Publication Date: March 6th 2018
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Synopsis:
Welcome 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.
An addictive, enchanting read that was atmospheric, a little spooky and mysterious with a sprinkle of revenge, witches and small town curses!
” It’s as predictable as the tide and the moon. It ebbs and flows. Death comes and goes.”
I was craving a paranormal read that gave me fall/halloween vibes and this one did not disappoint. It was reminiscent at times of Hocus Pocus. With the small town witch stories, three sisters, enchanting singing, I mean how much more would you want from a paranormal read?
Ernshaw gave it to us in a nicely wrapped package. She spun a story of a small pacific coastal town with secrets and curses of 3 sisters who were accused of being witches and drowned for it. Now every year durning what is now called “Swan Season”, these sisters return for revenge and cause a witch hunt among the locals that seek the girls in which the Swan sisters inhabit.
The story was layered with mystery as you try to figure out which girls are hosting the Swan sisters, the reason for the appearance of the outsider and what happened to Penny’s dad. Although I found some of the mysteries to be a little predictable, it did not take away from the story too much. Ernshaw was also able to wrap the mysteries up so nicely in this short book and make sure we were not left questioning what happened.
“Love is an enchantress—devious and wild. It sneaks up behind you, soft and gentle and quiet, just before it slits your throat.”
There was a main focus of characters, but Ernshaw did a great job on building character development on multiple kids in town that really added to the overall story. She did such a great job with Penny’s character development and the secrets that unravel throughout the story is so seamless. Although I felt like some of the romance at the end was a little unrealistic, it made sense throughout the story.
You get to see the fear and the hysteria work its way through the kids in this small town and see how much it leads their decisions. The lengths at which these individuals are willing to go to end the curse, even if that means possibly being wrong or hurting an innocent. Although the story, beautifully told like a myth spoken in whispers around a bonfire, the characters were a huge driver in the story for me. Seeing what actions they took especially when the secrets were revealed.
” Death is not a fire, death is a cold so fierce it feels like it will peel the skin away from your bones.”
Overall The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw was that beautifully crafted, spooky and atmospheric small town with secrets tale. The only reason that this was not a 5 star read for me was due to that fact it was predictable and that made it a little less mysterious, eerie and ominous.
Like any good witchy story, it had the eerie vibes like a story passed down from generation to generation. The fact that during this month of “Swan season” was a big tourist pull to hear the singing and watch for the drownings of the curse was a little disturbing. But also very fitting for a spooky dark tale of revenge, curses and witches.
13 comments
Sounds like a pretty good one! Glad you enjoyed it. It sounds like I’d like it too…