Kalie Cassidy'sIn the Veins of the DrowningExplores 'Belonging and Identity' — See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Little, Brown and Company; Courtesy of Kalie Cassidy

Kalie Cassidyis diving into the deep end with her debut novel.

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal the cover of the author’s romance fantasy novelIn the Veins of the Drowning, which follows a Siren named Imogen who is forced to leave her home in the sea after a king and a captain set off to hunt her kind. It’s set to hit shelves on July 15, 2025.

According to an official description, Imogen is “hiding from a cruel kingdom that believes Sirens are monstrous, blood-hungry creatures.” The threatened Siren’s situation changes when a neighboring king visits and claims that she can save their respective kingdoms from a greater monster. But when Imogen’s power threatens to reveal itself and the lines between duty and desire begin to blur, things get complicated.

In an exclusive statement, Cassidy tells PEOPLE that she began writing the book “as an exploration of my experience as a person of mixed-race — that odd feeling of belonging everywhere and nowhere at once.”

The author, who is half Puerto Rican and half Irish grew up in a multigenerational home. She says she relates to Imogen in that her “outward appearance didn’t necessary reflect my heritage. I’ve lived my life listening to people’s opinions of what and who I am based on my name and the color of my skin.”

The fictional story “is an amalgam of my love for mythology and lore, Puerto Rico, history, the California coast, romance novels, dark fantasy and art,” she continues. “I shook it all together, and out came this book.”

“This story’s central theme is one of belonging and identity, and while I wrote it from the perspective of my heritage, I think that those themes are incredibly universal,” the author continues. “Belonging and identity are central to our humanity and the relationships and communities we choose to be in.”

Courtesy of Kalie Cassidy

There’s lots to love for romance fans, too. “The dynamic between our two love interests forces them to understand each other’s different lived experiences and challenge their prejudices,” Cassidy says. “I hope readers enjoy how their growing understanding of each other and themselves brings them together — even in the face of terrifying obstacles.”

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As for her main character, “Imogen is brave and fearful, selfish and caring,” Cassidy explains. “She’s both a goddess and a monster. That duality was so important to me for her character.”

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Cassidy shared the news of her novel in a July 24Instagrampost, in which she explained that the book has been a long time coming. “I remember starting it many years ago, not knowing anything at all about novel writing, about the journey it would take me on, or the people it would bring into my life. This book has changed so much,” she wrote. “It has moved from one iteration to the next, and I grew and changed alongside it too.”

In the Veins of the Drowningcomes out July 15, 2025 from Little, Brown & Company and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com