Review - The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Series: Standalone

Genre: Paranormal

Age Group: Young Adult

Hardcover - 308 pgs

Source: Purchased 

Published - March 2018

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Rating: 3/5

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters. 

What do you do when a book set in June has the perfect vibe for October? You recommend it to people in October of course! The Wicked Deep is a wicked mix of rainy coastal towns and 200 year old curses. It is a fun read to help with the witchy feel of this time of year.

The best part of this book for me was the atmosphere. Ernshaw did an incredible job of putting me in the town of Sparrow and on the island with Penny. I could see this book playing out as a movie in my mind. I read it on the beach in mid-July with sun shining down on me, but in my mind I was on the west coast shivering in the damp rain. The first half of the book was perfect in its set up and feel for me. I was sold when I heard this described as a mix of Practical Magic and Hocus Pocus. The first half of the book was that for me. I did question if magic was real like in Practical Magic and the three sisters that return to haunt the town felt a lot like Hocus Pocus.

Though the scenery was great, the plot was lacking. Especially in the second half of the book, a lot of the reveals were predictable. There wasn't much tension and the romance didn't compel me to keep reading even though it was a big part of the story. For a book that I had such high hopes for the execution really disappointed me. (Obviously I don't want to spoil the end, but if you've read this I'd love to discuss the end with you.) To me all the elements were there, but they didn't meld together well.

Throughout the book there were flashbacks to the three sisters who's deaths caused the curse. I really enjoyed these chapters and I wanted to read more from them. In the end their story was the really compelling one and I would have been interested to see a whole book about their lives. 

Overall several parts of this book were really good while others were just ok. I had a really hard time deciding on a rating for this since I wanted to love it so much. In the end I think coming down right in the middle at three starts is the way to go.