3.5

I had started this audiobook at some point last summer and bounced off of it pretty hard, but I am glad I gave it another chance! Set in a vaguely historical fantasy world, Dark Water Daughter is full of swashbuckling adventure, magic, deathless pirates, and fascinating worldbuilding. Moira Quirk and Samuel Roukin deliver excellent performances as always.

The plot is fast paced and action packed and I loved the magic system and world that Long created. It all felt very fleshed out and exciting, which I think made the main characters feel even more flat. Both Mary and Samuel have interesting backstories and internal conflicts, but I found it hard to connect to them and even harder to connect to secondary characters, which left me feeling less invested in some of the conflict and resolution.

While not a new favorite, I do think this is a really solid pirate fantasy and would recommend. I am interested in seeing where the sequel Black Tide Son goes.

This book was very mid for me. It has a great concept surrounding the storm singers, but the execution is not great.

Pros: The opening scene at the gallows definitely gave me Pirates of the Caribbean vibes and set a strong start for the book (it unfortunately meandered as it went on). The ghistings were really cool and I couldn't wait until we get to know them more individually.

Cons: I did not feel the romance between Mary and Samuel. There was no chemistry there. I started shipping Samuel/Fisher and Mary/Charles more than the supposed Samuel and Mary thing the author was trying to build. There's more chemistry between those two pairings than Samuel and Mary.

However, the most egregious misstep by the author were the storm singers. Here's the thing: the concept of storm singers is really great, but the author doesn't build on it. What type of singing does what to the weather? Does the type of song matter? Are there songs every storm singer sings or are they individual? The answers to these questions would have made this such a stronger fantasy. Lean into the world building, people!

The narration: I've been a big fan of Moira Quirk since I first heard her voice Gideon the Ninth. When I first started listening to this I could not believe that this was the same narrator who did Gideon. And I mean that in the best way possible! There are fleeting moments when I recognized the tone, but overall this sounded like a completely different person. Kudos to Moira Quirk for such a range. Samuel Roukin held his own alongside Quirk, but she really is one of the best.

I think the YA fantasy crowd may enjoy this one for the adventure, but I won't be continuing the series.

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

This is my second book by H.M. Long, and those two books have already been enough to mark Long as an author to watch out for. There’s just something so unique about her prose, world-building, and use of magic and mythology that makes her stories feel so utterly immersive.

This is especially true for Dark Water Daughter. The setting was so detailed and well-written. You can tell just how much time was spent crafting the world the story takes place in, and this care comes through in Long’s descriptive writing throughout. She also does a fantastic job of describing the weather and more physical aspects of a setting as well, meaning that I felt the cold rains of every storm that Mary summoned. This is incredibly important for a book like Dark Water Daughter because so much time is spent outside and on ships. It makes the entire book feel incredibly atmospheric, which always makes the book easier to fall into.

This strong descriptive writing only enhances an already strong magic system. This system felt so incredibly unique, and I loved how literal Stormsinger was as a title. I felt like the magic had so many layers to it, and I loved slowly peeling them back as the book continued. Magic also came with a cost, though, which is something I always really appreciate in books. It makes the magic feel less limitless, and forces characters to make difficult choices regarding their use of it. There were also plenty of magical and mythical creatures and beings woven throughout the story, which only further deepened the magic and history of the story. It really felt like everything clicked together like a satisfying puzzle, even if we couldn’t always see the full image it was slowly piecing together.

The characterization in this book is incredibly strong as well. I was swept up in Mary and Samuel’s stories and found myself rooting for both even when they were on opposing sides. I loved finding out more about their pasts and what drove them, and getting to see the plot shape and change them was a joy. I can’t wait to see how their story continues in Black Tide Son!

Lastly, I can’t wrap up this review before commending the narrators of the audiobook. While Moira Quirk is a narrator I’ve listened to before, Samuel Rokin was new to me. Both did a fantastic job at bringing Long’s writing to life, and this already immersive book was somehow made even more so by their narration of the characters. I will definitely be listening to the sequel, and seeking out more audiobooks narrated by them!

True, it was an interesting fantasy story, but next to the fantasy story there is also a love story and for me the love story is the one that spoiled the fantasy world.
Gaige’s struggles with his new life and and his new powers and his tries to get back what he lost, it was all so compelling, I wanted to know more. And then there is the part about Kost and Gaige, their history and their friendship … it felt more like second thought, or part from another book, and it did nothing to the story, it disrupted the natural flow of the story.

So if you are looking for a fantasy with a dash of erotica, it’s your book.

Screaming crying throwing up FAVOURITE BOOK OF 2023 LADS THIS FANTASY IS EVERYTHING

PIRATES
COLD WINTER STORMS
MARY F*CKING FIRTH (new fave character???? Amazing)
SAMUEL ROSSER 🩷🩷🩷
GAH THIS WAS JUST SO GOOD

cinematic. impeccable. worldbuilding to rival all worldbuilding. amazing magic. paced so flinging well. and! the! INTRIGUE!! Phew catch me rereading forever and ever

First of all I want to thank Netgalley and Titan books for making an audio-arc accessible for me in exchange of my honest review.

Before picking up a book I always read reviews because I want to know what people think about it and then make my own decision. This one had many mixed reviews but I really liked the premise so I picked it up. I was really hooked for the first 30 percent of the book and then I honestly lost my interest on the story and that twin ordeal almost made me dnf it tbh but I pushed through until the end. The last 20 percent was actually very good but I overall did not like the book. There were parts that I loved but not enough for me to continue this series.
I'm sure many people will love this book but it wasn't for me it seems.

Quite enjoyed it. Would definitely recommend this for someone wanting a quick but quality read. The narrator did a wonderful job conveying emotions.

I really liked this one! This is an adult fantasy set in a “Pirates of the Caribbean” world. It has a decent helping of romance but the romance is not the main focus. The main focus is the fantasy plot. It was well done and very readable.

The reason I say “decent helping of romance” is because this is dual POV and the romance is between the main characters. He is a disgraced sea captain turned pirate hunter and she is a “storm singer.” Storm signers can manipulate the weather and ships use them for sea crossings. The two MCs are on their seperate journeys for the majority of the story but intersect with one another periodically throughout the book. Their scenes together were GOOD (no spice yet but I’m guessing there will be some in later books). It also seems like the two MCs will be together for the next book.

The world building was uncomplicated and well done. If you know the world of Pirates of the Caribbean, you will know this world. The world felt vast and “lived-in” with many different cultures fantasy and elements that were unique and original.

I loved the MCs and the side characters. They all felt like real people that I could easily connect with and empathize with.

Overall I’d def recommend 4.25/5. I’m guessing I’ll like the subsequent books in the series even more!

Thanks to titan books and RB media for the ARC/ALC of this one!

This book had an interesting magic system and I found it very original.
I haven´t read a lot of pirate books and I enjoyed that part too.
It was well written and the atmosphere felt good.
The narration was well done.

I thought the premise of this book sounded really interesting and was a cool and original concept, which is why I requested it. I was a little disappointed with the book though. I felt like it was pretty slow and boring at times. I felt myself wondering when things would move forward. I love this author and will keep reading her work. The narration was also great. The story itself fell a little flat for me.

At the start, I loved this one. I think Long's style works well for audio and the narrators did an amazing job bringing Mary and Samuel to life. The start was the standard pirate, adventure, story and I loved those vibes. It was fun while maintaining the sharp edge of the world and what could happen within it. However, the second half lost me a little. It zeroed in on the magic of the world and while it was interesting, I desperately missed the energy from the start of the book. It felt a bit like I was reading too separate books. I also didn't really care about Samuel and Mary as love interests. I didn't really feel the spark between them. It felt too much like It Had To Happen because they were the protagonists. However, overall, I really enjoyed this and can't wait for the next installment in the series.

The premise of this book was so incredibly fascinating to me. Stormsingers and pirates with special abilities is right up my alley. There was action and intrigue. I loved the idea of this world and the revenge plot. I do feel like it can be very tough to listen to fantasy and truly get an understanding of that world sometimes. I feel like if I had read a physical copy I may have enjoyed it more. It took my quite awhile to actually finish this book. This was my first by Long though so I would like to read more.

The narration was great however. The dual POVs was narrated well for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. There was nothing wrong with it - the narrators were fine, and the ideas were interesting enough I just found it hard to connect with the characters and wanted more.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I didn't like the narrator so I'm going to wait to read the physical copy

Dark Water Daughter
HM Long

Plot: .5
Writing: 1
World Building: .5
Characters: .5
Themes: .5
3/5

Audiobook: 4/5
The narrators were really good and honestly probably the only reason I got through it.

Whta you can expect:
- Dual POV
- Pirate Fantasy

The beginning was interesting, ~20%-00% it really dragged. It's not that it was bad, I just didn't find myself wanting to pick it up or being able to get invested in the story and characters. I found myself wanting more - more details about the characters, more world building, just more.

I wanted to like this so much. I think there is definitely an audience for this one. If you loved The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, you'll love Dark Water Daughter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the audio publisher for an advanced listener copy of Dark Water Daughter. This is my honest review.

I had been hearing so many positive things about this book for quite some time, so going into it I had high expectations. Maybe a little too high.
The premise of the story was incredibly fascinating. I had never read anything like it and can absolutely understand why so many people love this story. The world-building was amazing, but the characters fell a bit flat for me.

This story drops you right into the thick of it with what felt like an action-packed first few chapters but tapered off into a much more tame rest of the book. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great book, but it just left me feeling like something was missing.

The narrators of the audiobook were great, but I only wish it was duet and not dual narration. I found myself getting lost with which character was which since the same characters were being voiced by two different narrators at different times. I think this story would really benefit from single narration or duet narration.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to an advanced ready copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I liked the unique idea of a book about pirates in a cold climate. I enjoyed the plot and the twists later on in the story. It wasn´t perfect - I already feel the details of the story getting fuzzy, but I do like the writing style of the author and will definetly read from this author again.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I was invested from page one and the momentum kept going through the whole story. I loved the world-building and the magic system was unique and different. I loved the characters and the depth and complexity of the storyline. This was not a romantasy, and honestly, that was a nice change of pace. I liked that the female character's storyline was about her and her journey, and she did not have to be tied up in a relationship to grow and develop. She developed friendships and alliances and toward the end we saw the beginnings of a relationship. Overall, this is one of my favorite books of the year, and I will definitely be reading more by this author!

A sweeping high-seas action-packed adventure! What fun! I enjoyed this piratical fantasy novel--more pirate adventure stories please!! The magic and worldbuilding were interesting and kept me invested in the story, while the romance left something to be desired. A great first installment in what I hope will be an ongoing series!