I'll be honest with you. I didn't like They Mostly Came at Night. Parts of it were great, but, overall, it just didn't work for me. As a result, I decided not to read more Yarnsworld novels.

Obviously, things changed. Why? Well, last year I read two anthologies - Lost Lore and The Art of War - and in both cases, Benedict Patrick's short stories were among my favorites ones.

Additionally, I'm keen on r/fantasy Book Bingo Challenge and one of 2018 squares is Novel Featuring a Protagonist Who is a Writer, Artist or Musician.

In other words, I had no choice. I simply had to give Where the Waters Turn Black a try. The main character is an artist - ocarina player. The story is inspired by the myths and legends of South Pacific island cultures, and that's a plus as it's not the kind of setting we see often in fantasy books.

The story focuses on Kaimana, a young ocarina player, who discovers the lair of a taniwha (a dangerous, predatory being). She feels this encounter may finally allow her Knack to spark and create ocarina masterpiece. Unfortunately, things go off the rail really fast. Kaimana is cast away from her troupe, god of war wants to kill Taniwha. A girl and a monster will have to learn to trust each other in order to survive.

While the plot isn't particularly complex, it remains enjoyable and well paced. It reads a bit like a folktale and it's the story's main strength. I enjoy this kind of storytelling a lot. For me, it's the story about finding your place in life and the importance of true friendship. Kaimana and Rakau relationship was a bit predictable but also real and touching. Some level of predictability is fine when the story manages to emotionally engage me and it did.

The setting is unusual and exotic - the Crescent Atoll is a remote string of tropical islands inhabited by humans, monsters, and gods. Gods of the Attol aren't loving and caring - they're mostly cruel, vain and callous. We learn about them through short chapters retelling some of the myths and legends.

Characters were easily relatable and, mostly, likable. Kaimana is part of a traveling group of performers. She has the knack but hasn’t reached her full potential yet. When she meets Taniwha her first motivation is egoistical - she wants to create an ocarina masterpiece that will make her famous. With time, though, she makes a lot of difficult choices that will change her life and values forever. I liked her and related to her. She's a bit of an outsider, but she has the heart in the right place.

Also, she's a good buddy of a mythical monster and I have a soft spot for human-familiar relationships. Rakau is a giant monster able to wreak havoc and bring mayhem, but with Kaimana, he behaves like a playful puppy. Yam was funny. Attol gods were portrayed with broad strokes, but we clearly see the differences between them and their respective characters.

I guess my only character-related issue was Eloni - she's just mean and envious and, basically, there's not much more to her. As one of the story "villains" she felt very flat.

Overall, I'm glad I read this book. It was short, tight and wildly entertaining.

TL;DR - Human girl and giant monster, best friends on the run. Exciting stuff.