Fear the Drowning Deep – Sarah Glenn Marsh

Title: Fear the Drowning Deep
Author: Sarah Glenn Marsh
Publisher: Sky Pony Press, 2016
Genre: YA Fantasy, YA Historical Fiction, YA Paranormal

**I received a copy of this book free from Edelweiss and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This review can be found on my My Blog, TeacherofYA’s Tumblr, or my Goodreads page

My Review:

Gosh. This cover still amazes me…even though my digital ARC does not include this gorgeous #coverlove. I hate that. But what are you gonna do?

So, I really liked this book, and I have had it for awhile as a Read Now copy, and then I got caught up in ARCs with deadlines…and though I’d love to count this in my new Netgalley challenge (oh, yeah, I’m doing that…I’ll be doing a post for the books that actually count), this was technically a book from 2016. I finished it on Dec 31, 2016, so it doesn’t count for 2017.

But let’s get into it, shall we?

Bridey Corkill is our heroine during the summer of 1913. She lives on the Isle of Man, a place I had never heard of until this book. The folklore is rich and they had their own language there. This book really transports you back in time and to a different culture. It’s fascinating to read some of the legends and myths and the language that just randomly pops in there.

But I digress…as usual…

So Bridey needs a job, because everyone in her family already works and her father (and the other fisherman) aren’t pulling in the fish lately. Ever since Bridey saw her grandpa walk off a cliff (yep, walk off, though people don’t believe it), the townspeople think she’s a little off. No one believed that Bridey saw a Spector lure him off the cliff as beautiful music played that only he could hear. She was only nine.

So in a fishing village, it’s hard for her as she’s scared of the water. She won’t go to the beach. But she needs a job, and her mother decides she should apprentice with Morag. Morag, the legendary witch of the town. As if the rumors weren’t bad enough…

One day, as she is collecting snigs (some type of snail…there’s a glossary in the back that I didn’t even know about until the end of the book 😳), she comes upon a man with gashes across his stomach, naked. Now, Bridey is a good girl, and seeing a man in his birthday suit is not what she’s expecting…but the handsome man claims to have no memory…not even of his own name. Bridey dubs him “Fynn” after the strange fin she saw in the water by her father’s boat.

Fynn, the handsome amnesiac, gets taken back to her house and nursed to health. Though Bridey recently shared a kiss with her childhood friend, she cannot stop thinking about Fynn. Did he come from the mainland? Does he have a wife somewhere? But as “sparks fly” (ok, how else am I going to describe it? It might be cliché, but it’s time-tested book lingo here!), Bridey starts to fall for the mysterious man. 

Unfortunately, women are starting to go missing…

The timing doesn’t seem too good for Fynn, but Bridey knows he’s innocent. But that’s all she knows about him.

What’s happening on the Isle of Man? Who (or what…dun dun dun!) is Fynn? Will Bridey be able to get near the water to save the lasses? (Sorry, it’s got some Irish folklore and I couldn’t resist)

Is it Classroom-Appropriate?

Yes. There’s some great folklore and some amazing writing here. Though it isn’t a “fave” of mine, I enjoyed the book and can see how exposing students to the history and the culture could be enlightening. The fantasy and paranormal elements bring some magic to a book with a lot of interesting history. I could def see using this as material. Talking about the mythology, the lost language, and the attitude towards Morag would be fascinating. I’d enjoy using this and have added it to the books for classroom use list. 

Age Range:

So…not on Lexile. Go figure. I’ll have to use my best estimate here, so I’m going to suggest 13 and up. Some scenes get a little hot (noting torrid or inappropriate, but I’m always erring on the side of caution). I think 13 is a good age, and I would honestly be okay with my niece reading it. So I’m comfortable there. It’s always best to be comfortable in suggesting lit versus being unsure. I’m still planning on creating some sort of system to “rate” appropriateness. I don’t want to use 🔥 because that’s so vague. I mean, how much steaminess is 🔥 🔥 🔥? 🔥 🔥? Nope…gotta think of something, and I’m open to suggestions! 

End Result:

So I updated my rating system…I know most people will expect something “teacher-related,” but that would only apply to the “Clasroom-Appropriate” section. So I went with my personality and made this:

Nice and simple, and I’ve put it on my sidebar for easy reference. 

And for Fear the Drowning Deep? I give it ★★★★☆…or…

Getting better at these Canva graphics…nothing fancy, but it’s what I can do with what I’ve got: an iPad mini and an iPhone. I don’t include my new Kindle Fire in this (oh, I forgot to make a post about my Christmas goodies…it’ll prob be May by the time I do that, 😂🤣😂!)

So…I finished Freeks and will be a stop on the Blog Tour on the 10th! Come back and see my review! Right now I’m reading The Bear and the Nightingale and I am LOVING it. 

Happy Reading, y’all!