I’m not going to lie the beginning and the O’Malley family history while fascinating was a slow read. But I loved the setting it created. I’m assuming it’s 18th or 19th Century Ireland, she never really says but with names like Aoife, Isolde, Brigid, and Fitzpatrick I am assuming. This was a time when superstition still was powerful and made the fears true.
I like Miren, she is strong and smart. She is cunning, but also seems to have a good heart. I think when she dealt with her cousin Brigid this was most evident, she abated her vergence when the truth was known. She has not led an easy life, and the twists of her family tree and history are plentiful. But she doesn’t fear her adventure, she embraces it like a true heroine.
Is the setting dark, yes. Although I just finished a book set in 19th Century London, that made this book look light and airy. I found the darkness in this book refreshing, it wasn’t an oppressive or heavy darkness, it was gothic the way it’s meant to be written...dark but not overwhelmingly so.
I love the way the lore of ghosts and mer-people are woven into the story. I really wish I had saved this to read in October.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*