Oh I hate to do this, DNF @ 33%.

Now, the cover of this book is absolutely stunning. It caught my eye and immediately made me request it.

This book started out very strong and I was absolutely captivated; a multigenerational curse, and a mermaid?!

I loved the opening with Regina that tells you how the curse was formed. I love the writing. And then it switched to modern day and that’s where the writing started to lose me.

The downside of this is that this is a little too slow moving for me. And every chapter beginning with a different character, isn’t allowing me to really fall in love with any of them.

Unfortunately, I’ve decided to put this one down. It just isn’t holding my attention.

Meredith returns home to Cape Disappointment after separating from her wife, bringing along her young daughter Alice. She moves back home with her mother even though her childhood wasn’t great and her relationship with her mother was less than perfect. For years, Meredith heard the tales of the sea and the girl in it, claiming the lives of the women in her family. She doesn’t believe them, but knows there’s something there. She feels the pull of the ocean. She must face what’s out there. For her, for her mother, but most especially, for Alice. A haunting, gothic horror novel with suspense and mystery on every page. I could imagine Cape Disappointment, see the dark sea swells full of mystery, and smell the salt air. Beautifully written. I read with urgency, impatiently going from page to page to see how it all ends. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Thanks @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the chance to read one of “the horror novels to look out for in 2022

They Drown our Daughters is a debut horror novel from Katrina Monroe starring Meredith, her daughter, her mother Judith, and a series of women going back a few hundred years, their haunted family, and the haunted Cape that they inhabit.

This is a complicated read to nail down. The author built up a lot of lore surrounding how the cape became haunted, what 'pulls' the women to the water, some truly chilling/graphic scenes, and is great at crafting some rounded, interesting characters.

There were some parts where I felt character continuity (not to be confused with growth) was very all over the place. While seeing character growth, depth, and reactions under pressure are fantastic, it's easy to take it overboard. No boat puns intended.

The ending was satisfying, I enjoyed hearing about generational trauma, how it can affect women and exploring that via horror. This is a solid read and I would recommend it for any fans of horror.

"If you can hear the call of the water,
It's already far too late.

They say Cape Disappointment is haunted. That's why tourists used to flock there in droves. They'd visit the rocky shoreline under the old lighthouse's watchful eye and fish shells from the water as they pretended to spot dark shapes in the surf. Now the tourists are long gone, and when Meredith Strand and her young daughter return to Meredith's childhood home after an acrimonious split from her wife, the Cape seems more haunted by regret than any malevolent force.

But her mother, suffering from early stages of Alzheimer's, is convinced the ghost stories are real. Not only is there something in the water, but it's watching them. Waiting for them. Reaching out to Meredith's daughter the way it has to every woman in their line for generations—and if Meredith isn't careful, all three women, bound by blood and heartbreak, will be lost one by one to the ocean's mournful call.

Part queer modern Gothic, part ghost story, They Drown Our Daughters explores the depths of motherhood, identity, and the lengths a woman will go to hold on to both."

Gothic ghost story? Yes please.

They Drown Our Daughters is a multi-generational gothic tale of mothers and daughters involving more horror elements of mermaid folklore. Monroe weaves a tale with multiple timelines following a family line of many mother-daughter relationships. This is a female-focused novel about sacrifice, maternal love, family, freedom, and understanding.

The vibes are immaculate. Monroe does a wonderful job setting an eerie atmosphere that feels like the slow sensation of drowning and suffocation. She writes horror well and the strongest scenes were definitely those involving drownings and the building of suspense with the waters of Cape Disappointment.

I think there were too many points of view though that were not easily enough discerned. Most of the characters read kind of the same and with all the different timelines jumping around and relationships, it felt difficult to follow. I also had the pet peeve of when kids don't really talk or act like a kid would.

The last third was also a bit weaker than the rest of the narrative. Even when things were happening I wasn't super invested in the characters, some parts read a bit too dramatically it didn't really hit. I kept reading because I wanted to know the mystery behind the "curse" of the family line and how the story would resolve.

I do think the closure of one character was beautifully written and lifted the book's rating for me, but the actual concept of that character's resolution still isn't sitting right with me. It felt jarring for that character.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I really enjoyed They Drown our Daughters (Katrina Monroe) until about 70% into it. Up to that point it was a good supernatural story. As much as I could suspend reality and buy into the supernatural part when the story became "weird" I no longer had any interest in it and had to force myself to finish it. I want to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an early copy to review.

They Drown Our Daughters



Katrina Monroe



“But then the woman's arms were only curves

in the curling wave, her hair dark weeds caught

in the sea foam. A memory. Just a memory.”



They Drown Our Daughters follows Meredith as she returns to her mothers home, with her daughter Alice, after a separation.  What comes with this return, is a ghost story that spans the generations. And that’s how’s it’s written.  The descriptive writing, lures you in to this creepy ocean town.  This modern gothic ghost story is not one to pass up.   



The cover is hauntingly beautiful, that is what originally drew me to this book. The writing and the story just made it a book like no other that I have read this year.



⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC

dnf @ 45%. the story moved way too slowly for me and wasn't captivating for me. i really liked the premise and that it was super interesting, but unfortunately, it was not meeting my expectations and i found my mind wandering a lot while reading

The prose is well done, if not a bit spotty in a few scenes with more action in them. Overall the story is beautiful, though I felt like I was reading two different stories by the end.

What starts out as a ghost story weaving back and forth through time, turns more into a revenge tale with frustrating antagonists. This would be put under soft fantasy since none of the supernatural elements are ever explained and you're expected to go with it naturally. Usually this technique is fine if executed properly, but where the book fails is in how it stretches suspension of disbelief too thinly.

The book brilliantly shows at least four generations of women and the complicated relationship between mother and daughter. Wrapped up in all of this is a compelling ghost story, an eerie cape location, and a high tension ticking clock. Unfortunately about three quarters of the way in, it takes a sharp turn.

The remaining quarter of the book isn't bad by any means, just out of place given the ethereal haunting story we've been set up with. While technically there are no loose ends by the finale, certain character arcs felt either rushed, or unnecessary completely.

What I loved most was the atmosphere and character of the book's location. I do wish we could have seen more of the community, or had a more steady plot thread, but the setting and atmosphere was disturbingly beautiful. Perfect for a ghost story.

I also really enjoyed going through time and seeing how all of these generations of women connected. No mother or daughter felt like a trope or lazily done character: they all had unique personalities and voices. If the book had stayed on this trajectory it could have been a five star.

All in all I hope to read more from this author. Despite the negatives, I was compelled the whole time and truly wanted to see what happened in the end.

For lovers of Shea Ernshaw's "The Wicked Deep", "They Drown Our Daughters" is an eerie tale of generational guilt, dedication, motherhood, and the thin line between love and revenge.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me an ebook copy of The Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe. The following is my honest review.

I genuinely enjoyed this novel about curses and the love and selflessness of mothers. It was not quite horror but something more than a mystery and it hit just the right spot for me.

The Plot
Meredith, dealing with a split from her wife, takes her young daughter Alice back to Meredith's childhood home on Cape Disappointment, where she has always felt an inexplicable pull towards the ocean. But as old gossip of a curse on her family begins again, followed by one tragedy after another, and interspersed with histories of all the cursed women in Meredith's family, it turns out the curse may be more real than she could've dreamed.

The Good
The plot was excellent and I have no complaints about the writing either. The atmosphere of the whole book was melancholy and creepy which made me never want to put it down. Most of the side characters were really intriguing, especially the "bad" ones.

I love kids but I usually don't like to read them as characters in books. However, I appreciate that 7 y/o Alice was pretty essential to the plot here, and she was pretty well written.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but the ending is <i>not</i> your typical "family stands hand-in-hand, happy they still have each other while the screen faces to black" type ending. That's a positive for me, but if you need your stories with a perfect HEA maaaaybe give this one a pass.

The Not-So-Good
I thought it was a weird start and didn't care for most of the main characters until well into the book, especially Meredith. Although given her character arc its possible that was intentional.

Towards the end of the book things went off the rails a little and got weird. Weird is good but this was pretty well established as a story set in the real world, and this one curse was a bizarre paranormal element that no one really believed in. Then 80% of the way in you throw in another magical thing that barely anyone questions? It was later explained, sort of, but by that point it had thrown off the whole pacing of the book. Not the end of the world, but a strange choice.

But really what kept it from being a 5 star book is that I never felt like I take connected with Meredith. Her choices get sometimes so far-ferched and selfish that I couldn't imagine her as a real person. I wish the book had been longer and some of Meredith's ancestors had been given more page time. I really liked some of them but it was hard to keep track of a 6 generation family tree in 300 pages.

Overall a very good, very sad read. Definitely recommend if you like slow burn, creepy paranormal stories that center women.

“People blame powerful women for everything.”

I love a good story about a haunted small town.

This book is described as modern-gothic and I can’t think of a better way of describing it. It gives us that eerie atmosphere, without being too creepy that you can't read it at night.

Witchy, creepy, and spooky. This is how I’d describe it. If you like Jennifer McMahon’s books, you’ll really enjoy this one!

Oh!I was going to say this is a great beach read because of the small town beachy vibes, but it might keep you away from going in the water lol

They Drown Our Daughters is an atmospheric, intoxicating, and unputdownable debut novel! I love a gothic horror novel and this one hit every spot! I can't wait for more books from the author in the future!

I will be mentioning this book on our next episode of the Genre Junkies podcast. Available on most podcast severs.

I have made it a goal to read a lot more horror fiction by women. And bonus points if the subject matter pertains to generational trauma! This was my first time with Monroe as an author and won’t be my last. I love books set in seaside coast towns, full of briney dark water and loaded with forbidden secrets. My favorite part of the novel was absolutely the third act, which I didn’t see coming at all. It’s rare I can be taken that much by surprise in a novel these days so I really appreciate that. The title is incredible, the compelling story is creepy, gothic and mysterious, I will happily be recommending this book to other horror fans.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for my ARC of this book!
After Meredith separates from her wife, she and her young daughter, Alice, return to Meredith’s childhood home in Cape Disappointment, to the lighthouse her family have kept lit for generations and where her mother still lives. Meredith was aware of the stories of mermaids in the town, and was aware there was supposedly some connection between them and her family, but by coming home, Meredith will learn more than she ever wanted to about the curse that has haunted the mothers in her family and see for herself the power it holds. There was a lot to like about this book. The author creates an atmospheric and engaging story of intergenerational trauma and portrays difficult but powerful relationships between girls and their mothers. It just didn’t quite capture me. I found the themes very powerful and interesting but the same level of care didn’t seem to translate to other aspects of the story, namely that of Meredith’s ex-wife. This character was an incredibly inconsistent afterthought to the point that I initially assumed Alice must have been a child from a previous relationship as the fact that Meredith is the only one that the narrative seems to count as her mother is implied several times, which is pretty troubling when looking at the story as a whole. Surely in a book about mothers and daughters, there could have been a more interesting route to take with her. The relationship is freshly over but only when Meredith needs depth, rather than to add another dimension to the story and I found this very distracting from the overall narrative and themes. An excellent choice for something atmospheric and haunting, just a little inconsistent in its attention to detail.

"She picked one, not knowing the roots of that daisy grew in the girl's mouth. With the roots free, the girl was able to speak. As a thank-you, she granted the living girl a wish."

If you can hear the call of the water,
It's already far too late.

This haunting and atmospheric novel was incredibly well-written and interesting. I don't normally read too many gothic novels and this one was fast-paced and very easy to read in one sitting. I enjoyed the focus on mother-daughter relationships and the intergenerational trauma that is a side effect from the curse. Seeing the impact the curse had on the women and men in the family was heartbreaking and interesting to see how one person's selfish desires can impact generations. The folklore with the ghost story mixed-in with mermaids was my favorite part and the ending was not at all what I expected. I enjoyed the flashbacks to other woman in their family, however, I did find that the whole story overall was a bit underwhelming, particularly in the present storyline. I wanted a bit more action and substance. I would have loved to have more background on Regina and her family storyline and more of what led up to the curse in the first place. The horror wasn't actually scary, but more atmospheric. I would have liked it to leave me more breathless but instead I just found it ok. I would definitely recommend this for people who love quick gothic stories!

Thanks to Poison Press, the author, and Netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book.

Meredith Strand returns to her childhood home in Cape Disappointment with her young daughter, Alice, after separating from her wife.

The women in her family are said to be cursed, pulled to the call of the water. This story mainly focuses on Meredith, in the present, but the stories of the women you came before are woven in, creating a multi-timeline story that slowly comes together.

A dark, creepy, gothic atmosphere prevails throughout the book. The several different, non-linear timelines and characters can be confusing at times, and the pacing was a bit too slow at times. Over-all an enjoyable read though.

I couldn't get enough of this very creepy horror read! I loved the gothic atmosphere and the curse which affects one family line. I understand the pull of the ocean because I have experienced it myself. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the ocean's many moods and the smell of salt in the air. I loved the heartbreaking twist at the end. Very well done!

They Drown Our Daughters had me on the edge of my seat for hours. Although I thought the beginning was a bit slow, it picked up immediately and didn't stop surprising me until the end. I could not put it down for the last 30%. The characters were unbelievably well-rounded, and the details and descriptions were out of this world. I have never been a fan of horror/thriller books but Katrina might have made me an addict.

I fell into this book with almost no idea of where it was going to take me, but I found myself pulled into its tides and unable to escape. The book starts with a mother in 1881, a mother who loves her daughter so fiercely she would do anything to protect her. As daughter to a fierce woman and a mother to two beautiful children I not only understood her need to protect, I found myself wanting to protect all of them. Once we are introduced to our original daughter and mother, we jump between present day, 1910, 1971, 1975, 1938, 1948 and back again meeting generations of women all effected by the curse and their love and draw to the water. I could find little pieces of myself and the women I love in all these many women - strength, pride, stubbornness, determination, weakness, and all the other qualities we all posses in one form or another and I felt for these women in my core because the author knew how to bring them alive, even if they were only a few pages.
One of my favorite books in the past decade happened to be A House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig. I loved the atmosphere, the way I could smell the brine in the ocean and feel the salt and sand on my skin while I turned the pages. They Drown Our Daughters not only had my skin crawling from the sensation of salt water drying on it, but I felt at times I could actually taste the ocean and somehow it tasted of my favorite summers and my darkest dread. I couldn't put this book down and read it in a day. I needed to know what happened, how Alice could possibly be saved from all the devastation and I found myself holding my breath and constantly reminding myself to breathe during the last several chapters.
This book wasn't just a thriller and wasn't just horror - it felt at times like a beautifully written gothic horror filled with witches and dark magic and curses and at others a mystery thriller begging me to find out whodunit. It never strayed too far into its dark premises for me to feel like it wasn't grounded firmly in reality, so all the chills felt authentic and left me with goosebumps more than once.
I can't imagine this author isn't a mother after reading this book. It's rare I read a book and not only completely understand the characters feelings, but it invokes so many feelings I've also felt throughout my life. When she described the pains of labor, I felt my own. When she described the heartache of loving your child more than you have ever loved or been loved, I couldn't help but look over at my own. The author also wrote about being in a daughter in one of the most beautiful ways I've ever read because in my experience the relationship a daughter has with her mother as she grows from and infant into an adult is a completely different thing than the relationship with the father. I loved how the book handled the best and worst of the mother-daughter relationship without ever judging the character, but allowed the reader to openly feel both sides.
I refuse to spoil this book for anyone with concrete details about the plot or the characters, but if you love a dark atmospheric horror mystery you will not be disappointed with this book. You will find yourself thinking of the characters and trying to unravel the mysteries in the moments you aren't glued to the page. Even now, hours after finishing the book and knowing who did what and how it all turned out, I find myself going over moments and realizing their significance and cursing myself for not putting it together sooner. I also keep finding myself listening for the sound of waves and the smell of salt water in the air. This book is one I know I'll read again and one I will recommend to many. I'm so glad I got the chance to read an advance copy from NetGalley and I cannot wait to read whatever the author writes next.