A Magic Deep and Drowning: A Novel [Paperback]

Set in the waning days of the Dutch Golden Age, this enchanting, lush reimagining ofThe Little Mermaidis perfect for fans of Jesse Burton’sThe Miniaturistand Leigh Bardugo’sThe Familiar.

The Dutch Republic, 1650. One fine spring day in Friesland, twenty-year-old Clara van Wieren is faced with an ill omen: a whale, beached and rotting in the noonday sun. But Clara doesn’t believe in magic and superstition, and this portent is quickly dismissed when a proposal from a wealthy merchant arrives, promising Clara the freedom she seeks from her mother’s overbearing rule.

When her attempts at overseeing the household at the family’s estate lead to her chance encounter with a young man with russet hair and sparkling eyes the color of the sea, she finds herself strangely drawn to him. As Clara grows closer to Maurits, she must choose between the steady, gentle life she has been raised for and the man who makes her blood sing.

But Maurits isn’t who he seems to be, and his secrets, once hidden beneath the waves, threaten to rise up and drown them both. And when an ancient bargain, forged in blood between the mythical people of the sea and the rulers of the land, begins to unravel, Clara finds herself at the heart of a deadly struggle for power.US"Layered with rich allegorical meaning, A Magic Deep and Drowning is a sword of truth for the times we live in...couched in a darkly effervescent fairytale." —Paulette Kennedy, author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport

"A gorgeous direction for Hester Fox, translating her skills for dreamy historical gothics to a fairy tale that honors the original folklore while inventing a new story dripping in golden hues, Shakespearean pining, and exciting fantasy."
-Agatha Andrews, host of the She Wore Black Podcast onA Magic Deep and Drowning

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