Book Review | The Water Child by Mathew West - A Beautifully Haunting Thriller

Ever since I finished reading The House of Footsteps, Wests debut novel, I have been so excited for his next book. You always hear authors explaining how its harder for them to write / publish their second book as readers have an expectation that was not there with their first book; but I am so glad to say West lived up to all my expectations. 

Cecilia Lamb knew being a sea captain’s wife would mean a life of waiting and scanning the horizon for her husband’s ship. But John has been gone longer than any voyage should last. Everyone else has given up hope of his return. But she knows in her bones that he is not lost. Gone, but not lost. 

Along with that feeling is another sense - that something darker is coming. As she sickens, she doesn’t know what the next tide will bring - but she begins to fear as well as crave her husband’s homecoming. 

Soon, even on dry land, Cecilia can feel the pull of the ocean at her feet, the movement of the tides within her. Warning, seduction or promise, she cannot tell, but one thing is certain - the sea holds many mysteries, and some belong to the deep for good reasons. 

The Water Child is a beautifully haunting tale that will make you feel a range of emotions: happiness, sadness, worry, scared, to name a few. I completely devoured this book within two days and embraced every emotion along the way, and never once felt overwhelmed. 

West has an incredible talent for atmospheric and place descriptions, he effortlessly manages to get you lost within the pages whilst your imagination to conjures up all the characters and surroundings. The level of detail in the descriptions really show how much research West puts into his stories, I feel like I’ve walked amongst the streets of Portugal 1754.

I cannot wait to see what West does next, I have certainly found my new go to author! Thank you Random Things Tours and Harper North for having me on the blog tour, means a lot!