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whatyoutolkienabout's review against another edition
5.0
This novella packs a punch. Knowles weaves together folklore, sapphic and female rage, emotion and visceral depictions with just enough spice into this tale. The fact it is set on the high seas is just the icing on top.
Due to its length it is hard to review the tale without spoilers so I will focus instead on the characterisation and writing. First let me say I adored the characters Jaq and Lily (and of course Ambrose). But all the characters shine through, even the terrible ones. They are brought to life by Knowles writing and each given a unique voice.
The tone and pace suit the novella perfectly. I adored how the timeline seemed to flit between past and present mirroring the confusion of the characters as they slowly remember their pasts. It is hauntingly beautiful in places and purely visceral in others. I was well and truly captivated from start to finish and will certainly look for more from this author.
If you love tales of folklore, feminine rage and beautiful prose this is for you.
Due to its length it is hard to review the tale without spoilers so I will focus instead on the characterisation and writing. First let me say I adored the characters Jaq and Lily (and of course Ambrose). But all the characters shine through, even the terrible ones. They are brought to life by Knowles writing and each given a unique voice.
The tone and pace suit the novella perfectly. I adored how the timeline seemed to flit between past and present mirroring the confusion of the characters as they slowly remember their pasts. It is hauntingly beautiful in places and purely visceral in others. I was well and truly captivated from start to finish and will certainly look for more from this author.
If you love tales of folklore, feminine rage and beautiful prose this is for you.
kmele's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
emyruggiero's review against another edition
4.0
sapphic pirate mermaid man killers.
merciless waters was so delicious, i devoured it in one day. the ending had me utterly shocked.
merciless waters was so delicious, i devoured it in one day. the ending had me utterly shocked.
eggcatsreads's review against another edition
3.0
A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Brigids Gate Press for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The cover is gorgeous, and was my impulse to ask for this book. And this novella is great if you were wanting a quick story with deadly women pirates who kill and take revenge on men. The story can be a bit confusing at times, but overall is a quick read so if you were just wanting a palette cleanser, I would recommend this novella. The writing, the imagery, and the relationships all felt real and fleshed out, and getting into the head of the main character wasn’t difficult - nor was it difficult to sympathize with her, or her desires.
To get into why this story didn’t really work for me, however, it personally felt too rushed and like it was needing 100-200 more pages to make a more coherent story. There were a few times that it almost felt like there was a jumpcut between scenes that were supposed to be happening at the same time, and I had to reread it to even understand what was going on. (And some of these were important plot-related scenes, where I definitely think there should have been some buildup instead of it simply just occurring.) In some ways, reading this novella felt like watching a play happening with scene changes, but nothing in the middle to indicate why or when the scene had changed.
I enjoyed the main plot of the story, but overall I felt there was too much unexplained with the origins of the rusalka or their ship. We learn that they have no memory of their time before the ship, and it’s implied that their previous memories were removed. However, when they start to regain their memories, we’re told that the captain would be willing to help them get their revenge. If that’s the case, why the memory loss? There also seems to be some confusion about the festival, as when it was occurring it seemed to be something that they do yearly - and yet, when their destination was changed to the location it was a huge contention. Once again, I think a lot of this could be solved by just having a longer book that can go into detail about these (and other) things. Also, with such a short book, I think the other character’s histories and pasts should not have been explained in detail - they don’t really do much for us, the reader, other than adding more confusion to the plot.
I will also confess to not liking the ending, as it felt like a rather cop-out versus an actual conclusion to the story.
I’m not the biggest fan of the first person narrative that this story is told through. It wasn’t done poorly, but at times it didn’t feel like there was much variation in the storytelling voice. Even when the one telling the story wasn’t the main character, the voice still felt like the same character speaking. This isn’t the biggest deal, but it was kind of stark to have no difference in speaking voice between Jaq and the snake, during their chapters.
Overall, I can absolutely see the potential in this story and would absolutely be willing to give it another chance if it’s ever extended into a full novel. When the story was flowing well I really enjoyed it, but unfortunately for me there were too many rough patches to rate this higher than 3 stars.
The cover is gorgeous, and was my impulse to ask for this book. And this novella is great if you were wanting a quick story with deadly women pirates who kill and take revenge on men. The story can be a bit confusing at times, but overall is a quick read so if you were just wanting a palette cleanser, I would recommend this novella. The writing, the imagery, and the relationships all felt real and fleshed out, and getting into the head of the main character wasn’t difficult - nor was it difficult to sympathize with her, or her desires.
To get into why this story didn’t really work for me, however, it personally felt too rushed and like it was needing 100-200 more pages to make a more coherent story. There were a few times that it almost felt like there was a jumpcut between scenes that were supposed to be happening at the same time, and I had to reread it to even understand what was going on. (And some of these were important plot-related scenes, where I definitely think there should have been some buildup instead of it simply just occurring.) In some ways, reading this novella felt like watching a play happening with scene changes, but nothing in the middle to indicate why or when the scene had changed.
I enjoyed the main plot of the story, but overall I felt there was too much unexplained with the origins of the rusalka or their ship. We learn that they have no memory of their time before the ship, and it’s implied that their previous memories were removed. However, when they start to regain their memories, we’re told that the captain would be willing to help them get their revenge. If that’s the case, why the memory loss? There also seems to be some confusion about the festival, as when it was occurring it seemed to be something that they do yearly - and yet, when their destination was changed to the location it was a huge contention. Once again, I think a lot of this could be solved by just having a longer book that can go into detail about these (and other) things. Also, with such a short book, I think the other character’s histories and pasts should not have been explained in detail - they don’t really do much for us, the reader, other than adding more confusion to the plot.
I will also confess to not liking the ending, as it felt like a rather cop-out versus an actual conclusion to the story.
I’m not the biggest fan of the first person narrative that this story is told through. It wasn’t done poorly, but at times it didn’t feel like there was much variation in the storytelling voice. Even when the one telling the story wasn’t the main character, the voice still felt like the same character speaking. This isn’t the biggest deal, but it was kind of stark to have no difference in speaking voice between Jaq and the snake, during their chapters.
Overall, I can absolutely see the potential in this story and would absolutely be willing to give it another chance if it’s ever extended into a full novel. When the story was flowing well I really enjoyed it, but unfortunately for me there were too many rough patches to rate this higher than 3 stars.
mxthemme's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
WHOAAA. 🌊 Merciless Waters is a wildly imaginative sapphic tour de force. Packed in just 124 pages, this novella is immersive, inventive, and inviting. Come for the tender yet teeth-sinking eroticism, stay for the searing prose and lush worldbuilding. There’s a lot more I could say, but you should let this dark and delightful tale surprise you! I read it in basically one sitting, and as a ~slow reader~, this never happens. Dear universe, plz deliver everything Rae ever writes right to my doorstep, tyvm!
wait_whoissheagain's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I absolutely devoured this (iykyk)!! The stories of these women were absolutely heartbreaking and I love that this is not a story of love, but of revenge. I love books with female rage, and this one is jam packed with it! It is beautifully written and Rae Knowles does an amazing job of creating complex characters in such a short novel.
I hate Lily with a burning passion. But she is written so gosh darn well that my emotions towards her are only heightened! The relationship between her and Jaq was both sweet and maddening, and although I wish the story had ended differently, it was just as shocking and emotionally charged as the rest of the book!
This book’s plot is incredible. It is a story of sisterhood, freedom and, most importantly, vengeance, and I loved the subtle humour throughout. This book is not for the weak of heart, but I would absolutely recommend giving this quick but powerful read a go.
I hate Lily with a burning passion. But she is written so gosh darn well that my emotions towards her are only heightened! The relationship between her and Jaq was both sweet and maddening, and although I wish the story had ended differently, it was just as shocking and emotionally charged as the rest of the book!
This book’s plot is incredible. It is a story of sisterhood, freedom and, most importantly, vengeance, and I loved the subtle humour throughout. This book is not for the weak of heart, but I would absolutely recommend giving this quick but powerful read a go.
katemybreathaway's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Solid 4 out of 5 for me.
If you want a mildly mind twisty, dark fantasy romance, then this is the book for you. A relatively quick read, but it kept my attention with the mind games between all the characters.
You've got a ship with an all-female crew, whose memories begin to get muddled after the appearance of a person of the gentlemanly type. The love/list triangle definitely has a manipulative nature to it, as does the primary duo with possessive traits. You get some doses of sultry spice but it's not the focus of the story.
Overall a fun and different read
If you want a mildly mind twisty, dark fantasy romance, then this is the book for you. A relatively quick read, but it kept my attention with the mind games between all the characters.
You've got a ship with an all-female crew, whose memories begin to get muddled after the appearance of a person of the gentlemanly type. The love/list triangle definitely has a manipulative nature to it, as does the primary duo with possessive traits. You get some doses of sultry spice but it's not the focus of the story.
Overall a fun and different read
crushcritiques's review against another edition
3.0
“I offer you endlessness. Eternity with your love. Would you so quickly toss that away for a moment of vengeance?”
“Merciless Waters” weaves mythology into a beautiful and haunting tale of a group of women sailing aimlessly on the sea on their ship Scylla, when they rescue a man from drowning. Knowles has crafted a gorgeously written sapphic novelette with rich, eloquent prose that tells a tale of love, loss, jealousy, memory, sisterhood, and vengeance. Achingly exquisite at times, this novel starts off so strongly but unfortunately loses it’s brilliance as it goes on.
The individual stories of the girls are where this starts to unravel, as they are all told with the same pacing and tone, with no variations in speech pattern even though they are different ethnicities and even a different species. The bloodthirsty revenge the women want doesn’t seem to fit as their intensity never changes once they regain their memories, save for Yinka who becomes depressed. This and a lack of motivation for many characters makes the bonfire scene incredibly anticlimactic.
The MC then completely loses the qualities that make her stand out in the beginning, so by the end she is reduced to a weak woman trying to hold onto someone not worth holding onto. She lets Lily dictate her life and possibly eternal death for fear of losing her, but to stay with her after everything she does is lunacy. To bind yourself to someone who wanted to risk losing you forever for one moment of vengeance is unimaginable, yet Jac acquiesces.
By the time the ending comes around it seemed like Knowles just wanted a neat way to tidy things up; however, it was entirely too rushed and forced, making it incongruous with the bewitching beginning half of the story. It’s terribly unfortunate.
A huge issue I have with this novelette is that the first page after the dedication says, “Content warnings are provided at the end of this book”. Why would you place content warnings at the END of a book, especially when some of them could be very triggering? It makes zero sense to have something that may be a triggering issue for someone to place the list at the end of the book. I hope that is changed in the future.
Another minor issue is that Jac frequently braids her hair, and Lucinda appears with braided hair, which is not keeping with the mythos. It’s even stated by Lucinda the evening before green week that they need not plait their hair to blend in, so this seems odd that two characters would wear braids in the story, especially Lucinda. Then Jac goes to tie up her hair in the middle of the festival but Lily instead braids it for her. Even with Jac presenting more masculine, she is still a rusalka and their hair was always unbound.
Little things like this being incongruous with the folklore or details about the Adriatic Sea being icy (it’s not), are or what took me out of the story each time, which is a shame. Rae Knowles has a gift as a storyteller, it just needs some focus and fact checking at times which is missing here. It needed more editing or beta readers to catch the little details that slipped the author’s attention.
It’s regrettable that the middle became so cloudy and the end so rushed as the start of the novelette was aesthetically exquisite.
**Thematic Spoilers**
Merciless Waters is centered around the Slavic myth of Rusalka, undead female water dwelling entities who were drowned, either by violent force or by suicide. Usually men are to blame for their demise, though not always.
They must live out their designated time on Earth as rusalki, luring men into the water where they died using their enchanting voices and beautiful appearance, and then drowning the men by entwining their long hair around their feet and becoming slippery so they could not breach the surface. Some would even tickle the men and laugh as they choked on the water and died. The rusalki are thought to only come completely out of the water during certain times of the year (early June is known as Rusalka week, Rusalnaya or green week) or in summer, and can then be seen sitting on docks or on the decks of ships, or even to lounge in the boughs of trees. They may only eternally rest if their deaths are avenged.
The name of their ship was a creative nod to Greek mythology; Scylla was a fair maiden who was turned into a terrifying sea monster, with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower half an abomination of nightmare material; “A goddess above and a monster below”, which is how Jac describes Lily in the water. There are various accounts as to how this occurred, but they all have one central motive-jealousy.
All said, this has so much potential and the gorgeous first half is why I will give this a 3/5 stars. Hopefully the author takes note and makes some revisions.
Thank you to Net Galley for access to an ARC for an unbiased review.
“Merciless Waters” weaves mythology into a beautiful and haunting tale of a group of women sailing aimlessly on the sea on their ship Scylla, when they rescue a man from drowning. Knowles has crafted a gorgeously written sapphic novelette with rich, eloquent prose that tells a tale of love, loss, jealousy, memory, sisterhood, and vengeance. Achingly exquisite at times, this novel starts off so strongly but unfortunately loses it’s brilliance as it goes on.
The individual stories of the girls are where this starts to unravel, as they are all told with the same pacing and tone, with no variations in speech pattern even though they are different ethnicities and even a different species. The bloodthirsty revenge the women want doesn’t seem to fit as their intensity never changes once they regain their memories, save for Yinka who becomes depressed. This and a lack of motivation for many characters makes the bonfire scene incredibly anticlimactic.
The MC then completely loses the qualities that make her stand out in the beginning, so by the end she is reduced to a weak woman trying to hold onto someone not worth holding onto. She lets Lily dictate her life and possibly eternal death for fear of losing her, but to stay with her after everything she does is lunacy. To bind yourself to someone who wanted to risk losing you forever for one moment of vengeance is unimaginable, yet Jac acquiesces.
By the time the ending comes around it seemed like Knowles just wanted a neat way to tidy things up; however, it was entirely too rushed and forced, making it incongruous with the bewitching beginning half of the story. It’s terribly unfortunate.
A huge issue I have with this novelette is that the first page after the dedication says, “Content warnings are provided at the end of this book”. Why would you place content warnings at the END of a book, especially when some of them could be very triggering? It makes zero sense to have something that may be a triggering issue for someone to place the list at the end of the book. I hope that is changed in the future.
Another minor issue is that Jac frequently braids her hair, and Lucinda appears with braided hair, which is not keeping with the mythos. It’s even stated by Lucinda the evening before green week that they need not plait their hair to blend in, so this seems odd that two characters would wear braids in the story, especially Lucinda. Then Jac goes to tie up her hair in the middle of the festival but Lily instead braids it for her. Even with Jac presenting more masculine, she is still a rusalka and their hair was always unbound.
Little things like this being incongruous with the folklore or details about the Adriatic Sea being icy (it’s not), are or what took me out of the story each time, which is a shame. Rae Knowles has a gift as a storyteller, it just needs some focus and fact checking at times which is missing here. It needed more editing or beta readers to catch the little details that slipped the author’s attention.
It’s regrettable that the middle became so cloudy and the end so rushed as the start of the novelette was aesthetically exquisite.
**Thematic Spoilers**
Merciless Waters is centered around the Slavic myth of Rusalka, undead female water dwelling entities who were drowned, either by violent force or by suicide. Usually men are to blame for their demise, though not always.
They must live out their designated time on Earth as rusalki, luring men into the water where they died using their enchanting voices and beautiful appearance, and then drowning the men by entwining their long hair around their feet and becoming slippery so they could not breach the surface. Some would even tickle the men and laugh as they choked on the water and died. The rusalki are thought to only come completely out of the water during certain times of the year (early June is known as Rusalka week, Rusalnaya or green week) or in summer, and can then be seen sitting on docks or on the decks of ships, or even to lounge in the boughs of trees. They may only eternally rest if their deaths are avenged.
The name of their ship was a creative nod to Greek mythology; Scylla was a fair maiden who was turned into a terrifying sea monster, with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower half an abomination of nightmare material; “A goddess above and a monster below”, which is how Jac describes Lily in the water. There are various accounts as to how this occurred, but they all have one central motive-jealousy.
All said, this has so much potential and the gorgeous first half is why I will give this a 3/5 stars. Hopefully the author takes note and makes some revisions.
Thank you to Net Galley for access to an ARC for an unbiased review.
shrikebait's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Passion and rage drive this queer dark fantasy tale. I first heard about Merciless Waters through the Cutthroat Queens podcast and it lives up to the intrigue!
My favorite part of this book is how ancient Slavic folklore ties into timeless feminine rage. The whole concept is rad and makes for an equally entertaining, thought-provoking, and satisfying read.
Thanks for the chance to check this book out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
My favorite part of this book is how ancient Slavic folklore ties into timeless feminine rage. The whole concept is rad and makes for an equally entertaining, thought-provoking, and satisfying read.
Thanks for the chance to check this book out for free. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Grief, Murder, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Alcoholism and Pregnancy