A review by jenpen
Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I loved this book, even though I really did it a disservice by taking so long to finish it. Her writing is very descriptive, making it a slow read, but with such beautiful prose I am not complaining. I especially enjoyed all the foreshadowing and hinting at things to the reader without directly saying it, as this book is absolutely full of mysteries that gradually become unraveled. Even brief lines from the first few chapters hint at plot twists at the very end, making for such a satisfying read. 

Funny thing is, there really isn’t much of a plot - I struggled to figure out any character’s motivation for what they were doing. It was the weakest part of the book overall, but by far the strongest would be the world building. The magic and history of the world were extremely well thought out, and the snippets of lore between chapters help immerse you and explain details that would have been unnatural to fit into the main story itself. 

The characters were loveable (and I especially loved all the funny lines), but again, not much development going on there since not much happens plot-wise. I hated how Mary seemed to fall in love with every single male character she met, and even the main romance didn’t make sense. As such a heavily character-driven story, this actually makes me more excited to read the sequel to see what happens with the characters from here on, even though this reads as a satisfying standalone. Overall, I found the book immersive, creative, and very fun. Who doesn’t love a good pirate story!
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