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hollispaige's review
3.25
The ideas were good, but the most interesting characters/plot lines were the older flashback parts (and those were few and far between). I found the main character boring at best and the final ending to be infuriating.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Suicide
Minor: Child death, Child abuse, and Abortion
gg2019's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child death, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcohol and Abandonment
lianavalente's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
gcreed13's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
Minor: Pregnancy
amandasbookreview's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“Everyone around here talks about the cape like it exists for the sole purpose of either killing or blessing them. Curses or Mermaids. They forget…” She sipped the vodka, willing it to stay down. “It’s all about the mothers.”
There is a lot happening in this story. It is about multiple generations of women who endure trauma and can’t escape a family curse. It all starts with one mother who would do anything, even kill, to keep her children. But is that really what happens? At first, I thought I knew where this story was headed but I am not going to lie the last quarter of the book did lose me a little bit. The finale of the book is heartwrenching, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t cry–because I totally did. But the portion before the finale could have used a little polishing. It just didn’t flow as well as the rest of the story.
Many people will hate the different timelines and perspectives but I loved it. It really dove into the inner workings of the mother-daughter relationships within this single family. The quote above states, “It’s all about the mothers.”–and it is so true. We watch Meredith go from unsure and broken from being in a terrible marriage, not being able to connect with her mother, and doubting her abilities as a mother to knowing precisely what to do and to heal the trauma of multiple generations. This book is wonderfully gothic and eerie and I was not disappointed! I definitely plan to read more of Katrina Monroe!
Graphic: Child death, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
breezer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Like her father and her husband, he knew what was best by virtue of his gender. Grace aspired to be so confident in her ignorance."
Although I absolutely loved the first two thirds, the last third threw me out of the story a bit with its change in tone/pace. The ending did cause some mixed feelings and at the time I wished it had ended on a different message but I do understand the choice behind it.
"Could a person see with their soul? Hear with their heart? She believed so."
This was a queer, feminist story of grief, heartbreak and the love that binds families together set around the chilling power and beauty of the ocean. Although there was some parts that didn't work for me I will probably be checking out Katrina Monroe's future works.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced reader's copy.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Grief
CW: Drowningmothumn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
They Drown Our Daughters is a story about a curse that is passed down from mother to daughters that fans of Netflix’s The Haunting of Bly Manor may enjoy.
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, and War