Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - In Deeper Waters

A solid book that did what it was set out to do, and is enjoyable enough without reinventing the wheel or anything. It might be a bit bland for some people and I do agree (hence the 3 star rating). I hesitate to call it "cozy" considering the slavery/torture sections, but again, it isn't anything too challenging.

What I liked:

Tal and Athlen were likeable and believable enough and had good chemistry. They're not a groundbreaking couple by any means but if you like the dynamic of their relationship -
Human Prince/Merman
- you'll enjoy them enough.
(Disclaimer to this point that I am not against sex scenes, I just think that not every story needs one unless it suits the tone and story) I like the fact that Tal and Athlen's relationship was strong enough that them sleeping together happened off page was just another part of their relationship and didn't overpower the whole dynamic; especially considering that this book seems to be intended for a slightly younger audience than myself.
I liked everything surrounding Poppy and I grinned when she got to become the Sea Witch's minion at the end. Good for her. Also good for the bastard princess that ran off with her handmaiden and that other guy - probably the funniest and most endearing part of the book.

What I didn't like:

The pacing of the book was a bit too fast and I didn't feel like I got the chance to digest anything that happened until I put the book down.
The conflict between Tal and Athlen felt laboured and repetitive at times with how Athlen withheld key information about himself. There's nothing wrong with the trope itself but nothing particularly interesting was done with it, which feels especially egregious since Tal and Athlen have good chemistry otherwise. I think the novel could have benefitted from being slightly longer to avoid feeling rushed.
On a related note, the ending chapters felt a bit rushed in my opinion.
In particular: 1) the confrontation with the sea witch felt like it was over before it really began. 2) For all the talk about how everyone feared magic and would be scared of Tal, nothing really came of it other than vague platitudes. I know it's supposed to be an allegory for being queer but it felt kind of redundant when the world was already accepting of Tal and Athlen not being heterosexual.
Some of the side characters felt flat, and the setting felt pretty generic. Again, this is really just a result of the book not being particularly ambitious so it's not as much of a bad point compared to what I've said above. I still would have liked to have seen a little more detail about the magic system and how it affects the world.

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tea_coffee_sam's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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akal's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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

4.0

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valli_alti04's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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capriqueen's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.5

I think my issue with Lukens’ stories is that they have cute/fun characters and interesting premises but are executed poorly

Next to nothing surprised me, the romance was sweet but incredibly mild

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novelty_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I sort of struggled to find my feet with this book.

The first one hundred pages or so were really interesting and I enjoyed the pacing of it but if I'm being honest, In Deeper Waters didn't grab me as much as the other books I've read earlier this year.

In Deeper Waters is the second book I've read by F.T Lukens. I've read Spell Bound last year and it ended up being one of my favourite books of 2023. I was very excited to read In Deeper Waters as I find F.T writes very light-hearted books that honestly feel like a comfort read. Besides, I've had In Deeper Waters on my TBR for a very long time.

I enjoyed the start of the book as I already mentioned however, it was mainly after Tal's kidnapping (not a spoiler this is in the blurb) that I found myself starting to lose interest. At the start, I wasn't very sold on Tal's and Athlen's relationship but as the book progressed and I started to find my feet in the story, I started shipping them together more.

I think the main issue I had with the book was with its plot. It felt like it tied things up too smoothly and without too much hassle considering all the trouble Tal's been through. I wish the ending was a little more high stakes than it was but overall, this was a nice lighthearted read.

ACTUAL RATING: 3.2 STARS

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pvp_niki's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

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carlotta_ho's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

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