The Wicked Deep Kindle Edition

The Wicked Deep, the debut YA novel from Shea Ernshaw, is being described as "Hocus Pocus meets Practical Magic." I'd say this is pretty accurate. It certainly isn't goofy and funny like Hocus Pocus but it takes the whole "three witches return from the dead" idea and puts a darker spin on it, akin to the atmosphere of Practical Magic.The story follows a seventeen-year-old named Penny Talbot who lives in Sparrow, a small town said to be cursed by three sisters who were sentenced to death by drowning for the crime of witchery. Now, every summer, the sisters return from the dead by possessing the bodies of local teenage girls and using them to lure boys into the harbor, only to drown them as an act of revenge on the town. Despite the danger of the legend, tourists still flock to Sparrow during this time to see if old tale is true. But Penny knows it's true. She's seen things the others haven't...Lately, there has been a serious dry spell (pun intended) when it comes to YA. It's been a long time since I've read a young adult book that didn't make me want to throw the book across the room. Maybe I've outgrown the genre. Maybe my tastes have changed. Or maybe YA authors should just take some pointers from Shea Ernshaw. Because I thoroughly enjoyed The Wicked Deep.I won't say the book is without flaws, but those flaws were few compared to the things I liked. For one The Wicked Deep is one heck of a cloudy book. Ernshaw’s writing style is dreary and made me feel like I was taking a dip in chilly waters. This is a good thing, of course, and serves the story well. The writing is poetic without being flowery, reading smoothly and understandably. There were a few repetitions that I would have cut, but it’s a small complaint.The story itself, as you can tell, is very original. You can compare it to "Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic all you want, but The Wicked Deep is still very much its own thing. It’s subtle with some rather surprising twists and turns that lead to a beautiful, ghostly conclusion.It’s hard to talk about the characters without giving away anything significant, but I’ll say that they were mostly believable. The romance did stand in the way a bit for me, but considering it ends up being very vital to the plot, I was able to overlook it.Overall, I really liked this book and will definitely read anything else Shea Ernshaw writes.

What can I say, I've had this on my TBR since last year when I first heard about this book being released this year. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the cover from the beginning and even more when I finally got to hold it in my hands.I was super excited to read this book and I have to say, this book did not disappoint, I absolutely loved it and it is now one of my favorite books. I was hooked from page one and when I had to stop reading to do the usual day to day activities that had to be done, I couldn't stop thinking about being able to get back to this book and reading what was going to happen next. The writing was captivating and description of scenery and events made me feel like I was there, sucking me in to every scene. I could almost smell the sea and hear the waves, taste the little pies and tarts and feel the energy of Sparrow, Oregon. I love books that draw me in like that. I felt for the characters and really enjoyed reading this book.I definitely recommend this book to everyone.

5/5 starsHoly smokes. I was not prepared for The Wicked Deep, I thought I was but I was so wrong. I read this book in one night. I shouldn't have, I tried not to, but I could NOT put it down.Sparrow is a small town in Oregon plagued by the return of three sisters seeking revenge for being drowned in the bay for witchcraft two centuries before. Now they return each year on June 1st where they steal the bodies of three girls and drown boys in the ocean until the Summer solstice. The MC, Penny, fears the return of the Swan sisters, especially when a strange boy turns up right as Swan season begins, with no knowledge of the danger he is in. Penny doesn't want to get involved, but if she doesn't Bo might drown for ignorance of the danger.This book is dark and twisty, and so unique. It has similarities to Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic, of course, but Ernshaw knows witches aren't a new subject, she knows it will take more than a typical plot to keep readers interested. When it comes to plot, Ernshaw delivered. I kept reading because I PHYSICALLY NEEDED to know which girls were inhabited by the Swan sisters, why Bo was in Sparrow, and what happened to Penny's father, and HOLY PLOT TWIST. Maybe I should have seen that coming but I didn't and it threw me for a loop.Just like her intricate plot, Ernshaw's world building was beautiful. I felt the stickiness in the air and could hear the singing of the sisters in the harbor. It was easy to feel as if I lived in Sparrow as well, as if I went to school with Penny, and tended the lighthouse. It is this spectacular world building that really draws you in to the story and makes it feel so incredibly real.The romance in this story is tricky, both Bo and Penny are so full of secrets, yet they manage to develop feelings so quickly. Those who aren't a fan of the "love at first sight" trope may struggle with this romance because, while it isn't technically love at first sight, it's close. I generally dislike this trope, but Ernshaw handled it delicately, it wasn't obnoxious, and it complemented the rest of the plot as opposed to detracting from it.This book was not what I expected, frankly I wasn't sure what to expect. I certainly did not expect something so original and engrossing. I may have stayed up until 5 am reading it, but I have no regrets.

This was really good! I don't know what I was expecting going into this, but I enjoyed it anyway.Two centuries ago in a small town in Oregon, three sisters were drowned in the ocean, suspected of being witches. Every summer since, they've emerged from the shadowy depths, stealing the bodies of weak-hearted girls and using them to lure boys to the harbour where they will meet their deaths. Like most locals, 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's just placed himself in. Rumours and lies quickly spread throughout the town, and Penny and Bo both are convinced that the other is holding secrets. Death comes quickly to those who cannot resist the sisters, and Penny can see things that others cannot...I really liked the setting of this book. I did struggle with picturing it in the way that the author intended though, but not because the writing was bad - it was actually really good - but because I kept picturing it being set in the UK, maybe on one of the islands in the North of Scotland, rather than the coast of Oregon in the US. This might just be because I'm Scottish myself, however, and I found it easier to picture it like this. This did not put me off the book though, and I did really enjoy the setting. I really didn't understand why people just didn't leave the town what with all the drownings that happened every year and the supposed curse, or why they were ok with it. You'd think many people would've just thought "nah, screw this" and left. I was willing to oversee this though because I was really enjoying the book, even if it did seem a bit unrealistic. I did manage to guess the plot twist halfway through - the first time I have ever guess correctly!! - but it didn't happen in the way I expected it to. I thought it was done really well, even if I did see it coming.I liked all of the characters. Penny was a likable, strong lead. Her mother was mysterious and interesting, even if she wasn't a huge part in the story. There were a few of Penny's schoolmates that I really did not like at all - one in particular - and if you read the book you'll discover why a few chapters in. I disliked them to the point where I wished one of the Swan sisters would just drag him into the ocean. The Swan sisters themselves were really interesting, and I enjoyed the scenes from the past that detailed their lives and why they were sentenced to death.All in all, this was a good quick read and I'd definitely be open to reading more by the author.4/5 stars.

I really didn't know what to expect when I bought this book since I purchased it kind of on a whim, so I was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed it as much as I did. It's really beautifully written - with language and sentences that are really evocative of the atmosphere of the story. It was very reminiscent to me of Sarah Addison Allen - that way that magic is woven into the words without ever being a tangible thing. I loved the style.The story is very simple but that's actually one of the joys of this book because it allows you to fully understand and take your time with the depth of the emotions that are at play. It's a bit like a Grimm's fairy tale in some respects - a pretty story on the surface but when you actually think about it, very dark and horrifying. It would be easy to dive into interpretations of the story about feminism and current events but I think to do that would be a mistake. This book is timeless and I think that much simpler truths are evident.I've recommended the book several times to friends and all of them have enjoyed it, so you're probably wondering why I didn't give it 5*. The issue was that I saw the plot twist coming from a mile off so it didn't have the intended shock factor that blew the minds of some of my friends. That said, I'm aware there is another book coming from this author later in the year and I'll definitely be in line to buy it. I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The story is compelling and while the twists and turns didn't always surprise me, they were beautifully thought out and well written. My only dislike was in the descriptions of the characters. I guessed correctly at the author's age by the way she described what they were wearing and how they acted, because it had a flavour of the 90s about it. This made it feel a bit clunky at times, especially at the beginning, because I felt that she didn't really connect with how teenagers talk, dress and behave, and some events seemed a little convenient and are clearly there to push the plot forward. Don't let that put you off though. I've since come across folklore very similar to events in this book, and was impressed at how detailed her research had been when writing it. The story of the three sisters is eerily beautiful and I loved the parts that told their story.

It was a slow start and I put it aside, for a bit in October because I wasn't feeling it, but then when I picked it back up, I almost read it in one sitting.Our heroine, Penny, lives with her mom in Sparrow, a place that is supposedly cursed by three witches the locals muredered two centuries before. What was a bit unsettling for me was that it became a festival, which attracted tursists from far and wide, even though people - boys and men - died during this period. Why? The three murdered sisters - supposed witches - came back for a month and, as a revenge for being killed, they would posses the body of a girl and lure men to their deaths, drowning them.Creepy and morbid, if you ask me. But original, so kudos to the author!Things are different this time around, however, because Penny meets a boy who has never heard of the Swan sisters or the festival or the murders. So, Penny will do everything to keep him safe.The twists and turns this book had were amazing. I'll be honest, I didn't see them coming, the truth of how things are never crossed my mind.Thanks to said twists and turns, I'm giving this book 5 stars, even though the ending was bittersweet and made me cry. Fantastic read and definitely worth a reread!

That was one of the best books i have ever read. There are always faults in these new books, in the story, or in the writing style. But i barely could make myself to put it down from time to time. I loved every second of it. Partly maybe because i can relate too. I lost my dad as i lost my husband in one year. I know how grief and hope can feel tangled together. And those feelings i never could have made into words,they are here on these pages of this book. I really loved it, and im so grateful i had the opportunity to finally find a book what really does have something real to say.Thank you!