This was pretty beautiful and haunting - um, literally.

An atmospheric, multigenerational story of mothers and daughters and ghosts with mermaid imagery hits a lot of points. I loved the glimpses into the women and girls throughout the generations, and the sense of dread that came with knowing they were doomed. While I guess I can't say I "loved" that sense of dread, because I'm not a sadist, I fell into the writing and could get caught up in it like a tendril of seaweed wrapping around your ankle and pulling you down into the depths . . . Wait.

The writing was just gorgeous, and again, so atmospheric. Just overall a lovely albeit often tragic read.

Once upon a time, a wronged woman was willing to do whatever it took to secure her daughter's future.
Maybe if her intentions had been pure, maybe if they had not held a tinge of selfishness things would have turned out differently.
Instead, what she set in motion ruined the lives of generations to come.
Years later, rumors of witchcraft and a curse on the women are still fodder for gossip and pranks, and occasional vandalism on the family property.
When Meredith returns to her childhood home with her young daughter in tow, there is no happy reunion between her and her mother. Old wounds are reopened, and danger lurks in the water, waiting for its chance to claim another life.

This story is told on multiple timelines, from the points of view of several generations of women. I would describe it as historical horror fiction that makes its way into the modern day. It is atmospheric and dark, touching on the bonds between mothers and daughters and what it takes to sever them. There is a bit of supernatural mystery woven in, with a quick pace that kept me turning the pages. I was all in on this story until probably the final third when it took a weird turn without an adequate explanation.
I still enjoyed the story but that irked me enough to deduct a star.

4 out of 5 stars.
My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press

Be on the look-out for a cool gothic atmosphere and wonderfully written, descriptive backdrops in this character-driven horror. The characters are complex and it’s pretty damn intense, but something just seems to be missing and I can’t quite put my finger on it. There is also a fairly unpredictable “twist” that after some thought I think it was just ok for me. This gets a solid recommendation.

Thank you for this opportunity. The Readerly gist by invisiblemonster is mine.

This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the haunting element immensely. Monroe does a bang-up job with setting a chilly scene and invoking a deep sense of unsettle without a bunch of flash and bang. Often times a quiet hum you feel in your bones is more disburbing than something grusome in your face and I think she does this very well here. Also, the link between mothers and daughters and the lengths they will go to for each other was well established throughout generations.

While I did enjoy the sliding back and forth through time to get glimpses of each generation's struggle, at times it could feel a little muddled, most especially towards the end. At the conclusion I was still left with some kind of big lingering questions. Without being revealing of spoilers all I can say is I'm okay with some mystery being held by the end but one thing in particular I would have liked spelled out, and it felt more like a plot hole to me than mystery. I can think of a reason why it was so but that isn't necessarily my job and I didn't like that it wasn't addressed more plainly. Another unfortunate thing for me was I couldn’t really connect with any of the characters. None of them were all that likeable to me, which can fine if done right, but they all were equally unremarkable too in a lot of ways, the only exception to that being the curse that plagued them and their zest to be rid of it.

3.75
This book was a bit outside of my comfort zone but I liked it a lot nonetheless

The costant shifts between one pov and the other, all of them focusing over a woman of the family from a different time and/or generation was a great and coherent way of showing the story of the curse and its mystery, how all of them reacted in a different way to it and how it shaped their lives and their ends in a neverending cycle. It also helped a lot in creating a bigger and bigger sense of discomfort, of anxiety and curiosity in the reader, who tries to understand the reality under all of this, if it really is a curse or if the main character is right and they're all just mad women
And so the reader is trapped in this net of voices, all so different one from the other, but at the same time all focused around the same thing, the sea and its power over them, and all so unrealiable in a certain way, because despite being all so various in their ways and ideas almost none of them actually did what the sea, what Marina's soul really wanted, condamning themselves and the one after them.
But the mystery around the sea is not th only thing keeping Meredith busy, a crime happened and she finds herself in the middle of the case trying to find out whose fault what is, but she will not bounch back, trying to create a peaceful life for her daughter too, away from curses, nightmares and lost women, no matter the cost

The writing style was basic and not at all complicated and the pace was very fluent, evn tho in some parts it felt like it was slowing down a bit too much.
Like a said, it was a good story, a well posed situation and finely orchestrated mysteries, I enjoyed this novel a lot

A stunning, twisting and enticing novel that keeps you turning pages long after the lights go out. Katrina Monroe slays with this one!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC version of this novel! Opinions are my own.

They Drown Our Daughters explores a generational curse on the matriarchal line of a family in a small sea-side town. It’s creepy, and sad, and the women in the story are all tangled up in ways that complicate the narrative. The main character is Meredith, and she’s struggling through a life that’s made worse when she returns home to her mother’s old home on the coast.

I think I wanted more from this book than I received. The bones were good, but the overall story fell a little flat for me. The twist was hard for me to accept, and the ending was a let down. I did really enjoy Meredith’s voice, her inner monologue was relatable.

If Jennifer McMahon is one of your go to authors you should definitely add this author to your list. This creepy, gothic horror thriller will have you looking at the water in an entirely different way. You will find yourself in each of the five generations of women whose stories are told through family curses and mermaid legends. This atmospheric book will have you feeling creepy crawly but unable to stop reading.

An okay read. They premise of the story was interesting. It was the actual execution i didn't like. Wanting to be fair, I had a very hard time getting into this book. I started this book 3 times. was able to finish it all the way on the 3rd try. Wasn't fond of the writing style and the characters and their actions didn't sit well with me. I hate giving negative reviews, but I had to be fair in my assessment. Before making a decision as to if I would read this author aga8n, I would have to read another book by them.

#netgalleyreviews #theydrownourdaughters

I unabashedly adored this novel from the very beginning. Heartbreaking, warm, sad, grieving, loving, terrifying, sensual, vivid, emotionally fraught...it's a rollercoaster read but at the same time THEY DROWN OUR DAUGHTERS is both high class literary fiction with emphasis on vividness, lyricism, and Character, and implacably frightening Horror (especially for those who are hydrophobic and for whom the concept of Drowning is both terrifying and seductive, as it becomes for each of the multiple generations of girls and women, daughters and mothers, encased in this spectacular novel). This is the kind of story that lingers, not because of some gory images, but because it will settle into your soul and nest there.

Gothic oceans vibes meats multi-generational tale about curses and secrets.

This story follows primarily Meredith and Judith, with interspersed chapters touching on the experiences of the ancestral women from the Strand bloodline. AI really enjoyed not just being told there was a curse on the women in the family, but actually seeing how each woman in the line was affected by the curse. It was comprehensive and easy to understand.

There is some beautiful imagery in this. 2022 is the year of gothic ocean and I am here for it.

While it took me a long time to get really into the story, it was easy to read and I followed the story really well.

More to come once I've processed.

3.5/5

Meredith's family is cursed. Generations of women gone. Called to their deaths by a voice from the ocean. But Meredith doesn't believe in curses and ghost stories.

She returns to her childhood home in Cape Disappointment with her daughter, Alice, after the break-up of her marriage. When she arrives her mother is acting even more distant the usual and saying some strange things. Days later she is dead. Drowned.

Is the curse real? As Meredith grapples with the death of her mother and fights the call of the ocean, her daughter is kidnapped! Now she must put together the pieces of the curse and save her daughter.

I enjoy stories of ghosts, legends and curses. This book did not disappoint. From the beginning of the curse, through the generations that followed with history woven in, I was hooked. However, towards the end, I had a hard time believing the path the story took. I was also disappointed with the ending. I don't want to divulge any spoilers so read the book and decide for yourself.

Thank you to Poison Pen Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

#NetGalley #TheyDrownOurDaughters

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC to review!

3 stars!

First I have to let out is that reading the description/premise of this made me so EXCITED for it! Loved it, loved the idea, loved the first chapter.

But sadly this took me a long time to get through, not going to lie. I lost the momentum to read. I think it’s because each chapter is focused on a different character in a certain and different timeline, that kept pulling me out of getting invested in the current story of that chapter than gripping my attention to keep reading until they appeared again.

The idea of the story is fantastic, and I really loved the way this was written. Stunning descriptions that really help build up the imagery and the tension.

Really recommend it! Just the format of the chapters weren’t for me!

I did enjoy this and I thought the story was interesting , the first half was really good but by the middle of the book that nothing seemed to be happening character and story wise. It seemed to be going round in circles. I enjoyed the atmosphere and the ghosts lurking amongst the waves, just waiting to draw girls to their watery fate and there were twists I just didn’t see coming, I just wish that the second half moved more quickly and didn’t seem to drag somuch, overall an enjoyable read but tad slow.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I was totally drawn to this book by its stunning cover. A very atmospheric novel with lots of gothic vibes. I really enjoyed this read and it kept me hooked. I did at times struggle to keep up as there are multiple points of view but I'd still definitely recommend this read to others.

Thanks to poison pen press and that galley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

So overall I honestly found the book hard to follow, it’s told from several family members perspectives over many different years and would find myself going back-and-forth trying to remember which character was what. I also did not find Meredith and her mother Judith likable or relatable as women, their actions just didn’t match their character descriptions and sometimes their actions were just unbelievable.

As far as spooky, I did like the storyline and did enjoy the mystery and the ghost part of the story. Just really wanted better flow for the storyline and characters that I could like or even just relate to.

THEY DROWN OUR DAUGTHERS is the creepy, atmospheric, gothic novel you didn't know you needed to bring with you to the beach this summer. The Washington coast isn't the calm, serene place most think of when picturing the Pacific Ocean and this book perfectly captures its stark and sometimes violent beauty. Both twists took me completely by surprise and really underscored the difference between a good mother and a selfish one. Monroe is an excellent writer and I very much look forward to reading what she comes out with next.

The sea has an unrelenting hold on the women in Meredith's family, including Meredith and her own daughter. Through too many timelines, the story of how this came to be, its impact on the women at Cape Disappointment, and what Meredith must do to save her daughter is told. Yes, too many timelines. Several times I got turned around trying to match up generations. The chapter titles helped by providing dates, but I wish the story had focused on one timeline and provided smaller snippets of the other ones to keep the reader grounded. And while I knew to expect a bit of fantasy / magic realism, after a solid story that didn't seem to go there to have the book suddenly swerve in that direction felt a bit jarring. I liked the overall story and the characters, and enjoyed reading the book. I just wish it had been laid out a bit less like a crazy quilt.

A story of a family curse that looks into the relationship between mother and daughter that will leave you unsettled. This book had me gripped from the very first page. The author created a beautiful and haunting atmosphere. There were times I felt like I, too, was breathing in the ocean air and feeling the sand beneath my feet.

Throughout the story there are multiple povs, which I did enjoy. However, I felt like at times it became a little difficult to keep up with all the different characters and their part of the story. Although each of them did have their own tone to it, which did make it better.

What I loved most about this book was that I never knew what direction it was going in. It was a continuous guessing game for me and I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect. The ending left me in a state of shock and wishing there was more.

Overall an amazing debut novel by Monroe. I highly recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of gothic or horror.

Thank you Net Galley and Katrina Monroe for this arc.