Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adored this! This was such an atmospheric read with beautiful descriptive writing. It was my first time reading a fantasy book with sirens as the focus, and I truly hope it won’t be my last. I only wish it was longer, but it was still a 5 star read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book lured me in and I was instantaneously under Imogen's spell. I was genuinely so upset I had to be an adult with adult responsibilities like going to work when I had much better things to be doing like finishing this book. This book has it all! A FMC and MMC with absolutely stellar chemistry. I ate up every single scene they interacted in. A neat take on sirens that I'm excited to see explored more in the sequel. A plot revolving around the ruling descendants of gods with some truly incredible political intrigue that had me on the edge of my seat. This was a fantastic debut and now begins the long wait for the sequel.

DNF @ 50%

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. This book had a really promising and interesting start but as the book went on, I started losing interest. I felt like a lot this book was underdeveloped and I had a hard time connected to the characters. This book also has very little plot so I was struggling to feel engaged and intrigued with the story because of the lack of plot. This book has some really great and unique concepts but the execution just fell flat for me and left me wanting more and left me feeling a bit bored.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me an ARC.

THIS is the book I've been searching for amidst the sea (pun intended) of paint-by-numbers romantasy offerings. Enemies to lovers with true animosity and stakes? Perfection. World building and a magic system that feels fresh and well thought out? Fantastic. Leads with compelling character arcs and personalities beyond "sassy" and "smirking"? Thank you. The only downside: having to wait for book 2.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

"In the Veins of the Drowning" by Kalie Cassidy follows Imogen Nel who hides her Siren blood, her wings, and her hunger. But when a visiting king uncovers her secret, they forge a blood bond and flee across undead-infested seas. As desire threatens duty and her powers surge, Imogen must decide to kill the monster hunting her and becoming a monster herself.

I was so excited to receive this arc. I love when sirens are scary and clawed up and the summary of Cassidy's novel promised my beloved nightmare sirens. The actual story is where my potential love died. Imogen is such a flacid noodle of a character; she's got no direction, no real personality, and she's just so boring. I am not engaged with her. And then the worldbuilding is severely lacking for me. Cassidy drops the reader right into the world without any context and no real earned narrative. Dropping a reader into the story lacking context only works when the world is strong and the narrative gives an earned build up and earned climax. I feel like this book does none of those things.

However, I can see others really enjoying this. Romantasy has a market and despite all of my issues with this book, it also falls perfectly into the romantasy checkboxes.

That said, I wouldn't recommend this for any readers who want a story with real teeth.

Not my usual genre but have been hearing such buzz about it that I couldn't pass up the chance to read In The Veins of the Drowning! An absolutely thrill of a debut, the world building is seamless and the pace is spot-on. It never lulled, I was never caught off guard by new elements of the story... In fact many of the layers were unveiled as if Kalie were reading my mind, ready for more! There's a lot of originality to this story & the romance -- it's deep and nuanced, which feels rare in both these genres. Stayed up way too many nights lost in this one and will be recommending it to readers, whether they believe they are a romantasy reader or not! Looking forward to jumping back in to the sequels (and definitely re-reading before then!)

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the advanced reader copy.

With lush prose and siren lore, 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 is the perfect summer fantasy escape!

Imogen conceals her identity as a monstrous siren amidst a kingdom that viciously hunts her kind, and she refuses to continue living in fear, allowing others to control her. She wants revenge.

When her back is against the wall and she faces an imminent death, she convinces visiting a king, Theodore, to agree to a blood bond. He reluctantly agrees, and they traverse the kingdom while she discovers her powers, plans to sever her bonds, and seeks revenge against her king.

I loved the siren lore, blood bonds, prophecies, warring kingdoms, and found family in this story! Imogen and Theo had compelling chemistry, and I was curious as to where the adventure was headed. This is a great debut, but I did feel the world building was slightly lacking. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was missing something to fully hook me.

It's a bingeable read that readers will easily consume while lounging poolside this summer!

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company as well as NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy. This book will be published on July 15, 2025.

Y'ALL OMG THIS BOOK! Give me 14 of them right now!!!!

How is this a debut novel?? I was absolutely ENTHRALLED & ENTRANCED by this book. I read 75% of this book in one night because I just couldn't put it down. The books says its for fans of Rachel Gillig and that is absolutely correct.

If this book isn't one of the next big romantasy hits, I'll be SHOCKED.

This book follows Imogen, a siren in hiding, who lives in a world where sirens are hunted and killed. Enter King Nemea, the rival king (Theo), and her betrothed (Evander). Theo might be my new favorite book boyfriend TBH. This world was soooooo unique compared to other fantasy romance books.

The yearning and pining and slow burn and forbidden romance!! I was absolutely feeling all of the feels. You just couldn't help but root for the main characters regardless of the obstacles.

This is the first book in a duology. The second book will release next summer..... IDK how in the world I'm going to wait a whole year for the second book.

This book was rather short for a romantasy, just over 300 pages, but I would have read several hundred more!!

YOU GUYS MUST PREORDER, BUY, BORROW, or do whatever you can to read this book!! I promise you won't be disappointed! EASY 5 stars!!

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for this eARC. This book was very refreshing and different than anything I’ve read in a while. I felt like there was a ton of world building in the beginning and it was a bit slow but the second half was a wild ride. The love story is torturous and angsty and I cant wait to see where book 2 takes us!

OMG I loved this one! I devoured it, to be honest!!
- A King who wants to save his kingdom and IS ON HIS KNEES FOR THE POWERFUL WOMAN OF HIS DREAMS TO LOVE HIM?!?!?! *enter incoherent screaming!* I loved Theodore. And I loved Imogen. And I absolutely loved their romance! There's so much angst and longing and yearning! It was utterly delicious!
- Imogen has learnt to put herself first. She tries to heal and discover more about herself and finally have a moment when she just lets it all explode. Feminime rage is sooo good in this book. You root for Imogen from the very beginning.
- I liked the overall worldbuilding, too. There are Great Gods and Goddesses, Mage Seers and Sirens; and each creature has their background story. I was never overwhelmed or underwhelmed. The author provided us with exactly what we needed the moment we needed it.

LOVED THIS BOOK! CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 2!

Observations while reading and after -

- Sirens and magic
- This kept my interest, and then some. It succeeded in making me think about it at times when I wasn’t reading
- Imogen is wonderful
- Theo ❤️
- I need more of this, like now
- feminine rage well done
- utter perfection

In the Veins of the Drowning was captivating and had me desperate to keep turning the pages. I loved it, absolutely loved it. An amazing debut, I cannot wait to read the second title of *The Siren Mage* and look forward to future titles by Ms Cassidy.



Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the DRC

The fact that I got to read this book early was an absolute blessing. Other than the fact that I have no information about the sequel and it ended on a cliffhanger.

I devoured this book in one day. I could not put it down. I was captivated by the writing and the characters. I was rooting for Theodore and Imogen from the very first second we met them. The chemistry was beautiful and that ending was heartbreaking. I loved every second of this book.

Adult Romantacy girlies are going to devour this.

It's Sirens, but they have wings instead of tails. Lots of nods to Disney's The Little Mermaid (without being it).

I think if I knew this was going to be romantacy, I would not have picked this up. I thought this was going to be more fantasy and less romance somehow, and I'm not actually sure what gave me that idea. The fantasy elements in this are good, well delivered, fairly original, and gritty. Unfortunately the romance side fell victim to the problem of being a little too tropy.

It was very readable. The pacing was great. I finished it in a couple of days. For the genre, it was pretty decent. Somewhere under One Dark Window, and Divine Rivals, but hovering above ACOTAR. If that is even a gauge.

2-3 open door scenes. Not very graphic, but also not inexplicit.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Little Brown Books through Netgalley. All the opinions expressed in this review are my own

This review is currently posted to goodreads
I will be posting this review to Amazon on the day of publishing

The romantasy In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy was a great read. I definitely recommend reading this book.

This surprised me so much. After DNF'ing one previous arc, I was afraid that this wasn't going to hold my interest either but I actually really enjoyed this. This was a quick read, and quite entertaining. There is nothing I love more than a MMC that is just SO GONE for our girl. Imogen and Theo, you have my heart, and I cannot wait to read the sequel!

A dark fantasy romance perfect for fans of One Dark Window that changes how we understand the legends of the sirens themselves.

Captivating from the first page, this book kept me enthralled as we follow our main character Imogen - a siren living secretly within the heart of a country who hunts them. With a reluctant romance and phenomenal tension building, the ending leaves us desperate to find out more of this story. I absolutely cannot wait to find out what happens next!

A huge thank you to the author, Netgalley, and Little Brown and Company for providing me this e-ARC.

In the Veins of Drowning by Kaylie Cassidy is such a phenomenal, edge of your seat read that will forever be on repeat in my mind!

The plot, characters, magic-system, and world building were all fantastic and kept me guessing throughout the story. The characters (even the side ones) were all well fleshed out and had their own personalities that worked well with the MC's. Imogen, the FMC, in particular was my favorite. She was hidden away and 'protected' against her will. Her strength and passion about forging her own path by her own rules really hit home and made me love her even more!

Theodore, the MMC, is slightly broody, golden retriever (just for her) King that I both hated (in the beginning) and loved (midway to end). He wants what's best for his people and kingdom and a cog is thrown into all his years of hard work when he meets Imogen.

Without giving spoilers, their journey together is both sweet and sour with ghosts of the past coming to haunt them. I had such a blast reading this and while the 1st book isn't even out yet I'm dying for book 2 already!!

I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves romantasy, gods/monsters, strong character development, and a story line that will keep you guessing!

Thank you to both NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing the eARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✨Thoughts✨
What I liked:
-The writing
-The yearning and angst. This man was truly a simp for the main girl and I was here for it. It is a little on the insta lovey side, but I didn't mind too much.
-The siren lore. I liked the take that the author took with sirens in this. Having wings is something that I've never seen an author include before, as well as some of the other powers that they have, was really cool!

this is what a romantasy should be!! it was a great balance of fantasy and romance, and i felt equally invested in both aspects. i loved getting to know imogen, our main character, and seeing her grow out of the shape/personality that she was forced into. also, we love a pathetic man!! (theo). i am looking forward to seeing how the repercussions from the ending will play out in the sequel. my only complain i think is that i am a bit fuzzy on the timeline of imogen and theo knowing each other and falling for each other, seemed on the faster side which is not my fav

REP: queer side character

If you are looking for your latest romantasy read and want to venture out from fae and vampires then I would recommend in the Veins of Drowning. I really enjoyed how siren lore was incorporated into the story and the way it tackled the sacrifices that power requires. The world building was solid, the vibes were immaculate and fans of slow burn and seemingly insurmountable challenges for the lovers will not be disappointed with this book.