THE DROWNING KIND

 

SYNOPSIS

Be careful what you wish for.

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the Northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

Title: The drowning kind

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

Publication date: April 6, 2021

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐💫

The first thing that drawn me to The Drowning Kind was that beautiful (and creepy) cover. I’m not usually one for stories with supernatural elements, but the synopsis really piqued my interest. A pool rumored to heal and grant wishes? It sounded so eerie! While I liked it and I’m glad I read it, I can’t help but think that I expected it a bit more.

Yes, the setting was spooky and the writing incredibly atmospheric, but I never felt really unsettled. The pool was a character in its own and I was hoping for it to give me chills!

The story is told in dual timelines and I became much more invested in Ethel’s story. I found the present line to be a bit repetitive and some aspects where left hanging open at the end. There was a strong sense of foreboding for the most part that didn’t deliver almost until the very end and I’m still not sure if I agree with that ending. Did it impact? It sure did, but I think I would have liked at least another chapter before the epilogue.

Both timelines wove together nicely. I liked how they were connected at the end. I listened to the audiobook and both narrators gave good performances.

A good story with ghostly vibes that gives away a very important teaching: GET AWAY FROM THE WATER!

This was my first book by Jennifer McMahon but I definitely wanna read more of her work.