** spoiler alert ** 
 I wish I could give this novel more than 3.5 stars. I really wish I could, but I can't. Annabelle Lee is my all time favorite Edgar Allen Poe story/poem. It is haunting and beautiful. 
 Ashes on the Waves was not as haunting or beautiful but it was good. Liam, a poor boy born with a birth defect and who the villagers think is evil falls in love with the beautiful and wealthy Anna. Their paths and lives are linked together through tragedy, murder and mystery. 
 Liam was a great character, soft spoken, hard working, loving, caring and smart. Anna was funny, loud, outspoken, and a little vain and vapid, however falling in love with Liam in the short span of about five days changes her completely into a character you can really get behind. (Though a tad unbelievable) 
 Everyone in their little backwards seaside island village thinks Liam is a demon and killed his mother at birth, only a kind family and the love of Francine (an older woman who becomes a surrogate mom to him) keep the villagers from killing him. on a regular basis 
 There was a lot of celtic/irish folklore in this novel that I enjoyed. Selkies, Bean Sidhe, evil Na Fir Ghorm and the sea God Manannan mc Lir. I love anything that has to do with mythology so these creatures were great. In fact the Selkie Muireann was probably my favorite character. 
 There were several villains in this story and most made no sense. The villagers should have just had pitch forks and torches they were all so hate filled, superstitious and stupid. I really wonder in small towns away from society if people are that evil, I mean many get away with murder in this story without any sort of law enforcement which I find absolutely ridiculous. The main villain Brigid Ronan (Yeah obvious to me too....If you didn't want me to guess what she was don't assume I am stupid and have never heard the word Ronan before) is just nasty and her reasons behind being horrible are not even that great! If your sister died in child birth to a babe she begged you to save and loved, why would you treat him like shit and try to get him killed all the time? 
 The insta-love in this book was HORRIBLE! Ok, I'll give you Liam pinning for Anna since he was a boy, but Anna falling for him so fast? It was almost too much, and I give a TON of leeway on insta-love. Also they get hot and heavy and into the sex pretty fast too, sure they are both 18 so ok...love+high hormone level = lust. I will give you that...But marriage>? As in for like, eternity, souls bonded together? Yikes... I am 30 and just getting ok to the idea that my Boo and I will be together forever. 
 Lastly, before you jump all over me...I know this poem is about death ok? That still does not change the fact that a teen girl dying/murdered is so sad and creepy for the YA genre. It hurt to even read it, it upset more to watch a love sick boy basically commit suicide to be with her. There's the rub, is it good because it stays fairly true to the tale? Or is it sick and giving the wrong impression to our youth? Suicide and death should not be romanticized....Interesting, sure, a basis for conversation and thought? Why not... A viable option? Hell no. 
 I liked this book, but it bothered me in some areas too much to give a higher rating than this.