⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daughter of the Drowned has an intriguing premise and a beautifully eerie setting that pulled me in right away! The atmosphere is moody and mysterious, and I appreciated the darker, myth-inspired elements. However, the pacing felt uneven at times, and I struggled to fully connect with the characters. While there were moments of real tension and beauty, the story didn’t quite deliver the emotional depth I was hoping for. Still, a solid read for fans of gothic fantasy and folklore.

I was really confused by this because the title and the cover of this book seemed to be right on the nose as far as providing fantastical elements and I really did not get that from this book at all in the beginning. Didn't really enjoy this one.

Daughter of the Drowned is a dark and intense tale about addiction, trauma, and death. The victim of a swimming accident during which she was dead for four minutes, Lovely Timms, is obsessed with death. And, since the accident, the dead clamor for her attention. Her family thinks she’s mad, and she agrees with them, falling into the unfortunate trauma response of addiction.
At last, she finds a glimmer of hope with acquaintances in New Orleans. There, she enters the world of the occult and Voodoo with a hint of necromancy on the side.
Seeking a solution, a reason the dead keep appearing to her, she is tempted to recreate the brush with death that caused her trauma, but she finds herself in the Underworld. The solution to her trouble may be one she can’t live with.
Very emotional and well, watery. Daughter of the Drowned is a tantalizing look at the afterlife. Gritty in parts and all too real, the story merges with Greek myth. Not a cheery tale, but an interesting idea, nicely done. This is the first in a two-book set. Be aware that the ending of Daughter of the Drowned will not feel complete since the rest of the story is in the next book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hot Tree Publishing for the ARC. This is a great start to a new series! All opinions are my own. 4.5 Stars

The premise of this book really grabbed me. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but the book progressed from an everyday world where Lee was very different, to an entirely different way of viewing the world. Quite gripping in parts and emotional but also full of hope and wonder.

I loved how the book changed when Lovely and Tino left England and arrived in New Orleans. Almost like the two venues encapsulated personalities of their own. The cast of supporting characters are fun, kind and knowledgeable.

The third setting, under the sea was full of colourful characters, vivid descriptions and filled in a lot of questions that the book had left me with thus far.

I knew from halfway through the book that this couldn't possibly be a stand alone and to my delight, discovered it was book one in the series 'Darkness Duet'. Can't wait to read more!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daughter of the Drowned is a dark, atmospheric dive into grief, hauntings, and the mysterious pull of Death himself. Our heroine, Lovely, literally storms the Underworld to face her demons—this story blends paranormal fantasy with mythological intrigue in a way that’s both eerie and enchanting.

Lovely is a broken, haunted protagonist, reads a bit younger than 21, her rawness makes sense given her trauma. The pacing is a slow burn, especially when it comes to the fantasy and romance elements, but when they finally kick in, things get deliciously intense. Death as a love interest? Mysterious, magnetic, and just the right amount of unsettling.

There’s gore, grief, and ghostly visions—but also found family, childhood friends-to-lovers tension, and a haunting, poetic vibe. It’s not overly spicy, but the tension simmers beautifully. If you’re into dark romantic fantasies with mythological flair, this one is definitely worth a read.

This is a beautifully written, haunting paranormal tale. Our FMC, Lovely, is flawed and struggling to deal with her trauma but this made her all the more relatable. This book does not shy away from heavier topics, such as death and addiction, but handles them quite masterfully. That said, do heed the trigger warnings. I'm looking forward to how Lovely's story continues in book 2!

I really enjoyed reading this book & I am so grateful to have received a copy as an arc to read and review. The story was lovely, the writing was amazing, the journey this book takes you on was absolutely phenomenal & I had been following this author and this book for a while, so when I knew it was available to read I was straight there. It’s right up my street with the kind of books I go for & I’m really interested to see where the rest of the story goes in future books. This author is definitely one to follow going forwards.

I just want to start out and say I have never read a book like this one. It was gothic and creepy and filled with ghosts. Daughter of the Drowned was so fast paced I could not put it down, and I loved every second of reading this book. It was a breath of fresh air getting to read something so unique and not recycled.
- gothic
- urban fantasy
- friends to lovers
- found family
- occult

Ok not my usual type of book, but I have to say, it was a slow go at first but when it picked up it picked up! I was intrigued by the idea of going to the underworld. Lovely was a deeply troubled young woman after her near drowning. Only trying to remember what happened can release her from her torment. The book is a dark romance. Full of triggers

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you for allowing me to review

While I 100% recommend this book, I didn't realize from the cover that this is urban fantasy, so definitely know that going in to manage expectations. This is a fun read and if you like death as a love interests, this one is for you! It's unique which is so nice as someone who reads this genre a lot. This book is worth the read.

As I read the first chapter of this book I questioned what I had gotten myself into. A melodic dance of pain and pleasure from one paragraph to the next, I wasn't sure I would make it through to the end. The journey was harsh, make sure you read any and all trigger warnings. Our FMC struggles after drowning, those three minutes with Death leaving their lasting marks on her. Death and the dead haunting her, leaving her sanity teetering between worlds. This book plays like a movie through your mind, yanking you from reality to crazy chaos to the underworld. All just to throw you a twist in the very last moments, pulling you forward and tucking you into the need for ....the next book!

This was a step outside of what I normally read and I do believe I am sliding into a new era because of it. The authors talent is clear, a tapestry woven before your very eyes into a world we all wonder about, at some point in our lives. To say I couldn't put it down would be a disservice to the grip this book had on me. A Lovely prose, a song and dance with Death and the submission he demands. The heat of this book radiates off the page, this is spice that leaves you begging for more.

Clearly I need to read Kerry Williams back list of books, but more importantly I am waiting very impatiently for the next book in this series.

Thank you to Kerry Williams, Hot Tree Publishing and NetGalley for the eArc of this book. All opinions are my own and freely given.

I enjoyed this fantasy. Anytime Death is a love interest, I am all ears (or eyes, in this case). This is definitely a dark story with an imperfect FMC who struggles. I enjoyed it over all, but felt that the writing itself was a bit odd at times.

I can only give limited feedback on this book because I did not finish it. The story was very interesting and I enjoyed the author’s writing style. Not sure if I didn’t appropriately read the trigger warnings, but the book turned out to be much darker than I had anticipated. I did not feel in the right headspace to finish it. If you don’t mind very dark subject matter, particularly surrounding addiction and SA, then you should be fine.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I've read Daughter of the Drowned by Kerry Williams. This was an ARC-read for me offered by Netgalley, Kerry Williams and Hot Tree Publishing.

It's a story about Lovely (called Lee) and she was dead for 3 minutes by drowning when she was 17. Since then she can see ghosts and lost souls who wants her help. She's scared of it and get herself into drugs and selling her body of for drugs, just to feel numb after seeing them. But when her father died, she sees him too, but she got the feeling he wants to say something to her before he can move on. But with all her questions about why she's seeing them and they are seeking her out, she has to drown again...

It's a bit of a dark story but also one filled with need and love.

I give it a 4-star read because it's very well written and it has me bound for wanting to read more.

Thank you for this opportunity!

From the title and cover I was expecting more fantasy from this book, but it leaned more towards paranormal than fantasy. This book felt very creepy/spooky and has some dark themes discussed. At some points I was shocked and deeply saddened by the things the MC was experiencing. I liked the idea of Death being a kind of person, and that aspect of the story was super interesting. But the MC actually getting to the underworld took forever and it felt like the story slogged along, often times failing to hold my interest, for what felt like forever to get to that point. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Daughter of the Drowned by Kerry Williams had an intriguing premise—mythology, paranormal elements, and Death personified (which I love)—but the execution fell flat for me.

The world-building was interesting, but the fantasy elements felt muted, and it took almost half the book for anything truly magical to happen. The romance was underwhelming and lacked chemistry, while the FMC read much younger than her 21 years and showed little growth. However, I did enjoy the side characters and found family elements.

Overall, this might appeal to readers who love mythology-infused urban fantasy, but if you're expecting deep fantasy immersion or a strong romance, it may not fully satisfy.

✨ Ratings:
🖤 Darkness: 2/5 | 🌶 Spice: 1/5 | ⭐ Overall: 3/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

“Life can only be appreciated in reverse, but you have to live it forward.”

“Daughter of the Drowned,” by Kerry Williams

I would say this type of book ended up not being the type of book I normally read. I liked it but I wished it wasn’t so slow in my opinion. It was marketed as “Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and V.E Schwab, those who like their romantic fantasy with a side of gore, childhood friends to lovers, Death as a love interest, and their romance with more steam and less spice.” which I fully agree with. That literally is the best way to summarize the vibe of the book. There was a lot of addiction and ED issues, which is what I liked about the book because in my opinion it made the characters more realistic and made me sympathize with FMC. 3 out of 5 stars, worth the read if you like ghost books and mystery.

-Ghosts
-Addiction
-ED

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

Death as a love interest? Say no more.

Daughter of the Drowned was different than anything I have read in the past. In some ways this was a good thing, and in other ways not so much. Kerry did a great job at making you connect with Lovely through her trauma and her struggles. She is a flawed character, and these flaws are portrayed in a way that make her relatable. The side characters were a huge highlight. I LOVED them and hope we get more time with them in the next book.

I think this book will have an audience from urban fantasy readers who will enjoy it, but as much as I would like it too, that audience doesn’t involve me. I absolutely did not expect the twist at the end (and was a little confused), but I will be awaiting book two to see where things end up after that cliffhanger.

Read this book if you like:

• urban fantasy
• gothic, moody vibes
• complex characters
• paranormal magic
• friends to lovers

**Thank you to Hot Tree Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book**</

Trigger warnings all around. There are scenes of addiction, binge eating (especially this, so I would advise extreme caution if this triggers you), rape, sexual assault, death of parent, and dying in general, and drowning.

Things I liked: the premise is really interesting. The afterlife is always something that I'm curious about, and the presence of ghosts potentially makes for a great horror read. She also develops her abilities as the book goes on which I like as well.

Things I didn't: the characters were very inconsistent. The girl had a history of drowning, yet her considerate "friends" made her go take a bath in the tub. A rape victim but they don't do much about it so it there's no vindication, and the love interests have sex days after like there was no trauma. It's just so hard to empathize with the characters because they all seem unhinged. Plus all of them to begin with just had no time to build their relationships, no chemistry at all. My promised romantasy didn't really occur 😅 And one of the main characters just appears at the latter part of the book like an afterthought (though this is a series, so maybe that's why) 😅.

If you enjoy these plotlines, go ahead and pick up this book. These views are all mine, so the experience might be different for you ☺️