The Wicked Deep – Published 2018
“Welcome to the 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.” – Goodreads
WHAT I LIKED
It has been so long since I’ve read a fantasy that I forgot how enjoyable it can be. The legends surrounding this town are fascinating; every year tourists flock the town of Sparrow to hear the singing of the three supposed witches who were drowned 200 years ago. Every year girls jump into the ocean on a dare, and every year at least one boy drowns and the tourists and locals flood the streets to see the body pulled from the water. It’s all pretty dark, and I loved it! I LOVE witchcraft stories!
The setting and the author’s writing gives the entire book an eerie, creepy, rainy feel. I read this on a rainy day, so it was perfect. Plus it’s super messed up (which makes for an interesting read) that tourists come to the town to see dead teenagers pulled from the water…
It’s actually kind of scary (and mysterious) and there are plot twists I did not see coming!
I read a few reviews and some people hate the ending, but I liked it. If you’ve read it, let’s chat about the ending!
There are interwoven chapters that tell the legends surrounding the town, the witches, and other various pieces of the character’s histories. It adds to the story in such a nice way.
This was the Biannual Bibliothon group read, but I didn’t finish it before the week ended, but I knew I wanted to read it. It did not disappoint!
WHAT I DID NOT LIKE
I would have liked a little bit more character development. I wasn’t emotionally connected to many of the characters; I liked them, and I didn’t want them to die, but I wasn’t addicted to any of them. I think the plot was pretty well done and given to the reader piece by piece, but I just wanted a little more about how the characters were feeling (especially the romance pieces)
OVERALL RATING
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