Mermaids and the ocean love the genre. The best part of the book was not only was it a mystery but supernatural bits thrown in too
A new author to me to add to my list. Thank you for providing this book to me I enjoyed it

Wow what a story! I read this whole book in one day and can honestly say it’s one of my favorite siren/mermaid retelling. It was dark with twists here and there to keep everything so interesting. I love that the romance wasn’t insta-love but still had that spark. I loved the relationships that improved over the course of the book as well! Hopefully we will get another book or two with Annie!

I would have adored this one as a teenager, in fact, when I was a teenager, there were too few books in this genre! Still, as a slightly older reader (ahem) I enjoyed These Wicked Waters too. Main character Annie is on her school holidays and on her way to Viaii Nisi, the island where her mother has just opened a brand new resort. Although Annie actually wanted to go rock climbing in Greece, being on the island and having to help out in the hotel is not that bad, she strikes up a friendship with one of the maids, and one of the lifeguards is most definitely very interesting. But then one of the guests disappears, and so does her friend. Soon her Spidey senses are even more a-tingling: she’s found bones and a weird skeleton and she’s spotted something in the water that surely must be a giant fish but looks a helluvalot like… a mermaid?! Annie is a great character, feisty and independent.
Alternating with Annie’s point of view, there’s the story of Lorelei, a siren who has fallen from grace.
These Wicked Waters is part mystery, part imaginative take on the siren lore, highly entertaining and a quick read. It lost me a bit in the final part of the book, because something happened that I felt was rather unbelievable and over the top, but still it kept me interested and led me to a satisfying finale.
These Wicked Waters is out on 22 October!
Many thanks to Owl Hollow Press and NetGalley for the free eARC! All opinions are my own!

**Thank you to Owl Hollow Press, Netgalley, and Emily Layne for providing me an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review**

These Wicked Waters was not the book I was expecting when I picked it up. I initially thought this was going to be high fantasy, in a magical new world - however, it is fantasy within the realms of reality. This is not a negative for me, just came unexpected in the first few pages.

Annie is our MC, and she is sent to spend her summer on a private island her mom owns (right??) after she pulled a prank at her boarding school. The island is Viaii Nisi, or violent island in Greek. Disturbing rumors abound about this island, and all of the previous owners have drowned to death. Annie gets to the island and when workers and guests start disappearing, she investigates what could be behind the rumors and disappearances...

Lorelai is a two-tailed siren, who has been forbidden by the siren Queen Thessalonike from using her song to interfere with the lung-breathers on the island. She disobeys, and the results cost her what she cared about most.

These Wicked Waters narrated back and forth between Annie and Lorelai. Background information is given slowly over the book, which is generally not the style I prefer. I spent the first half of the book pretty confused with what was going on. The story did pick up after awhile and I ended up enjoying it.

One thing I liked about These Wicked Waters is that it left the possibly of a sequel open. There was an ending that mostly wrapped everything up, but dropped one last bomb on you (a predictable bomb, but still a bomb) and could be the basis of a sequel. Currently, These Wicked Waters is a standalone but hopes for the future!

Fans of The Wicked Deep and The Sea Witch will enjoy this new spin on sirens and an ocean themed novel. Check it out!

I liked the idea of the book but as I started reading there wasn't really anything keeping me interested.
I couldn't relate or attach to the main character. I'm positive this book will interest a lot of people but it's just not for me.
DNF.

**Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
This was an ok YA book, though some areas of the dialogue felt stiff and stilted. I couldn't get my head around some of it, and the mystery was tepid, but still a good read. My teen would enjoy it, so I will be picking up a copy for her.
The idea of sirens was so appealing, but I think it fell a little short.

Thank you to Owl Hollow Press for providing me this ARC to read and review!

I really enjoyed this book. The protagonist was very likable, and the story was unique. This book was a creative combination of family drama, romance, mystery, and fantasy. I loved the allusions to The Odyssey, and the intertwining stories of the humans and the sirens.

The setting was great - part vacation, part nightmare. I wanted to go to Viaii Nisi, but I also felt the claustrophobia of the guests and workers that were on the island.

There were a few plot points I wished were a little more fleshed out, but overall I found this to be an enjoyable, easy, and fun read. I would definitely keep it in my classroom library and recommend it to students.

I'm probably a little old for this, but there's plenty of action to help keep it interesting. It's not great, but good enough to recommend to mermaid and YA mystery fans.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

The idea that sirens still live in our oceans was so interesting and what made me want to read this book; however, I found it hard to get past 20% of this book.

The writing leaves much to the imagination as I couldn't picture the setting or the characters very well. The main character also makes it hard for you to sympathize/care for her well-being just because of how annoying she is (not that it means she shouldn't be cared for.. I just didn't want to read about her anymore, lol)!!

Dialogue seemed stilted, as well, or juvenile? Maybe going back to some of the dialogue and adding more description will help.

2.5/3 of 5 stars

An interesting mystery with a Greek-themed setting. The beginning was slow to get into but once you got to know the characters and once the plot built up this book was hard to put down. It was an interesting page-turning filled with mystery and fantasy.

Not only did Annie have other plans for this summer, but she’s been afraid of the water since almost drowning when she was ten. The island of Visio Nisi is not where she wants to be. But her mother is the new owner of the island, and it’s the opening season for the newly built resort.

Annie has heard the rumors, and when first a guest goes missing, then a couple employees, she knows there’s something out there in the water.

This was a quick, fun read. It definitely sets up at the end for a sequel, but the storyline does come to a satisfactory conclusion. It wasn’t a particularly complicated story, and there weren’t any real surprises, but I enjoyed it.

What started of as a slow, boring at times, book turned around and became fast paced. The plot was very interesting and I always like to see peoples versions of sirens. The ending left me wanting more, I can't wait to see what's in store for Annie.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. These Wicked Waters was full of angry sirens, missing people and creepy ruins. I really enjoyed the creepy ruins, the Greek aspects of the book and the siren who wanted to help save the humans from her angry family. I felt like the characters were just mediocre and the story could've used more excitement. My favorite thing was definitely the cool Greek island setting!

I really enjoyed this book and the unique way sirens are interwoven in the story.

It took me a bit to get into the story and get past the MC Annie's spoiled rich girl vibe (she's being "punished" by having to spending the summer in a resplendant villa on a tropical island owned by her mother and is angry that she couldn't rock climb in Greece by herself <eye roll> ).

Beyond that, the parallel story of Annie and the sirens was intriguing and was very well done. I did feel like the whole "I've seen sirens but no one believes me" went on a little too long, but it was eventually resolved...somewhat.

The story moved along nicely and was entertaining; I read this book in one day. If you want a light, YA read, with a little splash of sirens, pick this one up!

I was excited to read this book. I’ve read almost every title released by Owl Hollow Press and have never been disappointed. These Wicked Waters was no exception. This is a story that centers around the important of family and in particular the bond between sisters. The main character is Annie and I loved her. She was strong, determined, and as an adult reading her story she reminded me what it was like to be a teenager and to have unwavering belief. We sometimes lose that as we age and indulging in teen reads is a great way to remind yourself of the magic of youth.

Annie’s journey begins with her stepping off the boat onto the Island her mother has purchased. She is to spend her summer here as punishment instead of going rock climbing. She’s a typical teen and we’re immediately drawn into the mystery that surrounds the island. We also witness the strained relationship between Annie and her mother.

I loved the changing chapters where we are introduced to Loralie, the siren, and witnessing her story and again the bond she had with her siren sisters is so well done. These chapters built up the story before it merged with the every day and the horror that ensued.

The writing in this book is excellent. The characters are superbly written. I loved Benson, Victor, and all the supporting cast.

This whirlwind adventure has it all and although I think it is aimed at younger teen readers, I have to say as a 40+ woman, I enjoyed every moment of it. Annie proved herself time and time again and her belief never wained. Although she tried to warn her mother and other adults of the danger they faced, no one listened and it was up to Annie to try and save the day.

There’s so much to this story and it’s hard to review without giving away spoilers, but I will say the family dynamics are beautifully mastered as are the teen emotions and dilemmas. I loved reading about the sirens and I thought the ending was just perfect.

The settings and descriptions were stunning and I know some of the sentences and phrases used will stay with me.

If you are looking for a teen read that will pull you in and drown you in the depths of emotion and action, I highly recommend These Wicked Waters by Emily Layne.

A big thank you to Owl Hollow Press for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of this book.

These Wicked Water definitely surprised and in the best way!

The writing was very good. It was very light and easy read (I ended up reading it all in one seating), and definitely very fun and intriguing.

I liked the mysteries and I was hooked from the beginning, especially when it comes to the family drama. I’m very fond of those, which means that I have high expectations about them... This one didn’t particularly meet my standards and I felt the resolution of it was rushed, but it did work to keep me reading until I was interested in other aspects of the book.

Which leads me to... sirens! I really loved the use of the creatures here and the parallel story we get concerning them. The world building of the creatures was pretty good and I like the little twist we have with them (at least the timeline thing was a twist to me).

Speaking of twists, though, the one by the end felt quite unnecessary and I felt like its only purpose was to open the door to a sequel and didn’t really feel earned within the narrative.

As for the characters, Annie annoyed me sometimes because I felt like she was the stereotypical rich girl who couldn’t understand that the people around her had bigger life issues than “my mom didn’t let me go to Greece alone”. But overall she was okay and her relationship with Victor was sweet. My favorite thing was her relationship with her mother by far.

Overall, I had lots of fun with this books and its mythology and it was a great distraction for a couple of hours.

This wasn't at all what I expected I thought it'll be more of a mystery, trying to find what happened to the missing guests and what this old curse is. Instead, this was very obvious from the first chapter, at least for me. The book turned darker towards the middle and end, which I really enjoyed, it suited the story quite well.
My only problem was the protagonist, Annie. I think it's an age thing - she just acted a lot younger than what I expected and I couldn't really connect with her but I think this is personal. There were quite a few times that her reactions and thoughts just baffled me but that came from her young age.
Overall, I think it's an interesting read that will surprise you, especially if you're going into it thinking it's a solve-the-mystery kind of a book. Definitely, suited more for teenagers than 20-somethings.

I adore a YA book that incorporates vocabulary!

This story took the time to build up the plot and also allows readers to get to know the characters creating a fantastic novel!

If you love YA fantasy or novels about mermaids, I would recommend this developed page turner! It gives a modern spin on the tale of mermaids and I’m ready for the next installment!!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review your novel!

I really enjoyed this book! A ton of positives: characterization, creation of the island in the past and present, the lore, strong plot with an excellent ending that tied up all lose ends while still allowing the potential to have a second book. There was something so beautiful about the ending (I don't want to reveal too much) I can't stop thinking about it!

I was concerned when starting this book that it would be better suited for a younger YA reader, but I was proven wrong when this gave me more of the feels that Stranger Things did in season 1 - geared towards a young YA while still adding something...darker when it comes to themes of death/violence, overcoming negative pasts/moving forward and the nature of humanity.

Earlier this year, I read to Kill a Kingdom and I would slide These Wicked Waters next to that book on my shelf of incredible ocean theme reads. Five Stars!

I definitely did not expect to like this book as much as I did.
An enjoyable mix of fantasy, romance and investigative mystery that follows 17-year old Annie on her mission to discover the truth behind the disappearances of a guest and a colleague from the holiday resort she's working at for the summer.

I've always been a sucker for anything mermaids and sirens, and giving the lore a little gory twist was almost certain to make me fall in love with it. Add in a mature and smart young heroine, a low-key, slow-burn romance and some gripping mystery, and I was a very happy reader.

I did not, however, like the little twist at the end whose sole purpose seems to have been to set up the next book.

All in all, though, this was a fantastic debut by Emily Layne, and I can't wait to get my greedy little hands on her future works.