There's something opulent about receiving this ARC by the publisher while I'm traveling across the Pacific shoreline that makes me feel like I could be fading between here and the other.

Pirates, magic, and fading in and out between worlds - Dark Water Daughter opens in a 17th century world with secret Stormsinger, Mary, facing her imminent death on the gallows, in a worst-case mistaken identity.  A Dandy fellow on the gallows offers her a taste of freedom if she can create a distraction so they may escape. Refusing to have her story end as fast as it opened, she finally uses her long hidden power to call a storm to bring their escape. Tearing to the shoreline, she is offered the choice to hit the water or take her chances in the woods. Taking the hand of a conman, she enters into a world of cruelty, adventure, and a cat and mouse game on the high seas.

Thumb up: My first exposure to Long was knocked out of the park by "Dark Water Daughter" and it was a cruel, epic, and rip-roaring adventure filled with pirates, magic, and betrayal.

Thumbs down: It did take a bit for me to find my footing with the storyline, I am also still left my head scratching at how traveling through the Other works. However, this is a great world that I thoroughly enjoyed with a mix of otherworldly creatures, a fun magic system, and a cast of swashbuckling grey characters.

Was it a nail biter? A beautiful escape that I can truly picture as I stare out at the sea. 4/5 ⭐!