The Wicked Deep
by Shea Ernshaw
Publisher – Simon and Schuster UK
Release Date – March 8th 2018
Buy – Amazon | Book Depository

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Two centuries ago, in the small, isolated town, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return from the depths, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them down to their watery deaths.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into or the fact that his arrival will change everything…

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

This book will stay with you forever…


I am breathless from the beauty of this novel. Last night I just finished the most wonderful, beautiful and magical YA book of all time. There was something about this book when I first heard about it from the publishers, I don’t know what it was, it could have been the cover, the description, the pitch from the publicist or it could have put a spell on me, you never know. I more inclined to the latter if I’m honest. But I’ve never read anything like it, I’m not talking about the plot or the characters, I’m talking about this new voice to YA, I’m talking about Shea Ernshaw.

Penny Talbot lives on an island with her mum called Lumiere Island and just a stones throw away, over the ocean is a small town called Sparrow. Sparrow has a curse, three witches, the Swan Sisters, steal the bodies of three girls, seduces and drowns three boys every summer. They are out for revenge and they have done so for two hundred years. You do not know that you have been claimed by the Swan Sisters, they steal their memories and life of the girl they’ve inhabited. So when a boy named Bo, arrives in town just as the Swan season begins, Penny feels compelled to protect him because you are vulnerable until the summer solstice and those sisters will do anything to seduce and claim their revenge.

This is a story of love, revenge, sacrifices and secrets twisted into the tales of witches and curses. Penny and Bo as main characters, grow for strength to strength, but they are driven by secrets; too grave for me to share. There was so much love, swooning even, both for the characters but more for the book. The more pages I turned the more my heart was just bursting at the seams with pure joy, light and absolute love.

Shea Ernshaw is a beautiful storyteller, her writing has this tranquil effect on you and she literally just immerses you into the story. The world-building, the way the story was told, you could see it playing out before you. I kind of felt that the physical book was like the portal to the story and if you looked around you it was it was right in front if you. It felt so real, I imagined it from when I was on holiday in Cornwall, and the atmosphere, from the smell of the orchids and apple trees to the spirit of the sea. I could even sense the Swan Sisters song, which was very eerie – it’s like The Wicked Deep had a natural musicality to it’s words. You are entranced by the dark, haunting and chilling words that will transform into something truly magical.

This book is like one of Alba’s Forgetful Cakes, because you forget everything around you and it’s just you and this book. You will get the reference when you read the book. But that’s the thing about The Wicked Deep, even now 24 hours after finishing the book I still can’t get over it, it’s like it’s permanently with you. The Wicked Deep has put a spell on me, and will to you too.

Rating – 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟