This had all the makings of a great book, but fell kind of flat. First, the characters were easy to confuse. Second, the ending felt like it was added as an afterthought. Overall, it was okay, but I wouldn’t read it again.

I went into this book expecting a chilling, atmospheric ghost story with deep emotional stakes—and while it had moments of brilliance, it just didn’t quite deliver the way I’d hoped. The premise is fantastic: a queer gothic horror set on the eerie shores of Cape Disappointment, tangled up with generational trauma and a haunting that feels almost inescapable, but I didn't love it.

3.50 stars
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TW: Suicide, Death of a parent, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Child death, Death, Abortion, Child abuse, Pregnancy
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I have to admit I was a bit lost during this one. They Drown Our Daughters is a multi-generational story about a cursed family. The plot moves along slowly with chapters that outline different timelines and POVs.

I loved the eerie sensation of the Gothic story, I read this on a rainy day and it was the perfect match to this atmospheric setting. Cape Disappointment is haunted, that's why tourists used to visit it - but nowadays, the hustle has died down. Meredith returns home with her daughter after splitting with her wife and the Cape seems ever more haunting than it used to be. I felt not being able to connect with our characters but loved the queer representation of our characters.

Overall, this was beautifully written - but jumped a bit too over the place for me to follow along easily. I had hoped to enjoy the ending a bit more than I did, finding it a bit too bleak. Overall, if you're looking for a slow-burn gothic tale, this might be the one for you.
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I would like to thank Poisoned Pen Press, Katrina Monroe, and NetGalley for a copy of They Drown Our Daughters in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions formulated are my own. They Drown Our Daughters was published on July 12th 2022, and you can order your copy today!

3 stars
Meredith’s mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and believes the curse that the women in their family has suffered. She believes the ghost stories of the cape are real and that there is something in the water. Little do they know the voices in the water aren’t delusions, and they are now after Meredith’s daughter. This was an interesting plot with modern gothic vibes and lgbtq rep. This story was gripping and chilling especially if you have a fear of large bodies of water. I will admit at times it did get slightly confusing with the time jump and a lot of characters but it was still a wild and fun ride.

This is a story about generational curses.

I ultimately really liked this one, but put it down a few times before finishing.. the differing timelines really didn’t work for me here, and I found myself skimming to get back to the present. Overall it was an unsettling, well crafted novel about the things we pass on and I’m glad I read it.

Thank you so much netgalley and poisoned pen press for the eARC

I expected something completely different from what I got. It focused a lot more on family and the pacing was very bizarre which I didn't love. However, the atmosphere was nice!

I really loved the tense atmosphere that was created within this novel. The writing style created a continuous eerie feel that did keep me wanting to read ahead and find out what would happen.
However I did have a number of issues with this book which was mainly the pacing and characters. I found the pacing felt very jumpy so at moments I was desperate to know what would happen next and at other times the story felt like it was dragging so much it was hard to get through. That paired with the characters that I just couldn't connect too meant this unfortunately just didn't end up being a stand out read for me.
It was still a haunting and atmospheric story that I'm sure others will love but it wasn't quite my cup of tea.

This sounded so interesting and I love stories that explore intergenerational themes, but I just could never get into this. I may try at another point, but for now this book just isn’t for me.

This was a good time! Very eerie and a great story. I enjoyed this and would recommend it to other gothic readers.

This is a gothic tale about mothers, daughters, and tragedy through time. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, but it started to lose me in the middle. Felt very drawn out, and there wasn’t much to motivate me to keep reading. Had it been a little shorter, it would be the perfect book for me. Overall I enjoyed the dark atmosphere , but it really didn’t build up to much and left me unsatisfied.

A very slow paced book. It was hard for me to keep my focus on it. Which is a shame because I really love that cover, but I would totally give this author another try. The prose was beautiful.

I'll admit this one is a little bit of a slow burn, especially for the first half of the book, which is why it's taken me so long to finish it. I started it multiple times and just could not get absorbed, but I felt too guilty to DNF it since I was sent a review copy. Instead, I let it sit for awhile until I was fully in the mood to be absorbed, and I am SO GLAD that I made this decision because I LOVED THIS.

Books and stories about tough mother/daughter relationships always get me, and I had a heightened appreciation - and sensitivity to - this one because my own mother suffers from Alzheimer's disease, and bits of this were way too relatable for me. It was very well written and impactful, and I feel those would be true even if I didn't have the personal experience.

The slow build and overall mystery to this one lend themselves to each other very well -- just when you're starting to think that you want something to happen, it DOES and then you're left wanting more & speeding through a few pages. Loved that feeling of being lost to the story.

Locals say Cape Disappointment is haunted. With a name like that, how could it not be?

Lighthouses aren't just stunning to look at, they serve a purpose. They are used to warn ships of dangerous shallows and rocky coasts. They light the way for safe sailing. Can they also be used to keep other kinds of danger at bay?


Told in different timelines, They Drown Our Daughters is chilling and atmospheric with strong gothic vibes. Meredith and her young daughter have come back to Meredith's childhood home. Her mother is in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease believes the stories are real. She doesn't just believe it, she knows it. She can hear it in the seashell. She knows it is becoming her granddaughter as it has beckoned every woman in their family for generations.

In the past, we see the lighthouse ever vigilant as it sets the stage for what is to come.

"Water, water everywhere and nary a drop to drink..."

This book touches on many things: mothers and daughters, relationships, family legacy, and tragedy. Part ghost story, part mystery, part supernatural, part fantasy. This book jumps around in time but is never confusing. There were things that I wanted more of an explanation on, but overall, this was an enjoyable gothic tale.

The author even included questions at the end for discussion.

Atmospheric, gothic, chilling

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such an atmospheric read about family curses and mermaid lore. We follow women from five different generations bound to the ocean. The writing feel so real, I could feel the salt and wind on my face. Nevertheless, the pacing is particular and I felt like certain plot points could have been more developed. In short, a queer and haunting ocean story perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno Garcia.

Book Response: THEY DROWN OUR DAUGHTERS by Katrina Monroe
THEY DROWN OUR DAUGHTERS by Katrina Monroe

Other Books I Enjoyed by This Author: THE GRAVEYARD OF LOST CHILDREN

Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/9781728248202

Release Date: July 12th, 2022

General Genre: Paranormal, Saphic, Feminism, Gothic, Thriller

Sub-Genre/Themes: Coastal towns, divorce, family saga, generations of women, grief, mothers & daughters, matriarchy, lesbians, water spirits/mermaids, witchcraft, secrets & lies, young girls

Writing Style: Own voices, intricately plotted, character-driven, multiple timelines, gothic

What You Need to Know: I listened to the audiobook. Narrated by Mara Wilson. She has a theatrical style I enjoyed; like listening to a movie. If I had a physical copy that I could look at once in a while, I would have been able to make more sense of the timeline, but I didn’t so I got lost sometimes on the multiple POVs and timelines. There are a lot of female characters in this story. The reader must pay attention in order to keep track which is a personal downside to audiobooks–it seems easier for me to lose track of who’s who.

My Reading Experience: First of all, a coastal town with an old lighthouse sets the stage. The author crafts mood with an absorbing Gothic storytelling voice. Lush descriptions of the sea and the surrounding landscape. This book 100% would best be enjoyed on a beach vacation on the North Coast of California or a small coastal town in Oregon.

Seven generations of women have all been affected by a family curse in their own ways. The ocean is a source of power and strength; the women are drawn to it but it also brings about tragedy and grief.

The main character, Meredith Strand, returns home to Cape Disappointment with her daughter, Alice, during a painful divorce. Visiting her mother, Judith is difficult because she seems preoccupied with a family curse. Judith also suffers from the early onset of Alzheimer's disease. There is a sense of dread building underneath the surface of the writing, telegraphing to the reader that a conflict will be introduced. So there was a level of predictability that was disappointing.

I enjoyed the flashbacks to the 1800s more than the real-time drama.

The middle of this book unravels slowly and more than once, I was tempted to fast forward to the start of the climax/conclusion. I think the complex nature of all the interconnected, generational storylines gets away from the author and muddies the reading experience a little. I also didn’t invest in any of the characters.

Final Recommendation: I would recommend this audiobook to readers looking for witchy stories, mermaid lore, sapphic romance, and relationships, that atmospheric, gothic, coastal vibe similar to books like Little Eve. Readers should be prepared for a quiet, paranormal, slow-burn storytelling style rich in vibes but lacking character development and strong hooks.

Comps: has a Jennifer Mcmahon style, though the plotting is not as engaging or complicated. Similar to maybe Darcy Coates

They Drown our Daughters is a gothic story about generations of mothers and their daughters that suffer from a deadly curse. We all hear how for some people the water calls to them…well this family the water calls to them, every woman in this family, to their deaths.
The story follows Meredith Strand, who as you learn in the summary is recently separated from her wife, and her and her daughter Alice have returned to her hometown of Cape Disappointment. An aptly named place because this is the home of the curse on her family and the moment she returns she can hear the call of the water…
I wanted to like this book more than I did. The atmosphere and vibes were done well and I think it was written well, but over all it wasn’t my style. I think my main issue with the book is that it jumps around the timeline from Meredith to various ancestors, go back to five generations to where the curse began. But it does not jump around in order leaving me confused a lot of the time. You see I would forget which person we were following, how they were related to one another and my attention span can’t really keep up with this kind of jumping around. Especially when as soon as something interesting would happen, we would immediately be thrown back in time to another ancestor. Leaving me at a cliffhanger and immediately taking away my steam so I would put the book down and not return for a while. This issue I think has more to do with my ADHD than that actual skill in which the time shifts were written so if you like that kind of thing and the intricate weaving of timelines, then this will be right up your alley.
Another thing I am learning I am not fond of is mother/daughter stories. I am just not the person they are meant for and I need to learn that. I am not a mother, and I have no relationship with my mother, so I don’t feel big connections to the relationships in these books.
Finally, I was iffy on the ending. The human element was not very believable and kind of annoyed me and the actual ending was not a surprise to me in the least. I got very Dark Water (JP version I haven’t seen the US version) vibes from a few parts of this (JP version I haven’t seen the US version).

Overall, it wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t the audience for this one. I recommend this if you like: gothic, coastal setting, ghosts and family curses, generational stories following women, and stories about mothers who will do anything to protect their daughters.

3.5 rounded up. I found this title really slow starting and unfortunately at times it did feel like I was forcing myself to continue but then once the story got going it REALLY got going.

5 generations of women all bound to the sea, this book breathed salt air. A fantastic read.

I truly hate having to leave such a low rating. Queer, creepy water book? Count me in. Sadly, this one just didn't hit home with me. I feel like everything was scattered, sometimes slow(mostly) and sometimes fast but disjointed. I felt exhausted after finishing the book and that's just not something a book should leave you feeling.

Absolutely dripping with atmosphere. It slows down a bit after the first few chapters, but it’s still a fun read.

Told a story about multi-generational curse that drowns every daughter of the family, They Drown Our Daughters has my best interest at first. All the more with its ocean vibes and small-town setting.

I have to say that the first chapters are intriguing and gripping. It was one thing that kept me reading, drove by curiosity of the very first event happening. To discover the origin of the curse, what truly happened that night. As the plot evolved, all I felt was that the pace was going more slowly, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters. But still, my curiosity wins.

In the end, my curiosity wasn’t appeased. It has some plot holes and an unclear origin story.