The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernsahw - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!


I just finished another book *yay!* (Just kidding, this review has been sitting in our drafts folder for about a month, BUT it takes place in June.)

 Shea Ernshaw's The Wicked Deep has a Hocus Pocus-esc vibe to it, but unlike Hocus Pocus which takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, The Wicked Deep takes place out on the coast of Washington State.  

Two centuries ago, three sisters were drowned.  They were accused of being witches, but were really sentenced to death  for being beautiful, for breaking hearts, and for allowing men to fall both in love and in lust with them.  Penny Talbot has grown up in this coastal town, where this legend became a way of life.  You see, every year during the month of June the sisters return, overtaking the bodies of three young girls who are unable to resist that call of the ocean's song.  Once they are in human form, they continue their torment by making young men fall in love with them and by luring these boys out to sea where they drown, just like the sisters drowned all these years ago. For the residents of the town, the fear of death, the toll of drowned victim bell, and a month of fear is normal and even accepted as penance.  

This summery tale is part witchcraft, part mystery, and part siren lore. I loved how the chapters alternate between the story of the present and the legend of the past. It kept me guessing with twists that I never anticipated or saw coming.  And the best part?  I read it in ONE day.  So Dewey readers, I leave you with a rating of 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  

Until the next read!
~Jessica