This was a lovely and evocative fantasy with elements of horror, folk tales, mystery, and feminism, along with strong gothic vibes and a historical fiction feel. The narrative is straight-forwardly told through the main character's voice, though the timeline of the tale meanders a bit through time as she unravels the mystery behind her family history. I do wish there there had been more explanation of the Mer, and their interactions with the people, and how their magics worked. The writing was beautiful throughout.