natattack_11's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
nikkihrose's review
4.0
I received Jennifer McMahon's "The Drowning Kind" from NetGalley, and the first thing I want to highlight is that as a galley, it definitely needs to go through a final round of editing. There were often duplicated words in sentences, or words missing altogether. There was one instance where the wrong name was used, completely confusing the context and meaning for the reader. But again, it is important to keep in mind that this was a galley, and therefore was still in editing phases.
This is the first book I've ever read by McMahon, and I can easily say that many of the reviews of her writing are accurate: she has a detailed and beautiful style for describing surroundings.
"The Drowning Kind" alternates between present time and the late 1920s - between narrators Jax and Ethel, respectively. The narrators are joined by the water - the springs - in Brandenburg, Vermont. In the 1920s they are located at the most exquisite hotel in the area that people travel from all over to visit, but in present time, the springs are privately owned by Jax's family, and the home has been named Sparrow Crest.
The novel uses both narrators to paint the history of the springs, weaving the intricate family tree and tragedies into vivid and painstaking detail. The springs feed into a pool at the back of Sparrow Crest, a pool so black that you cannot see through the water - but also dark enough that the reflections staring back at you are so vivid they look real.
Jax, grown up, is now a social worker, and works at helping children through their struggles. But when her schizophrenic and bipolar sister whom she has separated herself from over the past year ends up dead - drowned in the blackened pool behind Sparrow Crest - Jax can't help but feel guilty, return to Vermont, and do whatever she can to make sense of what her sister, Lexie, had been up to in her final days, which was apparently an attempt to discover the mystery and power that existed beneath - or within - the water.
These springs are magical. Reports of healing, survival, and granted wishes have been around for decades. But the water doesn't only give - it takes, too.
Between the incoherent messages left behind by Lexie, the stories she has heard over the years, and first-hand accounts from members of the community, Jax starts to unravel. How can the truth be true when it's beyond the realm of reality? How can people exist in the water? People claim that those who die become part of the springs - that the springs give, but they also take.
How much would you be willing to sacrifice for your ultimate wish?
---
This book was intriguing, but definitely not a typical read for me. While I loved the mystery surrounding it, and the warped and interwoven narration to build the history and story, it was more of a ghost story than anything else.
This is the first book I've ever read by McMahon, and I can easily say that many of the reviews of her writing are accurate: she has a detailed and beautiful style for describing surroundings.
"The Drowning Kind" alternates between present time and the late 1920s - between narrators Jax and Ethel, respectively. The narrators are joined by the water - the springs - in Brandenburg, Vermont. In the 1920s they are located at the most exquisite hotel in the area that people travel from all over to visit, but in present time, the springs are privately owned by Jax's family, and the home has been named Sparrow Crest.
The novel uses both narrators to paint the history of the springs, weaving the intricate family tree and tragedies into vivid and painstaking detail. The springs feed into a pool at the back of Sparrow Crest, a pool so black that you cannot see through the water - but also dark enough that the reflections staring back at you are so vivid they look real.
Jax, grown up, is now a social worker, and works at helping children through their struggles. But when her schizophrenic and bipolar sister whom she has separated herself from over the past year ends up dead - drowned in the blackened pool behind Sparrow Crest - Jax can't help but feel guilty, return to Vermont, and do whatever she can to make sense of what her sister, Lexie, had been up to in her final days, which was apparently an attempt to discover the mystery and power that existed beneath - or within - the water.
These springs are magical. Reports of healing, survival, and granted wishes have been around for decades. But the water doesn't only give - it takes, too.
Between the incoherent messages left behind by Lexie, the stories she has heard over the years, and first-hand accounts from members of the community, Jax starts to unravel. How can the truth be true when it's beyond the realm of reality? How can people exist in the water? People claim that those who die become part of the springs - that the springs give, but they also take.
How much would you be willing to sacrifice for your ultimate wish?
---
This book was intriguing, but definitely not a typical read for me. While I loved the mystery surrounding it, and the warped and interwoven narration to build the history and story, it was more of a ghost story than anything else.
m_aviles's review against another edition
2.0
Something missing
Jennifer McMahon is one of my favorite spooky writers! The Winter People will always be one of the spookiest stories I have ever read and loved. The Drowning Kind not so much. It lacks something but I can’t seem to put my finger on it! I never felt like I got into the story. It lacked depth. I found the characters lacking in interest and likability. There were also sub story lines that added nothing to the story.
Jennifer McMahon is one of my favorite spooky writers! The Winter People will always be one of the spookiest stories I have ever read and loved. The Drowning Kind not so much. It lacks something but I can’t seem to put my finger on it! I never felt like I got into the story. It lacked depth. I found the characters lacking in interest and likability. There were also sub story lines that added nothing to the story.
hmfog's review
5.0
This book is a great combination of spooky, emotional, and dark storytelling. A great and terrible story for sisters.
tswartz91's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this one! It was a creepy supernatural story. The plot was good and I loved how everything connected at the end of the story. Definitely a page turner!
lisaboatman's review
4.0
Another shivery, suspenseful page turner from Jennifer McMahon! I loved the duel timelines and figuring out how everything fit together. It was a well told, creepy delight!
minimicropup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Accusatory, sincere, jaded.
We follow a social worker who spent summers and holidays at their grandmother’s gothic house with their sister as a child. Both their sister and father experienced periods of mania and depression but resisted medical intervention. Through therapy, our MC essentially learns to go “no contact” as much as possible, but after the drowning death of their sister they are forced to reexamine their decisions, family history, and complicated resentment held for their childhood and family situation. We also get a POV intermittently of their grandparent in the 1930s as they discovers the natural spring and healing.
- Set in the countryside and small towns of Vermont, USA
🐺🐕Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags:
There is a family history of drowning and a history of the site for tragedy, which forms the main plot and how the family developed around these truths/rumours. I'm not great at symbolism, but this felt like a very symbolic plot.
The ending wasn’t bad but was definitely unexpected (to me). Not every thing is wrapped up
Spoiler
what happened to Declan and his fam? Is every one really just chilling in that house after what seems to have happened to TWO sisters??? And potential for more tragedy?? ahhhh!!!Mood Reading Match Up:
-Historical fiction + magical realism (preternatural healing)
-Contemporary fiction about family history and mysteries
-Themes around mental illness and living/loving someone with mental illness
-Supernatural ghost vibes and metaphors
Content Heads-Up: Mental illness rep (depression, mania; seems good in that they are more than just their struggles/condition). LGBTQ rep for later-in- life freedom/recognition. Suicidal ideation. Death of a sibling, death of a child (drowning/congenital condition). Self-medicating with alcohol. Trouble conceiving. Terminally ill child.
Format: Paperback
doloresofcourse's review
3.0
Ethel's timeline should have been a stand alone book. The characters were richer, more likeable and there was a depth of story there to be explored. There was so much possibility with that timeline but then it was diluted with the modern timeline of Jax, her sister Lexi and their father. The modern parts of the book fell flat for me. I didn't find any of the modern characters likeable or even tolerable. They were annoying, even more so when you would be bounced back to the richness of Ethel's timeline.
marissalupe's review
3.0
If you're looking for an incredibly spooky mystery that gets your pulse racing yet tugs at your heartstrings, then this is the book for you!
"The Drowning Kind" by @jennifermcmahonwrites was enthralling and unique! I loved every second of reading this book.
"The Drowning Kind" by @jennifermcmahonwrites was enthralling and unique! I loved every second of reading this book.
sparanj2's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death