Title: The Seawomen

Author: Chloe Timms

Genre: Dystopian/Fantasy

Publisher: Hodder Studio

Publication Date: 14th June 2022

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Everyone on this island has a story. This is mine.

Esta has known nothing but Eden’s Isle her whole life. After a fire left her orphaned and badly scarred, Esta was raised by her grandmother in a deeply religious society who cut itself off from the mainland in the name of salvation. Here, fear rules: fear of damnation, fear of the outside world and fear of what lurks beneath the water – a corrupting evil the islanders call the Seawomen.

But Esta wants more than a life where touching the water risks corruption, where her every move is watched and women are controlled in every aspect of their lives. Married off, the women of the island must conceive a child within their appointed motheryear or be marked as cursed and cast into the sea as a sacrifice in an act called the Untethering.

When Esta witnesses a woman Untethered she sees a future to fear. Her fate awaits, a loveless marriage, her motheryear declared. And after a brief taste of freedom, the insular world Esta knows begins to unravel…

Review:

The first thing that I have to say about The Seawomen is that it is gorgeously well written. The sentences have a beautiful musicality to them even when the subject is incredibly sinister. This dystopian vision of an insular and fearful community is terrifying in its sinister misogyny and prosecution of women. It harkens back to witch trials and the sense of mob mentally is equally disquieting here. Esta’s story is dark but also full of bravery and the strength of an open mind. I loved The Seawomen for its conviction and grace – highly recommend!

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I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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