Title: Fear the Drowning DeepAuthor: Sarah Glenn Marsh
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Release Date: October 4, 2016
Witch’s apprentice Bridey Corkill has hated the ocean ever since she watched her granddad dive in and drown with a smile on his face. So when a dead girl rolls in with the tide in the summer of 1913, sixteen-year-old Bridey suspects that whatever compelled her granddad to leap into the sea has made its return to the Isle of Man.
Soon, villagers are vanishing in the night, but no one shares Bridey’s suspicions about the sea. No one but the island’s witch, who isn’t as frightening as she first appears, and the handsome dark-haired lad Bridey rescues from a grim and watery fate. The cause of the deep gashes in Fynn’s stomach and his lost memories are, like the recent disappearances, a mystery well-guarded by the sea. In exchange for saving his life, Fynn teaches Bridey to master her fear of the water — stealing her heart in the process.
Now, Bridey must work with the Isle’s eccentric witch and the boy she isn’t sure she can trust — because if she can’t uncover the truth about the ancient evil in the water, everyone she loves will walk into the sea, never to return.
This was not all what I expected. I expected witches and magic and got very little of either. I did, however, get lots of sea monsters.
So Bridey is looked down upon in her small town on the Isle of Man because when she saw her grandfather jump to his death, she swears she saw a ghostly presence luring him to the sea. Everyone thinks she's crazy, until a mysterious and naked boy washes up, severely injured, on the beach.
So, this book definitely helped get me out of my reading slump. So that's great. But there was one thing that severely annoyed me earlier on while I was reading. I noticed that many times the main character would say something, and then she would suddenly be somewhere else, completely ignoring the journey. It happened fairly often early on in the novel, and it caused me to feel a rather large disconnect to the character. I single transformation sentence would have been enough for me, but many times this was left out. Until later on in the book that is. I didn't notice the issue past 50%.
So we have a teenage girl ho no one believes and a stranger who people are now blaming for the disappearances in the town. Even if he was seen elsewhere. But people want to blame someone, and Fynn is the perfect target.
So. I liked Fynn from the beginning. I always felt like there was something other going on with him. I couldn't blame Bridey for falling for him. And even though everyone ridiculed her, Bridey was strong and intelligent. She helped whoever she could, even if she didn't particularly like them. Heck, she saved Fynn when he washed up on the shore even though she couldn't stand being near the sea.
One of the things I liked best was the ending. It wasn't absolute. It was left open, but it was also hopeful. I don't know what happens, but I can hope.
Reasons to read this book
1) Lots of lore about sea monsters
2) A sweet romance
3) Early 1900s historical fiction isn't as common as some others
Reasons not to read this book
1) You were really hoping for more witches and magic
2) I can't really think of anything else
Overall
I really liked it. I would call this kind of a speculative fiction, that it has a fantastical twist on the real world. It doesn't quite fit as fantasy or paranormal. But it's a combination. So if a historical fiction with some fantasy and some paranormal elements sounds cool, you should give it a go.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment