There was a lot going on but also not? It was a tad confusing. There was no shortage of descriptions for the male MC and his attractiveness.. I wish more time had been spent explaining the world rather than his hottness. There wasnt much chemistry in my opinion so I would have rather focused on the story. I think this is more of a story for the steamy scenes than it is for reading a good fantasy

3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Kalie Cassidy, & Little Brown & Co. For the A R C
Hooked by 9%-this book pulls you in fast and delivers a visceral, fast-paced ride full of blood bonds, siren goddesses , and solid action scenes. The world is immersive and moody, perfect for a cloudy day with a glass of wine or a chill summer beach read.

That said, it felt like just a piece of a larger story. I wanted more lore, especially around the sirens, and didn’t fully connect with the female main character—I’d love to see the story from other characters perspectives. Still, a strong, intriguing read that leaves you wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. And it’s going to be very honest. Gird your loins.

Tl,dr: a predictable yet entertaining, this trope-heavy romantasy is riddled with plot holes and plagued by a FMC with serious boundary issues.

The description & comp to One Dark Window initially intrigued me. In a genre saturated with fae and shadow daddies, a romantasy with a siren FMC and healer MMC was a nice change. But sirens could have been replaced with literally anything else for how much it mattered to the “plot”— a bunch of romantasy tropes stacked under a trenchcoat.

This fantasy romance was mostly well-written, at times veering into overwritten, but little was fantastical or romantic about it. The characters were cardboard cutouts leaping between tropes in a poorly explained world. The stakes were uncertain, the pacing erratic, and the FMC was deeply problematic in her lack of respect for other people’s boundaries.

I was hoping for a gradual reveal of the world and magic system, but nope, I stayed confused throughout and got tripped up in the many plot holes.

The FMC has to hide from the sea to prevent turning into a forbidden Siren—even the smell of salt air can set off her transformation—and so she lives on an island… in the sea. She’s the ward of a comic book villain king on an island kingdom that is only described as hating Sirens (for…reasons?) and having bad wine. When she’s told to marry the king’s captain and official Siren killer, she doesn’t bat an eye. She even sleeps with him. In 26 years as a secret Siren, she has never once questioned her origins, her magic, why she’s unbothered by her fiancé slaughtering her kind, or much of anything happening in the world at all.

Imogen was a petulant and entitled FMC with no agency throughout. While she did develop self-awareness, it was not reflected in any meaningful character growth. She has the ability to sprout wings and steal breath and command the sea, yet twiddled her thumbs while waiting to be rescued. Without remorse, she manipulated strangers (i.e. Theodore) into risking everything to save her from the consequences of her own actions, then threw a tantrum when he expressed reasonable boundaries (i.e. no, he will not risk a hasty rescue and start a war that will hurt his kingdom for a woman he met yesterday and has rightfully nonstop called an imbecile.)

The already thin plot was twisted to squeeze in as many tropes as possible, including not one but two love triangles (my least favorite trope.) In classic romantasy fashion, there was a blonde MMC fakeout and a dark-haired MMC endgame. The blonde fiancé is an infamous Siren-hunting captain, yet apparently he can’t recognize he’s engaged to a Siren until she literally transforms into one after she licks the salt off his skin while he’s inside of her.

Yep.

And she just watches the Siren-murdering captain awkwardly put his pants back on and shuffle out, then twiddles her thumbs waiting for someone to save her from the situation she created. Instead she gets Theodore, who was a cardboard cutout of the tall, dark, and broody MMC. Dude was scowling so much in every scene it was a wonder he didn’t pull a facial muscle. Surprisingly, he actually calls Imogen out on her spinelessness. Some good zingers: “You’re an imbecile to marry a man whose job it is to kill you.” Yes! Thank you! And this gem of reason: “You should have tried to leave a long time ago.”

Imogen responds to this fair criticism as expected: poorly. She goes from simpering to stomping off at even a whiff of rationality. I needed a neck brace from the FMC’s whiplash of emotions.

Instead of fighting against her predictably-evil fiancé when he tries to force a blood bond on her, she throws her arms around his neck and pleads, “Please don’t.” Then, a minute later, she’s casually drowning him in the bathtub. After killing Evander, her “escape plan” consists of forcing a blood bond on a sleeping Theodore without his consent—you know, the exact reason she just drowned her fiancé in the tub for—then gets upset when Theodore wakes up and repeats his reasonable answer of nope, not starting a war to help you, strange bird lady.

No means no, Imogen. Save yourself!

Then out of nowhere, Theodore says sure, what the heck, I’ll sacrifice the people I’m duty-bound to protect for a woman I just met. They perform a blood bond, the flimsy plot device that the rest of the story is hinged upon, and I honestly couldn’t tell you what it is or why they do it.

Things got weirder after this, and not necessarily in a good way.

Suddenly, the blood bond means that Imogen and Theodore are married, but oh no, he’s already engaged, but then the blood bond can be severed, but only by a Mage Seer who also gives prophecies, yet now the blood bond is the reason they can’t be separated and have all-consuming feelings for each other instead of actual compatibility, and they need to fuck to stop puking?

I… can’t.

The blood bond was a vehicle for the forced proximity trope and used in lieu of any actual chemistry, relationship development, or character growth. The “romance” was not romantic for me. Imogen was often immature, Theodore lost what little personality he had as soon as he developed feelings (he went from “duty-bound to the core” to a besotted doormat like overnight), and their dynamic was pretty toxic. The formula: she makes irrational demands, he negotiates with emotional terrorists and offers a sensible compromise, and she storms away in a huff. Rinse and repeat.

For a first person POV, there was so much introspection drooling over Theodore (his “strong fingers”, “strong back”, “strong knees”), and almost none for reflecting on her actions, let alone the string of dead bodies left in her wake.

The ending was a hot mess with no resolution, and it undid what little did actually happen in the story. They’re going to stretch this already thin plot into another book, and while I found the first entertaining enough to finish, I am not invested in the story or the characters to bother with the sequel.

Someone save me from booktok trope overload I think I’m starting to drown

Rating: 2.5/5 ⭐️

I wanted to like this soooo badly and the story had so much potential that it honestly hurts to rate the book this low. I LOVE sirens and the fact that they’re based on the classic Greek mythology version in this just immediately caught my attention and got me extremely excited. Unfortunately, I just can’t ignore how rough certain parts were; between the strange writing in the beginning (which actually did get better later) and nonsensical character decisions/feelings, I just struggled to really get into this.

There seems to be a weird disconnect between the characters at the beginning of the book and the interactions that happened between them later. At first it seemed like an insta-love romance (which I just am too old for at this point lol), but then suddenly the characters both “hated” each other and it was enemies to lovers I guess? But also there was supposed to be “he falls first and harder” male yearning and desperation. Just complete whiplash with very little explanation for why their dynamic kept changing. Honestly, it just felt like the author had a lot of tropes they wanted to hit, making the whole romance confusing and unnatural. I would’ve liked to see more moments when the main characters really sat down, got to know each other, and build that connection they’re supposed to have. It felt like they only actually talked once, and that also happened to be the only time I felt any chemistry between them.

I did love the world and wish the author spent more time fleshing out the sirens and all the politics going on a bit. The author repeatedly told us that the stakes were high, but I wanted to actually feel the tension more. Theo is supposedly a good king, and it’s supposed to be dangerous for him to care about Imogen so much, so let’s see some moments where he’s caring for his subjects and thinking about the consequences of his actions.

Closing thoughts:
Overall, I just needed so much more from this. The world and the plot were fascinating and I loved the twists the author incorporated, but the characters (and sometimes the writing) fell so flat that I just can’t really recommend this unless it goes through a bit more polishing.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own and not sponsored in any way.

I liked the first third of the book. The relationship started of good, the characters had good chemistry. But it got repetitive and ridiculous. The back and forth of whether or not she was going to break the bond was annoying. And sometimes it was difficult to picture what was happening.

Loved this one so much! The characters are great and the story left you wondering what could happen next. I in no way guessed the ending and I love it because of that!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown for this early readers copy of In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy.
Spoilers:
The book immediately sucks you in the murder of Evander and magical binding of Theodore. It’s well paced in the first half and there is excellent tension and budding romance between Imogen and Theo. The jealously aspect and pining question of is it from the bond or not is well written.
The last third of the book took a turn for me. When Imogen and Theo got back from the mage seer, we were thrown too much information way too quickly. They are in love, Halla worships Eusia, Imogens blood feeds Eusia, Nemea tries to kill her but saves her because his bond is still in place, Agatha is taken by the empress. Sometimes I can get behind a chaotic finish but I began to feel disconnected from the characters. I don’t think Theo would have let Imogen go that easily. I was also shocked at Lachlan’s refusal to accept Theo’s marriage to Imogen. If anyone can understand the pain of breaking the bond and living apart, it’s him.
Overall the book was fun, the lore was interesting and I would be interested to continue the series and see where it lands. 3.5 stars

I was first drawn to this book because of the blurb , and the bit from Rachel Gillig. Then I saw Gillig’s blurb on the cover, and I was sold. I’m happy to say, it lived up to my hopes.

In the Veins of Drowning kept my attention from the very beginning. I was drawn to Imogen, and I rooted for Theo from his first mention on the page. I loved the world Cassidy created, the darkness and suspense, the magic that wove around the Sirens and the Gods.

I’m dying for the next book. I want to know how Imogen is going to overcome what is coming her way, and I want to see her and Theo together again.

Fantastic story, definitely on track to be a favorite for the year!

This is going to be such a hit! A gorgeous lush, gothic tale about a siren, the king that finds himself besotted with her, and her journey to uncovering her past and forging her own future. The pacing was fantastic and the settings were gorgeous—the imagery of the sea, the barren mountain kingdom, and Theo’s mediterraneanesque kingdom full of vines and gardens were all so vivid and beautiful. I found myself sucked right into Immy and Theo’s love story and the push-pull between them. I loved the unique take on sirens and all the spooky details and their magic. The brooding king reminded me of Theo James and i dont know if it was intentional but it was absolutely a great choice haha. Will be picking up the sequel as soon as I am possibly able to get my hands on it!

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and Kalie Cassidy for the ARC!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kalie Cassidy for an ARC of In The Veins of the Drowning. This is officially out on July 15, 2025, so my review is based on NOT the final version!

We started so well! Imogen Nel, our FMC, has her life turned upside down as she is discovered to be a Siren by her betrothed and the captain of the guard only days (maybe hours?) before her wedding. In a kingdom such as Seraf, which hunts and kills Sirens, this isn’t ideal. When things get worse and she accidentally kills her fiancée, Imogen realizes she has to flee, and she enlists the help of King Theodore who is visiting for her nuptials (and with whom she immediately establishes a flirty and flinty partnership of sorts).

I really enjoyed watching Imogen’s world as she knew it unravel. The Siren-specific body horror and brutality I especially ate up. Truthfully, I wanted more of that. I enjoyed the will they, won’t they of Imogen’s relationship with Theo as well. He was an interesting character in his battle for restraint and to follow his duty. The way Imogen and Theo were paralleled by Agatha and Lachlan was a nice touch as well!

I think my frustration with the third act predominantly came down to 1) world building and 2) the author giving up the plot “cards” sooner than I think was necessary in the story. Because I was so drawn in by the siren aspect, I would have loved to know more about that element of the world building, but it quickly fell to the wayside for these Mage Seers and gods (OK, I know Liegia was a Siren, but still). The Mage Seer aspect felt a little all over the place.

For the second point, I do find that I’m drawn to mystery in fantasy, so I was frustrated when so many big lore questions were answered in quick succession in the last section. I think, too, the confrontation with King Nemea didn’t have nearly the punch I wanted it to. He was used as a plot-information device more than anything, and I didn’t feel the emotional conflict enough between him and Imogen.

Nevertheless, this is a really solid first read from Kalie Cassidy and I WILL be reading the follow up book. My hope is that we will lean even more into the darkness of the Siren premise and that we’ll see an interesting relationship development between Imogen and Halla.

When I say I want fun fantasy romance, I mean this book. Love interest goes from stern-faced and withholding to endearingly pathetic by the end? Check. FMC becoming increasingly monstrous? Check. A ton of pining and yearning and angst? Check.

I loved this siren tale, and I will be eagerly awaiting Cassidy’s follow up!

Our story begins on the remote Isle of Seraf, within the stone walls of King Nemea’s fortress. There lives Imogen—his ward, hidden from the world and promised to a man she does not love. But Imogen carries a perilous secret: she is a siren.

While slipping away from the stifling spectacle of her engagement celebration, Imogen encounters a charming stranger named Theodore. Their brief exchange is cut short when she returns to the festivities—only to discover that he is none other than the King of Varya.

When her betrothed learns the truth about what she is, the siren within awakens—and he does not survive the night. Scared and alone, Imogen seeks refuge in Varya. Theodore offers her sanctuary, but at a price: she must swear loyalty to him and partake in a bonding ritual to protect them both.

What Imogen doesn’t realize is that in Varya, such a bond is recognized as a marriage.

Now bound to a foreign king by more than just vows, Imogen must flee the wrath of her homeland, conceal their union, and confront the dark god Eusia, to whom her soul is still tethered. Together, she and Theodore must navigate the perilous path ahead, where love, loyalty, and survival hang in the balance.

This book was an absolute delight from start to finish. It hooked me right away and kept me turning pages late into the night. I’ve never read a story with a siren as the main character, and I was pleasantly surprised by how fresh and compelling it felt. With a perfect blend of action, romance, and rich folklore, it’s a standout in the romantasy genre.

My only complaint? Now I have to wait for the next installment.

A must-read for fans of forced proximity and magical romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sexy, powerful siren + magical bond + politics + yearning royal?? I cannot wait for the sequel!! The cover art captures the seductive darkness of the book well.

The plot: Imogen is a powerful siren caged in a hostile kingdom by a ruthless man and his army of hunters. She must remain away from the sea to quell her cravings for blood and to prevent her black wings from revealing her nature. When a rival king visits, her control snaps. Imogen must forge a blood bond with this strange royal and abscond in the night for a chance to survive. Can she and the king defeat the enemies that seek to destroy them?

My opinion: I loved this! I was shocked to learn that this was Cassidy’s debut given the strength of the book. She managed to interweave cool magic (sirens, prophecies, bonds) with political intrigue and romance seamlessly. The darkness and violence are seductive and enchanting, taking readers under a spell. I enjoyed the characters and relationships, especially the yearning king and the devoted best friend, plus the unwilling alliances along the way. I am so excited to read the sequel - the end left me wanting more!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this ARC!

UGH THIS BOOK 😍😍 Enchanting. The yearning. The swooning. The fact we now have to wait for book 2 will destroy me.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc, I will be purchasing a physical copy when it is released in July.

In The Veins Of The Drowning by Kalie Cassidy is going to be everyone’s favorite romantasy this summer. It features magic, sirens, broody kings and the perfect amount of world building.


if you love fantasy and romance, then this is a must read book for you!!

I am interested enough to read the second book, whenever that comes out, but... I don't know. There's something about the MMC that didn't work for me. I enjoyed the book, liked their relationship ups and downs at face value, but something underneath it all didn't click for me?

And I like the MMC overall! But for someone who had such a strong sense of duty and honor, the fact that he was refusing to listen to his closest friends' advice was really weird. Maybe it leaned insta love and that's what didn't work for me? He worshipped her, and maybe I wanted her to work for earning that a bit more.

The ending didn't land for me. There were elements about it that I liked, but I would have been content for it to have ended a little bit before it's actual ending. Or maybe I'm just in denial and I didn't *want* the ending to go that way. I liked the reveals, those were well done. The closing image made me want to throw my phone. Take from that what you will.

I felt the FMC *was* chaos. Which... I guess tracks. Maybe she will settle more in the next book. But overall, I struggled to connect with several of her choices and actions. I also didn't understand how she could have been kept so far from the sea and then she takes a ship *on* the sea and is hardly affected? That didn't compute for me.

That was a lot of negative. But I really enjoyed the world building, the antagonists, the supporting characters, the plot movement and pacing overall. I really loved the siren lore and how their religions and deities got into it all. The familial relationships explored were dynamic and complicated. I was quickly hooked and invested into the storyline.

Content: medical descriptions, de*th, violence, explicit s*x, sacrificial rituals, bl*od bonds and sacrifices, m*rder, complicated relationships (forced engagement, marriage treaties, etc)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review is voluntarily written and the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are my own.

This was a really interesting take on monsters. To fight them, you need to be one, and Imogen is the perfect creature to save a visiting kings people...according to him.

In the Veins of the Drowning is the debut romantasy novel we are all looking for!!
An epic tale, a swoon worthy romance, and well developed characters shine in this story of mistaken identities and misleading stories. Our author, Kalie, writes an atmospheric, un-put-down-able novel that rivals the way you feel when you read authors like Rachel Gillig, Ava Reid, and Kristin Cicarelli.
If I needed to make one suggestion, it would be to develop more of the background with the gods and kingdoms to know how their lives were intertwined.
Even so, I was engrossed in the siren song of this story from the beginning and will definitely need to read its sequel.

I loved this book from the start. Imogen is hiding from a cruel king and his kingdom that hunt and kills Sirens. She's just trying to survive her world and make a happy life for herself. But her secret is revealed and she has to leave immediately. She's timid and scared and completely unfamiliar with her own powers after tamping everything down since her childhood. She feels like everyone is disgusted by her.

She runs to the aide of another king, Theodore. He despises the kingdom she's from for what they do and he is duty-bound to protect his own kingdom. He knows what Imogen is and agrees to help her escape. He's really good at keeping up his walls and not letting his true thoughts and feelings show.

This book is fast paced with never a dull moment. There are blood bonds, forced proximity, one horse and one bed scenes and it was definitely slow burn. I feel like there is miscommunication but not in an annoying way. Their banter had me giggling and kicking my feet. When he finally lets loose, the things Theo says could melt any woman's heart. He's down bad for her but rarely lets it show.

I don't think I've ever read a book about Sirens and God's powers like this and it was such a unique twist on fantasy for me. Their is a cliffhanger ending but I'm not even mad about it. The only thing I'm mad about is that I have to wait for book 2 because this isn't even published yet.

I gave In the Veins of the Drowning four ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you Little, Brown and Company, Kalie Cassidy and Net Galley for the ARC. These are my honest opinions.

I loved this book. I enjoyed the characters and they were well developed. Although, I did get a little tired of the FMC because she has guilt trips through the entire book. I am not crazy about an FMC who thinks she has so much control to be that wallowed in guilt. She does redeem herself though.

I enjoyed the story line as well and thought that it progressed nicely and had a good arc. It’s been a while since I read a siren/mage book, so it was a nice change of pace. I also loved how well the title fit the book.

Warning: this is book one of a series, so be prepared for….well, you know what to be prepared for.

Read this one!

Romantasy is not my typical genre, but I liked the sound of this and thought I would try outside of my normal reading boxes. I really liked the introduction, generally enjoyed the main character and was engaged into the mystery of her circumstances. I enjoyed the banter between her and the Love Interest, and found the action reasonably engaging.

Overall I think Romantasy is still not going to be my genre of choice, but I found it compelling enough that I will likely seek out the second book when it comes out. I'm intrigued with the mystery elements, and while I feel like I'm not really one for a compelled bond type of storyline, I enjoyed the two MCs well enough in spite of that.

Overall fast moving and entertaining and I would read more.