are touched on but not explored in enough detail. Additionally, the main character is weighed down by guilt to the point of being frustrating; while flawed characters can be compelling, her internal conflict often felt repetitive and dragged the pace.

Overall, In the Veins of the Drowning is a solid read for romantasy fans looking for a fresh spin on divine magic and siren lore. It shines most in its emotional arcs and chemistry, even if the broader world and character development could use more polish.

I was hooked. This book is a little dark and alluring, and has threads of self-discovery running throughout. Imogen doesn’t know who she is without the chains of her home, and Theo is making himself miserable by always doing what he should do instead of what he wants. Theo wants to burn the world for her, and honestly, totally here for it. Of course, Immy wants to protect him, which gets in the way of his plan. They’re perfect chaos. The way the story gradually unfolded had me wanting more and more. The worldbuilding was interesting and whilst the ending answered some questions, it raised a lot more. There are so many different ways that this plot could go, and I can’t wait to find out which is chosen for book 2.

I honestly never wanted this book to end. It really pleasantly surprised me with Kallie Cassidy's immersive storytelling making me feel like I was right there with Imogen.

There have been quite a few siren fantasy books that have published within the past couple of years but none of them got it quite right until In The Veins Of Drowning. This book has the perfect blend of a gothic atmosphere, even darker magic, a romance full of yearning and a woman trying to claim her life back.

The romance was written so well, Theo and Imogen had electric chemistry and it was so worth the wait for them to give into their desires.

I devoured this one in a couple of sittings and at the end I was only sad about the fact I had to wait even longer for the sequel. Definitely give this book a chance if you want something that will ensnare you from the first couple of pages!

Tropes include:
- he falls first
- blood bonds & dark magic
- slow burn romance
- sirens

A siren and a king with One Dark Window vibes? I’m thoroughly enjoying this. The gothic atmosphere is absolutely GORGEOUS and I am loving every minute.

As soon as I saw ‘SIREN’ I knew this was the book for me! As a girl who’s grown up loving anything to do with mermaids or the sea I knew I would love this.
Within reading the first three chapters I just couldn’t put it down, I was HOOKED! (almost as if I’d been lured by a siren herself hehe)
This book had me smiling at words on pages and also frowning with the frustration of knowing how much our two main characters loved each other but circumstances kept getting in the way. My only big grievance with it is that book two hasn’t been released yet and I need it IMMEDIATELY!

Thank you to NetGalley & Gollancz for an eArc of this book! 🧜🏻‍♀️

~ THE MONSTER IS ALWAYS SLAIN ~

Ahh I absolutely devoured this. It was my first siren book and it did not disappoint. I knew within the first couple of pages I would love this and it was simply a gift that kept on giving. We follow Imogen, our FMC, a siren in hiding in a kingdom that is hunting her kind. The atmosphere was so captivating, alluring and fully immersive. Certain aspects reminded me of the dark, gothic setting that you might find in Rachel Gillig's novels.

I thought the world-building and magic system were carved out really well, without information overload or confusing backstory. I do wish this book was longer, the last 10-20% felt sightly rushed and it came to an abrupt stop. Don't get me wrong I am ALLLLL for a cliff hanger and being a fantasy reader it's expected but THIS?! This was CRUEL. I need book 2 immediately... what day you mean that's how it ends?!

To no one's surprise my favourite part was the balance between the romance and the plot, one didn't overpower the over. Imogen's and Theodore's chemistry was perfect. He definitely FELL FIRST AND HARD. Certain scenes between Imogen and Theodore made me unwell and SOBBING at how much I loved them together. We have angst, tension, YEARNING, touch her and ☠️. You can't beat a softer MMC who is incredibly gentle when it comes to the FMC and seeing the internal struggle of doing what's best for the kingdom but also trying to follow his heart.

I am so excited for book 2 already! I can't wait to continue with this series and come back to this world.

An absolutely solid 5 stars, In The Veins of the Drowning was everything I wanted from a romantasy! It had a swooning romance, filled with tension. It had a loathsome villain in King Nemea, which turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg of trouble heading for Imogen. It had gorgeous side characters, some horrid, some friendly, and hopefully some making the switch.
The settings were beautifully depicted (I just know there's going to be some gorgeous fanart). I loved the slightly unusual depiction of Sirens, and the wider gods and goddesses, and the various types of magic available in the world.
I cannot wait for the next book and the epic conclusion I know is coming!

My biggest (and only!) complaint is that I have scoured the internet and am yet to find a signed, special edition copy for my shelf which is a TRAVERSTY! I've had to settle for a paperback pre-order from Waterstones.

Huge thanks to Gollancz, NetGalley and Cassidy for letting me read this one ahead of release. I'll definitely be shouting from the rooftops about it.

In the Veins of the Drowning is a mythological, Siren-inspired book based in a world with gods, magic and an interesting political system. I would say that this is definitely more romance than fantasy, however, I found the MMC Theodore, a great, Anthony from Bridgerton inspired main character. I liked the premise of the story, however I really really struggled with the pacing, it seemed to skip vital pieces of information which I felt were needed to understand and build up the story. I think I probably needed more world building and explanation into the histories and lore of the world. The story was interesting and I enjoyed where the book finished I think I was just expecting a little more from the characters, world building and storytelling. A great debut into a new series and I will definitely be trying the second book!