Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This book kept me hooked. I wasn’t too sure how it would be from the description but I really enjoyed it.
Well written and sucks you right in.

I DNF'd this at 35% -- I couldn't get into it -- a lot of pacing issues in my opinion.

I think it has a good premise, maybe I wasn't in the right mood, but I was extremely bored and it didn't hold my attention. Love the cover though!

They Drown Our Daughters is a masterful take on family curses and mermaid legends. What I really loved about this book was the atmosphere. The author made it feel like I could feel the ocean breeze and feel the sand between my toes. Coming from growing up in a beach town, this made me feel some type of way. My only complaint is that it felt like there were gaps in the story in some places and some things could have been fleshed out better. Other than that I loved it, though. Definitely going to add this one to my physical shelf when I can.

They Drown Our Daughters had me absolutely enraptured from the first chapter. The story opens in tragedy in 1881 before jumping to the modern day. We follow a line of women cursed by the events of 1881, and we get to follow the generational trauma, woman by woman, mother by mother, until we find our way to Meredith and her daughter in the present day.

They Drown Our Daughters is, at its heart, a story of generational trauma and the relationships between mothers and daughters. It was a beautiful, atmospheric read, set at a lighthouse in Washington. I will be rereading for spooky season.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book. I really enjoyed the characterizations and depth of emotion. I think this would be a great addition to any library collection.

After reading the first few chapters of this book, I turned to my husband and said "I don't know whether I want the bad guy to be a ghost or a living person." Lucky for me, there's a bit of both in there. Spoilers, I guess, though you have to know that any good gothic is going to have villains with pulses and without.

Meredith comes from a long line of drowned women, all accidentally cursed by a terrible matriarch. They are all drawn to the water, and they're all eventually pulled down into it by an angry, miserable ghost woman. The ghost took Meredith's mother, and now Meredith's daughter Alice has gone missing. Can Meredith break the curse and save her daughter? Not without a few false-endings a la The Ring. (It's the predictability of the many "we think she's gone, no wait she's back" moments that lost the book a star from me).

The ghost story was fun and reminded me of the teen horrors I read as a kid in the 90s when ya was just becoming a thing. The struggles between mothers and daughters were really moving as well. Or maybe they weren't and the fact that I'm pregnant with a daughter of my own has me over-relating. Still, I think this book will find a special resonance with women and particular mothers.

Heavy CW: Suicide, SH, Violence

They Drown Our Daughters was an eerie read; think "The Haunting of Bly Manor" meets generational trauma. I found the storytelling enthralling; the multiple storylines created a sense of racing towards a single impending doom so that the twists and turns along the way felt pleasantly unexpected.

I was captivated by the depth that was given to each of the characters, no matter how small their part may have been. In particular, Meredith, the present day character, has all the ferocity and determination you could want from a protagonist without any of the cliches; she has just as messy a history as anyone else, and yet she stands her own.

All over, a highly enjoyable read. That said, if you find suicidal ideation, depictions of suicide, or depictions of depression upsetting to read, please be advised that those and similar themes are prolific throughout this book.

Full review in Library Journal. A multi-generational ghost story that bounces between narratives but drips in ambiance

This is a slow burn Gothic horror book which focuses on women from a particular bloodline. Multiple POVs and timelines are used throughout. I usually don’t mind this too much, but sometimes timelines or POV didn’t shift smoothly and threw me a bit. I also thought the ending wasn’t satisfying. It wasn’t missing anything, and it wrapped up nicely but with the buildup it just wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks so much for the review copy. I was really in to this book for the first half however I did find that the pacing faltered in the last half and it made the book feel longer than it is. In saying this though, i did like the way these characters were crafted, the atmosphere and the themes the book explored. While I wouldn't read it again personally, I would still recommend it to anyone looking to ease into a thriller.

a very silly thriller that doesn't bring anything new to the table. i found the writing very melodramatic and could not suspend my disbelief enough to immerse myself into the story.

This story was a slow-paced horror as mothers fought against a supernatural force to protect their daughters. (I did receive an ebook arc copy through Netgalley)

This book is PERFECT for fans of Midnight Mass, this slow-paced atmospheric story sucks you in and doesn't let you go. It's told from both a past and present perspective, as women from a multi-generation family deal with their "family curse" that threatens to swallow them whole.

Yes, I cried while reading. And I did not see that twist coming!

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't usually read horror or thrillers but the title and cover drew me in. This book had me guessing as to what was really happening throughout it. I was shocked by the ending and never saw it coming. This story takes place on the eastern coast at Cape Disappointment. The daughters of a cursed family for years have heard the call from the ocean and are drawn to the water. I really liked the flashbacks during the story about what happened to the female line. I really the enjoyed both the story and the writing style of this author.

They Drown Our Daughters is about Meredith who returns to Cape Disappointment with her daughter Alice after a separation from her partner. Meredith isn't convinced that the curse is real until her daughter hears the call. Overall it is pretty captivating. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Recommended to those who like thrillers.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Book Details:
-Genre: Gothic Mystery/Thriller
-Setting: Cape Disappointment, WA
-features a generational curse and a Siren

Atmosphere
My favorite element of this book was the atmosphere. It is a gothic, suspenseful novel about a curse that is taking the lives of mothers in a family line. But, this book is definitely a slow burn. It is not full of jump scares, horror, and witches. Its set in a scenic area, but the setting is described in an eerie way.

Themes
One thing this book does really well is balance the story about the curse with discussing themes of mother/daughter relationships. It ends up bringing a level of emotion to the story that wouldn’t have been present if it only focused on the curse.

Overall
This was a really interesting book! It is important to know what to expect, as it is described as a haunting story that is part ghost story. This book is not a horror about ghosts or a story about witchcraft and magic, but contains a slower atmospheric suspense.

I wanted to love They Drown Our Daughters. A multi-generational curse, a mysterious lighthouse over a haunted cape, and ghost stories mixed in with witches - what's not to love?

I struggled to stay invested at times, and the way the narrative jumps between perspectives adds to the disjointed feeling. The underlying tension throughout kept me reading - I had to find out what would happen - but with all that buildup, the payoff in the end just wasn't worth it. Though this would have changed the entire plot, I think the best parts were those set in the past, and it would've been a stronger story if it had all been set in the past. I don't know if I just didn't connect to the modern characters or if it all felt out of place, but I felt disconnected.

"Though the days of burning a witch at the stake were long over, it would only take a word from her husband to get Regina locked in a sanatorium forever."

There are definitely good parts. Monroe does a wonderful job making you feel deeply unsettled with small moments and things being just a little bit off. While there are big moments, you don't need them to set a scene and a mood that is perfect for this gothic horror. The writing is gorgeous, even if I didn't particularly care for the story.

With too many unremarkable characters, a slow pace, and an unsatisfying ending, I didn't leave They Drown Our Daughters on a high note.

They Drown Our Daughters is something of a blended book, it's the story of a family torn apart by its hidden past, a gothic about the weight of our own pain as mothers and daughters who struggle with both roles, and a ghost story with enormous sadness. It's absolutely a worthy story in all these things and was a good book that did justice to all of these moving parts when it could easily have come apart or failed to fully realize so many of its elements. The only thing I was really unhappy with was a piece of the ending that felt not only unfair and senseless tragic where it shouldn't have been necessary, but genuinely too much for the family to give by the time it comes to pass. I would recommend this book to fans of ghost stories, seashore mysteries, and gothics set in modern times.

"They Drown Our Daughters" by Katrina Monroe was a beautifully written dark tale that spans several generations. Katrina Monroe writes absolutely beautiful chapters and does an amazing job at painting a clear and enrapturing picture for her readers.

This book tells the story of the women in one family through several periods and time and their seemingly endless battle with the sea in the town of Cape Disappointment. As a side note, I loved that the name of the town was Cape Disappointment; that set a certain tone for how these women would feel over the course of time. The main character we follow is Meredith Strand who returns to her childhood home with her daughter after separating from her partner. Upon arriving back home she quickly realizes that the condition she left her mother in has quickly deteriorated and her mother has rapidly unraveled.

The story overall was very interesting and I enjoyed how it did take place over several different decades. The book pulled me in right from the start and kept a really strong hold on me until about 75% through. It was at that point that I really started to struggle with finishing the book. I felt as if a certain event happened which caused the pace of the book to turn around for me.

After such a strong and beautiful start this novel, unfortunately, did not wrap up in the way I had hoped. For me, it started with a bang but ended with more of a very disappointing fizzle. Even though I struggled with the ending the writing throughout this book is astounding and the visuals that are created are exceptionally well done.

tw: drowning, suicide

They Drown Our Daughters tells a story of a tragedy and of a generational curse. Meredith comes back to her mother's house after separating from her wife, and she brings her daughter Alice with her. They say Cape Disappointment is haunted, and Meredith's family cursed, every generation of women hearing the ocean's call. Meredith doesn't believe in ghost stories, but her mother does, preaching that Meredith and Alice aren't safe. Meredith is half-convinced that the 'curse' is just one of bad parenting, but she can't shake off the feeling that something might be watching them from the water.

The novel follows multiple perspectives, starting with Regina and the tragedy that starts the curse up until the present day and Meredith. The story switches every once in a while between the present day and a woman from one of the previous generations. I enjoyed the parallels drawn between the women. They're all, in a way, fated to walk the same path but they're all their own characters. They have their own distinct personalities. This book's biggest strength is its writing. The prose is beautiful and the atmosphere is exquisite. There is just the right amount of pain, regret, love, anguish, and sadness woven through the story. The story is a vivid, tangible one. You feel as though it's happening before your eyes. The story is a mystery (for the most part) for the reader about as much as it's for Meredith, and we slowly watch it unfold the more she discovers.

As the story progresses, more is known both to Meredith and us, readers. The 'twist' in the end did come off seemingly out of nowhere, but it did cross my mind once near the beginning. I'm not sure how much I liked the conclusion of the story. It is a 0ne that makes sense, I do understand it. I just expected something else, perhaps? I think the ending is why I'm rating it 4 and not 5 stars. If I'm being honest, I'm not sure what kind of ending I would've preferred, but this one just left me slightly shaken and sad. It was a bittersweet one, for sure. This story deals mostly with family, with motherhood especially, with sacrifice, expectations, legacy, and tragedy - so I don't think it's a surprising ending, really.

This is shorter than my usual reviews, but I feel like you could give away the plot and its mysteries very easily so I tried to steer clear of the specifics. I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy atmospheric, mysterious novels where you get to bit by bit discover its secrets!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!

this book’s concept was amazing and the writing was lovely but it took me until i was about halfway through it to get into it. it dragged on and then abruptly sped up, wrapping up the plot in too few words to do it real justice.

Thank you NetGalley and Katrina Monroe for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT I LIKED:
This was a captivating read. The way the author wove all of the lives together with the same, yet also different occurrences happening just made you want to dive in deeper to find out the truth or the cause of the families curse. The amount of pain and suffering that has occurred for generations to this family is written into the characters as well. There is a foreboding sense of unease written in each though and action that they make. It pulled me into its depths but I was not prepared to reach the bottom of the mystery.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
While the ending had some what of a conclusion to their family history and story, I am not certain that I am satisfied with the way it played out... I wish Temptest hadn't run off so that maybe Alice would have someone else to hold onto while growing up after everything that happened, they would have at least had each other. There were also sections where Meredith was wallowing in self-loathing and it bothered me that she was doing that instead of searching for answers.. perhaps that is just my character disagreeing with hers..

OVERALL / RECOMMENDED:
This is a captivating read that will have you looking at bodies of water in a different view. The ocean is always seen as beautiful and wonderous with the notion in the back of your mind that it is dangerous. But with this book, this story, there is an inkling of fearing the unknown... and the ocean has depths of the unknown still... I recommend this read to those that enjoy the twisted mind boggling stories that keep you up at night with thoughts of the unknown.