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Girl Out of Water
Awkward know-it-all Tabitha Slate was born and raised in Seattle. Her life consists of Friday night fights with her family for the remote control, her crappy minimum wage job, and convincing her sisters that collecting action figures doesn't disqualify her from being Black or a girl.
Then Tabitha blunders into the Wardein, those sworn to police the supernatural hybrids and legendary creatures of the city. She reluctantly abandons her dreams of being the popular girl on her new campus, to adopt a position of power in a hidden world with a dangerous learning curve.
When a physicist that uses Seattle's population for monstrous experiments wants Tabitha as the next subject, Tabitha has to accept the darkness she's capable of, or lose everything.
Then Tabitha blunders into the Wardein, those sworn to police the supernatural hybrids and legendary creatures of the city. She reluctantly abandons her dreams of being the popular girl on her new campus, to adopt a position of power in a hidden world with a dangerous learning curve.
When a physicist that uses Seattle's population for monstrous experiments wants Tabitha as the next subject, Tabitha has to accept the darkness she's capable of, or lose everything.
- GenresFantasyHorrorYoung Adult
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2014
22 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
About the author
Winifred Burton
6 books19 followersWinifred Burton (she/her/hers) is a Midwestern granddaughter of the Great Migration (by way of Mississippi). She ricocheted around the United States for years before wandering off to Norway, for no other reason than that she could. She loves power ballads, lush temperate rainforests, and is often fascinated by random minutiae. She writes quirky, genre blending speculative fiction that ranges from “what is the least likely paranormal explanation for this event?” to “desperately trying to fix the gaping wound of the human condition with technology, but it’s not going so well.” You can find her at winifredburton.com or @AuthorWinifred on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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February 1, 2014Thanks for checking out Girl Out of Water. I had a lot of fun writing it. I don't know that the world demanded a mashup of cryptozoology, physics, identity politics, moody weather, mythology, and angst, but that's the story I felt compelled to tell. Also? mermaids who chain smoke are fun.
I'm an independent author and I appreciate the time you take to read my work.
I'm an independent author and I appreciate the time you take to read my work.
October 22, 2022
really loved this eclectic and fascinating fantasy about 2 uncommon female characters, both struggling to make sense of their world in extremely different ways. wont give anything away so I'll just leave it at that! great read and looking forward to reading the sequel!
January 22, 2026
This was an entertaining first-in-series entry that focuses on establishing worldbuilding and characters for an alternate reality Seattle where supernatural shenanigans lurk just below the surface. Our heroine, Tabitha, is both excited and nervous to be moving away from her close-knit family to establish some independence and freedom while attending college. After a harrowing apartment search, she stumbles upon a room listing in a gorgeous old mansion that seems too good to be true. Its owner happens to be on fire when Tabitha first meets her, and things only get weirder from there. Secret societies, newly-discovered powers, and plenty of danger (alongside the typical college angst of dealing with roommates, love interests, family expectations, work, and classes) soon complicate Tabitha's life to the breaking point.
The book's other point of view follows Irene, a brilliant scientist with an overbearing and abusive mother, a penchant for solitary night swims in a polluted river, and the deadly magical power of unmaking anything that annoys her. She is an intriguing villain as her most terrible deeds seem to stem mostly from a clinically detached interest in discovering the limits of her powers as well as dissecting how other talented magic wielders tick (often to their detriment). I thought protagonist and antagonist were an interesting juxtaposition as they seem to be two sides of the same coin. Both are introverted and awkward around other people, extraordinarily smart and analytical, and skeptical of attempts to enlist them into the larger supernatural conflicts at play. The main difference is that Tabitha cares deeply about what happens to the people around her while Irene could not care less.
Readers' enjoyment of the story may depend on how well they understand Tabitha's thought process. Some may find her ready acceptance of the hidden world around her hard to swallow but I felt like it was in character for someone who approaches things in a scientific way and believes the evidence of her own eyes. Some of the plot feels rushed or glossed over but I think that is because the author is attempting to establish the larger world and characters, always a daunting task for any fantasy series. There is a lot of plain exposition, but also some very lovely language and evocative turns of phrase. Overall, this book creates a fascinating world with a feisty and smart heroine, and I am definitely curious to see how the series develops now that the main parameters have been set. This is a good one for readers who enjoy finding fresh takes on some familiar fantasy themes with a diverse cast of characters, unique setting, and some unforgettable horror scenes.
(Content warnings for attempted SA, body horror, gore, emotional abuse, murder)
The book's other point of view follows Irene, a brilliant scientist with an overbearing and abusive mother, a penchant for solitary night swims in a polluted river, and the deadly magical power of unmaking anything that annoys her. She is an intriguing villain as her most terrible deeds seem to stem mostly from a clinically detached interest in discovering the limits of her powers as well as dissecting how other talented magic wielders tick (often to their detriment). I thought protagonist and antagonist were an interesting juxtaposition as they seem to be two sides of the same coin. Both are introverted and awkward around other people, extraordinarily smart and analytical, and skeptical of attempts to enlist them into the larger supernatural conflicts at play. The main difference is that Tabitha cares deeply about what happens to the people around her while Irene could not care less.
Readers' enjoyment of the story may depend on how well they understand Tabitha's thought process. Some may find her ready acceptance of the hidden world around her hard to swallow but I felt like it was in character for someone who approaches things in a scientific way and believes the evidence of her own eyes. Some of the plot feels rushed or glossed over but I think that is because the author is attempting to establish the larger world and characters, always a daunting task for any fantasy series. There is a lot of plain exposition, but also some very lovely language and evocative turns of phrase. Overall, this book creates a fascinating world with a feisty and smart heroine, and I am definitely curious to see how the series develops now that the main parameters have been set. This is a good one for readers who enjoy finding fresh takes on some familiar fantasy themes with a diverse cast of characters, unique setting, and some unforgettable horror scenes.
(Content warnings for attempted SA, body horror, gore, emotional abuse, murder)
May 9, 2017
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Girl Out of Water was a kind of strange book for me. There were some moments when I was totally enthralled and completely interested in what was going on, but then there were other moments when I zoned out a bit. I'm not entirely sure why that happened because for the most part the descriptions and characterisations in this book were great. Sometimes it was a bit slow getting to the action which was maybe why I zoned out, but I understand that because this book was about Tabitha's first steps into this new world and throwing her right into the action would be cruel and unrealistic. Nevertheless, I'd have liked some more stand out moments. In terms of setting up a story to be carried on throughout a series, this book is great because it offers detailed description and shows amazing growth in the protagonist, Tabitha. I just could have done with a little bit more show than tell.
The characters were one of this books greatest strengths for me. Tabitha was feisty and sassy, but at the same time she was scared after being thrown in at the deep end and she was worried about her future and she was falling for a probably unsuitable boy. She was strong and independent but flawed, and I appreciate seeing that in lead characters because it makes them seem real. Tabitha's mentor, Amelia, was also interesting and yet flawed and I really liked that too. In a lot of books I've read, mentors are incredibly wise and supportive all the time and the protagonist idolises them. To see a different kind of relationship between Tabitha and Amelia was very interesting. I also loved Sidney and Bambi as Tabitha's room mates and best friends, and I think that the stories that developed with them were very interesting. I loved the dynamic between Tabitha's family as it completely reminded me of an ordinary family, and I thought that the return visit she paid them towards the end of the book was excellently placed to show the change in her character. The other Wardein and also the Shoal completely fascinated me, and Irene was an absolutely brilliant antagonist. I'm intrigued by all of the characters and, as characterisation is my favourite part of any story, I enjoyed the overall book because of its characters.
Overall, I'd say this novel is mostly positive. There was great characterisation, a very unique and interesting plot and several quotations that made me sit up and say 'I wish I'd thought of that'. As a debut novel, I feel that Girl Out of Water shows a lot of potential and I'd be intrigued in reading more from this author. A promising starter with a few little tweaks needed to make it excellent.
Girl Out of Water was a kind of strange book for me. There were some moments when I was totally enthralled and completely interested in what was going on, but then there were other moments when I zoned out a bit. I'm not entirely sure why that happened because for the most part the descriptions and characterisations in this book were great. Sometimes it was a bit slow getting to the action which was maybe why I zoned out, but I understand that because this book was about Tabitha's first steps into this new world and throwing her right into the action would be cruel and unrealistic. Nevertheless, I'd have liked some more stand out moments. In terms of setting up a story to be carried on throughout a series, this book is great because it offers detailed description and shows amazing growth in the protagonist, Tabitha. I just could have done with a little bit more show than tell.
The characters were one of this books greatest strengths for me. Tabitha was feisty and sassy, but at the same time she was scared after being thrown in at the deep end and she was worried about her future and she was falling for a probably unsuitable boy. She was strong and independent but flawed, and I appreciate seeing that in lead characters because it makes them seem real. Tabitha's mentor, Amelia, was also interesting and yet flawed and I really liked that too. In a lot of books I've read, mentors are incredibly wise and supportive all the time and the protagonist idolises them. To see a different kind of relationship between Tabitha and Amelia was very interesting. I also loved Sidney and Bambi as Tabitha's room mates and best friends, and I think that the stories that developed with them were very interesting. I loved the dynamic between Tabitha's family as it completely reminded me of an ordinary family, and I thought that the return visit she paid them towards the end of the book was excellently placed to show the change in her character. The other Wardein and also the Shoal completely fascinated me, and Irene was an absolutely brilliant antagonist. I'm intrigued by all of the characters and, as characterisation is my favourite part of any story, I enjoyed the overall book because of its characters.
Overall, I'd say this novel is mostly positive. There was great characterisation, a very unique and interesting plot and several quotations that made me sit up and say 'I wish I'd thought of that'. As a debut novel, I feel that Girl Out of Water shows a lot of potential and I'd be intrigued in reading more from this author. A promising starter with a few little tweaks needed to make it excellent.
November 22, 2014
I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads Program in exchange for an unbiased review.
Girl out of Water brings the reader into a world right under our noses but we never noticed, with a host of interesting characters, in particular the quirky Tabitha, our protagonist, and her friends Sydney and Bambi.
I really enjoyed the magical world Burton had built up, but I wish we got to learn more about it. Most of the time Tabitha was being kept in the dark and I'm surprised how quickly she adapted to it without knowing much about it. Irene as well didn't quite understand her powers or the world of magic around her, having been left on her own to figure it out.
I loved the fact that one character is an unbalanced physicist and the other is a little bookish with an odd sense of fashion who doesn't quite fit in. While Tabitha was easy to like, Irene was psychopathic, she had no redeeming features, she just killed for no apparently reason other than it was a way to deal with things that bothered her, absolutely no feelings for the people around her. While this is a valid psychological condition, it just made her so evil that she lost depth (meaning there's no background story, she just seems to have been born this way)
I think the main reason I gave 3 stars instead of 4 was the lack of editing. Now I always give independently published book some leeway (after all, professionally edited/published books have typos too) but I have to take marks off when the errors actually make it hard to figure out what is going on. At times words would be missing from a sentence, leading to complete confusion, and I found it was often hard to tell which character was talking at any moment in time. At times I felt even entire sections were missing, Tabitha went from being completely unaware of her powers to understanding magic, without her either being told or her sitting down and thinking it through.
But this world has a huge amount of promise and I could see this expanding into a very rich and complex series.
Girl out of Water brings the reader into a world right under our noses but we never noticed, with a host of interesting characters, in particular the quirky Tabitha, our protagonist, and her friends Sydney and Bambi.
I really enjoyed the magical world Burton had built up, but I wish we got to learn more about it. Most of the time Tabitha was being kept in the dark and I'm surprised how quickly she adapted to it without knowing much about it. Irene as well didn't quite understand her powers or the world of magic around her, having been left on her own to figure it out.
I loved the fact that one character is an unbalanced physicist and the other is a little bookish with an odd sense of fashion who doesn't quite fit in. While Tabitha was easy to like, Irene was psychopathic, she had no redeeming features, she just killed for no apparently reason other than it was a way to deal with things that bothered her, absolutely no feelings for the people around her. While this is a valid psychological condition, it just made her so evil that she lost depth (meaning there's no background story, she just seems to have been born this way)
I think the main reason I gave 3 stars instead of 4 was the lack of editing. Now I always give independently published book some leeway (after all, professionally edited/published books have typos too) but I have to take marks off when the errors actually make it hard to figure out what is going on. At times words would be missing from a sentence, leading to complete confusion, and I found it was often hard to tell which character was talking at any moment in time. At times I felt even entire sections were missing, Tabitha went from being completely unaware of her powers to understanding magic, without her either being told or her sitting down and thinking it through.
But this world has a huge amount of promise and I could see this expanding into a very rich and complex series.
March 17, 2025
In this indie, urban fantasy there's science-based magic, a grueling apartment search, and skinny dipping in a polluted river. Read my blog post for my full review: https://thistleverse4.wordpress.com/2...
March 8, 2014
I adored getting to know Tabitha, a really powerful female character with snark to spare. This book has everything a good story requires - physics, fantasy, fight scenes, and jokes about Seattle. Highly recommended - 4 and a half stars.
May 27, 2014
Feisy lead with a weird but wonderous setting.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews