An enigmatic siren is imprisoned in a castle far from the sea. A golden king is seemingly shackled by his honor, though secrets lurk underneath his dutiful façade like a shark in murky waters. “In the Veins of the Drowning” by Kalie Cassidy is a book full of potential. It’s a shame that the enticing character descriptions written on the back of the book belie the generic cardboard cut-outs within. Cassidy’s writing is gorgeous and descriptive, but the world she’s created is flimsy and narrow, like the badly made set of a knock-off Broadway musical. The storyline seems stagnant, a stale, muddy puddle after a disappointingly mild rainstorm. The entire book is nothing but an illusion of progress, conjured up by a second-rate magician to convince you that things have changed when in reality, the book ends where it began.

The world of “In the Veins of the Drowning” is limited and confined. The story takes place between the two nations of Seraf and Varya. With stereotypical, uninteresting kingdoms, Cassidy teases the reader with hints of a much larger, more intricate world, and then simply does not deliver. Nel, a siren and the main character, lives in Seraf under the rule of the evil King Nemea. Seraf is the only kingdom in the world of “In the Veins of the Drowning” that hunts sirens, believing them to be a blight on the purity of its oceans. It is the only kingdom that has cast off worship of the Great Gods and Goddesses and instead worships an obscure water spirit named Eusia. Theodore Ariti, the king of Varya and a descendent of the Great God Panos, detests King Nemea, and first meets Imogen at her engagement party to Captain Evander Ianto.

It is difficult to describe Imogen’s personality, perhaps because you can’t without first describing Theodore’s. Imogen has been suffering at the hands of King Nemea for years when she “first” meets Theodore. Desperate to escape, Imogen manages to convince a reluctant Theodore to form a blood bond with her, and for the rest of the story their decisions, personalities and growth are inextricably intertwined. Like a vine strangling the trunk of a tree, it becomes impossible to tell where Imogen ends and Theodore begins. Imogen’s lack of knowledge and experience with the world outside King Nemea’s castle is apparent and amplifies their parasitically involved relationship to the degree where the only way for Imogen to grow is to leave Theodore of her own accord. Imogen’s caretaker, Agatha, and her long lost love, Lachlan, are another story. Agatha, a fiercely independent siren, is Imogen’s antithesis. Full of fire and vibrancy, Agatha’s warm, motherly personality contrasts Imogen’s dull, gray character. Lachlan’s cheeky persona conceals his undying loyalty to those for whom he cares (i.e. Agatha, Theodore, etc.) and complements Agatha’s almost uptight disposition. Like strawberries and balsamic vinegar, two ingredients, conventional on their own, come together to create something unexpectedly delicious.

Post blood bond, the two flee Seraf, along with Agatha and Lachlan; a series of awkward bonding scenes ensue, along with a landslide of painfully conspicuous foreshadowing. The story continues its counter-intuitive warbling as the two attempt to reach the Mage Seer, the only being who can sever a blood bond. However, after their long, arduous journey to attain a severing draught, Theodore, now infatuated with Imogen (though he always was), makes every excuse to prevent their “un-bonding,” despite being the one who insisted on their severance in the first place. Like a dog chasing its own tail, the story continues this “will they, won’t they” narrative that quickly grows tiring. However, when they finally, inevitably, do unbond, and Imogen attempts to leave Varya, her escape is prevented by a Serafi ambush. Imogen ends up washing back to Varya’s shore, crawling back to Theodore’s palace, and we are back where we began.

To summarize, this book was frustratingly average. As soon as I finished it I forgot all the characters’ names, and while reading, I thought the book would be so much more interesting if Imogen had decided to leave when she’d had the chance. We could have followed her as she sailed through a plethora of elusive islands and far away lands with a crew of her own and freed herself from all that held her captive. Then, perhaps many years later, she could return to Varya and rekindle her relationship with Theo, as they would both be changed, older, and more mature. However, evidently, that was not how this story ended, and it left me feeling disappointed and unfulfilled.