A review by tallangryplanet
The Seawomen by Chloe Timms

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Esta has lived her whole life on Eden's Isle. She knows there is a whole other world across the sea, but she also knows it is ridden with illness and evil, that this is the place God chose for her people, and, most importantly, that the Seawomen are out there, waiting to destroy everyone's souls if they're careless enough to let them in, so why would she ever want to leave? However, her soul aches with curiosity for the sea, even though she knows it might damn her, and she can't help but question everything she's been taught as she grows older and learns more about her world. 

This book is a masterpiece. Like a Greek tragedy, I couldn't stop reading even though I knew there was no way it would end well, that Esta wouldn't magically get everything she wanted by the end. It was bittersweet, and yet the ending was more positive than I could have hoped. I was gripped from the beginning (except for a few chapters around the middle where it suddenly felt slower), and even while not reading I kept thinking about the island and the people living in it. The way Esta slowly realised that things were not as they'd been told, especially that the women were being controlled in the most possibly damaging ways, was heartbreaking. Of course, unlike her I knew that this was a dystopia from the beginning, but the puzzle pieces still clicked in a very satisfying way. I would've loved to know the rest of the characters got their happy (or at least safe) endings, but at the same time it was all cut at the most natural point. 

I don't think this is a book I have the emotional capacity to be re-reading anytime soon, but I still heartily recommend it. Definitely look up trigger warnings before starting, but if you think you can handle it go for it. It's tender and sad and hopeful and disquieting and everything a dystopia should be. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.