[Book Review] The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

* * *

CW: murder, drowning, suicide, blurred lines when it comes to consent.

This book was described as having a kind of Hocus Pocus vibe and that, on top of the gorgeous cover, had me interested in picking it up this Halloween season. And although I had some serious and non-serious issues with it, I did enjoy some aspects of this story. 

The characters definitely fell flat for me. I didn't connect or feel anything, good or bad, for any of them. Penny, Bo, the Swan sisters, the women they possess, the background towns people. They all seemed fairly one dimensional. I felt incredibly detached towards the events happening and I felt like I was going along with the ride as an outsider. I can take a story with a weak plot but great characters, and sometimes (but not as often) a story with a great plot and weak characters, but a story with a weak plot and even weaker characters is a pair that never ends well. 

"We wait for death. We hold our breath. We know it's coming, and still we flinch when it claws at our throats and pulls us under."

The premise of this story was one that seemed perfectly chilling for this time of year. I was ready for this modern fairytale feel and I think the execution was off. Although there were mystery aspects in the story that had me turning the pages in the moment, once I finished the book and took a step back to really consider what I had read I realized I didn't like a lot of choices the author made. I got caught up in the confidence boost I felt when I figured out the twist before the reveal that I didn't realize that some of the aspects of the romance was really problematic. To start on the lighter non-problematic aspects of the romance, it's incredibly heavy with insta-love. I wasn't too upset with this because of the fairytale vibe it was going for, and how older fairytales tend to be a bit insta-lovey.  It didn't help that the characters also had almost no chemistry which made the romance feel even more off. However, there are issues with consent that I don't want to get into because of spoilers between Penny and Bo that seemed a bit brushed under the rug. The whole ending was pretty terrible revolving around the romance. The whole end game to the romance plot felt gross and uncomfortable. 

My honest favorite thing about this book is the writing style. I love Shea Ernshaw's writing style so much and I think it fit perfectly for the kind of story she was trying to write. It was so atmospheric and perfectly paired with the time of year I decided to pick it up. Her writing style is poetic and elegant and I definitely have plans to read her upcoming book, Winterwood. The Wicked Deep is her debut novel and although I wasn't the biggest fan of the story I do think it shows her talent for writing beautifully. I am hoping that she just keeps improving with each book and that I end up liking Winterwood more than I liked The Wicked Deep. 

"But magic was not always so linear. It was born from odium. From love. From revenge." 

Overall, I am not sure if I'd recommend this book. I do not doubt that there are better fairytale-esq stories out there. I think if the premise sounds interesting to you and you think you may enjoy it that you should definitely pick it up and give it a shot. I think going in knowing the romance is heavy with insta-love and knowing if you could handle that it has blurred lines problematically with consent. If those things don't bother you maybe you'll like it more than I did. Although I was disappointed in The Wicked Deep, I definitely saw that there was a lot of potential and I am definitely going to keep my eye out for more Shea Ernshaw books.

Thanks for reading!