This was a fantastic tale weaving Cornish folklore and the ideas of family and finding your own worth and power. Great pacing, but I felt a few more nods to the horror in the second half of the book could have been hinted at in the first half of the book.

Will be recommending this to fans of historical fantasy/historical fiction.

Thank you net galley for providing this arc. My opinions are my own.

We follow Kensa on her journey of finding herself. Dealing with body differeances and how to cope with the changes. I am not familiar with Cornish folklore but was intrigue in reading about Kensa story. I was impressed by this authors writing and I would recommend if you like this reading subject then you kike to read this. Well if you like old timey historical stories. this this might run up your ally.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Ferrier, and Alcove Press for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Atmospheric, lyrical, and quietly haunting, A Spell for Drowning is a beautifully written debut that weaves folklore, grief, and slow-burn magic into a deeply immersive tale. Rebecca Ferrier’s prose is lush and poetic, perfectly suited to the eerie coastal setting that feels like a character in itself.
The story unfolds at a deliberate pace, with a strong focus on mood and emotional undercurrents. I was especially drawn to the themes of isolation, longing, and the fine line between love and obsession. The magic here isn’t flashy—it simmers just beneath the surface, adding a sense of quiet dread and wonder throughout.
While the pacing may not be for everyone, I found it a perfect match for the tone of the story. Ferrier has crafted something unique and melancholy, with a rich sense of atmosphere and emotion that lingers long after the final page.

"To be a woman, whether wise or foolish, was to carry what others could not."

This line sets the tone for A Spell for Drowning, a book that weaves folklore, mystery, and emotional depth into a mesmerizing narrative. I was immediately drawn in by the storytelling style.

The writing style is one of the book’s greatest strengths. It’s immersive and atmospheric, with a cadence that mirrors the tides of the sea the story is rooted in. Kernow Bys Vyken has a gift for evoking emotion through subtle detail, and I found myself pausing often just to savor a phrase or passage.

What really stood out for me, though, was the character arc. The protagonist’s journey—both internal and external—was nuanced and satisfying. Watching her navigate the murky waters of identity, power, and belonging was deeply moving, and I appreciated how her growth felt earned rather than forced.

This novel takes place in a fantasy world involving sea gods, wise women, and complicated relationships. I think this book really excels with the world-building and setting structure. I truly felt like I was in the world at points! I also adored Elowen and her storyline, even though she wasn't the main character. I thought the inclusion of her chronic illness was an interesting read since I don’t see terribly much representation in fantasy books. Overall, this book flourished with beautiful imagery, thoughtful worldbuilding, and a really interesting magic system!

There are a few things I think readers should know before going into this book:
There is very little romance in this book, so don’t go into it expecting a romance-type plot
Please check the content warnings before reading. This book discusses chronic illness, the death of a parent, as well as having body horror and graphic deaths of animals.

Overall, I did enjoy my time with this book, but there are some key details I wish had been written differently, which is why my ranking falls to a 3.25. I will most likely continue if there does end up being a sequel! I just hope that the characters are a bit more fleshed out and the author trusts us with moments between the characters that we didn’t get to see in this novel.

Again, thank you so much NetGalley for providing this ARC!

A thought provoking story about empowerment and with all the fantasy aspects crafted in a historical atmosphere it felt like a magical ethereal experience. The story plot felt linear but done in a way where the fantastical moments were exciting. I loved the characters and the overall world building about and this setting existence was amazing to read.

This folklore fantasy was so immersive and rich, I felt like I was transported into the story every time I sat down to read! (Not every author can manage that.) And I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but in this case, the cover perfectly encapsulates the essence of this story— what you see is what you get!

I received this as an E-ARC from Netgalley. Thank you to the publisher, Alcove Press and the author, Rebecca Ferrier.

This book had great potential that it rather consistently failed to meet. I'll start with the postitves at least, mostly it is the setting, premise, and the protagonist's sister Elowen, who was by far the standout character in a mostly bland cast. This book was at it's best when it focused on Elowen, or Kensa's relationship with Elowen. That isn't to say there were no faults or problems I found there, but rather the problems that appeared were a larger symptom of the overall book's fault rather than anything singular to her or the sisterly relationship. Another enjoyable part was the Bucka, who's presence was the only portion of this book I felt delivered the promise of lyrical eerie atmosphere, and rich folklore that was in the synopsis. In a better world, he would have been much more present than he was.


Beginning with the negatives, for what this books sets out to achieve, it is much too short to actually do it. The level of introspection, character-building, and worldbuilding that this story required simply couldn't be accomplished in the 300ish pages the book provides. Everything is underdeveloped, from world, to character, and most distressingly, character dynamics. The prose was serviceable, attempting to be lyrical and atmospheric, but never quite stuck the landing. Sure, there are some pretty lines, but the level of immersion into the world that this story demands wasn't being met by it's prose. Not to mention the almost too contemporary nature of Kensa's POV, and the multiple anachronisms (circadian rhythms were not named until the 2nd half of the 20th century) left me consistently pulled out of the story rather than in it. I was rarely excited to actually pick up this book, and most frequently dreaded it, because even in it's best sections it so poorly commanded attention.

I think much of this fault lies with our protagonist, Kensa. Kensa has no real discernible personality traits aside from bullheaded ignorance, cowardice, and nonsensical ambition. We are told that she is stubborn, frequently, yet she has an almost pathological tendency to bend to the will and authority any that exists in her immediate line of sight. She doesn't have the personality to carry this narrative. Her connections with other people are nominally strong. In truth, we don't know Kensa. Why does she want to be a wise-woman specifically, since we don't see her have any particular call towards it, except as an esacpe for other duties she dislikes more, or to hoard it nonsensically from her sister. She is not personable, nor patient, doesn't care much for the village nor the people in it, has very little in the way of problem-solving or cleverness, and I don't recall her talking much about what being a wise-woman she loved. I could argue it may be for the feeling it gave her, but she spends most of this book in a narcissistic self loathing ouroboros of imposter syndrome. Who is this girl? What does she want aside from a man? This left her later self acceptance feeling rather hollow. Why did you blanch about it so much in the first place?

This book spends most of it's time telling you things and summarizing them, which tends to lend very poorly for dynamic building. I could probably count the number of on screen conversations she had with her love interest on one hand, yet the insta-love continued nonetheless, with a man who spends 90% of their interactions physically restraining her, or being verbally dismissive towards her. And sure, Kensa makes poor choices, but this is not a dynamic that lends itself to an enjoyable romantic plotline. I felt my eyes glaze over every time the book insisted on bringing him up, or focused on their godforsaken romance. I spent half of this book wishing someone push him off the cornwall sea cliffs.

Her dynamic with Isolde is equally unconvincing. She was a rather poor mentor all things considered, and any bonding between the two women was few and far between in favor of endless summaries. Or the love interest. Or the super secret knowledge Kensa wasn't allowed to know for some bizarre reason. If there was a close bond meant to be shared between the two, I wasn't convinced of it.

Her dynamic with Elowen is what is best written by a country mile, but even that suffered the same undeveloped issues as everything else.

The plot for the first 70% is meandering and mostly set up. For all the development that had been done up until that point you could probably read the last 30% on it's own and still come up with a basic understanding of the story.

Unfortunately, while this book had great potential, it didn't work for me at all. I still may keep an eye out for Rebecca Ferrier's later books, as I do believe she can certainly improve, but I'm not rushing for them.

I’m a big fan of dark seaside fantasies, so early on I saw a lot of promise in this book. From the first chapter, the world instantly felt real and complete, and Kensa seemed an interesting protagonist to follow: the underdog who eventually rose above by acquiring magic.

In theory, A Spell for Drowning is a great concept, but I do think the pacing could have been a bit better, and the characters more rounded. The pacing thing is a bit tricky since the book follows Kensa over many years of her life; at one point the momentum is just lost and became difficult to regain. And on the characters: I feel like we only ever got to see one side of everyone, which made it hard to redeem their choices and make them worth caring for.

I did not finish this book, but feel that I got far enough and understand enough of what is going on to review. I am giving it three stars because of the fact that the author’s writing is great, it just wasn’t for me personally. I think this is a case of right book, wrong time. If you are a fan of atmospheric writing with a focus on characters more than plot, I think you will enjoy this book more than I personally did.

I may try to continue this book at a later date, as I know many many people have enjoyed it!

A Spell For Drowning

“To be a woman, whether wise or foolish, was to carry what others could not.”

Wow, what a beautifully stunning historical fantasy debut!

From the first page I knew this wasn’t going to be your typical fantasy that is currently saturating the market. This story reads more akin to literary fiction, with gorgeously poetic prose and a character driven narrative.

The first half of the novel is a slow burn inspection of a young girl and the small village she is coming of age in. Eventually our main girl, Kensa, comes to train as an apprentice under the Wise Woman of her village and has to grapple with the effects it has on the relationships with those around her and her village as a whole.

I loved the first half of this story, Kensa was a bit frustrating but I felt that was the point. We are meant to grow up with her and stand by her as she learns important lessons. The writing is so beautiful and I felt myself getting lost in the music of it. The story made me reflect on all the women in my life, myself included, and all the things we carry for others.

The second half of this book does take a turn, however. It becomes very tense and fast paced but in a very drawn out way (if that makes sense?) and I wasn’t expecting it. I think, upon reread, that I will enjoy the back half of this a lot more but during my initial read it was a bit jarring. There are horror elements that I really enjoyed reading but tonally felt out of place.

The romance is this story is very subtle, and if you’re going into this expecting a romance heavy romantasy please dampen those expectations now. This is a story about a girl and everything she feels, the romance is there but it takes a back seat.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author! Stunning!

I barely read the first sentence of the description of this book before requesting it, because I am a huge sucker for stories based on mythology or folklore and I personally don't know that much about Cornish tales. Our main character Kensa is treated as a pariah in her village, as her father was a notorious smuggler, so when she and her half sister find the washed up remains of a sea beast she tells a falsehood to become the new village wise woman trainee. I will admit that I struggled to like or relate to Kensa's character throughout this story, but I feel like Ferrier did a great job of giving her motivation and reason for her actions, however unpalatable. I felt like there were two distinct parts to this story, delineated by the two parts, and things go delightfully off rails in the second act. I don't want to spoil what happens but it is definitely off the wall. There was a lot of interesting folklore and atmosphere to this book that reminded me of stories by Erin A. Craig.

Wow, let me first off say I haven’t read a book like this before.. not saying there isn’t any but I truly enjoyed it. Mythological sirens and sea creatures and hidden truths. I will say the main character gets you in your feelings of irritation from time to time. She comes off almost entitled and selfish but grows with the book. The world building was great as well as the plot. You got a bunch of information but you didn’t feel like it was shoved into your face at an overwhelming rate. The FMC takes the place of her sister and lies to get there. Then she is doing everything to save her sister so it’s like a spin around from what you expect to happen. It’s overall an amazing read and the author did a fantastic job. I would definitely recommend you pick this up! Also, let’s just talk about that cover!!! Absolutely beautiful. Can’t wait to order it and add it to my bookshelf! -Kerin

Thank you NetGalley for this book.

Unfortunately I decided to DNF this book after 34 percent. The writing is so beautiful, the descriptions are all I could ask for but the flow felt really choppy, the timeline jumping forward was confusing. I don’t really understand what time period it was supposed to be set it and I needed more backstory on the folklore. I didn’t feel like I knew the characters at all and that they were building by 34 percent and the pacing was very slow. I love this idea and again there were some really great aspects like how she describes certain features but the rest felt flat for me.

Umm, wow. This book was like if a gothic fairytale and a creepy old sea shanty had a moody little baby, and I was so here for it. I’m usually a sucker for folklore-y fantasy, but this one felt different — like you could practically taste the salt air and hear something weird moving just offshore.

Kensa is a total mess in the best way. She makes horrible decisions, lies to literally everyone, and somehow I was still rooting for her?? The way this story digs into what it means to be both needed and hated, powerful and lonely — it hit harder than I expected. And can we talk about the Bucka for a sec? So eerie. So unsettling. LOVED it.

The writing is dreamy but sharp, like a lullaby you’re pretty sure is about drowning someone. Also, big bonus points for how unpredictable it was. Every time I thought I knew where it was headed, it yanked the tide out from under me.

If you’re into atmospheric, folklore-soaked fantasy that’s equal parts beautiful and sinister, this one’s an absolute must.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was a debut?!

Wow, what a standard to set for yourself! This was very, very good. I feel like I can't totally pinpoint a genre that this book belongs in. I'm aware it HAS one, but it feels so unique. I loved the horror aspects, the history, the lore, the tone... it was varied and just thoroughly enjoyable. This book was definitely on the slower side, which I was initially concerned about given its shorter length, but I found myself still enjoying Kensa and Elowen's journey.

Lovely. Can recommend for anyone interested in mythology, history, or women's issues.

Well written and original-- I'll be following Ferrier for more!

3.5 stars rounded up

This was such an interesting premise. I love books that are mythology/folklore based outside of the greek/roman pantheon. The prose was rich and immersive and I lost my sense of time while reading. There was a haunting and wild sense of beauty and Ferrier did a fantastic job of creating an atmospheric setting. I think the themes of acceptance in communities and the constraints on woman were well explored and the body horror was a 10/10.

Thanks to Alcove Press, NetGalley, and the author for this ARC.

Okay, up front, I did struggle in the first 60% of the book, but when I finished I was glad that I pushed through.

This is such a wonderfully evocative and atmospheric book: I could see the green land and the bright blue ocean of Cornwall, taste the brine of the air, feel the most and clouds ... Such a wonderful show of love for a unique area and people.

Kensa and Elowen are half-sisters, who come across a dead sea monster on the beach, which starts off a series of really bad fumbles and decisions for Kensa, who ends up as the apprentice to the local wise woman of Portscatho. And like.... A really bad series of events. It all ends up fine though, eventually, as Kensa manages to stumble her way into self realization and confidence in her role as a wise woman.

The characters were rich and complex, as was the world that was created with a mistrusting but demanding town, a Pact between the land and the sea, sea monsters, and a little bit of witchery. Despite me struggling though the first half, the payoff was worth it as everything unfolded really interestingly with a decent sprinkling of horror and humor at the same time.

"The Bucka gave her no answer and spoke instead on Kensa. “You would have been a fearsome woman to behold had you lived in my time.” “I am fearsome now,” she whispered, though her knees pressed together under her skirts and their caps knocked in time."

"Onto the Land, the Land which held her, knew her, and would not be cowed. She was the wise woman— and her wisdom was fierce."

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the free ARC ebook in exchange for my honest opinion. This was such a gift of a book. (Un)fortunately(?), I was so sick this week all I could do was lie on the couch and read. A Spell for Drowning was so well-written and engaging that I was able to forget about the various ailments plaguing me and sink into the story. There were times I looked up from my hacking cough and I was surprised I wasn't in a cluttered cottage that smelled like the ocean.

Kensa is the daughter of a smuggler who was hanged for his crimes when she was small. She lives with her mother, her perfect half-sister and her stepfather in a small Cornish town. When she and her sister find a sea monster on the shore, she's given the opportunity to become apprentice to the local wise woman.

This book has everything I could ever want in a story. Ferrier writes all of her characters with warmth and they are all realistic-even the worst of them have the ability to be decent or have positive traits. It's easy for fantasy authors to use a heavy hand with fantasy elements and make a book unlikeable for me, especially when it comes to things like witches or mermaids, but somehow Ferrier kept it PERFECT. The witch-like elements were exactly right and what you would expect from someone who heals the local people, the mermaid was the type of terrifying horror you *should* fear and be wary of...even when a particular character acts in a way that drove me nuts I could understand why they were doing what they did. It was my favorite book so far this year and I can't wait to buy it so I can make my friends and family read it. My only disappointment is that there are not more books by Rebecca Ferrier out to read right now.