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itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
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:
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Slavery, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, and Death
Minor: Genocide, Death of parent, War, and Alcohol
tea_coffee_sam's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Self harm, Violence, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content and Abandonment
Minor: War, Death of parent, Genocide, Classism, and Alcohol
pvp_niki's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement
Moderate: Vomit, Torture, Blood, and Genocide
Minor: War and Death of parent
linnea1801's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder
stardustandrockets's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Death, Genocide, and Death of parent
adonis_march's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
Now, BookTok likes to recommend this as a fluffy wholesome gay love story… while the relationship between Tal and Athlen is very wholesome, well-built, and refreshingly healthy, oh my god no it is not!
In the best way possible, In Deeper Waters is like investigating what the events of Avatar The Last Airbender would be like from the perspective of Zuko’s grandkids. It begins incredibly slow, and the writing style takes a bit to get used to. Especially in the beginning, some of the choices used read a la an above average Wattpad/AO3 fanfic.
HOWEVER, by god was Talisen’s emotional arc incredibly well-written and engaging. There are painfully realistic spirals and turns that could be seen as an extended metaphor for inherited mental illness or personality disorder. The rest of the characters also became hopelessly endearing, overcoming any challenges in prose.
All the pirates were evil though, so points off. (Not really, but again, it was recommended to me as a gay pirate novel and it’s really not about pirates at all).
The ending was going to decide if this came down to a 3/5 or a 4/5 and I can assure you, it stuck the landing.
While it’s not for the light, fluffy mood that people recommend it, still a fun, enjoyable read once you push through the beginning!
In the best way possible, In Deeper Waters is like investigating what the events of Avatar The Last Airbender would be like from the perspective of Zuko’s grandkids. It begins incredibly slow, and the writing style takes a bit to get used to. Especially in the beginning, some of the choices used read a la an above average Wattpad/AO3 fanfic.
HOWEVER, by god was Talisen’s emotional arc incredibly well-written and engaging. There are painfully realistic spirals and turns that could be seen as an extended metaphor for inherited mental illness or personality disorder. The rest of the characters also became hopelessly endearing, overcoming any challenges in prose.
All the pirates were evil though, so points off. (Not really, but again, it was recommended to me as a gay pirate novel and it’s really not about pirates at all).
The ending was going to decide if this came down to a 3/5 or a 4/5 and I can assure you, it stuck the landing.
While it’s not for the light, fluffy mood that people recommend it, still a fun, enjoyable read once you push through the beginning!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Genocide, Confinement, Death, Grief, Vomit, and Physical abuse
Minor: Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, Murder, Alcohol, Death of parent, and War
kayladaila's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gore, and Death
Minor: Torture, Vomit, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Genocide, and War
bookishflower's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Can we talk about that incredible vintage romance- inspired cover?!
This was such a feel good read! When ‘The Little Mermaid’ meets ‘Luca’ (if Disney had been brave enough to give us a gay love story).
This was wonderfully whimsical, with a great balance between an engaging plot and swoon-worthy romantic fluff.
Athlen and Tal are the cutest and fleshed out which is not only enhances their romance but also the plot. Lukens doesn’t sacrifice their character development and the story in favour of the romance which is refreshing!
I am in love with all of the royal siblings, if this book got the Bridgeton treatment and each of them got their own book I would eat it up! The tease of a sleeping girl in Alemmeni and Garrett! Please! The sibling banter was hilarious, I caught myself laughing out loud serval times.
More people need to talk about this book?! I’ve already preordered ‘So This is Ever After’ and can’t wait!!
This was such a feel good read! When ‘The Little Mermaid’ meets ‘Luca’ (if Disney had been brave enough to give us a gay love story).
This was wonderfully whimsical, with a great balance between an engaging plot and swoon-worthy romantic fluff.
Athlen and Tal are the cutest and fleshed out which is not only enhances their romance but also the plot. Lukens doesn’t sacrifice their character development and the story in favour of the romance which is refreshing!
I am in love with all of the royal siblings, if this book got the Bridgeton treatment and each of them got their own book I would eat it up! The tease of a sleeping girl in Alemmeni and Garrett! Please! The sibling banter was hilarious, I caught myself laughing out loud serval times.
More people need to talk about this book?! I’ve already preordered ‘So This is Ever After’ and can’t wait!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Cursing, Colonisation, Death of parent, Mental illness, Genocide, and Panic attacks/disorders
delz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.25
In Deeper Waters’ pace is slow at first then builds up to lots of exciting battles and romance. Tal is third in the line of succession out of 4 siblings. Unlike other stories the place of King/Queen is not in competition and Tal will have a position within the palace. Right now, Tal is being escorted by his oldest brother, Garrett, on his “coming-of-age tour/voyage. You see Tal has been in hiding his entire life because of his very dangerous magical abilities. The family is terrified of anyone finding out, but secrets can only be kept for so long. When Tal and Garrett are out at sea, they encounter a burning ship. They go to investigate and find a strange boy chained up. They also discover a mysterious cachet of gold. The boy, Athlen, is concealing secrets of his own, secrets Tal would very much like to discover. This was a fun, swashbuckling fantasy in a world with magic and no homophobia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Kidnapping
Minor: Death, Genocide, Violence, and Vomit
jstarshine16's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Violence, and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, Alcohol, Self harm, and Genocide