This was a really fun fantasy romance themed book. There is a cliffhanger and already plans for book 2. There are sirens as you probably haven't read them before, political intrigue, and a bit of smut.
This was a really quick read for me as the story flowed well and was interesting from start to finish.

I was so excited to see a romantasy about sirens and In the Veins of Drowning did not disappoint! The writing is beautiful and I really came to love Imogen. Such a great story!

This was actually really good. Like if I was a BookToker I would make a video about it that would go viral and be the next ACOTAR or something. That good. I’ll admit my bar was really low because I got a free ARC of this from NetGalley. For a book I got by accident that I’ve never heard of, it kinda ate. I picked it up because (1) romantasy obviously and (2) I have been told I am pretty enough to be a siren so I figured I should learn more about my sistren.

The story centers around Imogen. If you’re into any fantasy, the baddies are always named Imogen. So you already know she’s a survivor and we love her. Then you have Theo. Kalie Cassidy must have attended the Tahereh Mafi school of pining and yearning because the way that Theo was down horrendous? Absolutely delicious and reminiscent of Cyrus (This Woven Kingdom).

The set up was classic romantasy- mysterious sexy stranger who is definitely a prince or something, an evil king, an arranged marriage, a fostered lost princess, all of the things. Frankly everything that occurred was a bit predictable but the writing was good so she gets a pass. I will warn you though, it was a bit graphic. Hopefully the rest of the series gets a little more creative.

3.25/5 ✰ i liked the concept of the book a lot; i was kinda confused here and there & the world building & pacing was a bit off at times but i liked theo & imogen's dynamic!

thank you to netgalley for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review <3

Thank you Kalie for giving me the opportunity to read an early copy of your book!

This was such an engaging story, I was immersed into this world from the start. The pacing is perfect, it’s fast and keeps your attention from the moment you start Imogen’s story. An undercover siren, hiding in a kingdom that hunts her kind, while a king from a neighboring kingdom is the one who knows her true identity, he agrees to a blood bond and steals her away.
LOVED the writing style, it was utterly beautiful, it flows effortlessly making the experience even better! And when I tell you this is going to be your summer romantasy obsession.. I TELL YOU

For fans of Rachel Gillig’s One Dark Window and Raven Kennedy’s Gild

This is the romantasy we needed with Sirens! Absolutely obsessed.
I loved everything about this book from the darker vibes with Sirens and witches.

The romance is perfection!
It has the perfect amount of yearning and tension.

I cannot wait to see where this story goes. 🫶🫶

3/3.5 ⭐️

this was mixed for me! on one hand, this was a very unique premise in this day and age of fantasy but the writing kept leaving something to be desired. i struggled to feel connected with the characters and their intentions, but the plot was veryyy fast paced! from the get-go, we were thrust into this world of sirens and i appreciated that! i’m intrigued enough to read the sequel and i’m sure the writing will only improve 💫

This book was dark and moody. The societal power structure based on gods and god powers was really interesting. The powers were much more available to the characters than in a lot of books where they have to go through extensive training to access anything.

The lore of the land and the lineage of the different gods were intriguing. I enjoyed the banter. The chemistry between Imogen and Theo was electric. There were definitely twists and turns that I didn't anticipate, and the ending left me wanting more.

Overall, it was a really great read that sucked you in and kept you thinking the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc. Unfortunately this book fell short for me.

My biggest issue with "In the Veins of the Drowning" is that there is hardly any exploration of the siren theme. What little there is, is entirely undermined by a widely prevalent ability to just not be affected by the siren power which completely subverts a primary element of this book.

In general, there is very little context for the book in terms of the world, the magic system, the politics, and the underlying relationships so not much ends up making intuitive sense.

We begin the book with the acknowledgement that Imogen is the king's ward, except nothing about this is explained, even the parts that the rest of the kingdom and general public would obviously know or have access to information about. There is some mention of her original family who were nobles who all died but no one ever seems to know who they are. How did she then come to be the king's ward? Who even is the king and how does he fit in the context of the world, their history, and other kings? What even is his kingdom beyond the fort?

To discuss the characters, Imogen is a weak protagonist who takes almost no direct action and only influences the events occurring in the book on one occasion. She is also extremely casual about the steps that lead up to her secret being discovered as if she somehow has zero context for what she needs to do to keep her identity safe. We're missing some essential foundational context regarding siren lore to help us understand how reasonable this all is, as well as context around how much Imogen even understood or tried to understand where she comes from. Has she not asked a single critical question about her past in 26 years? Also, sirens are getting killed left and right like it's just super easy to find and kill them. It's also suggested that sirens are hunted by the king's men in the water, but they can evidently exist perfectly fine on land in perpetuity. Why is this and what is the effect of this on their culture?

With poor characters, the character relationships also suffer. Agatha and Lachlan are 40 years old, I believe, and sound as immature as Imogen does. There is much mention of a romantic history between these two and that is meant to be a satisfying replacement for actual active relationship building on the page. Theo and Imogen alternatively, were a predictable case of insta-love. She antagonized him to no end and yet we are meant to accept that this is true love.

A direct consequence of how insufficient this world is, is that the magic system is at best flimsy and unexplained, and at worst completely contradictory. The magic that the villain Eusia possesses makes little sense and isn’t sufficiently explained. Without spoiling too much, we're told that there are two types of magic and yet their use cases and consequences are inconsistent. When we finally come to understand the magic at the heart of the problem, the explanation that we are led to ends up falling apart on the foundation of its own logic. To consider some of the broader magical questions, how do sirens have wings and still go in the water? Do they fly in the water? Do some never go in the water? Do they get tails? What even is a siren, is it a species or an inherited power? Where do the sirens come from? When Imogen finally decides to leave, why doesn’t she just use those wings and fly away or jump into the water or have thought at all about escaping even a single time in the past 26 years?

There is also the matter of the blood bond, a deeply consequential magical connection that renders a siren utterly useless and yet it's so easy to make you could force it unwillingly on someone in their sleep. So her powers often don't work on people, she's not a particularly critical thinker, she cannot fight either. What makes her a hero?

World: Loosely defined, with a "soft magic" system. It has the feel of a folktale, where the setting isn't really the point. I don't feel that the lack of deep world-building was in any way a flaw, as the plot and characters aren't dependent on the world being super defined. I really liked the sirens and what the narrative implies about them (we aren't given any lore-dumps, but things are mentioned in narration and conversations, and you have to put the pieces together).
Characters: Interesting complex characters. I liked that quite a lot of the conflict between the two main characters were properly heavy things like duty to one's people, international politics, and other external threats. Personally I find that kind of tension in a romance more interesting than the internal conflicts or contrived misunderstandings. There were very real reasons why Imogen and Theo shouldn't be together - though I feel this was kind of broken a bit with a revelation we get near the end of the book (with Theo's betrothed). I think it would've been better if there had been separate conflicts going on, that not everything had to tie back to the main plot and the big-bad. We also aren't much in the characters' heads, and so a lot of their personalities and motivations we can only guess at through the narration. It works best with Imogen, since we're mostly following her, but most of the other characters are enigmas in one sense. They aren't flat, exactly, but it's just hard to know what choices they're going to make because we don't know their deepest motivations.
Plot: I'll be honest, this book feels prematurely chopped. Why was it split into (at least) two books? The plot doesn't feel expansive enough to warrant it, and there aren't really any secondary plots to pad it out. In this first book, a lot of the conflict remains the same until the last third of the book, and it sort of feels like things were rehashed a couple times when it could have been more streamlined.

Overall, this was a fine read. I wasn't wowed, but it also wasn't bad. I liked the sirens and their lore, and I was interested in the actual plot (once it started getting going... in the last part of the book).

In the Veins of the Drowning is a mesmerizing blend of folklore, romance, and intrigue, plunging readers into a world where sirens are both feared and coveted. Kalie Cassidy crafts a gripping tale of survival, power, and reluctant alliances, weaving myth and magic into an irresistible storm of a book.

Imogen has spent her life hiding what she truly is—a siren trapped in a kingdom that would see her destroyed. Bound by duty and betrothed to a man she despises, she sees no escape. But when Theodore, the cunning King of Varya, arrives with a dangerous proposition, everything changes. He knows exactly what she is—and he believes she is the key to saving their kingdoms. Their fragile alliance is built on distrust, but as threats mount and betrayals unfold, their fates become irrevocably entwined.

Cassidy excels at crafting morally gray characters and high-stakes tension, delivering a story laced with treachery, ancient magic, and slow-burning chemistry. The world-building is lush yet layered, revealing secrets piece by piece without overwhelming the reader. While the romance simmers beneath the surface, the true heart of the novel lies in its exploration of power, sacrifice, and the lengths one must go to survive.

For those who crave dark, immersive fantasy with ruthless politics, sharp banter, and heroines who refuse to be tamed, In the Veins of the Drowning is an unforgettable read. And if you love a man willing to kneel for the woman who could ruin him—this book delivers.

I could not put this book down!!! This is a great read for fans of Adalyn Grace, Stephanie Garber, and Rachel Gillig. Imogen has grown up as the prized prisoner of a terrible king on a barren, rocky island in the middle of a vast sea. Her only hope to get away from him is to marry his lead guard. The night before their wedding, Imogen learns she is actually a siren with great powers not seen in decades. But sirens have been demonized and hunted almost to extinction. Imogen's only way to escape the island with her life is to bind herself to a man she only just met...a rival king from across the sea. Leaving with him with surely bring war and devastation. I can't wait for the sequel!!!

This was one of those books that started full-throttle, sucked me in, and I was just along for the ride. I didn't quite know where it was going or what was going on at times but I enjoyed the adventure and fast paced nature. The story got better as it went along but sometimes I felt lost as aspects of the mythology seemed to be introduced with no background. The minimal world building left me feeling as though I had missed reading an entire pages at times and the story would have been richer and more intriguing with dives into the background driving the characters, religion, and politics.

The main characters were interesting but I found it hard at times to understand and connect with them in anyway. The “instant love” relationship was a bit jarring and would have like to see more development through the story to understand their reactions and motivations. Ultimately there is something interesting there and I am curious to see how it develops. As this is the beginning of a series I am looking forward to see where the story goes and gain more insight into the world and story at large, as well as see the relationship between the main characters develop.

Ultimately the story had potential but was not my favorite read. Although I did enjoy the book more than I expected at the start and it eventually drew me in, it left some things to be desired.

4.5 stars ⭐

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC! I spent the first quarter of this book unsure if I should continue reading or DNF it. I felt like I had been dropped inside of a play already in its second act with no context. The writing was beautifully descriptive though; excellent imagery as a whole - so I decided to stick with it and I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed seeing the story unravel, and place the missing pieces to the puzzle that was this fantasy world and its characters. The world building was consistent as the plot unfolded, even down to the last few pages. The character growth of the main character Imogen was done in a way that sets the story up for many more books to come as she continues to come into herself and her own power.

I plan on purchasing my own copy upon release, and will continue to read this series.

The writing style took some time to get used to—it felt simple, but I found myself rereading a few parts. Once I adjusted, the characters became fascinating and layered.

I’ve never read a story about a Siren before, and it was a refreshing break from the usual fantasy fare of vampires or fae. If you enjoyed Rachel Gillig’s One Dark Window, you may also enjoy this atmospheric, character-driven tale.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the chance to read an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was enamored with this book; I couldn't put it down! I really enjoyed the quicker pacing due to it being shorter than many of the fantasy books I've read recently. Although I love a giant book, I really admire when authors can get out all they need to say for a gorgeous plot in fewer pages. I found the worldbuilding intriguing and detailed without being too difficult to follow, and there are just enough breadcrumbs left along the way to make it fun (but still challenging) to try and deduce where the story was heading next. Cassidy uses some extremely evocative imagery throughout the text that really made me feel immersed in Imogen's world and experiences.
I'd highly recommend this book to fantasy/romantasy enjoyers and people looking for something relatively short and fast-paced that isn't a thriller. I'm devastated that this book isn't even out yet and I still have to wait for the sequel. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for this ARC.

5/5 stars. I really enjoyed this book it had many of my favorite tropes - enemies to lovers, one horse, one bed, found family. It had great world building and an interesting magic system. I loved the obsessed MMC and the FMC struggling to find herself. I would definitely recommend for those who love romantasy. I plan to continuo this series.

I grabbed this book because the cover was beautiful. I am very glad that I did.

Imogen’s life has not been a bed of roses. More like thorns. A king who delights in torturing her, and his captain who is just as cruel and his motives are very suspicious.

Desperate to escape, she throws in with another king who has come to see her wed. When he sees Imogen he knows who and what she is. A Siren. Together they will face monsters of the human variety as well as those under the sea.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I could not put it down and now I am not so patiently waiting for the next adventure!


NetGalley/ July 15, 2025/ Little, Brown, and Company

Thank you Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for letting me read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

I really thought this book was up my alley, but sadly it fell flat. I had difficulty connecting with the characters and romance. I couldn't get invested. The dialogue felt unnatural and I was bored much of the time. I'm probably not going to continue this series. I might try to reread this when I'm at a better point in my life because the concept is great.

THEO IS EVERYTHING!!!

I adored this book. It is so romantic and dark and eerie--in my opinion, the perfect combo. And the pining. The pining!! The stakes are high both in the adventure and romance--it has the feel of classic adventure romances, but darker and with such an original twist concerning Imogen's connection to the sirens. Swashbuckling, sexy, and searing. I'm dying for the next part!!!