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candicen423's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
midnights_sky's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
shannonxo's review against another edition
5.0
*inserts relevant sea shanty and sinks it to the bottom of the ocean in a submarine*
There will be mild spoilers for the first book ahead!
The conclusion to The Light at the Bottom of the World duology, ABYSS picks up a few weeks after that explosive and heartbreaking ending. Leyla has rescued her father from the dreaded Broadmoor prison, but before she could even breathe a sigh of relief Ari was kidnapped and taken away by the Blackwatch. Now listed as one of England's most wanted, Leyla is hiding in the country's northern ocean and searching for Ari's hidden amphi community. If she can find his family, then perhaps they'll be able to help her find him and strike a blow at the Blackwatch.
Leyla has had some really great character development throughout this series. In the beginning she was so terrified of the great wide ocean outside of London. After listening to all the news reports of anthropoid attacks, terrors of the deep, and explosions and earthquakes taking down infrastructure, the thought of leaving London was paralyzing. Of course, after her father was taken she was left with no choice but to look for him, and it was refreshing to see this young woman step into the world and start seeing the cracks in what she's been forced to grow up knowing. This second instalment in no different. Leyla has her eyes wide open, her heart ready to love everyone who needs it, and no thought but to unveil the injustices the government has laid on so many people, including her family and friends.
The story is so solid. For one, there are a lot of scenes of action and cool ocean moments. There are so many fabulous twists that change quite literally everything. Betrayals are rife and secrets are ripe for the picking. And the author did a great job with misleading the reader. All of my incredibly confident guesses were wrong and I'm so embarrassed. I truly thought lol! Questions that were asked in the first book are answered at last. We learn more about Ari's childhood before he was adopted and we learn more about what happened to Leyla's mother. I literally cannot say more about either because *spoilers*
I do have some critiques as this wasn't perfect. It should be held in mind that I read an advance reader copy; all of this may be rectified in the finished copy. One, some of the dialogue is too middle grade-sounding and could use a bit of tightening. Two, the action at times can be difficult to follow along with every step. This was my complaint with the first book, though, and might just be a Me issue. And three, I thought the middle was a bit slow. Things happened, for sure, but the quieter scenes really dragged the pace down in between.
With all that in mind, I had intended to rate this as four stars. And it very nearly stayed four stars ... until the last few chapters. Dang, now that is how you reveal the villain with a monologue and wrap up a duology. I was utterly riveted and enraptured by the events that unfolded and the secrets that were spewed. It was so satisfying, so shocking. There is absolutely no way I could have guessed what the result would. And I definitely didn't. All my guesses were wrong, remember? The author and book gets a whole star based on that alone.
Honestly, if you're looking for a cool sci-fi series with Bioshock vibes, authentic Muslim Pashtun rep, and an all around good time, then I can't recommend this enough!
There will be mild spoilers for the first book ahead!
The conclusion to The Light at the Bottom of the World duology, ABYSS picks up a few weeks after that explosive and heartbreaking ending. Leyla has rescued her father from the dreaded Broadmoor prison, but before she could even breathe a sigh of relief Ari was kidnapped and taken away by the Blackwatch. Now listed as one of England's most wanted, Leyla is hiding in the country's northern ocean and searching for Ari's hidden amphi community. If she can find his family, then perhaps they'll be able to help her find him and strike a blow at the Blackwatch.
Leyla has had some really great character development throughout this series. In the beginning she was so terrified of the great wide ocean outside of London. After listening to all the news reports of anthropoid attacks, terrors of the deep, and explosions and earthquakes taking down infrastructure, the thought of leaving London was paralyzing. Of course, after her father was taken she was left with no choice but to look for him, and it was refreshing to see this young woman step into the world and start seeing the cracks in what she's been forced to grow up knowing. This second instalment in no different. Leyla has her eyes wide open, her heart ready to love everyone who needs it, and no thought but to unveil the injustices the government has laid on so many people, including her family and friends.
The story is so solid. For one, there are a lot of scenes of action and cool ocean moments. There are so many fabulous twists that change quite literally everything. Betrayals are rife and secrets are ripe for the picking. And the author did a great job with misleading the reader. All of my incredibly confident guesses were wrong and I'm so embarrassed. I truly thought lol! Questions that were asked in the first book are answered at last. We learn more about Ari's childhood before he was adopted and we learn more about what happened to Leyla's mother. I literally cannot say more about either because *spoilers*
I do have some critiques as this wasn't perfect. It should be held in mind that I read an advance reader copy; all of this may be rectified in the finished copy. One, some of the dialogue is too middle grade-sounding and could use a bit of tightening. Two, the action at times can be difficult to follow along with every step. This was my complaint with the first book, though, and might just be a Me issue. And three, I thought the middle was a bit slow. Things happened, for sure, but the quieter scenes really dragged the pace down in between.
With all that in mind, I had intended to rate this as four stars. And it very nearly stayed four stars ... until the last few chapters. Dang, now that is how you reveal the villain with a monologue and wrap up a duology. I was utterly riveted and enraptured by the events that unfolded and the secrets that were spewed. It was so satisfying, so shocking. There is absolutely no way I could have guessed what the result would. And I definitely didn't. All my guesses were wrong, remember? The author and book gets a whole star based on that alone.
Honestly, if you're looking for a cool sci-fi series with Bioshock vibes, authentic Muslim Pashtun rep, and an all around good time, then I can't recommend this enough!
wolfsfan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
faehistory's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
valli_alti04's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Once again, the underwater setting was the shining star of this book. I think this is one of my new favourite type of settings because it’s so fantastic and otherworldly when actually it’s still on planet Earth. I like how there was more exploration of the sea in this instalment, and I loved getting to see how amphis incorporated the ocean into their traditions, like weddings. But generally I was just super envious over how cool Leyla’s submarine, the Kabul, was.
The beginning of this novel started off so strong; I was really hooked by what was happening. I also think the climax and resolution were done really well. They were gripping and high octane, and it was so satisfying seeing the characters receive such well-suited endings. It was fantastic in particular seeing how far Leyla had come from the beginning of the first book.
Unfortunately, the pacing overall was not great. There was a big chunk in the middle where I had no idea where it was going, and not in a good way. There were definitely some bloated or outright unnecessary parts, which greatly reduced my enjoyment while reading.
I also struggled with the dialogue, which was sketchy in the first book and worse here. While earnest, it was just way too on the nose. I think generally this book could have done with a more heavy-handed editor.
While this book may not have reached my expectations, I’m still really intrigued to read what London Shah writes in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Death, Murder, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Gun violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Torture, Cursing, and Confinement
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Colonisation, Ableism, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Child death, Drug abuse, Suicide, War, Medical content, Slavery, Mental illness, and Vomit
Major: apocalyptic event, forced separation from a loved one, missing loved one Moderate: mass death, imprisonment, loss of a loved one Minor: eugenics, adoption, earthquakes, plane crash, drowningiris_purpurea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“And you know, I don’t think I was ever meant to stand still for very long.”