A review by lulustjames
Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh

4.0

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With such an interesting cover and synopsis, I was super intrigued about Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh, and decided to give it a try. I’m happy I did. It was a strong YA fantasy book that had good, strong characters, and interesting lore behind it.

Bridey and her family were really fantastic and reminded me a bit of the girls from Little Women, allowed to be strong and free willed in a time where perhaps they were expected to be a bit more demure. Bridey herself was a lovely character that was strong in both her fears and then overcoming them. What Sarah Glenn Marsh really did well, for me at least, was in keeping Bridey’s reaction to finding out the truth about Fynn realistic. There are so many other YA books that would have romanticized that revelation, but Marsh kept it true to life and I absolutely love her for doing that. It would have been completely out of character for Bridey to simply accept Fynn instantly.

Marsh also perfectly encapsulates what small town life is like where everyone is involved in everyone else’s business. Everyone knows about Fynn being taken in by Bridey’s family and word is just continually spread about every time piece of gossip that can be found, included that of the “old witch” Morag, who is such a sympathetic character towards the end (though I really like her from the start).

The mythology and fantasy of Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh is incredibly solid. The pacing is fantastic, never do you feel it go too fast or move too slowly. Build-up to relationships is good and so is the climax and ending (which had me sad, happy, and hopeful at the same time). If you’re a fan of historical YA with a bit of romance and mythology/supernatural, this is definitely a winner for you!

// I received this title for free in exchange for an honest review //