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

Interesting quick read with some solid creepy folklore elements, toxic relationships, and female rage. Queer pirates are also a plus. I would love to read more from this author in future.

There are parts of the story that could have been given more time to develop with a longer book, but as a shorter read, this has an interesting premise and atmosphere. The side characters aren't really given enough time to shine, which made their storylines a little less impactful.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Merciless Waters is a fascinating story of queer love and a retelling of less popular (in the US) mythology. This book is well written, creative, and for sure worth a read.

To tell you much more about this would give away too much of what makes this plot great. Just read it, honestly.

This was short and creepy and devastating with a very surprising ending. And I loved it!

The cursed pirate vibes, the difficult love story, the admiration - it was pure perfection!

Go, read it!

This was such a cute novella. It was short, sweet, and beautiful. Also screw Reginald. I loved watching them connect dots

It's been a couple of days since I finished this book, and all I can say is that if you haven't read it, you're missing out on a story of women turning into villains and getting up to all sorts of unhinged stuff.

Hands down, this is one of the best books I've read this year. I won't stop talking about it for a while.

This book is a prime example of why you should leave your toxic girlfriend. Nothing good will come of it. She's just not worth it!
Although the plot felt splintered at times, I did enjoy it in the end. I do wish Jaq dumped Lily and found someone better (and less self-obssessed), but I love a ship setting. I just love a pirate ship guys! And I thought the women were an interesting mirror(?) of sirens.
Overall, I would reccomend this book. If nothing else, just because I enjoy seeing women destroy men!

A strange little story with vivid imagery and steeped in folklore for those supporting women's wrongs. I loved it!

“We crave violence. So we swallow violent men.”

Poetic, descriptive, feminine rage. Toxic, sapphic love. Tore my heart out and stomped on it.

I didn’t see the ending coming, it was perfect.

I received this arc in exchange for a review 🤗

Thanks to Netgalley and Brigids Gate Press for the ARC.

Merciless Waters is an atmospheric novella set in a timeless present. Our characters are on the ship Scylla sailing through endless days with no knowledge of their pasts until one day a man is found floating in the water- and when he is brought on board- suddenly the crew starts remembering their pasts.

Merciless Waters started out strong and I was captivated by the crew and our two main characters - Jaq and Lily.
This novella wrestles with the idea of what is more important- love or revenge. Unfortunately- I think it lost steam a bit in the middle and I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending.

The beginning was kind of a rough start for me, I feel like the first chapter thrusts the reader headfirst into the story, without providing context for what's going on. My BCR (bestie co-reviewer) thinks that its supposed to be deliberately disorienting, but I digress.
Anyway, once I got over the first chapter, everything gradually starts to make more sense. I liked the unravelling of the mystery behinds the girls' origins, and I wished I could have gotten to know more about the idk, captains? the ships? there seems to be some kind of hierarchy/ society of rusalki ship captains or something. My BCR's favourite part was reading the flashbacks, especially the ones from the snake's POV.

I liked the murder-y bits, but I just didn't click with the writing, something about it felt kind of passive? and I feel like this story would have been served better with a more active narrative.

Me and my BCR disagree majorly on our thoughts about the ending. I personally liked it, I think it was very cool and twisted. My BCR thought it wasn't the ending the MC deserved, so it wasn't satisfying to her.
Overall, this was an interesting book, I'm still not completely sure what I feel about it, but it was very compelling.

“We crave violence. So we swallow violent men.”

I received an ARC of Merciless Waters from NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

Merciless Waters is a dark, sapphic novella inspired by Slavic mythology. Knowles’ prose is mysterious as her work perfectly embodies feminine rage and the need for revenge. It took me about 20% of the book to be fully invested in the story but learning about the characters’ pasts & desires quickly made up for the slow start. For being less than 150 pages, Merciless Waters provides a huge story with much left for interpretation.

This is not a book I would normally gravitate towards so I am thankful to have received the digital ARC from NetGalley & Brigids Gate Press. I gave Merciless Waters a 3.5 stars; even though I enjoyed the story & would recommend, I felt like the ending was too abrupt and didn’t match the how impactful the rest of the story was.

Oh. My. God. 😲 🫨 🫢

When I tell you that you need to read this...you need to read this! @_rae_knowles I am in love.

This novella is a retelling of the Slavic myth Rusalka. And it's sapphic. And literary genius. It was *squeals* sooo good. Feminine rage anyone?

"The sea never changes. Neither do Lily and Jaq.

Aboard the ship Scylla, there is no future or past. Jaq, her fickle lover Lily, and their all-female crew exist in an endless present. It’s better this way. At least it keeps Lily by Jaq’s side, where she belongs. But the meddling gods care little for Jaq’s longing, and despite her protective rituals, their punishment arrives all the same:

A man, adrift on the open ocean. Delivered to snatch Lily from Jaq’s arms forever.

Jaq knows what to do. She’s lost Lily before. Her lover will return—when this interloper, this distraction, is snuffed out. But Jaq’s murderous schemes may not be enough. The intruder’s presence infects her crew with a plague her spells cannot cure: memory. And as the women recall how they came to Scylla, their minds bend one by one towards revenge.

Including Lily’s. Especially Lily’s.

Now Scylla draws closer to shore, leaving Jaq with an impossible choice. Deny Lily and evoke her ire. Or join her—and possibly lose her for good."

Also thank you @netgalley for allowing me to read this.

wow, just wow. this is a short beautiful sapphic tale about Jaq and her life as a rusalka. while I am unfamiliar with the tales of the rusalka, I really enjoyed reading this story. the prose is really beautiful and the tale is masterfully crafted. it is the perfect read to get out of a book slump.

Eerie, unsettling and an absolute wild ride. This is such a fun novella. Being a novella the characters aren’t as fleshed out as I would prefer but it’s understandable.

I loved Jaq’s narration throughout you could really sense the emotion and hurt through this. A really compelling novella with just the right amount of ‘Oh God no, but good for her!’

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for an ARC of Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles!

This was absolutely brilliant! The plot was incredible, a sapphic pirates story with an all female crew featuring Slavic folklore, body horror, and feminist rage.

The story follows Jaq, who is very much in love with her lover Lily. Lily brings a man she found lost at sea aboard the Scylla without permission from the rest of the crew and this triggers a series of events that unearth the secrets of the deep that have been kept even from this mysterious crew of pirates ].

The writing was really descriptive and was perfect at setting the scene and creating an eerie atmosphere.

I would recommend this for anyone who loves Fantasy, Horror, and Romance!

Actual Rating 4.5 ☆

This was fantastic! The vibes were super spot on. I’m not sure when I started liking horror but here we are reading a sapphic pirates story with an all female crew featuring Slavic folklore, body horror, feminist rage, & a little bit of spice.

We follow Jaq, who's very much in love with her flighty lover Lily. Lily brings a man she found lost at sea aboard the Scylla without permission from the rest of the crew and this triggers a series of events that unearth the secrets of the deep that have been kept even from this mysterious crew of pirates ].

I was confused for the majority of the first half of the book, but it's intended to be so. it's highly atmospheric with a really strong ending. It also reminds me a lot of another new release that has similar vibes featuring a sapphic fish monster, Providence Girls by Morgan Dante.

Thank you to Brigids Gate Press. LLC and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review

Inspired by the Russian legend of the Rusalka, Merciless Waters follows a group of women stuck alone on a ship with no knowledge of their pasts. When they rescue a man drowning from the sea the women start to remember their pasts.
Although only a short novella this story is not at all lacking. It is rich with Russian folklore and will appeal to fans of modern retelling of myths.

Aboard the ship Scylla, there is no future or past. Jaq, her fickle lover Lily, and their all-female crew exist in an endless present. At least it keeps Lily by Jaq's side, where she belongs. But the meddling gods care little for Jaq's longing, and despite her protective rituals, their punishment arrives all the same: A man, adrift on the open ocean. Delivered to snatch Lily from Jaq's arms forever. Jaq knows what to do. Her lover will return-when this interloper, this distraction, is snuffed out. But Jaq's murderous schemes may not be enough. The intruder's presence infects her crew with a plague her spells cannot cure: memory. And as the women recall how they came to Scylla, their minds bend one by one towards revenge.

This is a character driven novel with a slow plot. Not really much happens but I did still enjoy it. The writing was really descriptive and was perfect at setting the scene and creating this eerie atmosphere. It is full of feminine rage and is focused on the characters finding their revenge and is full of feminine rage. I think that this will be a favourite for many- but personally I prefer much more of a high-stakes plot.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of the book!

While a little confusing at times, this was an intriguing read that kept me hooked. The mystery of the characters' beginnings unraveled nicely as the story went on, and I enjoyed the prose. However, the end was a little abrupt and unsatisfying, leaving me a little confused.