Although this book is typical of the romantasy genre, the details and presented history are unique enough to be an interesting read. Devoted romantasy fans will appreciate the world-building and suspense tied to the main characters' spicy connection.

Beautiful, luscious prose! I loved the worldbuilding around the sirens and their magic. While I personally wish Imogen had been a bit more proactive sooner, I do recognize that her level of agency was a big part of her arc, and because of that, the ending was thrilling. I love how she began to own her power in the way that she did, despite the price that was required of her to do so, and I really hope to see her lean more into that in book 2!

The one problem with receiving an ARC from NetGalley is when you finish such a wonderful, captivating book and you NEED the next book asap and the one you just finished reading hasn’t been published yet so you still have to wait forever. I loved this book so much. I was so happy when they finally realized they care for each other BUT the ending tried to take me out of this world.

In the Veins of Drowning had me hooked before I even cracked open the first page—I just knew it was going to be my kind of read, and it totally delivered. Think: siren x king, slow burn, forbidden romance, dark magic, and so much delicious tension.

Imogen and Theodore? Obsessed. Their chemistry is electric in that yearning, angsty, can’t-look-away kind of way. They clash, they burn, they ache for each other, and it’s all just so compulsively readable. I flew through the pages like my life depended on it.

The world-building is lush and immersive, with that perfect touch of darkness that keeps you on edge. You’ve got sirens hunted by the very people Imogen is hiding among, a blood bond that changes everything, and Theo—our morally conflicted king who’s equal parts fierce protector and secret softie. His push-pull between duty and desire? Whew. It’s good.

Kalie Cassidy’s writing just pulls you right in—there’s magic (literal and emotional), banter, twists, and a beautifully layered slow burn that pays off big time. Imogen reminded me a little of Auren from the Plated Prisoner series—tired of being owned, ready to take back her power—and Theo is the kind of MMC who makes that journey feel earned.

The pacing stays strong through most of the book, though I’ll admit the last chunk got a little chaotic with everything going on. But honestly? I didn’t mind. It just made me more desperate for book two.

If you’re into sirens, blood bonds, forbidden love, and a slow-burn that simmers with tension—go ahead and add this to your TBR. You won’t regret it.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: NA Dark Romantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: July 15, 2025

"𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘭. 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭."

🩸 Bound by Blood
❤️‍🔥 Only One Bedroll
🌊 Forced Proximity
✨️ Unique Magic System
🔥 Slow Burn
🛡 Found Family

Have I found my newest obsession? ABSOLUTELY! Are you looking for a gothic romantasy with lots of tension? Sirens and hunters?

The tension was delicious! I adored the dynamic between Imogen and Theodore. The end of their first horse ride? *SWOON* 😮‍💨

"I cannot even see her for the way you
encompass me... You fill my every sense. You stalk my waking mind. You make up the entirety of my dreams."

*SCREAMING*

The spice isn't too much, it's perfect and worth the wait! This book was incredible. I literally devoured it and my only regret is that I have to wait to see where Imogen's story goes!

If you loved the Folk of the Air series and the Shepherd King duology, you won't want to miss In the Veins of the Drowning!

Thank you so much, Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group, and NetGalley for the digital review copy!🫶

PG-16: ⚠️ some sexual content (not explicit, but open door), a little language, gore elements

Cassidy's crafted an enchanting romantasy debut, and I mean that in the strictest siren-related sense. it's enthralling, luring you in with evocative prose, captivating with adventure and romance--and suddenly, you come to the end, and wonder where your whole day went and how can you get your hands on the next book! I especially love seeing the depiction of a winged siren (vs. mermaid), in all her ferocity.

I've followed Cassidy's writing journey for a while, so I ran to NetGalley to request an ARC as soon as they were available. I mean, I *sprinted*, and I'm glad I did.

Very excited for Imogen to be out in the world this summer!

Overall, I enjoyed this book, however, I didn't care for how the spice was written, I needed more info and background on the lore. Some books get info dumpy, this book needed more info. I did like the MMC a lot, and I thought the FMC was okay...but she could have been better? I don't know. I will say I did enjoy the plot and will probably read the next one.

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.