NetGalley Review: Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long
Hey all, Sam here.
I both love and hate my days off work…love them because they’re days when I can relax and do whatever, but hate them because sometimes I want to be doing things and instead I end up taking a nap…which is why this review wasn’t up an hour or so ago. Even with the premature fireworks, I still fell asleep.
Which was nice, but at the same time I wanted to get more accomplished for this first of my two days off work. And isn’t that just ridiculous? Thinking that way? There shouldn’t be anything wrong with taking some time away from being busy and accomplishing things. There should be time for rest, and we shouldn’t feel this need to do things and accomplish things all the time. It’s totally okay to just rest and relax and do nothing.
But, I did also promise two book reviews today, so here we go.
My Thoughts
A stormsinger and pirate hunter join forces against a deathless pirate lord in this swashbuckling Jacobean adventure on the high-seas.
Launching the Winter Sea series, full of magic, betrayal, redemption and fearsome women, for readers of Adrienne Young, R. J. Barker and Naomi Novik.
Mary Firth is a Stormsinger: a woman whose voice can still hurricanes and shatter armadas. Faced with servitude to pirate lord Silvanus Lirr, Mary offers her skills to his arch-rival in exchange for protection – and, more importantly, his help sending Lirr to a watery grave. But her new ally has a vendetta of his own, and Mary’s dreams are dark and full of ghistings, spectral creatures who inhabit the ancient forests of her homeland and the figureheads of ships.
Samuel Rosser is a disgraced naval officer serving aboard The Hart, an infamous privateer commissioned to bring Lirr to justice. He will stop at nothing to capture Lirr, restore his good name and reclaim the only thing that stands between himself and madness: a talisman stolen by Mary.
Finally, driven into the eternal ice at the limits of their world, Mary and Samuel must choose their loyalties and battle forces older and more powerful than the pirates who would make them slaves.
Come sail the Winter Sea, for action-packed, high-stakes adventures, rich characterisation and epic plots full of intrigue and betrayal.
Rating: 5 stars
I have absolutely loved Long’s other books, which are Nordic inspired fantasy dealing with gods and magic and monsters and…I just was fascinated by the concept and the characters and the writing. So naturally, when I heard that she had a new series coming, one with pirates and women whose voices can affect the weather….I was certainly intrigued.
And thankfully, I was granted an early copy from the publisher thanks to NetGalley. It was such a struggle to hold off on reading this until it was closer to the release date (which is July 11 for the US, so it isn’t too far out). I did also pre-order this book during Barnes & Noble’s Pre-Order Sale a couple months ago.
I was definitely drawn into the story very quickly. I wanted to know more about Mary and Samuel, especially after their paths crossed and the adventure truly began. Getting to experience the story through both of their perspectives was really entertaining. There was so much to love about both of them, even as they doubted decisions they made.
The magic was cool, and I really enjoyed getting to explore the world and the lore and the monsters. I flew through this book. The sad thing about reading books early, even if it’s just a couple weeks early, is that I now have an even long wait for book two…unless I manage to snag an early copy through the publisher via NetGalley.
It’s like a nautical flintlock fantasy, an action-packed adventure, a swashbuckling good time, a perfect summer blockbuster in book form. I can’t wait to have the final copy of this book on my bookshelves, and I’m already looking forward to reading it again.
All right, well that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.
