I so badly wanted to like this book. And I think the reason why I didn't was because, based on title and summary, I was expecting an urban fantasy but what I got was more of a literary drama.

I knew, based on the title alone, what was going on with Kathleen. And yet, it didn't come out in the plot until 1/2 through the book. And then, the characters didn't start acting on that new knowledge right away. They were presented with a problem, then let it sit there and didn't try to find a way out. The only time I actually got interested and curious in a what's-gonna-happen way was the last few chapters. And I will admit I did not see that ending at all and that I loved it.

But the book moved slow to me, filled with characters analyzing other characters, a lot of thinking about the situation or trying not to think about it. Kathleen is fairly passive through a lot of this, despite it being her life. And it's not that situations remove her agency - she chooses not to take it and leave that to her girlfriend and father. On a personal level, that bugged me.

Most of the 'action' is done by Harry and Robin, doing things for Kathleen. For themselves. Making decisions and pushing projects they think will help.

This book did have its moments for me. Robin's talking about creating operas and the description of music throughout the book swept me away. I loved the sea witches, in their snippets between chapters, and the magic they worked with.

But I'm not a drama person - the study of how people relate to each other, how they feel about a situation, is not my preferred type of story. I wanted more fantasy here than I got and I'll admit what pushed me through this was the desire to simply finish it and the idea of "lesbian mermaids". Not that I really got that either.