H.M. Long es una autora que ha publicado varias novelas de fantasía a la que por alguna razón no había leído todavía. Cuando tuve la oportunidad de escuchar el audiolibro de su nueva obra, inicio de saga, pensé que era el momento oportuno. Ni confirmo ni desmiento que el hecho de que uno de los lectores fuera Samuel Roukin, al que adoro por su trabajo en la serie The Sun Eater puede haber influido algo en la decisión. La otra intérprete, Moira Quirk, también hace un buen trabajo, pero es que Samuel es insuperable.


Dark Water Daughter comienza como una fantasía bastante típica de piratas, con su sistema mágico para dominar el tiempo atmosférico y facilitar las travesías, pero poco a poco va deviniendo en una historia más oscura y traicionera.

Long utiliza dos puntos de vista para narrar la historia, el de Mary Firth, cuyas dotes mágicas se habían ocultado desde su infancia a pesar de ser descendiente de una poderosa figura materna que a pesar de estar ausente en la mayor parte de la novela ejerce una influencia más que notable.

Samuel Rosser es un oficial naval caído en desgracia que busca redimirse de su pasado capturando un notorio pirata. También tiene capacidades mágicas, pero como se irá descubriendo conforme pasen los capítulos, quizá el control que ejerza sobre ellas no sea tan férreo como desearía.

La novela tiene muchos personajes e interacciones entre ellos, pero no resulta confusa en ningún momento, quizá debido a la estupenda interpretación de los lectores, pero también a la mano de la autora, que construye un mundo atractivo del que todavía quedan bastantes pasajes por explicar.

Es posible que lo más atractivo de la historias sea el sistema mágico, que poco a poco se va desenvolviendo ante nuestros ojos. Long quizá abusa un poco del infodump aunque lo hace con un método bastante explotado, pero no por ello menos efectivo. La introducción de cada capítulo explica de manera somera algún aspecto de este mundo feérico, como si fuéramos consultando nuestras dudas en una enciclopedia ilustrada.

Algo que me gusta menos es la introducción del romance en la trama, un poco forzado, ya que aunque Mary esté en situaciones precarias o directamente luchando por su vida, no deja pasar la oportunidad de describir los pectorales de los personajes masculinos por los que se siente atraída (en esto exagero un poco, pero no os creáis que mucho).

En definitiva, Dark Water Daughter es un buen comienzo para una serie fantástica que no parece destinada a romper moldes, pero que gustará a los lectores que disfruten de un mundo bien construido y escenas navales atractivas, con una pizca de romance y un sistema mágico más que atractivo.

Dark Water Daughter by HM Long is perfection! The world-building is simply amazing, and I was completely immersed in the story from start to finish. HM Long has created a rich and detailed world that is full of magic, adventure, and danger. Dark Water Daughter gives major Pirates of the Caribbean vibes while delivering a completely unique story.

The characters are all well-developed and interesting. The plot hooked me from the start and delivered all the way to the end. The audiobook was fabulously narrated. I'd highly recommend this book to all fantasy readers.

Rating: 5/5 stars

“There are fates worse than death, Mr. Rosser.”

For the past few years, a specific genre/trope has dominated my fantasy-novel wishlist. A single request I’ve been sending out into the universe, hoping for the Bookish Gods to grant me this favour:
please, give us an incredible pirate-novel set in a fantasy world that we’ve all been craving.

I think it was somewhere into 2022 that I gave up on this wish, after being burned by one too many ship-based-dud. Ironically, as I often the case when you stop searching for something, 2023 blessed me with not one but two pirate-favourites. Back in March, we had a whimsical take on the pirate-life in Tress of the Emerald Sea. Next month, you can look forward to swashbuckling start of an Adult Fantasy series set on the high seas of a world rich in lore, magic and mystery.

Our story begins with a young woman, facing the gallows for a crime she didn’t commit. In a desperate attempt at escape, she unleashes a power inherited from her missing mother, that she’s kept hidden within herself for years; a voice powerful enough to sing up a storm and command unruly waves. Although she’s spared the noose, her display of power does not grand Mary Firth the freedom she hoped for. Instead, she becomes the pawn and the lynchpin in a complex play between the Royal Navy and fleets of pirates, each hoping to hone her skills to guide them safely across the treacherous waters of the Winter Sea. Yet Mary isn’t the passive play-piece people take her for. Rather, she has alliances, loyalties, and motivations of her own. Her top priority: cross the Winter Sea in order to find and free her mother, who suffered a similar faith of captivity due to her powers.
Told through dual perspectives from both Mary, and the naval officer Samuel Rossner, who chases her across the oceans; this was every bit the fantasy-adventure I hoped it to be.

Without hyperbole, Dark Water Daughter has everything I want in a fantasy novel. If we take a look at it through the “Sandersons triad of story-telling”, it has nails all three: characters, world and plot.
Whilst Samuel and Mary carry the story, there are many memorable supporting characters that do a lot of heavy lifting too. Each of them has a distinct role to fulfill in the plot, but simultaneously has enough unique character-traits, skills (both magical and personal) and motivations to feel like a fully-fledged person inhabiting this world too. It creates a world that feels alive and lived in, adding a layer of “realness” that is so hard to capture. (also, the romance subplot never commit mutiny and overtakes the rest of the story, which is always a welcome change!)
Speaking of worldbuilding, this attention to detail and depth goes beyond the characters. Each place, spirit or magical power comes with its own lore and history supporting it. With every flip of the page, I was excited to learn more about this universe of H.M. Long’s creation. Although the synopsis focusses mainly on the Storm-singing, my favourite magical element was by far the Ghistwold. To avoid ANY spoilers, I won’t say anything else about this, other than that I hope to learn and explore so much more of it in the sequels.

Perhaps, if I keep singing this novels praises to my heart’s content, I might actually conjure up a storm myself. Suffice to say, it’s one of my new favourite nautical fantasy-novels and probably among my top reads of the year so far in general. If you’ve ever shared that craving for the perfect pirate fantasy-novel, or loved the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Liveship Traders Trilogy and The Grisha Trilogy, and are curious as to what a mix-up of those three would look like: make sure to be on the look-out once this novel hits shelves next month.

Many thanks to Titan Books and Recorded Books Audio for providing me with an ARC (physical as well as Audio) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What a ride!

I can honestly say I had no idea where this book was going to take me. I have gotten to the point where I just skim the summary and if it has elements that interest me, I will read it. I could not have anticipated exactly where this was going to go, and I loved it!

We start off at an execution. Our protagonist, Mary, is going to be hung for crimes she did not commit because she of a case of mistaken identity (I knew that those bad sketches on wanted posters would get an innocent person killed one these days. On a side note, how often do you think that happened in history?). Next to her is a man wearing sack who swears he can get them both out of there as long as she causes a distraction. The man was hoping for a faked pregnancy, what he got instead was a Stormsinger. A coveted asset in any shipping vessel for their ability to call on fair winds and tame the storms. So, of course, at the first opportunity, the man decides to betray her to save his own skin.

Mary’s services as a storm singer is put up for sale. Three men show up, which is where our second protagonist comes in. Samuel is a disgraced naval officer, because of course he is (I tease because I love). Why is he disgraced? No spoilers, but he’s got a bruiting sense of honor and a twin. I will let you find out for yourself what goes down, but if Ben were to walk into a volcano, I wouldn’t stop him. Samuel’s quest is to find the pirate lord Silvanus Lirr (you can call him Lirr), and Samuel knows that the only way to find him is with Mary’s help.

Why? You may ask yourself. Well, read the book. I’m not going to spoil. It does have something to do with Mary’s mother who has been lost at sea for years. You may find yourself trying to guess, I promise you, you’re wrong. Read it, and prove me right.

Now, what I liked:
- Mary has an backstory. I’m so used to main female character being a blank slate from the first page, so a character who has her share of flashbacks is great. Hers is so wild to me. I enjoyed getting tidbits of her story as the book progresses.
- It’s going to be a slowburn romance and I am here for it. The moment Mary chose to go back to the pirates and take Samuel’s jacket with her, I knew.
- Samuel’s backstory. You can really tell that despite being twins, he is the older brother. He is also punishing himself.
- I like Fisher and Samuel’s friendship. It was unexpected and just so nice.
- The relationship of the older crew members to the “new generation” of pirates. The knowing looks, the bickering, the shoves in the right direction.
- The snippets of information at the beginning of each chapter. I like it when authors do that.

What I am still mulling over:
- Grant. No spoilers, of course. I can’t even put it into words. I’m glad it’s the beginning of a series.

Things I didn’t like (in a good way):
- Ben. Because I smell a redemption arc and I am not ready for it.

Criticisms:
- It’s a slow build. Which I don’t mind in the beginning of a series. Now, if this was a stand alone, I would have an issue with it.
- Grant. I’m still mulling it over. I might need the second book to make my decision. It could be good, it could be bad.
- Mary and Samuel need to spend more time together. (This is going to get spoiler-y) Their relationship to each other is just not that deep (yet). I get that we are building the characters apart from one another first, which is great! But they have like five conversations in the entirety of this book. I want to see the relationship being built instead of just being told it’s there. It doesn’t even have to be romantic in nature. In fact, I am okay with no romance between them at all. In fact, if they got together after the little interaction they had, I wouldn’t buy it. I like how the first book ended.

The Narrators:
- I love Moira Quick’s accents for different characters. She does an amazing job every time.
- I recognized Samuel Roukin’s voice from my murder mystery era. He does such a good job.

I can’t wait for the next one. Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for this early reader (listener?) copy of Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long.

(4.5/5) Rounded up because I am invested now.

I really enjoyed this!
For starters, I got an advanced listener's copy from netgalley/titan books and I am so grateful! I've been waiting to read something from Hannah for a bit and I'm glad this was my introduction to her writing.

This book hooked me from the beginning! It's action-packed and starts off strong and I audibly gasped and made comments as I listened. The narration was great, although I do wish the songs were sung versus read like a poem. It didn't take away from the story, just a small ask. Overall the audiobook was easy to listen to and I liked having both a female and male voice for the characters. It made the audio more interesting.

The magic system and world-building wis interesting and I loved (most) of the characters (I'm definitely looking at you Benedict!) As a pirate novel goes, I was definitely intrigued and can't wait for the sequel!

Thank you Titan Books, RB Media and NetGalley for the wonderful audiobook ARC so that I could listen to this lovely story and provide my honest opinion.

The sea, pirates and magic have long fascinated and thrilled me, so I feel like this book resonated personally on multiple levels. The writing was lyrical, poignant and artistic. H.M. Long truly painted a picture I could see in my mind as the chapters unfurled. The main characters were vibrant and compelling - and I absolutely loved the narrators chosen as I felt like they conveyed so much emotion and feeling.

I have recently listened to a lot of Moira Quirk having just listened to Gideon and Harrow the Ninth and continue to enjoy her ability to bring life to the characters. Samuel Roukin was also excellent at bringing an intensity during the battles nearer the end of the book. It was so easy to listen to along with reading the book.

Dark Water Daughter begins delightfully fast paced, drawing you in right away with an escape from certain death. The World is vast and immersive, drenched in magic and creatures. I loved the descriptions of the Ghiseau and the complexities of them in the World. There is of course Plots and Pardons, rugged pirates, oathbound heroes, twisted twins and a slow burning hint of love.

I will certainly be reading more of HM Long now.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in advance in exchange for an honest review.

**Review will be published July 11th on my site and socials**

SAVED BY THE SECOND HALF.

Audiobook review: LOVED. I loved the narrators. They kept this book going for me. I loved that this was dual POV. Great audio read!

For the first half of this book I wasn’t quite sure where things were going. There was a lot of chasing Mary around as she was captured back and forth between pirates. Not a lot going on at the moment. Fortunately the second half picked up the pacing in a multitude of ways and now I’m curious where book two will lead.

I liked our two main characters, Mary and Samuel. They are both on different sides of the current conflict and slowly find out that they might actually be allies (and that there might be a romance in the future??).

What really kept me going was the vibes. If you’re looking for a high seas, pirate filled book, this will give you that. I thought the magic system was interesting and there were just enough twists in the second half that had me going, well what happens next.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy
- Language: light
- Romance: kisses
- Violence: moderate
- Trigger/Content Warnings: attempted murder, kidnapping, brief sexual assault (unwanted kissing and touching over clothes), near death experiences

I kind of went in blind on this one. This book definitely falls under the fantasy or paranormal genre with a strong female heroine. I would have liked to see more paranormal activity but I think this first books in the series is more about world building. Also has a coming of age feeling.

The narrators were great. Really engaging and adding extra dimension to the text.



This was such a great fantasy adventure story. It seems to be the year for brilliant sea faring fantasy (I also loved <i>The Adventures of Amina al Sirafi</i>) and if that's the case, I say bring it on if they're going to be of this calibre. <i>Dark Water Daughter</i> follows Mary, whose mother has always forbidden her to sing lest she give herself away. Stormsingers are rare and many Captains, both piratical and legitimate, wouldn't baulk at chaining one to a mast to sing the seas calm. Avoiding death by hanging, Mary gives herself away and finds herself in those very straits. Meanwhile, Samuel, a pirate catcher, has a mission of his own. His path and Mary's are about to clash...



Firstly, the worldbuilding here was spectacular. It was largely set in fantastical locations but there was a real sense of 17th smuggling/ pirate/ age of sail to the world. The author then organically added to this with 'wolds' - places where trees from the other world grow over into ours and magical creatures are more likely to exist. This is tied into everything from ship building to sailing to rivalries between sea farers not to mention the agendas certain creatures have themselves.



The characters were all well rounded and engaging. Mary is likeable, adventurous and morally a little flexible when it comes to survival. Samuel is just the loveliest, decentest person imaginable. Grant - I actually really liked Grant even though he's a terrible coward and not over burdened with a sense of right and wrong. The supporting cast is equally fantastic.



The writing is clear and engaging, conjuring up a real sense of place. There's action aplenty as well as twisted schemes. Overall this was a brilliant read. I enjoyed every minute of it and can't wait for the next one. Highly recommend.

4.5 stars

Ahh!! I really, really enjoyed Dark Water Daughter! It was Pirates of the Caribbean At World’s End meets Shadow and Bone, in my opinion. I thought the world building was so unique and well fleshed out. I loved all the encyclopedia entries before each chapter. It provided so much depth to the world without it feeling info-dumpy. Mary is such a wonderful character. I loved her so much. This is honestly such a solid pirate novel. It was action packed from the get-go. It did get a little hard for me to follow at times, just because I felt like there was always so much going on. I am SO excited for book two. Thanks you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“That rain was my quickening, the moment my sorcery awoke in a lilting child’s song.”

This story revolves around Mary Firth- a stormsinger who for all of her youth, suppressed her abilities due to her mothers wishes to protect herself. As “luck” (or lack thereof) would have it, Mary finds herself in a position years later where it is evident that she either wield her powers, or suffer a wrongful death. She wisely chooses the former, and this is where Mary’s adventure begins.

Stormsingers are invaluable, and can quite literally turn the tide in the harboring crews favor. No sooner does she escape death before she finds herself in an equally harrowing situation with none other than Captain Elijah Demery. The captain has plans to use Mary as a pawn to bargain for his own freedom while simultaneously offering to reunite Mary with her mother if she agrees to work with him. Easy enough, right?

Wrong.

Insert the dark haired, muscular, swoon worthy sooth Samuel Rosser, who has a score of his own to settle. Oh, and did I mention he’s also a pirate hunter?

As fate would have it, the connection between Mary and Samuel was instantaneous- but Samuel has a dark past of his own, and Mary is the key to a brighter future. However, there are perils looming for both Mary and Samuel- and their fate hinges on their ability to overcome not only Silvanus Lirr, the dark pirate lord with grave intentions; but the forces of the otherworld as well.

“There are fates worse than death, Mr. Rosser”

This is a dual narrative, and I enjoyed being able to experience the book from both of the main characters perspectives. The transition between the characters and their storylines was effortless, backstories included.

A huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook prior to release.

This book was so good that I'm honestly struggling for words but I'll attempt to write a coherent review. I had heard absolutely amazing things about this, so I started reading as soon as I got the audiobook downloaded. I was captivated from the very first lines. H. M. Long's stunning prose and Moira Quirk's narration are a match made in heaven and the book really starts out with a bang! Samuel Roukin also does a great job with his chapters, but Moira's voice was especially lovely to listen to. She gives so much emotion to each scene and really brought Mary' to life for me.

When we first meet Mary, she is trying to get out of being hung for looking like a notorious highwaywoman. She strikes a deal with a highwayman who is unfortunately tangled up with some pirates and causes Mary to get tangled up to them as well. She is a weather witch known as a stormsinger with the power to control weather through her voice, an attribute that makes her dangerously valuable to ship captains. Her mother warned her of the horrors of life at sea before disappearing and Mary is determined that her fate will be different from her mother's. Though Mary is pretty sure her mother isn't dead, she's not currently sure of her fate.

Samuel Rosser, our other protagonist, is a pirate hunter desperate to capture the notorious Lirr. He has unique magical abilities that lead him to believe that Mary, who keeps eluding him, is crucial to his success. We follow our protagonists through a variety of adventures and slowly learn more about the unique magic and creatures this world has to offer. I really loved how H. M. Long created new mythical beings to inhabit her world instead of just the mermaids and sea serpents we've come to expect from pirate fantasies. I also loved that this is a harsh, wintry sea instead of a tropical one. It just feels so fresh and exciting to read something so imaginative! And the little hints at potential romance were fantastic! I can't wait till book two and I'm glad there wasn't a big cliffhanger at the end!

The combination of such a fun and unique world, the pirate plot, and believable character arcs made this such an enjoyable and engaging read/listen.

The pace of this book is relatively fast which fits a pirate motif. It keeps you going and does not have many, if any, drags. The handling of the dual POV is well-done. There is a pretty even split, both narrators do an excellent job, and you can feel identify the separate voices of the two characters.

What more can I say than who would love a pirate high seas adventure set in a really interesting world with storm singers, an other world, future-seers, magically charismatic villains, and ghost-like beings? And uniquely set in a wintery sea setting instead of the traditional tropics or Caribbean.

An atmospheric, dual POV, wintery fantasy pirate adventure with a powerful female main character.

If you haven't been introduced to H.M Long's brand of storytelling yet, this is a perfect entry point. The pacing is fast enough to keep us wondering what's going to happen next, but slow enough to make us feel the snowflakes on our skin, hear the storm outside the window and taste the ale from the port tavern.

We're introduced to Mary when she's lined up with other criminals waiting to be hung. She has been mistaken for a vicious highway woman. The man beside her promises to help her escape if she can cause a distraction. Little does anyone know, Mary is a stormsinger, a magical talent that can control winter storms. From there we follow Mary as she journey's to rescue herself and find her mother.

We also follow Samuel Rosser is a disgraced naval officer who is tracking the most notorious pirate the seas have seen, Lirr. His path often crosses with Mary's as fate pushes them together. Interestingly, Samuel also has a magical talent, which is connected to Mary's. There's no romance in book 1, but there's a solid foundation for what might be in book 2. Talking about book 2, H.M Long has shared that book 2 is already in the works, although the name hasn't been released yet. I had so much fun on this adventure, I can't wait to go back!

Let's take a moment to appreciate the amazing narration work by Moira Quirk and Samuel Roukin. Moira is Mary, and I can't imagine it being anyone else, but Moira also takes on speaking parts of Mary's companions and fellow pirates and does a great job switching accents and tones to give the world a well-rounded feel. Samuel did a great job bringing the character's emotions through and making the character feel lived in and authentic.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced listener copy. I follow H.M Long on TikTok and Instagram, because her content is on point and she often recommends other amazing fantasy, action and female-lead books. Find her @hmlongbooks.

This book is best listened to in a port-side tavern, drinking a pint of ale, while someone sings bawdy folk songs. Remember to wrap your cloak tight around you, and if you don't have one, steal one from a good-looking disgraced navel officer.

I am so grateful to have gotten to listen to the audiobook of Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long, and I could not be more excited to write this review. Dark Water Daughter is absolutely everything I could have wanted in a pirate fantasy novel, and the narrators (Moira Quirk and Samuel Roukin) did a PHENOMENAL job of bringing this book to life. The world that H.M. Long has built is so intriguing and unique, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the plot unfold in such an intricate way. This is the kind of book that I never wanted to end, and I am so excited for this to be released in July.

If you were a fan of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, you will LOVE this book. If you've never read a fantasy book where pirates and magic were involved, you will LOVE this book. Honestly, if you're a fantasy reader in general, you'll LOVE this book, and I will be not-so-patiently waiting for the next book to come out!

I really enjoyed this book I listened with my younger cousin so was a nice bonding book. This is actually my first pirate hunter book which was fun. I adored the main characters they really made the book. This book is perfect for a fantasy lover and I can not wait for book 2

I enjoy how creative H.M. Long gets with her storytelling and this was no exception. I absolutely adored the two narrators and think they did a wonderful job with the myriad of accents.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC!

This was a really great Pirate fantasy - interesting characters, captivating plot, expansive world building, and an intricate magic system involving luck of birth, power from a (mostly) unseen world, and the existence of immortal beings. I loved the main characters, Mary and Samuel; how little they knew of themselves and their power and how they grew into acceptance and strength in their own ways, separate from how others would have molded them.

I feel as though there may have been too many small subplots and comments just thrown in that never seemed to go anywhere, but overall I enjoyed the writing and the story. It kept my attention from beginning to end and the narrators did a fantastic job as well.

I read a lot of fantasy and a lot of pirate stories and this one was up there - thoroughly enjoyable with great action, betrayal, intrigue, treasure, weird characters, and just a sprinkle of possible romance. Definitely recommend this one!

“We’re all pirates, lass.”
I’d gone from one ship full of criminals to another. I clutched the rope and murmured a weepy, “Damn.”

Plot: 5/5

Opening chapter gave such hard core pirates of the Caribbean vibes and I was hooked. The plot moves at a very good pacing that didn’t have any lulls, the peaks of action are well spaced.

Characters: 5/5

“I’d won a chance at freedom, but I might be throwing that away, staring into the large, dark eyes of Samuel Rosser.”

I love Mary she’s smart and fierce, eager to learn what she needs to to survive. Her character growth is so well done. She’s already far into her roguish journey at the start of the book but now she has direction.

Samuel is such a complex character. He’s already a very defined character and his growth arc is more about admitting what wants and going for it.

Before Mary and Samuel even really met I was thinking okay now when will they kiss? I love their instinctual care for each other, even when they aren’t on the same sides.

Writing: 5/5

Long has fantastic voice and each POV has distinct personality. There is incredibly strong and unique world building and magic development. Never before have I cared about epigraphs in books but I read every single one of these. They added to the story and world building perfectly.
This story has winter vibes which isn’t something I knew I loved in a book. I am obsessed

Overall: 5/5
The perfect book for every fantasy lover, HM Long has earned a dedicated with this book.