“One for the house, one for the Church and one for the sea.”

This somewhat ominous statement is echoed several times in this terrific alternate world fantasy, populated with scheming families, mermaids, assassins, kelpies, automata, vampires, and various other magical being and magics.

It’s a dark, tension-filled story about a young woman, Miren, groomed for a particular fate she tries to outrun: to breed more children to ensure the family continues, its fortunes rise, and it meets its otherworldly obligations, restoring its influence and repair its crumbling mansion.

Miren is not that interested in her family’s plans for her, and escapes, hoping to find her mother (who had also run away from her family’s expectations years earlier.) Miren escapes one fate, only to land in a similar one, when she finds yet another shabby mansion, a dubious male relative, and many people relying on her to restore their prosperity.

This is a wonderfully dark tale, with stories within the larger story, and a wonderful protagonist: Miren is reserved, smart, ruthless when necessary, and kind. And a practitioner of small magics, such as an ability to convince plants to flourish.

The pacing is slow, but never dreary or dull (like the dreadful cold and wet weather that is the backdrop for the story’s action). I loved the tone, sharp-edged writing and the atmosphere A.G. Slatter created of horror, danger and clamminess permeating this world.