what a stunning book!! owens' writing is so beautiful and lyrical, her descriptions are so physical and it really brings the setting to life. the marsh is so atmospheric and has such a character of its own, i loved it. this sprawling account of kya's life and love for the marsh is so beautiful and completely deserves its accolades.

kya was such a wonderful main character to follow, she is so sympathetic and her resilience made me love her so much, it is so so easy to root for her. all the characters feel believable, jumpin and mabel have a little place in my heart, we love a lil found family moment.

the dual timelines took a little while to cross, and i was more invested in kya's timeline than the murder mystery angle, but both were interesting. the mystery aspect was less urgent and prevalent than i was expecting, and the murder actually ended up being less important. i liked the final 'twist' a lot, it was somehow unexpected while also entirely obvious. overall a very lovely book with an incredibly well-developed and atmospheric world.