High up on the Isle of Seraf in a fortress of stone, the sea cannot find refuge. For Imogen Nel, ward to King Nemea, it has become her prison. Raised at the side of a monstrous king, Imogen hides the truth of her heritage beneath the very wings bolted to the wall in a warning, “The Monster is Always Slain.” Despite the siren simmering beneath her skin and the part of her that yearns for the salt of the sea, Imogen has never wanted anything less than to hide – from the king who began the scourge against her kind and the soldiers who hunt sirens down mercilessly against the shore. On the eve of her marriage to an honorable captain, Imogen encounters Theodore, a young king duty-bound and cold. When Imogen’s safety is threatened, her siren side emerges in a bloodlust that leaves her fiance dead and Theodore her only ally. Siren-bound, the two flee the kingdom with his retinue, hoping to break the bond and destroy the hold of an ancient power over waters filled with the undead. Caught between his duty to his people and her call to the deep, Theo and Imogen will tempt more than their physical ties to draw out an immortal power and hold fast to their growing connection which could serve as their salvation or their ruin
Tempestuous as a rough and stormy sea, In the Veins of the Drowning is a resplendent romantic fantasy novel that dragged me down to its depths in answer to its luring siren’s call. In the years since I first began reading folklore-based fantasy, I have keenly felt the lack of stories surrounding the siren legend. Kalie Cassidy sets out to rectify that in her debut novel with the claws and wings befitting such a tale. It didn’t take long for this to ensnare me – with its richly connected mythos and sharp prose connecting back to siren folklore I was already lost in its waters with no desire to resurface. Concerning monsters, inhuman and not, and the monstrous things we do to survive, Cassidy chronicles the lives of two individuals trapped by unerring duty and the illusive call to the deep. The ardent love story that develops is the still beating heart of this narrative, tested against powers far greater than two unlikely souls unexpectedly bound together. In the Veins of the Drowning is very much for those who support women’s wrongs but also those who prefer their fantasy served with a hefty dose of romance. Kalie Cassidy’s fantasy adventure is a tempting combination of romance, kingdom politics, and daring escapades entangled in a perfect storm of a book.
Sirens may swarm the deep, but In the Veins of the Drowning posits that the real monsters may not be so mythical. Imogen Nel, a siren and ward to a power-hungry king, lives her life in complete secrecy fighting only to retain her survival. A siren who conflictingly reveres and fears inheriting her gifts, Imogen is a puzzling figure through which Cassidy explores the monstrous. The imagery of wings splitting through the skin and claws sharpening to points as Imogen makes her first kill is an odd sort of homecoming. With her siren side unleashed in a moment of duress, Imogen is held in contrast to Theodore, the King of Varya – a man so constrained by duty he cannot break free. Theo and Imogen are opposing forces drawn together in blood, each with their unique conflicts: Imogen inheriting her siren gifts and a dark fate, and Theo, trapped by duty unbroken even by his heart’s desire.
Imogen possesses a rare self-assuredness that remains in place even as she learns the truth of her heritage and her destiny. There are so many moments where Imogen stands adamant in her decisions arming her with a multifaceted edge as she fights her fate and the consequences of giving into her siren abilities. The sequence following the death of Imogen’s fiance as she attempts to siren bond with Theo, is so iconic and I fear that it only made me love her more. Despite the siren bond that draws him closer to Imogen, Theo is caught up in his personal agendas and biases unable to see beyond his limiting perspective. Imogen realizes this almost immediately and the concise way she flays him apart – all with just her words, is by far my favorite of their interactions. Imogen is a product of her situation, trapped for years in a kingdom that restricted her nature and sought only to control her. Theo plays into this initially through his view that power is to be wielded and her heritage has been wasted because of her poor choices. But as the King of Varya, Theo is part of a system that exists to serve him. Ironically, the same kingdom that has provided him freedom is entrapping him, something he does not see until it is too late.
In the Veins of the Drowning features my specific brand of romance: a man held captive by honor falls for a woman who is his entire undoing. Theo of Varya had the perfect amount of awe-struck, begging, crawling, moaning, groveling, on his knees behavior for Imogen who deserves nothing less in the partner who stands at her side. From their first meeting upon the parapets of Fort Linum, Cassidy draws Theo and Imogen together as reluctant allies and spends the rest of the book strengthening this bond. The addition of the siren bond and their differing perspectives creates some wonderful tension as this romance evolves. Both Theo and Imogen have been taught to view relationships as transactional but that is put to the test as they become allies and unexpectedly fall in love. Theo’s profound misunderstanding of Imogen is intertwined with this. For Theo, his initial desire for Imogen is something to be held captive to like the magnetic lures she is capable of using to draw others to her will. Surrounded by people who turn to violence or insinuate that she is to be loved despite her nature, Imogen deserves to be loved without reservation. This is what she eventually finds with Theo, who uncovers the depths of his misconceptions and spends an indeterminable amount of time making up for them.
In the Veins of the Drowning is easily one of the best romantic fantasy novels I have read in recent years. Kalie Cassidy wields a power not unlike a siren in penning her magnetic fantasy debut that strikes the perfect harmony between dark fantasy and sweeping romance. Part of what I love about siren folklore is what it can lend to discussions concerning our humanity. Cassidy unpacks how monsters are often the product of power, and all the ways in which love and hate are not so easily separated. Witnessing Imogen come into her power, for good or for ill, while exposing the roots of her past was a satisfying landing place for this first installment. Very much looking forward to her ‘bringing it all down’ era in book two and everything involved in rectifying the events that concluded this first novel. In the Veins of the Drowning is relentless, both in its pacing and its conclusion that I somehow dreaded and anticipated in equal measure. With that ending it’s safe to say that Kalie Cassidy has me hanging onto her every word and I am (im) patiently awaiting their eventual reckoning.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warnings: blood, violence, death, murder, disembowelment
Literaryrobin 