Author: A Fate Worse Than Drowning
Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction, Queer Fiction, Gothic Horror
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Format: Ebook (NetGalley Copy)
Release Date: July 21st, 2026
TW: torture (on page), sexual assault (on page), murder (on page), misogyny (both period typical and modern), death, spousal abuse, gore, mention of slavery (allusion to)
Give me a book with either: sacred cannibalism, deals/living with an extra-planar entity, tea and queerness. This book has two of the three, and I predictably wanted to drown in this book. What a gripping reading experience.
But first, the plot. in 1809, Elle (Mary Eleanor) and her sister Liney (Caroline) live alone on a desolate bit of land called the Devil's Island, in the Halifax harbor. New arrivals, they've run from two dead parents and a man who is after their fortune. On the island, after killing the previous lighthouse keeper, Elle tends to the lighthouse, which guides sailors away from their watery graves. Or, at least that's what she tells her sister she's doing. In reality, instead of saving sailors, Elle is tasked with using the demonic powers given to her from a deal with the devil to sacrifice souls. Which, is rather easy, when there are choppy seas and deep caverns. Elle must do this, to keep her sister and herself safe, or the devil may come after her sister next. Liney dreams of a wider world. Sickly her whole life from childhood asthma, she sits caged; first with her family (forced to marry a man when she loves women), and then with her beloved sister. Elle will do anything to protect her, except let her go. The fragile peace of this island is interrupted when the devil demands an increase in souls, and a beautiful woman washes up on shore. Now, will Elle sacrifice this girl, and take away the only person that Liney truly loves?
The characters are one thing that made this story for me. Elle and Liney are such realistic siblings, and their bond is a major motivator and draw. I believed that they were siblings. You also get to see both of their POVs, as this book is first person with dual perspectives, and their personalities really shine through. Elle is intense and driven, but also suffocating, whereas Liney is at first, relatively passive, but extremely curious and capable when she allows herself to be. I also love the side characters; Douglas and Bridget especially, but due to spoiler reasons, I'll not mention them further.
The characters are amazing, but what really made this book for me was it's tight prose and plotting. Every twist and caveat was foreshadowed, and make me go 'oh, that's clever' multiple times. Expository dialog and prose was natural and easy to read. The prose is also vivid enough, especially with sensory descriptions, that I could taste things like the hibiscus tea and smell the dying fish. I also appreciate American slavery being mentioned as a terrible force of supernatural evil, but I wish there was POC rep; but I understand why there wasn't.
There is a romance in this book, but the scenes stop at kissing and fade to black; the romantic relationships add to the story and the characters, but romance isn't the end all be all. This book is about queerness and sisterly love and the urge to destroy those who've wronged you; about the seductive temptation of power and the suffering it brings. Mind the trigger warnings; and you'll have a wonderful read with a bittersweet ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Final Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Drink Paring: Dark heavy roasted da hong pao for the dark seas, or hibiscus tea for deals with the devil
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