I’m obsessed. I honestly think this is going to be so popular when it’s published. The story is fast paced and I was sucked right in. I cared about these characters and what they were going through. It has all the makings of being the book of the year. Worth the read!

In the Veins of the Drowning was not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but it’s comfortably lounging near the bottom. I picked this up expecting romantasy. What I got was featherweight smut wrapped in the thinnest tissue of a story, with Imogen existing solely to swoon over Theodore like a Regency damsel who fell into a Pinterest fantasy board.

The plot? Barely there. Any sense of forward momentum was repeatedly derailed by the book’s obsession with intense eye contact and emotionally constipated longing. World-building was virtually nonexistent—it felt like Cassidy Googled “fantasy words” once and called it a day.

The writing style couldn’t decide if it wanted to be prose or just insufferably purple. It teetered between awkward faux-prose and overwrought language that felt more like an English Lit project than a polished novel. And don’t get me started on her usage of the words draught, sick, or parse.

But the real MVP (Most Vexing Phrase)? “Gods” and “godsdamned.” I swear to all seven heavens, this book used those terms at least 101 times, and each one was more unnecessary than the last. Was there a drinking game? A contractual obligation? At one point I felt like the characters were in a looped TikTok audio yelling “godsdamned” at everything from weather to their breakfast.

Look, if you’re into fluff with fantasy window dressing and don’t mind a narrative that melts on contact, maybe this is your thing. But for those of us looking for substance, depth, or literally any character development beyond romantic pining? Hard pass.

I am in awe of this book! I went in not expecting how blown away I would be, I could not put it down. I was snared from the beginning. The writing is just so beautiful, and the world building was amazing, and characters were relatable. I feel like it’s very hard to find a book as well rounded as this way! So far this sits as my favorite book I’ve read in the later half of 2024 and 2025. I can’t for the next installment to see where Imogen’s travels take her and how much she’ll continue to come into her own.

Okay the idea of this book had me so excited to read this one but I feel like I just wasn’t the best reader for it. Yes water creatures and hunter and stuff Is cool but I just didn’t feel like the storyline was smooth or the FMC… I feel like she was not consistent or progressing as much as I would hope to have my interest continually peaked. Again the idea behind it was really good but with the flow and the FMC that I just could get a good liking to it just wasn’t for me but not a bad read.

This was quite the debut. I was hooked from the very first pages and couldn't put it down. Beautifully written, well structured, and evocative -- Can't wait for the sequel!

In the veins of drowning

Imogen was a difficult character to like at first but she quickly grows on you. She goes from being selfish to growing into herself. When she began to color outside of the lines is when I believe that the story truly began.

This story is fast paced, action driven and plot driven. You also get hit with a delicious slow burn, and deadly revelations that don’t stop coming. The only thing better than a book with sirens is a book with dark sirens. I seriously cannot wait for the next installment.

I read this book in two days because I could not put it down. It took me that long because I had to work and sleep. This book should be on your radar!!

This is a really interesting premise. A siren and a king and a war. However there needs to be more world building. There isn't a sense how things work. The politics, the magic, the kingdoms.

I dnf'd pretty quickly. I was very excited to read it, based on the synopsis, but it immediately started off like i was coming into the middle of the book. I felt like i was missing a lot of information prior to what was going on.

I thought the premise was unique and had me captivated from the beginning, loved the characters and can't wait to find out more and see them grow in the next book, the world building felt a little rushed and the pacing was inconsistent but overall I had a great time reading this, it's very addictive writing!

This just did not work well for me. First of all, I feel like we just get thrown into the book which can work in some books but not sure it worked for me in this one. And I don’t feel like there was enough background and history on the sirens or this kingdom, or island chain or whatever it is. I wanted a bit more explanation for the politics, like okay there’s a couple kings, an empress but how are they connected? Is Nemea just the king of a fort? So maybe I wanted a bit more world building. Imogen’s magic isn’t very clear to me, whenever we got to a part of her using magic I feel like I missed something. She also seemed really whiny and a bit childish to me like she’s supposed to be 26 but she sure doesn’t act like it. She constantly was like ‘you hate me!’ But like I don’t know if I interpreted Theo’s actions as hate to be honest. I think it would have been beneficial to show us more depth of the relationship between Imogen and Theo as well as more of the relationship between Imogen and Nemea. I liked the idea of a siren as a main character and the different gods were interesting. I’m sure there will be quite a few people who love this for the romance though but personally it just fell flat for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Finished this in no time at all! But did NOT expect it to end like that, now I have to still wait!
At times the pacing was hard for me, from slow and world building, to rushing to the gate. Imogens backstory is intriguing, and I am eager to see what comes from her story. Theodore is very Anthony Bridgerton-coded, LOVE!
I hope we'll get to see more of Agatha in book 2, and especially Lachlan!!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for making this available as a "read now"!

I literally read this in one day - I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I really enjoyed the premise of the gods& sirens and I thought the author did a good job of keeping the plot moving forward and building the anticipation of some of the reveals.

I’m looking forward to book 2!

Thank you for the opportunity to read early!

the yearning, my god- the yearning. and the angst. and slow burn. amazing. so pleasantly surprised by this one. chef's kiss.

If I had to describe this book in a single word: yearning. Sooooo much yearning.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I read this courtesy Little Brown and NetGalley. In this emotional, evocative romantasy, the deep, warm author’s voice works beautifully, but seriously, the lead female character, a siren, just seems to be asking to be mistreated. I wish I had liked this more, but the idea is better than execution.

#TheVeinsoftheDrowning #LittleBrown #NetGalley

#IndigoEmployee

My Rating: 4.75 stars!

Until the last 3 chapters, I thought I’d give this book a full 5.

The mixing of sirens both the modern interpretation and the original interpretation as birds was something I didn’t know I needed. I loved the unique view on sirens this book gave, as well as the magic system utilized and the world building that was clearly fleshed out. I was sucked in the entire time, waiting to see what would happen next and where the story was going.

When I say the last three chapters changed my rating, it’s not because I hated them, or I hated the ending, I just felt it was rushed. The fight/confrontation between Imogen and Nemea felt to hurried after an entire book leading up to it. And the brief convo between Imogen and Eusia also seeming slightly unpolished. I still loved the plot, the premise, and the outcome, it just felt like it needed a little bit more.

Still, I will be sat here with bated breath waiting for book two eagerly.

THIS is yearning! Holy cow this was good. Everything we love to see in a romantasy and done VERY well!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!

What you can expect to find in In the Veins of Drowning:
- siren x king
- he falls first
- dark magic
- slow burn
- angst & tension

I had a feeling that I was going to love In the Veins of Drowning before I even began and I wasn't wrong. I won't rehash the plot too much because I don't want to give away spoilers - but this was one of those books that I couldn't stop reading once I started.

I loved loved love Imogen and Theodore together. Their chemistry, tension and all the angst had me turning the pages as fast as possible. These two were so fun together - they didn't hold back how they felt and sometimes that translated in frustration or anger - but most often it was yearning and I was THERE FOR IT. Gah!

I loved the world building in In the Veins of Drowning. It was so immersive and sometimes dark, but that kept me captivated and wanting to read more. I will say that the last 10% or so lost me a bit because there was so much going on, but I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series!

I love a good Romantasy!! Fantasy, Sirens and Folklore! Loved it! It was beautifully written and immersive. I also enjoyed the mythology. It was fun living in Imogen’s world. I enjoyed the love story that took place also!

Overall, I really liked this book and it was a fun and somewhat refreshing fantasy world to be in!

The beginning hooked me, especially with the introduction of Theo right away 🫠 I don’t think I’ve read a book about Sirens, so I enjoyed that it was something new, and I feel like the author did a great job with all the lore behind the sirens and their magic.

A lot happens in this book, and it feels like it was a lot longer than it actually was! Which isn’t a bad thing, it definitely kept things interesting, but at times it felt a bit hard to follow. That didn’t really take away from my overall enjoyment too much though.

But the whole middle section of this book? perfection. The banter, the tension, the pining. The “my wife” moments 😮‍💨 Theodore is the love of my life. He was such a great character, I just can’t say enough good things about him. Still feeling giddy over him and that mouth of his 🥵 a lot of times in these enemies to lovers type books, I feel like it’s the male character that wants to fight the attraction, that’s always hitting the fmc with the “we shouldn’t” or “we can’t”, and wanting to put duty first, but not Theo. That boy was down bad basically the whole time 🫠

I enjoyed seeing Imogen’s journey to finding herself, her voice and her confidence in the end. She went through a lot, discovered a lot, and handled it the best way she could. Even if she was stubborn throughout. She’s definitely an fmc who is fierce and fights for those she loves. Maybe a little bit of Aelin energy to her 😏

The ending of the book was where it got a bit messy for me. It was a “well that escalated quickly” type of situation 😅 but it definitely built up to a crazy cliffhanger and it left me feeling the same way I did at the end of Heartless Hunter…like wtf just happened?? 😩

If you were a fan of Heartless Hunter, The Ever King and A Dawn of Onyx, I think you’ll really enjoy this book!