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Until We Drown
- Author
- Ava Morwood
- Narrator
- Ellena Vincent
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 9 April 2026
- Run Time
- 9 hours 22 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
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What to expect
When Ellie Kellaway and her family seek a fresh start in the tranquil Peak District, she hopes to leave behind her haunting memories of the sea – and of Ethan’s affair with the younger, beautiful wild swimmer he met there.
But Ellie’s new home harbours dark secrets, where ancient legends of mermaids intertwine with chilling realities. As eerie occurrences unfurl, Libby, the youngest, is drawn to a grotesque mermaid carving hidden in their house. Strange sightings of a mysterious woman outside only deepen Ellie's unease. And when their dog Jasper goes missing, the family's descent into darkness accelerates.
As more ominous tales and truths rise to the surface, it becomes clear that the mermaid's curse might be real. Ellie’s family is fast becoming entangled in a web of betrayal and vengeance, which threatens to drown them all…
This spine-tingling novel is a suspenseful twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s dark tale The Little Mermaid, where love, loss, and the lure of the water collide in a terrifying crescendo.
Perfect for fans of The Last House on Needless Street and Stephen King.
Critics Review
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PRAISE FOR UNTIL WE DROWN
'A slippery dreamlike psychological thriller woven through with folklore and otherworldliness, Until We Drown will have you gasping for breath before it lets you go. Bravo!' SARAH PINBOROUGH
'When folklore and reality collide; I will never look at a body of water in the same way again.' JACKIE KABLER
‘Until We Drown haunts you for long after the final page. Dark and eerie, I found myself holding my breath on so many occasions!’ NATALIE CHANDLER
'Ava Morwood bleeds the weird into the everyday. Morwood weaves old tales of thoughtless bargains and betrayals into a stylishly noir novel. Wonderful, haunting, and unexpected.' A.G. SLATTER
'I never wanted it to end. Enthralling, moving, both satisfyingly real and majestically imaginative. Superb.' S.P. MISKOWSKI
'A siren song that draws you willingly into a brutal, beautiful world of watery myths … a perfect fairytale –– hypnotic, lyrical and ultimately horrific. I loved it, and I won't stop thinking about those last couple of chapters for a long time.' TIM LEBBON
'Full of twisting and delicious undercurrents.' PRIYA SHARMA
'Beautifully crafted and exquisitely written, Until We Drown is not only a masterful psychological thriller but a haunting and powerful fairytale that lingers long after the last page.' ALEX NORTH
***
PRAISE FOR AVA MORWOOD‘Exquisite, sharply observed prose brings out the eerie in the everyday, and makes the fantastical seem natural’ CATRIONA WARD
‘Dark but satisfying, like the best chocolate’ ELLY GRIFFITHS
‘Reads like a timeless classic of the genre’ GUARDIAN
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Ava Morwood
- Narrator
- Ellena Vincent
- Duration
- 9 hours 22 minutes
- Release Date
- 9 April 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008724689
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Thriller / suspense fiction, Psychological thriller, Contemporary horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Sea stories, Fairy and Folk tales / Fairy tale retellings, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Horror, ghost stories and supernatural fiction, Dark fantasy, Fiction: gothic
Synopsis
Hold your breath, the truth will surface… When Ellie Kellaway and her family seek a fresh start in the tranquil Peak District, she hopes to leave behind her haunting memories of the sea – and of Ethan’s affair with the younger, beautiful wild swimmer he met there. But Ellie’s new home harbours dark secrets, where ancient legends of mermaids intertwine with chilling realities. As eerie occurrences unfurl, Libby, the youngest, is drawn to a grotesque mermaid carving hidden in their house. Strange sightings of a mysterious woman outside only deepen Ellie's unease. And when their dog Jasper goes missing, the family's descent into darkness accelerates. As more ominous tales and truths rise to the surface, it becomes clear that the mermaid's curse might be real. Ellie’s family is fast becoming entangled in a web of betrayal and vengeance, which threatens to drown them all… This spine-tingling novel is a suspenseful twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s dark tale The Little Mermaid, where love, loss, and the lure of the water collide in a terrifying crescendo. Perfect for fans of The Last House on Needless Street and Stephen King.
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