Finished this in no time at all! But did NOT expect it to end like that, now I have to still wait!
At times the pacing was hard for me, from slow and world building, to rushing to the gate. Imogens backstory is intriguing, and I am eager to see what comes from her story. Theodore is very Anthony Bridgerton-coded, LOVE!
I hope we'll get to see more of Agatha in book 2, and especially Lachlan!!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for making this available as a "read now"!

I literally read this in one day - I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I really enjoyed the premise of the gods& sirens and I thought the author did a good job of keeping the plot moving forward and building the anticipation of some of the reveals.

I’m looking forward to book 2!

Thank you for the opportunity to read early!

the yearning, my god- the yearning. and the angst. and slow burn. amazing. so pleasantly surprised by this one. chef's kiss.

If I had to describe this book in a single word: yearning. Sooooo much yearning.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I read this courtesy Little Brown and NetGalley. In this emotional, evocative romantasy, the deep, warm author’s voice works beautifully, but seriously, the lead female character, a siren, just seems to be asking to be mistreated. I wish I had liked this more, but the idea is better than execution.

#TheVeinsoftheDrowning #LittleBrown #NetGalley

#IndigoEmployee

My Rating: 4.75 stars!

Until the last 3 chapters, I thought I’d give this book a full 5.

The mixing of sirens both the modern interpretation and the original interpretation as birds was something I didn’t know I needed. I loved the unique view on sirens this book gave, as well as the magic system utilized and the world building that was clearly fleshed out. I was sucked in the entire time, waiting to see what would happen next and where the story was going.

When I say the last three chapters changed my rating, it’s not because I hated them, or I hated the ending, I just felt it was rushed. The fight/confrontation between Imogen and Nemea felt to hurried after an entire book leading up to it. And the brief convo between Imogen and Eusia also seeming slightly unpolished. I still loved the plot, the premise, and the outcome, it just felt like it needed a little bit more.

Still, I will be sat here with bated breath waiting for book two eagerly.

THIS is yearning! Holy cow this was good. Everything we love to see in a romantasy and done VERY well!

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!

What you can expect to find in In the Veins of Drowning:
- siren x king
- he falls first
- dark magic
- slow burn
- angst & tension

I had a feeling that I was going to love In the Veins of Drowning before I even began and I wasn't wrong. I won't rehash the plot too much because I don't want to give away spoilers - but this was one of those books that I couldn't stop reading once I started.

I loved loved love Imogen and Theodore together. Their chemistry, tension and all the angst had me turning the pages as fast as possible. These two were so fun together - they didn't hold back how they felt and sometimes that translated in frustration or anger - but most often it was yearning and I was THERE FOR IT. Gah!

I loved the world building in In the Veins of Drowning. It was so immersive and sometimes dark, but that kept me captivated and wanting to read more. I will say that the last 10% or so lost me a bit because there was so much going on, but I absolutely cannot wait for the next book in the series!

I love a good Romantasy!! Fantasy, Sirens and Folklore! Loved it! It was beautifully written and immersive. I also enjoyed the mythology. It was fun living in Imogen’s world. I enjoyed the love story that took place also!

Overall, I really liked this book and it was a fun and somewhat refreshing fantasy world to be in!

The beginning hooked me, especially with the introduction of Theo right away 🫠 I don’t think I’ve read a book about Sirens, so I enjoyed that it was something new, and I feel like the author did a great job with all the lore behind the sirens and their magic.

A lot happens in this book, and it feels like it was a lot longer than it actually was! Which isn’t a bad thing, it definitely kept things interesting, but at times it felt a bit hard to follow. That didn’t really take away from my overall enjoyment too much though.

But the whole middle section of this book? perfection. The banter, the tension, the pining. The “my wife” moments 😮‍💨 Theodore is the love of my life. He was such a great character, I just can’t say enough good things about him. Still feeling giddy over him and that mouth of his 🥵 a lot of times in these enemies to lovers type books, I feel like it’s the male character that wants to fight the attraction, that’s always hitting the fmc with the “we shouldn’t” or “we can’t”, and wanting to put duty first, but not Theo. That boy was down bad basically the whole time 🫠

I enjoyed seeing Imogen’s journey to finding herself, her voice and her confidence in the end. She went through a lot, discovered a lot, and handled it the best way she could. Even if she was stubborn throughout. She’s definitely an fmc who is fierce and fights for those she loves. Maybe a little bit of Aelin energy to her 😏

The ending of the book was where it got a bit messy for me. It was a “well that escalated quickly” type of situation 😅 but it definitely built up to a crazy cliffhanger and it left me feeling the same way I did at the end of Heartless Hunter…like wtf just happened?? 😩

If you were a fan of Heartless Hunter, The Ever King and A Dawn of Onyx, I think you’ll really enjoy this book!

A young woman who holds a secret about her very being is held prisoner by an evil king. Meeting the young King of a neighboring land at a ball to announce her betrothal to a man the king has picked for her, she decides to confess her secret to the handsome young king in the hope that he will help her escape the castle and the impending marriage. At first, he denies her request, but then he realizes that she is in fact the daughter of a goddess and so he blood bonds with her in order to make their escape. But is Theo really interested in Imogen or is he too only interested in the power which she will one day command?
The world building was successful. The beginning read too much like a paperback "bodice ripper" and felt out of place. If the relationship between the characters had slowed down and had time to develop, it would have been more believable. Secondary characters, especially that of Agatha , needed to have a much fuller back story. How Imogen uses/controls her power is a bit vague. The action picks up in the last couple of chapters but then of course, leaves readers hanging awaiting a sequel. Hopefully, the pacing in the sequel will slow down enough to allow the characters to develop more fully and not fluctuate constantly between, "I love you, I hate you!"

I've heard lots of positive things about this book, and while it absolutely has it merits (which I'll start with), there were a few parts I felt did not work for me. Haunting, the prose was lovely and captivated me, especially for a debut novel. The worldbuilding was very good, with an interesting take on sirens that felt well-rounded and thought-out. It did take me awhile to ease into the story's world as we're pulled in without a lot of explanation, but personally, I enjoy books like that. It feels more organic. The romance is where this book fell flat to me. Billed as a romantasy, I did not feel drawn into it as much as I would've liked, though others may feel differently. I would likely read the sequel!

Thank you for the ARC!

This book enthralled me. Truly could not put it down. I enjoyed the FMC quite a lot and her journey to righting the wrongs done to the other sirens. Very excited for the sequel.

In a world of very similar fantasy stories In the Veins of the Drowning shines for its unique concept.

I found it a little tricky to stick with pacing wise. I think because of that I found myself losing a bit of the grip I had on how I was rooting for Imogen, but I think it worked well for the slow burn-ness of the plot/romance. I loved the banter and quickness/cleverness of Imogen and Theo together, that really made their relationship work for me!

Overall a really interesting read and a lovely edition to the romantasy world.

An undercover siren, hiding in a kingdom that hunts her kind, while a king from a neighboring kingdom is the one who knows her true identity, he agrees to a blood bond and steals her away.

Kalie Cassidy's writing is so enjoyable to read, and she does a wonderful job of sucking you into the story right from the start. It's immersive, unique and full of dark, lush moments.

𝒔𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒔
𝒂 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔
𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒔
𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆
𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒚
𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔
𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓
𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒔
𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆!

Our FMC, Imogen, reminded me the slightest bit of Auren from the Plated Prisoner series. Tired of being controlled/"owned" and ready to finally pave her own way and step into her power. And our MMC, Theo, is right there by her side. His loyalty to his kingdom and inner conflict of wanting to do right by his people but also by his heart was so endearing to see play out.

The last 30% or so of the book really made the book for me, and I cannot wait to see what happens in book 2.

Romantasy readers, add this one to your TBR's!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy!

This novel was absolutely incredible. What a wild ride! My only complaint? The cliffhanger. Like, seriously—what just happened?! I’m literally on the edge of my seat, dying for the next book to drop. I might just have to go into full-on hibernation mode until the story continues.

Let’s talk about the writing first. It’s exquisite—beautifully crafted, immersive, and incredibly well done. You get swept up into the world so effortlessly, and the author’s prose just pulls you in deeper with each page.

The characters are equally remarkable. Imogen and Theo are phenomenal together. Their dynamic is electrifying—there’s so much tension, sharp banter, and undeniable chemistry. It’s the kind of relationship that keeps you turning the pages, eager to see what will happen next. Honestly, it’s a chef’s kiss.

I cannot recommend this book enough; I have absolutely no doubt that once In The Veins of The Drowning releases in July, it will undoubtedly be the only book on everyone’s mind. I cannot wait for everyone to experience this story!

Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I feel very…conflicted about this. There were things I thought were interesting. The world the Kalie has built is super intriguing and gritty. Theo and Imogen’s chemistry was very enjoyable to read (tho sometimes their mood changes gave me whiplash). The story was pretty compelling, I wasn’t expecting all of the twists that appeared. Kalie’s take on Sirens was very refreshing. I liked that she used winged Sirens - you don’t see too many of those nowadays but I like those kind from mythology.

That being said, this still fell a bit flat for me. I felt like the pacing was almost too fast, we never stayed in one place for long and I felt like by the time I was getting my bearings we moved locations again. So it made it hard for me to fully connect to this world and the story.

I also just found myself really confused in the scenes. Especially when Imogen used her powers, I don’t know if I’m just a bit daft or if they just weren’t written well enough? I just kept getting lost and not understanding how Imogens power even works.

I feel like if we had just slowed down the pacing a bit. Took the time for Imogen and Theo to get to know each other, this could’ve been stronger. The foundation is there but it feels as though the meat of the story is still missing. I just couldn’t understand why Theo was instantly obsessed with her. Especially when they were arguing a large portion of the book.

I also didn’t understand how he was so devoted to her but he was also going through with this wedding to someone else?? Did I miss something?? Cause that’s so fucking weird to me. Basically was like “I don’t want to marry her, so don’t sever our bond but also I’m gonna go do this ceremony with her real quick. But I promise it’s fine.” Like huh? 🤔

Anyway, I am intrigued enough to read the second book. But I’ll probably either try for the ARC of that or just get it from the library as this isn’t one I think I’d like to keep permanently on my shelf.

3 stars

The concept and premise of this book sounded like something right up my alley. It seemed like a new fresh twist to a siren story since here they have wings and other powers. Although the story wasn't bad I could not get into the writing style and the way dialogue was executed, I don't know how to explain it. The main characters felt a bit flat to me, not a lot of personality and one dimensional. I didn't feel the connection between them, it could have been because of the blood bond they had that make made me question if their feeling were genuine. I am not rating it lower because this is more of my personal preference and I think a lot of people are going to enjoy this story but at this time it was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

This book sounded like a book that was written specifically for me, on paper, I should’ve loved it. But I struggled so much in the beginning, I felt like I was just completely thrown into things and I was struggling to keep up.

Nothing lures me in faster than a FMC with a hidden identity and the broody King of the opposing Kingdom being forced to work together. Imogen Nel is a siren hiding in plain sight in a land that hates her kind. She is protected by her King but a prisoner in her own home, and never gets to explore the depths of her foreign powers. While King Theodore is visiting the castle a series of tumultuous events, leads to the necessity of them escaping together.

Cassidy writes a dark lush fantasy, filled with political intrigue, secrets and twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat and longing for book 2. She builds a world that both you and the FMC are desperate to find out more about. Being sheltered with limited knowledge, you are on adventure with her and her own self-discovery. The romance she builds along the way leaves her questioning if she can go through with the plan they agreed to. A slow reveal of information about the two main characters and their found family keeps you intrigued and falling in love with the story along the way.

A beautifully written tale of love, war, prophecies and secrets!