I just added the second book, In The Wake of the Ruined, to my Want To Read List! I recommend In The Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy to lovers of dark romance and fantasy retellings.
This books was a darkly addictive page turner. It has all of the sweeping fantasy and action of novels twice its length. The romance is steamy and well paced with devastating twists and turns. It is a critique of women’s inherent power and intuition along with their bodily autonomy.
Imogen Nel is a Siren. She knows how terrible a fate that can be. She is a ward of King Nemea, the king who keeps a severed Siren wing prominently displayed in his fortress. Imogen works to fit into the small, submissive, quite role that is set for her. She tells herself it is all she can hope for.
Until, her Siren instincts burst forth, trying to protect her. Now, Imogen must make a grab for freedom and power. She must trust another King, King Theodore Ariti to bring her to safety across waters infested with Siren hunting monsters. They must contend with King Nemea wanting Imogen back, King Theodore’s fiancé and mother in law, and a prophecy dripping in the blood of gods.
If you loved this book, I would recommend:
- Hemlock and Silver by T Kingfisher – fairytale retelling, body horror, romance
- Enchantra by Kaylie Smith – dark romance
- A Touch of Malice by Scarlett St. Clair – 3rd book in the series and the payoff is worth it, dark romance, retelling of Hades and Persephone
Published by Little, Brown and Company July 15, 2025
*** SPOILERS ***
I respect this book for taking a complex perspective on womens’ power. It combines the traditional alure, mystique, and fear of sirens with a far too familiar society that aims to control, overpower, and deceive women. Imogen is taught to fear who she is. Sirens are considered dangerous and instinct driven to the point of becoming inhuman. If she embraces who she is, she will be hunted. At the same time, if she fully embraces who she is, she will have the power to fight against those who would hunt her. King Nemea keeps Imogen from finding her potential by having her isolated and surrounded by fear. If Imogen tried to change her circumstances, it would not only be externally dangerous, but it would also potentially leave Imogen even more of an outcast. It can be impossible to imagine a better existence when you have known very little and constantly have the fear of much worse.
When Imogen does make a grab for her own future, she is then forced to make devastating decisions that affect her and those around her. It is easy to tell people that they should step into their power. It is much harder to wield that power responsibly. Cassidy intensifies the consequences of Imogen’s decisions by weaving in body horror. Imogen’s decision to trust or not trust King Theodore is tied up in their blood bond that can physically heal them or tear their bodies apart. Imogen’s decision to accept her Siren powers comes with the painful shredding of her back as her wings break free.
These themes are further emphasized when Cassidy reveals that Imogen’s blood powers the monsters that hunt Sirens. King Nemea was taking Imogen’s blood from birth in a ceremony she thought was nonsensical. Now, Imogen is unable to freely choose to bond with King Theodore because she already has a bond with the monster, Eusia. Let’s replace bond with power. Imogen gave away her power, unknowingly, to a force she didn’t understand. She gave so much of herself away that she is now connected to someone whose only goal is to hurt her. She doesn’t have enough of herself left to choose what would make her stronger and happier.
This book is a reminder of how people in power stay in power. It is the unfair reality of the less fortunate having to give up more, fight more, and put more on the line to potentially make change.