The Wicked Deep

Content Overview

Overall Content
Severity
2.2

Language

3.4/10

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

2.0/10

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

2.2/10

Violence, Weapons, Blood, Crime

1.8/10

Potentially Intense Themes

1.5/10

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Wicked Deep

Shea Ernshaw

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow…

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

Am I ok with that ending? I think I’m ok. But the #openlybookedbookclub is making me doubt my satisfaction. 

Why? Well, this is a book about ghosts (kinda) and witches (kinda) and a history of a town that is tragic. Why the kinda? You’d have to read it! 

The intrigue of the book kept me going. I liked learning about the history, I liked Penny as the MC and I liked Bo. He was mysterious and endearing. 

It was easy to get wrapped up in the mystery of it all and the twist was fabulous enough that I don’t think most would guess it. Even guessing it, I wanted to know more info and more story. 

The content summary: low language but includes 14 F words, there is kissing and sex but the sex is somewhat vague.

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***- 14

H***- 8

S***- 7

A**- 5

B****-

D***-

Bas****-

Religious Cursing

J****-

Chr***-

G**- 3

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

An end of the year party is always full of booze for high schoolers. Most get too drunk to remember the party. 

At a party, two young women are inebriated. A beer is passed to two young women. One takes a sip. A bottle of whiskey is passed around to many. More beer and whiskey is consumed and a young woman likes the warm floaty feeling. A young man sips a beer. They are all very drunk. 

Two young women regularly sneak beer and wine from parents. 

A young man is very drunk at a party. 

A young woman and young man bring wine to a young woman. The young woman is already swaying in her feet, intoxicated. They share a bottle between 4 teens. 

A story tells of teen sisters drinking wine at a tavern. 

Teens steal wine and beer from their parents for a party. A few are making cocktails and getting drunk quickly. A few young women laugh and fall over. A young man is so drunk he doesn’t realize his cigarette isn’t lit as he smokes it. 

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

*No LGBTQ+ aspects included*

A young woman kisses a young man. 

A woman “lewdly dabbed perfume between her thighs to entice her lovers.”

A young woman kisses a young man, crushing her lips to him. 

A young woman changes out of wet clothes into a young man’s boxers and shirt. 

A young man kisses a young woman, it’s passionate and full of longing. 

A young woman and young man kiss, she runs her hands through his hair and up his shirt. His fingers trace her hips, thighs and heart. He kisses her throat and beneath her shirt so she peels it off. “… on the floor… flecks of light in my vision… after…skin shimmering from sweat…” Sex is vague. Two days go by while they stay in a cottage together. 

A young woman and young man kiss.

A young woman crushes her lips to a man.

“Nightly…hands pressed to skin and tangled in each other’s hair; bodies formed as one…” no more details. 

“His lips had pressed against her flesh…”

Women stripped 3 women of their clothes to see birthmarks. 

A young woman and young man kiss.

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

Three young women, believed to be witches, were thrown into the sea with rocks tied to their ankles. It goes through the experience from one girls perspective, being arrested, the trial, and being shoved overboard.

A young man shoves a young man, knocking him into the water. 

A curse bring 3 young women from the water where they take over young women’s bodies and drown at least 3 young men. This happens yearly. 

A young woman is zip tied and gagged for allegedly drowning two people. She is kept tied up for days. 

A young woman lures a young man into the water and kisses him while drowns. 

A man talks of killing 3 young women. 

A man holds a knife to a young woman’s throat. 

A man holds a knife to a young woman’s throat. 

A young woman hits a man with a mooring hook and he plunges into the water and dies. 

Potentially Intense Themes

A father has gone missing. 

A group of teens finds the body of a young man floating in the water. 

A young woman can see a ghost inhabiting a young woman’s body.  She sees another. 

Two more bodies have been found in the water. 

A young man tells of his brother previously drowning. 

**SPOILER** A young man tries to save a young woman from drowning and dies. 

A young woman jumps into water and drowns. 

A young man pulls a young woman out of the water and performs resuscitations. 

A man sees three young women drowned in water and pulls their bodies in his boat. 

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

4 Comments

  1. I still think some of our theories were way better 😅😅 I’m indifferent on the ending but some of the twists had me like…. damn… 🤣

  2. Sex is vague but the ghost used the girls body to do it while her consciousness was pulled aside, totally nonconsentable. Also I thought the two+ epilogues were ridiculous I mean it’s a ghost ha ha such a weird book

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