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Definitely an unpopular opinion but this felt lost. There was such potential, but it felt like trying to hold onto a fistful of sand.

The overall concept sounds great, but the romance is unbelievable. How am I supposed to believe that the arrogant Theodore suddenly fell in love with her? It just felt too sudden.

The powers are exciting but feels poorly explained. We're kinda just told instead of shown how things work.
There isn't a ton of great political setup despite Theodore sprouting off about how his kingdom this and his kingdom that and how he doesn't want war and has an arranged marriage. It felt really haphazardly put together.

Romantasy CAN be done well and herein lies the proof. Actual plot not interrupted by a spicy scene every three chapters but with YEARNING! Theodore is head over heels in love for Imogen and I kicked my feet every page they were together. I loved every minute of this. A new twist on sirens with romance and curses and magic and a touch of politics. I'm desperate for the sequel at this point.

4.5 stars

Really enjoyed this one! The writing is poetic. The characters are well fleshed out. And the romance is full of YEARNING. Perfect for fans of gothic romantasy and authors like Rachel Gillig. Read if you like:
~ atmospheric settings
~ lyrical prose
~ dark and gritty magic
~ mmc’s who ✨yearn✨
~ fast pacing

Its shorter length also makes it the perfect bingeable read and slump cure. I absolutely NEED the next one. Kudos to Kalie for an absolutely smashing debut❤️‍🔥

3.5!!

An alluring start to the duology. Found myself pulled in at the last half of this book, can’t wait for it to continue!!

There were moments where the dialogue and pacing fell a bit flat for me but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed!! If you’re wanting to feast on the beginning of a fantasy romance, definitely pick this one up.

I finished this in one sitting. It. Was. So. Good. The winding of the relationship twists and turns between Imogen and Theo are superb. The only thing I don’t like are that now I have to wait until 2026 for book 2!

DIDN’T COME UP FOR AIR} because I was so enraptured by this story. It’s gothic vibes with old gods and sinister prophesies. It’s complicated blood lines and dark magic. It’s reluctant yearning and relentless craving. I’m going to need Book 2 to float to the surface of my bookshelf asap.

Things I Loved:
-Imogen’s complete transformation - she began as the simpering ward of a cruel magic-less king and became something else entirely.
-Theodore’s honor and loyalty.
-Lachlan - bestie and slightly humoris
-Agatha the loyal
-I’m gonna need an HEA

Only one word - PERFECTION. I loved this story, it was perfect summer read. Can’t wait for the sequel.

Wowza! What a creative and fun new fantasy series! I inhaled this one in a day and cannot wait for the next book. This author found a way to breathe fresh life into a genre that is often overrun with a great deal of duplication. This story felt fresh and creative. As brutal as the storyline could be at times, I still appreciated it because it rang true. It made sense to the plot..

Imogen has been the ward of a barbaric king for most of her life - - at least as long as she can remember. He has never been easy on her. She's been kept in a high castle on a hill/mountain and is never allowed to leave to venture anywhere. She can never go to the sea or leave the country. When she becomes engaged to his most loyal Captain and "siren" hunter, she thinks it may be the way out she's been looking for - - but it also may be the path to a worse prison that the one she's been living in.

When many other dignitaries and royalty visit for her wedding, Imogen meets the king of another land who believes she looks familiar. However, he becomes cool and removed after these comments and Imogen is left confused and wondering how she offended him. As the wedding approaches, things heat up in the court and secrets pour out - - Imogen is in danger and this other king - - Theodore - - may be the only one who can save her - - but will he?

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. It' s one of my favorite reads so far this year.

Rachel Gillig said this was "an absolute riptide of a book" and she was not wrong. I had such a good time with this book and its dark, mysterious, gothic siren vibes. I can't wait to see how Kalie grows as a writer and what the sequel holds - I will be picking it up immediately when its out!

2.75 ⭐️s rounded up for Goodreads
In the Veins of Drowning had me drawn in for about the first 20%. I liked the pacing, as we're thrown right into a contentious environment with our FMC. However, said environment is a lot more about vibes and terrible people versus world building, history, or well details in general. Most of what I found interesting (sirens, with wings!), I learned little of. Even when we're tossed into a second setting, that was more siren centric, I didn't feel like I was learning anything more 🫠. That pacing I intially enjoyed, proved to be an annoyance as I didnt feel like there was a while lot of substance since so much of the story was focused on the blood bond/insta-love between our two MCs... which isn't quite my thing.
Anyhoo, I do feel like it will be a fun read for some, and my lower rating has more to do with my personal preferences and expectations.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the eARC!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

“In the Veins of the Drowning” was a great debut. Cassidy’s prose is absolutely beautiful. The concept of sirens and a blood bond had me intrigued. However, I was left wanting more from this book. Not much happened until the last 25% (which was the best part of the book for me). It took me a couple of months to finally finish; I ended up reading the last 25% in a day because it was where the story really picked up and I had to know what came next! This section of the book is fast paced, action packed, and we finally get the answers we’ve been seeking.

I am interested to know more about the world the story takes place in. Despite some brief descriptions of the gods and goddesses and lands, I was left feeling as if the world was underdeveloped. I was also a bit unclear on what the perception of the sirens is in this world; some seem to hate them and kill them for sport, yet in other areas no one seems to mind them. We do learn a bit more towards the end of the book; I’m hoping the world will be expanded upon in book 2.

I was invested in these characters’ journeys but I had a bit of trouble connecting to them emotionally. We are told Imogen wants certain things, but I had trouble truly feeling it at times. The romance was also a bit lacking for me, but I can’t exactly put my finger on why. I loved Theo as a love interest. The yearning and declarations of love were on point. But the two of them fall for each other so quickly, and I struggled to see why they even liked one another in the first place aside from their blood bond. I also prefer a slow burn, and the attraction between the two was pretty much immediate, so that may have something to do with why I wasn’t as obsessed with the romance aspect of the story.

The story grabbed me at the end and I am definitely invested in finding out what comes next, so I’ll be picking up book 2 when it comes!

I officially need allllll the siren recs now because this was so much fun! This book had so many things I love in it. Deathly magic, blood bonds, prophecies, mythology, and political intrigue. I mean what more could you want?! I really loved the MMC a lot. The yearning was so good. The cliffhanger ending has me excited for book two!
Recommended if you enjoy books with sirens and magical bonds.

This book was an emotional ride from start to finish. I loved reading about a new to me fantasy creature which was the siren. I enjoyed the lore behind it and how the FMC was developed. The MMC was a bit confusing at times and I found myself frustrated with his behavior. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

And honestly, no notes.

I DEVOURED THIS.

I loved it.

It is gothic moody meets fairytale. It is fucked up family dynamics and secrets and sirens and THE YEARNING?! Oooo lord the yearning!

It blends the dark with the humorous and throws in some romance and spice to feed us all. I loved the character development, the lush storytelling, and have already recommended this to a BUNCH of you because this is a reading rut buster if I ever saw one. Please pick this one up!

And also don’t get judgey because a LOT of my reads were all related to the sea this month 🤷‍♀️

And I also just checked and we have a title for The Siren Mage Book 2: IN THE WAKE OF THE RUINED! @kaliecassidybooks I can’t wait!!

I wasn’t expecting to fall this hard for a book, but it completely stole my heart from the very first chapter. I was hooked and couldn’t put it down!
I adored the forced marriage trope paired with a slow-burn romance that felt both dangerous and deliciously spicy. While I usually fall for the brooding villain type, Theo was a refreshing surprise…. as a genuinely good man willing to do anything for the breathtaking siren he’s just met.
Even with a few side plots, Cassidy wove everything together so seamlessly, creating a gothic love story that felt both haunting and beautiful. I found myself highlighting more passages than I ever have before. This is without question a book I’ll be purchasing in physical form to proudly display on my trophy shelf.

*Thank you to Kalie Cassidy, Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for the digital copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Imogen Nel is the ward of an authoritarian king, Nemea, himself one of several in the region. Raised by Nemea to be quiet, cowed, and submissive, Imogen is about to married to Nemea's guard captain, exchanging one arrogant, controlling male for another, despite her powers as a Siren. In desperation, she appeals to Theodore, king of a neighboring kingdom, to help her escape her guardian and her wedding. This is the beginning of Imogen's and Theodore's quest to break Nemea's hold on the region, and to free the inhabitants from his depredations, and those of the Siren-hunting nekgya, who have taken over the seas.

I mostly enjoyed In the Veins of the Drowning, although the gothic, semi-medieval setting was regularly jarred by modern profanity, knocking me out of the atmosphere the author created. I enjoyed watching Imogen break out of the obedient persona fostered on her by Nemea, although I think it happened a bit quickly for a woman raised to be subservient all her life; still, desperation can have that effect.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an eARC of In the Veins of the Drowning in exchange for my honest review!

As the first book in the Siren Mage series by Kalie Cassidy, In the Veins of the Drowning lands as a gripping ride that deliciously brims with a dark fantasy atmosphere and that lures me into the bloodthirsty machinations of this world. It whips up such a luxurious air that runs smoothly over my senses and contrasts very nicely with the vicious and cunning instincts that people in this landscape summon up, whether it's because they're greedily reaching out for power or because they're simply trying to survive. All of this happens while the book is using some tropes that hit me in a familiar and comfy fashion—the type of tropes that make me go, "Oh hey, I've seen y'all plenty of times before," and the book manages to utilize them in a way that doesn't come off as old and tiresome. The mild inspiration that this seems to draw from The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen certainly stands out to me, but that's really just to provide a launchpad for this novel to embark on a whole other journey—one where I get wrapped up in Imogen and Theo's relationship, even if it does hit me like they start falling for each other too quickly. The tension of desire burbles up between them, convincing me that there's genuine substance to dive into within their dynamic.

Sure, this book gets me coming up with nitpicks over its worldbuilding and the points that leave me thinking we could afford to flesh out certain portions of it more thoroughly, but it's not majorly detracting from my reading experience at the end of the day. I'm able to give In the Veins of the Drowning 3.75 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding up to 4 stars. I'll be seated for the next entry in the Siren Mage series. In addition, I'm intrigued to check out One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig, who'd thrown a blurb over to In the Veins of the Drowning. I'm seeing a few reviews draw positive comparisons between the two books, so that has me pricking up my ears.

Darkly lyrical, fiercely emotional, and utterly unforgettable.

I went into In the Veins of the Drowning expecting a dark romantasy with some siren magic and a brooding love interest.

What I GOT was a sweeping, gothic tide of a novel that wrecked me emotionally in all the BEST ways.

Cassidy crafts a world soaked in dread and longing,... where the sea holds secrets, power is poison, and desire is dangerous. The writing is gorgeous without being overwrought. Poetic yet sharp. Every word feels intentional, and there’s this constant tension between beauty and brutality that kept me locked in from page 1.

Imogen is one of the most compelling protagonists: complex, raw, and painfully self-aware (we love). Her struggle with her power, her identity, and her need for connection gave the book teeth.

And King Theo?

He’s not just the typical brooding love interest. He’s honorable to a fault, sometimes frustratingly so, but when the tension between them finally breaks… 🔥 Let’s just say the pining was WORTH IT.

Side characters are always a favorite for me, and this story was no different. Whether it’s Imogen’s complicated bond with her sister, or the chilling presence of the nekgya, every thread feels part of something bigger. The story isn’t just about romance... it’s about power, guilt, grief, and how far someone will go to reclaim their sense of self.

Counting the days until the sequel.

For the girlies who like:

-Slow-burn, high-stakes romance
-Morally grey heroines with monstrous power
-Political intrigue and mythic worldbuilding
-Beautifully haunting prose

And of course... just the right amount of spice 🌶️

RUN, DON'T WALK.

In short, I found this book to be confusing, frustrating, and unresolved. I understand that the first book in a series needs to finish with some unanswered questions and mysteries for the next in the series to pick up, but this one didn't give me any reason to want to read on.