A review by lisyda
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

adventurous dark fast-paced

• 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

3.5

For the first time in her life, she was leaving a place she loved because she had chosen to do so, and there was power in that.

I don't always read a book's blurb and I haven't read any of the blurbs for these books past the first one. So, I managed to delude myself into thinking that this book will focus on Nadya and her world somewhere around the third book. And I was so excited for that. Whoopsie!

Instead, this one takes the readers into the Whitethorn Institute, which is the in-world equivalent of the evil counterpart to Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. Well, as the blurb says, it's definitely not as friendly.

The main character in this book is Cora, one of the supporting characters from some of the previous books. The story focuses on her trying to deal with the consequences of a trauma she experiences in an earlier book, which is the driving force behind her decision to transfer to another school. Some core themes in this one include the question of what constitutes a hero vs a monster, being different/standing out vs conforming to a "norm" (a common theme in these books), and having the agency make your own decisions and claim power over your own story.

Though I wasn't wowed by Drowned Girls, I did like it, and I'm overall interested to see where the overarching story goes next. And I still want to see a drowned/aquatic portal world, so I'm hoping that happens at some point as well!