Merciless Waters

by Rae Knowles, Daniella Batsheva (Cover Art), Elle Turpitt (Editor)

Aboard the ship Scylla, there is no future or past. Jaq, her fickle lover Lily, and their all-female crew exist in an endless present. It's better this way. At least it keeps Lily by Jaq's side, where she belongs. But the meddling gods care little for Jaq's longing, and despite her protective rituals, their punishment arrives all the same: A man, adrift on the open ocean. Delivered to snatch Lily from Jaq's arms forever. Jaq knows what to do. She's lost Lily before. Her lover will return-when this interloper, this distraction, is snuffed out. But Jaq's murderous schemes may not be enough. The intruder's presence infects her crew with a plague her spells cannot memory. And as the women recall how they came to Scylla, their minds bend one by one towards revenge.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Pirates, Adult

141 pages, Paperback

First published November 14, 2023

About the author

Rae is an author of dark, queer fiction.

Reviews

[Sadie Hartmann]

This was page for page, the most entertained I have been with just 125 pages. Never a dull moment. It’s sultry, salty, sexy, and sassy. Lady pirates at sea whose whole vibe is thrown off by some nasty, surly man washing up like sea trash on their deck?? Interloper!
But, perhaps it was fate. Because the story is perfect as it is. Well, I have one complaint but it’s a spoiler. Full review soon! 🖤

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC of this novella for free thanks to Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Jaq's lover has betrayed her. She has found the bed of another man. She has done this before, and she may do this again. Together, among many other women, they are awash at sea, worshipping their goddess, Scylla. This is always how it has been. Will it be this way forever? And how long before did it begin?

This book was a ride and a HALF and I absolutely loved it! It's so dark and creepy, wildly compelling. The cast is more of a sketch, than anything, which is not surprising in a less than 150 page novella, but it does work very well for the setting. I think the character work really adds to the emotions and ambience of the story.
I love Jaq's narrative voice, and how difficult her emotions are in this novella. It was very enjoyable to read from her voice. I really look forward to getting myself a finished copy so I can share some of my favorite lines! There are some very amazing ones that I highlighted in my ARC on Netgally.

This book fits into the recent "Oh Dear God, but Good for Her I Think?" genre that I have been DEVOURING recently. I would highly recommend this novel, it is eerie and unsettling and utterly delightful.

Content warnings provided by the author are included in the publication.

[Sofija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merciless Waters is Rae Knowles' second novel. It follows a crew of seven women aboard a ship named Scylla and their captain – Lucinda. Scylla sails endlessly through time and the Adriatic Sea. Its passengers have no past, and they do not need it. All they have is the endless present. One day, Jaq notices a man floating in the sea. She almost let him meet his demise, but Lily took notice of him and scrambled to get him out of the sea. The man, Reginald, brought nothing but trouble to the women of Scylla. Jaq and Lily have always been lovers, but Reginald's presence threatens to throw off the balance of their relationship and the peaceful lives of the rest of the crew. Reginald and Lily's blossoming relationship inspires Jaq's growing murderous intent. While Jaq brainstorms how to eliminate Reginald from Scylla, a crew member starts to remember her life from before her arrival on the ship. The restored memory might bring forth a new purpose for the cunning women of Scylla.

Knowle's writing is picturesque, with almost Victorian quality. Based on the descriptions of their clothes, one would think they lived in the 1800s, but Knowles's writing gives the story a sempiternal feel. It does not matter which historical period they belong to since they live in the eternal present. Since the story takes place on a ship, the story is lush with aquatic atmosphere. We are aware of the unforgiving waters, of the waves rolling beneath the ship. During one scene, Lily and Jaq are underwater. They effortlessly float in water, not needing air, and make love. That has to be one of my favorite scenes.

Merciless Waters is a literary horror novel, in the same way as Our Wives Under the Sea. It is a retelling of the Slavic myth of Rusalka. Originally from Ukrainian and Russian folklore, rusalki are feminine entities that reside in streams, rivers, and lakes. They are water nymphs. Rusalki are a part of Slavic folklore of other countries (Bulgaria, Poland, Serbia, Croatia, Czech Republic). They are beautiful, always naked, with long, wet hair, and hang around on trees near bodies of water. They are known to lure people, mostly men, in with their singing and dancing. Their origin is not exact. Most sources claim all women who drown, either forcefully, accidentally, or by their hand, become rusalki. My book on Slavic mythology says rusalki may be servants or even daughters of the Water Spirit (vodyanoy). Since I am not a fan of Greek myth retellings, I decided to try out Slavic myth retellings. I am a Slavic woman, after all. I admit I am delighted by Knowles' book.

Merciless Waters is a gorgeous, sensual sapphic novel about the churning desire for revenge. I dare not say anything more because it is a short book, under 200 pages. I highly recommend this to everyone tired of Greek myths or anyone who is a fan of literary sapphic horrors with fantastical elements. Release date: 14th November 2023

Thank you to Netgalley and Brigids Gate Press for the free review copy!

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We crave violence, so we swallow violent men."

Merciless Waters was a damn near perfect read. The prose, while not as stylized as I wished it was, was beautiful and satisfying. The main character was a bit messy and vindictive but also tragic and she felt so so real. The imagery was fantastic, and I want more in the world that Knowles weaved.

The pacing was flawless, no wasted words or passages that felt rushed. At only a little under 130 pages long it's also a perfect one sitting/low commitment read.

It read like The Salt Grows Heavy meets When Among Crows in the best possible way.

Can I be honest here? I hope so, cause I'm about to be. I don't really care for pirates, like at all, the whole Pirate of the Caribbeans franchise kind of ruined it for me the same way the overabundance of zombie content ruined zombies for a lot of people. So yeah, when I saw a pirate book in my recommendations, I wasn't super keen on it and probably wouldn't have picked it up if I hadn't been doing my little experiment with Goodreads recs. So far this is my second favorite of the 10 books I've read for this experiment, so in this case the algorithm actually knew better than me. Also, the book really isn't heavy on the piratey stuff, it's more about feminine rage and pain. it's also about the family we make and it's also about loneliness and making peace with what people really are, oh and it's sapphic which I don't get nearly enough of.

4.5 rounded up.

Disclosure: I received a digital review copy through Booksirens.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Zooloos Book Tours.

Merciless Waters is a short novella sized read that I didn't want to end! The author did an amazing job with this short read and packed so much feeling into it.
We follow the captain, Lucinda, of a ship called Scylla as they sail the Adriatic Sea. Lucindas crew is all women, and they're all content in the endless unknown future and don't have a past they can recall. When one of the crew spots a man in the water, they haul him on board, which ends up changing the peaceful harmony among them. This was such an atmospheric and sassy read that you struggle to pull away from. If you love folk or fairy tales you need to pick this up ASAP.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I support women’s wrongs (tearing men apart with their bare hands by the light of a full moon, doing animal sacrifice, tormenting faithless lovers for eternity)

The writing was a bit choppy at times, particularly at the beginning, and I'm not completely sold on the ending. But I just loved the vibes, the toxic sapphics, the oceanic horror, and the way that this story never overexplains itself.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC :)

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublime. One of those reads where you get to the end and immediately want to start reading it over again to pick away at all of the symbolism and detail you may have missed. It'll also hook you from page one (it's got one of my favourite openings I've read in ages). Yes, this is folk horror seeded in Rusalka mythology. It's also a book filled with esoteric ritual, sapphic eroticism, and feminine rage.

You'll love if you enjoyed Madeline Miller's Galatea—both are bathed in the same gorgeously evocative prose.

[Jamedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally on JamReads

Merciless Waters is the new queer horror novella written by Rae Knowles, published by Brigid Gates Press. An excellent read that shows Knowles' skill at portraying feminine rage, while using folk horror in a really different and unique way, taking the scenario from the usual woods to the sea, aboard the Scylla.

Our story is centered around Jaq and Lily, a couple that exists aboard the timeless present on the Scylla, a boat run by a sapphic crew; nobody remembers about their past lives. That's until a man is found in the ocean, being rescued; once he's aboard, Jaq will find herself fighting for Lily's affections, as she seems to be attracted by this new man.
But that's not the only thing that seems to be changing across the Scylla, as some hidden memories of the crewmembers are starting to stay afloat, finding why the existence on this boat might not be as perfect as they see.

In this context, we are mostly following Jaq, a really flawed character, who doesn't hide her many problems and insecurities; when losing Lily becomes a possibility, she won't doubt on using anything she can to eliminate this stranger.
In addition to Jaq's plot, we get to explore the rest of the crew's stories and past, understanding that not everything aboard the Scylla is what appears to be, revealing horrific pasts sometimes.

Rae Knowles shows her skill at portraying flawed characters, while at the same time having a gorgeous and evocative prose; a novella that is not afraid to dip its toes into eroticism and anger, while conserving its horror nature.

If you are looking for a different kind of folk horror, I would recommend you to try Merciless Waters; you will be really pleased with the result. A book that won't make feel you indifferent.

[Ai Jiang]

This is a book that is melancholic, like a song carried by salty sea breeze and heavy wind. It holds semblance to TO THE LIGHTHOUSE in its breathless, longing, and yearning prose that often read like sighs—poetic, vivid, and rhythmic. For those looking for a story that explores memory, trauma, and recollection that is tender, sore, and like skin rubbed raw, this elegant and seductive tale is one to pick up.

[Yvonne (the putrid Shelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles nearly killed me in the most fabulous way. It’s sublime in its creepiness, its sense of obsession and its deeply hypnotic prose. Rae Knowles has become an auto buy author for me as of right now!

1. It’s gay as fuck…
As a straight white woman, i can’t obviously fully relate to gay stories but it doesn’t stop me trying to seek out these different perspectives. In the same way that I want to read more diversely in 2024, I also want to read more gay stories.

Having diverse characters and stories in literature is crucial for representation. It allows individuals from the LGBTQ+ community to see themselves reflected in stories, fostering a sense of validation and belonging. I want to be apart of that, I see myself as an ally and part of that is highlighting stories such as Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles.

2. A sense of family…
Merciless Waters examines the lives of seven women aboard the ship The Scylla. Captained by Lucinda they travel across the waters of the Adriatic Sea. The women have a mysterious backstory, hinted throughout the opening chapters. The women cannot recall their identity from before Lucinda rescued them.

They all have a shared experience and rely on each other for emotional support. This was probably my favourite aspect of the story – how they all care and look out for each other, a real family connection between the female crew members.

3. The Violence of men…
Whilst sailing the seas of the Adriatic they rescue a man, Reginald, who has become shipwrecked. Immediately Jaq is wary of the man. His story seems to be missing key details They are crew of women, they don’t need an interloper affecting how they do things. Reginald alters the core of the group of women, and witnessing the plot unfold from that point onwards can only be described as experiencing pure, unadulterated feminine rage.

I don’t want to divulge too much but, what Merciless Waters does exceedingly well is the infiltration of a man into a women only space and just how subtle things start to become unravelled. When Jaq’s partner, Lily takes a sexual interest in this man, Jaq vows to extract him from the root.

4. Merciless Waters has an almost brutal poetic prose…
Rae Knowles has created a delicate dance between words, the prose tiptoes along the precipice of poetry,each sentence a carefully crafted stanza. Every moment counts; Knowles doesn’t waste a word; it’s always going somewhere. This is what I love about horror written by women – although the horror is obvious, your journey is steeped in realism.

5. It’s based on the wild sea’s…
Horror stories on the sea have always tapped into something primal in me. I find the idea of the sea terrifying. The vastness of the sea, the potential of something horrific lying in wait – knowing that the sea’s have been explored less than space. Why is that? For me it simply isn’t just about drowning. No, I think there’s far more to fear other than drowning in its icy depths.

Merciless Waters explores the isolation and the vastness of the sea, adding an extra layer of depth into the story of feminine rage. There’s nothing worse than being lost out there – no method of communication, just the inevitability of the end.

[giada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merciless Waters is a horror novella steeped in Slavic folklore, stuck in a timeless setting with an all-female pirate crew as a backdrop to a jealous scorned lover seeking revenge. Oh, yeah, and men die horribly.

I’m a bit at a loss on how to review this novella, because it started so strongly only to dwindle down towards the middle, pick back up again in a flurry and end abruptly; the pacing felt off as well because of the use of the sea serpent as device to bring the plot forward by being the herald of the women’s untold past. (One thing i enjoyed a lot about the snake is the biblical reference, which I don’t know if it was on purpose, but him being the one that shares his knowledge of the truth even though he’s cursed to eternal enmity with women, where he’ll strike at the heel and be crushed for it made it a poetic tale.)
Despite there being different point of views thanks to this device, the narrative voice stays the same (not only is the narration always in first person, but the language and tonal inflection don’t change when they’re told either from the pov of the protagonist or that of the sea krait) - this carries on to the rest of the cast of characters as well, because, apart from a few exceptions, they lack dimension and clear motives; they move only because the narrative tells them to.
This becomes a problem towards the beginning of the third arc, where the women seek revenge for something that they just found out (and that the reader has also just found out) but the intensity of their emotions doesn’t translate to the page, to the point where the culminating scene at the bonfire doesn’t feel like the climax it’s supposed to represent.

There were some things that didn’t make much sense historically/geographically wise: for example how is a person that lives in the Republic of Venice so much of a fervent catholic when it’s a region that has always been anti-clerical? That’s literally where blasphemies were born. And! I won’t believe for a second that the waters of the Adriatic Sea could ever be icy given the temperatures of the Mediterranean in general and the fact that the Adriatic is almost landlocked in particular. The snake itself doesn't follow snake logic in its eating habits. These things are small but they were able to get me out of the narrative, and something that won’t let me suspend my disbelief is not doing great in terms of setting.

Now, let’s talk about the ending. It’s thematically congrous to the novella, and I appreciated the closed circle moment, but it made me realise that the protagonist’s loose morality was what drew me in at first, and see her become more meek and akin to a trusting lamb as the book went on made me lose interest pretty quickly.

Overall I felt it had so much potential that was poorly managed - maybe another couple looks by an editor would have helped bring the story forward.
I’m giving it 2.5 stars, but rounded up because I believe it could deserve a lot more; I’m a bit sad about this, as I saw all the other reviews have been raving about the book.

Access to the ARC acquired thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vengeful queer mermaids? Devouring men? I am positively feral.

[S.A Reidman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed not knowing WTF was going on in the first chapter as little pieces of the tragedy and sea curse come together.

"I wish he would drown.
But the gods will not be so kind" - and we're off.

A crew that has no memory starts remembering and it's all downhill from there.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
As a sucker for melancholic poetic prose, the narration was my catnip. I loved the slow drowning into loss and betrayal, maritime voodoo/magic/bad juju and a pirate crew of women who are living a second life and have no memories of their life before taking over the ship.

Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
You know what - I can accept just about any pirate crew, heck zombies pirates, undead pirates, Davey Jones krakenface pirates or Jack Sparrow hoodwinking everyone - I'm open to all the drama (except those real-life whale-hunting,island burning, turtle starving, turtle eradicating Quaker arseholes from The Essex...) so this crew was mysterious, unique and darn captivating.

Also, what in the hell is Ambrose? A sea snake? Is that what a sea krait is? Like a snake-meets mini dragon? Hold on I need to google some fantasy art - oh it's a snake. And it's not even blue like the sea? Just a snake that would be indistinguishable from it's land brethren if it were up here. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene:
✔️Jaq and Lily's first meal on the Scylla ship. The horror.
✔️Meeting Captsin Rose on the Island-Ship

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “Such a lonely thing, to be lost at sea ” (Lily being cryptic )
🖤 “A deep craving finally satisfied. I see so clearly now the cause.
A simple truth known long to men and only now discovered by womenfolk. We crave violence. So we swallow violent men.” (Jaq on the sustenance of men)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■Rusalka All women crew ...until the interloper
■Reginald is a Dumbass
■ Magic: ship in a bottle with tiny sailors
■Scylla ship and The Orb
■Full Moon Ritual on Deck

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Fantasy Books by 2025

[Neon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press. LLC for this book's ARC.

4 out of 5 stars.


The rusalka (plural: rusalki) is a feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water. Not unlike the Mermaids, said to be dark spirits wronged by men in life, often the reason for their deaths.

I've always been fascinated with sea creatures, whether they're myths or not.

Aboard the ship Scylla, there is no future or past. Jaq, her fickle lover Lily, and their all-female crew exist in an endless present. It's better this way. At least it keeps Lily by Jaq's side, where she belongs. But the meddling gods care little for Jaq's longing, and despite her protective rituals, their punishment arrives all the same.

I found myself confused when I first started reading as we were just thrown into the middle of it all, with no real oast or introduction to the world or characters. It took me to 50% or more of the book to actually catch on to what was going on, what our girls were and weren't and how everything got this way.

However, once questions started getting answered I caught on and I was able to enjoy this for what it was.

I only really liked one character and that was the snake, Ambrose.

Although, this was a fresh read, I wouldn't pick it up again as I didn't connect with it enough.

[Mish Mash Succotash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This spooky, Sapphic pirate story grabbed me from the first page. I was quickly drawn in by Jaq's obsession with her lover Lily which felt very fresh and frankly pretty uncomfortable-- I was captured by this interesting relationship and felt a lot of investment in it despite Lily being (I believe, intentionally) pretty selfish and unlikable. Jaq's continued efforts to rid the ship of Lily's new toy and win back her affection were equal parts amusing, sad, and understandable.

I genuinely felt like I was reading something unique throughout this novella. Knowles does a stellar job of building atmosphere and ambiance, and there were some truly stunning scenes. I enjoyed peeling back the veil on the crew's backstories and learning more about the world. But most of all, I loved the feminine rage woven into the myth of Rusalka.

I wish that there had been more diversity between the POVs, especially the sea krait, and I did feel like the narrative started to fumble a bit once they went ashore. But overall, I think this is definitely worth a read, especially at just around 200 pages. And just look at that cover. Stunning.

[Senka Heksum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merciless Waters is such a fresh read! An absolute must for lovers of folklore and feminine rage!

I adore folk horror but it so often is "a remote village with a secret… The secret is a cult." That is not at all what you are getting with this book. As a folktale enthusiast, I enjoyed so many details that went into the story. Knowles blends myth with her own imagination in a seamless and intriguing way. I may have giggled with delight at a few points, and flipped (digital) pages anxiously at others. By design, horror has to hurt at least a little but the author isn't heartless. The love interest in Merciless Waters, on the other hand…


(I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an incredible read, so beautifully written full of feminine rage, folklore, saphic romance, and revenge.
100% one of my favourite reads of 2023.

[Stephanie Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just a fantastic story of love and revenge. I found it all consuming as I could not put it down! The love story was so touching and the feminine rage was spot on. Classic. Loved it!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐

TW
Ritualistic animal harm, sexual content, murder, violence, homophobia, violence against women

First of all, thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
"Merciless Waters" is a sapphic horror novella that follows a crew of women and it is filled with female rage and jealousy.

I liked the concept and setting and how the author portrayed female rage.
However, I didn't really connect with the characters much. That is probably due to the short length of the story.

[Mickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love me some feminine rage stories! Merciless Waters is a sapphic, Slavic mythology inspired horror about jilted lovers, grief, revenge, and sisterhood. Oddly. I really quite enjoyed this but would’ve loved if the story was more expansive.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Merciless Waters in exchange for an honest review!

[Sam Hirst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. The prose was lush and I like the dark themes, the slow revelations, the twisted passions and affections. And all the sapphic mermaids eating people, of course.

[FantasyBookNerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darkly evocative, Merciless Waters tells the story of Jaq, Lily and the seven-woman crew of the Scylla. A ship that travels through the waters of the Adriatic, captained by the enigmatic captain Lucinda.

One day, whilst sailing the seas of the Adriatic, the Scylla rescues Reginald who is for some reason shipwrecked. What they don’t bargain for is that Reginald will irrevocably change their lives for ever. As the man becomes more ensconced on the ship, Jaq’s lover, Lily has a dalliance with the man and this subsequently brings with it something that that they could not foretell. The bringing of memory that breaks through their endless present, and how they happened to aboard the Scylla, that ultimately leads to thoughts of revenge.

With an almost dreamlike, fairytale quality, Rae Knowles’ Merciless Waters is a sapphic and feminine novel about rage and the violence of men.

Like Reginald lost at sea, the reader is buffeted with a general disorientation with the story and the how the plot unfolds. But like a flower, the story opens up to its main vista as we learn the story of how the various women came to be aboard the Scylla.

From the very first page, I was entranced by Knowles’s lyrical prose as she tells the story of various women aboard the Scylla and the events leading up to them being aboard Scylla. I loved Knowle’s prose as she magically traverses the lines between erotic to soul destroying.

In addition to this, she effectively incorporates Slavic folklore that weaves a spell on the reader.

This book took me by surprise with its intensity, strangeness and beautiful prose.

[Alannah Cossey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honoured to have received a digital ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

I love to see queer characters that are flawed and have bite. Rae has achieved something quite difficult - curated complex characters that you can't help but feel intensely for. They are so readable and I can't help but cheer them on in their quests for revenge, love and lust. There are beautifully crafted moments throughout that brought tears to my eyes and had my heart in my throat. Also, passionate love scenes between women, created through the female gaze and not a cliche in sight?! Perfection.

[Siobhan MW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of the book!

While a little confusing at times, this was an intriguing read that kept me hooked. The mystery of the characters' beginnings unraveled nicely as the story went on, and I enjoyed the prose. However, the end was a little abrupt and unsatisfying, leaving me a little confused.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely devoured this (iykyk)!! The stories of these women were absolutely heartbreaking and I love that this is not a story of love, but of revenge. I love books with female rage, and this one is jam packed with it! It is beautifully written and Rae Knowles does an amazing job of creating complex characters in such a short novel.

I hate Lily with a burning passion. But she is written so gosh darn well that my emotions towards her are only heightened! The relationship between her and Jaq was both sweet and maddening, and although I wish the story had ended differently, it was just as shocking and emotionally charged as the rest of the book!

This book’s plot is incredible. It is a story of sisterhood, freedom and, most importantly, vengeance, and I loved the subtle humour throughout. This book is not for the weak of heart, but I would absolutely recommend giving this quick but powerful read a go.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first - I'd like to draw your attention to this absolutely stunning front cover!
Oh...you were already drawn, you say?
What an absolute masterpiece it is!
Definitely one that I'd be grabbing off the shelves for a better look!

We join the crew of all female pirates aboard the Scylla for this fantastic journey, which sees Jaq, Lily and the rest going about their daily lives on board.
But one day, those pesky gods decide to send a trial and temptation for our ladies - in the form of a man!

This story was an absolute thrill! I was not expecting anything like this (you know I don't read blurbs by now!) - and I loved it!

The characters just jumped off the page and I loved them all the more for their darkness, rage and passion.

Once again, I'm fascinated by the idea that things that we take for granted in this world - for example, here, memory - are explained through stories of this kind, originating with the gods meddling and creating situations like we have here.

This is just a short story - super fast-paced and easy to read. I devoured this in one sitting with my lunch!
But I could easily have read this as a much longer and more devloped novel too.

A really enjoyable read that is well written and flows beautifully - can't wait to read more from this author.

[Hannah Finkelstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full honesty - I was interested in this book initially because of the incredible cover art. I'd never read Rae Knowles before, but this is their second book. Merciless Waters is set in a fantasy time, but feels kind of regency era in its language and the clothing described.

This book is not only a vividly written literary horror book, it also features a beautiful sapphic romance. I'm more of a romance reader than a horror one and found the romance between Lily and Jaq to be filled with small moments that really made for a rich and well rounded relationship storyline.

This was a nice, and relatively quick read if you're looking for a break from what you're used to! Thank you to #NetGalley for letting check out an advanced copy and for introducing me to this new-to-me author!

[Lauren Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s start by appreciating this cover! 😍

What a fantastically weird book! This story was very out there and different and I could not stop reading! This book gave off lady Pirate vibes and feminine rage, which I was all for! Then a man boards the ship and all hell breaks loose…

Jaq’s obsession with Lily was a bit OTT at the start of the story and I was a bit wary but as the rest of the story unfolded, her feelings became clearer and their mystical romance. Some steamy scenes and some gory scenes too!

I read this book so quick and felt like I wanted more, definitely feel the book could have been longer or there could be more to come from Jaq’s and the crew!

A fantastic short story!

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We crave violence. So we swallow violent men.”

Poetic, descriptive, feminine rage. Toxic, sapphic love. Tore my heart out and stomped on it.

I didn’t see the ending coming, it was perfect.

I received this arc in exchange for a review 🤗

[Ed Crocker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rae Knowles will already be familiar to many horror fans thanks to the critically acclaimed tale of psychological horror, murder and insanity that was her debut The Stradivarius earlier this year.

She returns with a very different but equally compelling and lyrically stunning take of sapphic rage, love, loss and revenge that will make you love snakes and think very differently (perhaps) about decayed flesh.

Merciless Waters has a simple concept at its core: a ship, named the Scylla, crewed entirely by women in (what feels like?) an 18th century-style world, picks up a shipwrecked man, who proceeds to sow havoc into their tight-knit group when one of the women takes a liking to him, to the dismay of her lover. Within that simple plot spirals off a series of mysteries, from the true identity of the women – a puzzle box of gods, myth and dark magic that is best left to the reader to decode rather than give it away here – and a tale of revenge when the presence of the man starts to reveal the crew’s former memories, leaving them with the desire to right the wrongs done to them in their former lives.

There is a clear theme of the impact of toxic men into female spaces, and I have no doubt that if this novella gets the popularity it deserves, at some point an angry white BMW-owning man in his 50s will leave a 1-star Goodreads review decrying the “feminist propaganda” of this tale. But like all good authors, Knowles has a multitude of things to imply here, and this is just as much a novella about the cost of knowledge and revenge, and the dilemma those who have been wronged must face when facing their own rage and injustice and deciding how to respond to it.

Helping these themes come alive is the power of Knowles’ prose, which is a molten liquid cocktail of rage, lyricism, revenge, terror, desire and poignancy injected straight into your veins. Take this:

We call them to us, these vicious things. Wasps, snakes, birds of prey. They feel the venom within us and understand Scylla is a home for such things.

Or this:

I’ve never felt so full, so nourished. A deep craving finally satisfied. I see so clearly now the cause. A simple truth known long to men and only now discovered by womenfolk. We crave violence. So we swallow violent men.

The world of the Scylla is an ecosystem of venomous women (venomous not meant in the derisory sense but in the very real sense, although the co-opting of the idea of venom from the zeitgeist is key to Knowles’ writing here) and venomous creatures; a sort of hazy, genial, frequently terrifying limbo of things associated with death being given vivid life. My personal favourite example of this was Ambrose, the stylishly intelligent snake, who has a sad tale of his own and stole both the show and my heart.

This is also a tale mired in myth and legend; the strong Slavic and Greek influences and plotlines will be clear to those who love such things and Knowles entwines various myths of wronged women to make a book that sits astride multiple mythologies, with the unifying theme of the rage of the scorned and abused and the consequences of this.

It would be remiss of me to pretend that, as a straight white man who is treated by society like Elon Musk is treated by the UK Prime Minister, this book was the same experience for me as other readers (and if you’re reading this, angry white BMW man from earlier, this is not virtue signalling, just mundane fact). This is the way of books; if you’ve never worried about how you’re going to pay your next bill, then there will forever be a part of George Orwell’s definitive lesson on poverty “Down and Out in Paris and London�� that is obscured from you.

But the sign of a great author is that those who have never felt (some of) the emotions described within can nonetheless be given an insight into such feelings in the time they spend in the pages. As for those who really have spent time in very real merciless waters? I can only imagine how much this will resonate. This is the kind of toxic tale you need to experience.