whimsyandwitt 's review for:

In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy

2.75

adventurous fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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In the Veins of Drowning had me drawn in for about the first 20%. I liked the pacing, as we're thrown right into a contentious environment with our FMC. However, said environment is a lot more about vibes and terrible people versus world building, history, or well details in general. Most of what I found interesting (sirens, with wings!), I learned little of. Even when we're tossed into a second setting, that was more siren centric, I didn't feel like I was learning anything more 🫠. That pacing I intially enjoyed, proved to be an annoyance as I didnt feel like there was a while lot of substance since so much of the story was focused on the blood bond/insta-love between our two MCs... which isn't quite my thing.
Anyhoo, I do feel like it will be a fun read for some, and my lower rating has more to do with my personal preferences and expectations.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the eARC!