The Wicked Deep

“It starts as a low croon that rolls in with the tide, a sound so faint it might just be the wind blowing through the clapboard shutters, through the portholes of docked fishing boats, and into narrow cracks along sagging doorways. But after the first night, the harmony of voices become undeniable. An enchanting hymn sailing over the water’s surface, cool and soft and alluring. The Swan sisters have awakened.”Friends, if you’re looking for something atmospheric, spooky, and completely captivating, that is so very beautifully written, please pick The Wicked Deep up.I’ll be honest with you all, I felt like this book was calling to me. I’d always see it on Edelweiss, but I had too many ARCS, so I knew I couldn’t allow myself to request it, but it always caught my eye. Then, upon release, everyone was buying it and I thought it was the most beautiful, holographic cover I’ve ever seen, but I still resisted. Then, I couldn’t stop seeing on all my social media feeds that Netflix bought the rights to it and is going to adapt it. Finally, my friend Julie posted she was going to be hosting a buddy read for it, and I knew that I could no longer continue to be haunted by this book. And I’m forever thankful I picked it up.The Wicked Deep is a story about a small town off the coast of Oregon, called Sparrow, that is the pinnacle of a small, sleepy town, except for in June when tourists come from all around in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Swan sisters who were drowned to death for witchcraft over two hundred years ago. From June 1st until Just 21st (summer solace) no one is safe. And each and every summer, accusations get thrown at more and more girls, from boys who claim them to be the sisters who are responsible for the drownings.“Magic is not always formed from words, from cauldrons brewing spices or black cats strolling down dark alleys. Some curses are manifested from desire or injustice.”Marguerite, Aurora, and Hazel Swan were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death two centuries ago for witchcraft, but their only crimes are from seducing the men in the town of Sparrow. But every summer the sisters rise from their watery graves, each inhabiting a body of a local girl, while making sure they take at least three boy’s lives while they walk among the town unbeknownst to anyone which local girls are being possessed.Our main character, Penny, lives on a small island off of the mainland. She keeps to herself despite the small population to begin with, and only truly has one friend named Rose. Rose begs Penny to attend a party on the beach with the rest of the kids from their school, so they can annually welcome the Swan sisters. Penny lives with her mother, who hasn’t been the same since her husband disappeared three years ago. Penny reluctantly goes, meets a mysterious boy who is looking for work, and the sisters start to sing their song.I really loved reading this. I was instantly thrown into the mystery and guessing game of who the sisters had possessed. I was instantly in love with the town and the mom and pop businesses. I was instantly impressed with the lyrical prose and the intelligently crafted story. I went into this expecting some Hocus Pocus vibes, but I came out enjoying this more than I ever expected.“Loving someone is dangerous. It gives you something to lose.”I saw a couple reviews calling this story instalove, but I was honestly swooning so hard for the romance in this book. That first kiss? One of the best first kisses I’ve ever read. I loved the romance(s) in this so much, and I will read any and everything by this author based on how well she wrote those scenes alone.“Marguerite, Aurora, and Hazel Swan slip back into human form, disguised as local girls who emerged from the harbor, but not as themselves.”My only real complaint comes from the nature of the story. This is ultimately a story about girls being possessed against their will, therefore, the sisters do questionable things with their host’s body without their consent. I can’t say too much, because I want this to be a spoiler free review, but just use caution going into this knowing that. And it’s nothing violent or physically hurtful, but I would argue that there is some grey area consent in this book.Content and Trigger Warnings: loss of a loved one, abandonment, underage drinking, drunk driving (boats), murder, death, downing, and abduction.Overall, I really enjoyed this. Shea Ernshaw was able to evoke so many emotions from me. I cried so many tears during this book. I felt so blindsided and I honestly couldn’t control my weeping at a few parts. This story is so beautiful, and it truly is crafted so very well. To say I’m impressed is an understatement, and I can’t wait to see what this author does next, because their debut was nothing short of phenomenal.

Title The Wicked DeepAuthor Shea ErnshawRelease Date March 6, 2018Description from AmazonWelcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.Initial ThoughtsMy reading group (hosted by @betterwithabookinmyhand), decided to make this one of our January books. It’s not a book that I would have picked up on my own (despite really enjoying Winterwood), because I thought it seemed kind of sad. I couldn’t put my finger on it – but this was a book that I only gave a chance to because of the group.Some Things I LikedWest Coast Witches. As an east-coaster myself, I really only know the history of the witches from this side of the country. I know about Salem the various witches of Massachusetts, Virginia, and even my home state of New Jersey. But, I wasn’t really familiar with any stories of witches on the west coast. I thought that was a unique twist.Writing style. Once again, I was blown away by Shea Ernshaw’s ability to describe everything. She is truly a magnificent writer and not only does she paint a vivid picture with her words, you feel like you have a front row seat to the action.Twists. I’ll be honest, I didn’t see the biggest plot twist coming. I thought it was well designed and somewhat sad, but it really did take me by surprise.One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy AboutThere were some plot holes and inconsistencies with the story but they were not central to the overall story that I didn’t let it impact my rating. Basically, I found myself thinking why this town of Sparrow let 200 years of murders happen and nobody did anything about it.Final ThoughtsOverall, Shea Ernshaw’s writing really carried me through this book. I didn’t love the ending and I thought there were some plot holes, but, this story was so beautifully written, I couldn’t give it anything less than five stars.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Recommendations for Further ReadingThe Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones – if you liked the mysterious elements and a strong, independent main character, give this standalone a try.Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin – once again, if you liked the witches element, do yourself a favor and read this new release by Shelby Mahurin. It’s seasonal, perfect, and has multiple POVs.Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw – if you enjoyed the writing style in The Wicked Deep and the witchy elements, definitely try her other book, Winterwood.

The Plot:The Swan Sisters have been inhabiting the bodies of girls in the town of Sparrow for a short time each year foe two centuries. As revenge for being sentenced to death and drowned in the harbor for witchcraft, the three sisters lure boys into the water and drown them.Penny Talbot accepts the fate of the town, but when she meets Bo Carter, a newcomer to town, she knows his life is in danger. Will Penny be able to save Bo from a watery death?The Good: Hocus Pocus meets The Salem Witch Trials is a pretty accurate description of this book, and I’m here for it. There were a few twists and turns that were rather predictable, but fun nonetheless. The Sisters’ story is tragic and heartbreaking providing some humanity to the ruthless murderers they become in the name of revenge.The bad: I liked the ending, but it felt forced. I don’t think the ending could have happened after the epic climax, and it just felt wrong, not to mention weird.Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Hocus Pocus, Practical Magic, and other witchy ghost stories. It’s an easy read, perfect for a cool day covered up on the couch with a cup of hot tea or coffee.

The 3 Swan sisters were accused of witchcraft and drowned. Legend says that every summer after they lure girls to the water to possess them. Then they seduce boys and drown them for revenge. Penny fully believes the legend and when Bo moves to town,I enjoyed the present day story of Penny and Bo and the mystery of the secrets they kept, but I really loved the story of the Swan sisters and wish there was more of their back story. This was an easy read - wasn’t necessarily my favorite book but a solid read to kick off witchy season!

I really didn't know what to expect when I bought this book since I purchased it kind of on a whim, so I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed it as much as I did. It's really beautifully written - with language and sentences that are really evocative of the atmosphere of the story. It was very reminiscent to me of Sarah Addison Allen - that way that magic is woven into the words without ever being a tangible thing. I loved the style.The story is very simple but that's actually one of the joys of this book because it allows you to fully understand and take your time with the depth of the emotions that are at play. It's a bit like a Grimm's fairy tale in some respects - a pretty story on the surface but when you actually think about it, very dark and horrifying. It would be easy to dive into interpretations of the story about feminism and current events but I think to do that would be a mistake. This book is timeless and I think that much simpler truths are evident.I've recommended the book several times to friends and all of them have enjoyed it, so you're probably wondering why I didn't give it 5*. The issue was that I saw the plot twist coming from a mile off so it didn't have the intended shock factor that blew the minds of some of my friends. That said, I'm aware there is another book coming from this author later in the year and I'll definitely be in line to buy it. I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different.

This was really good! I don't know what I was expecting going into this, but I enjoyed it anyway.Two centuries ago in a small town in Oregon, three sisters were drowned in the ocean, suspected of being witches. Every summer since, they've emerged from the shadowy depths, stealing the bodies of weak-hearted girls and using them to lure boys to the harbour where they will meet their deaths. Like most locals, Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town, but this year, on the eve of the sisters' return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives, unaware of the danger he's just placed himself in. Rumours and lies quickly spread throughout the town, and Penny and Bo both are convinced that the other is holding secrets. Death comes quickly to those who cannot resist the sisters, and Penny can see things that others cannot...I really liked the setting of this book. I did struggle with picturing it in the way that the author intended though, but not because the writing was bad - it was actually really good - but because I kept picturing it being set in the UK, maybe on one of the islands in the North of Scotland, rather than the coast of Oregon in the US. This might just be because I'm Scottish myself, however, and I found it easier to picture it like this. This did not put me off the book though, and I did really enjoy the setting. I really didn't understand why people just didn't leave the town what with all the drownings that happened every year and the supposed curse, or why they were ok with it. You'd think many people would've just thought "nah, screw this" and left. I was willing to oversee this though because I was really enjoying the book, even if it did seem a bit unrealistic. I did manage to guess the plot twist halfway through - the first time I have ever guess correctly!! - but it didn't happen in the way I expected it to. I thought it was done really well, even if I did see it coming.I liked all of the characters. Penny was a likable, strong lead. Her mother was mysterious and interesting, even if she wasn't a huge part in the story. There were a few of Penny's schoolmates that I really did not like at all - one in particular - and if you read the book you'll discover why a few chapters in. I disliked them to the point where I wished one of the Swan sisters would just drag him into the ocean. The Swan sisters themselves were really interesting, and I enjoyed the scenes from the past that detailed their lives and why they were sentenced to death.All in all, this was a good quick read and I'd definitely be open to reading more by the author.4/5 stars.

As soon as I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. I loved the concept and the story did not go where I expected it to.The story gripped me from the beginning right until the end.The characters all had purpose and the three witch sisters coming back to claim a new body left me with shock. Especially when I thought I knew who the third sister had claimed. Alas I was wrong and when I found out I was definitely shocked.I did feel rather sorry for her in the end though.

I enjoyed the first half to the second half. I thought giving the reader too much knowledge of what was really going on kind of ruined the second half, it meant the reveals weren't really reveals because we've known all along, I prefer to find out at the same time as the characters (or just not too much before anyway). It also got a little repetitive at times. I did like the and thought overall it was executed well and I found this an enjoyable read, I look forward to trying other works by way author.

It was a slow start and I put it aside, for a bit in October because I wasn't feeling it, but then when I picked it back up, I almost read it in one sitting.Our heroine, Penny, lives with her mom in Sparrow, a place that is supposedly cursed by three witches the locals muredered two centuries before. What was a bit unsettling for me was that it became a festival, which attracted tursists from far and wide, even though people - boys and men - died during this period. Why? The three murdered sisters - supposed witches - came back for a month and, as a revenge for being killed, they would posses the body of a girl and lure men to their deaths, drowning them.Creepy and morbid, if you ask me. But original, so kudos to the author!Things are different this time around, however, because Penny meets a boy who has never heard of the Swan sisters or the festival or the murders. So, Penny will do everything to keep him safe.The twists and turns this book had were amazing. I'll be honest, I didn't see them coming, the truth of how things are never crossed my mind.Thanks to said twists and turns, I'm giving this book 5 stars, even though the ending was bittersweet and made me cry. Fantastic read and definitely worth a reread!