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susanpevensie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sammykay25's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok I guess. Lots of poor logic and suspended disbelief in the world building for sure. I also wish the setting was more described as well as the way of life for these people. For the most part it seems like nothing has changed for everyday life. Like where does leyla get her tea?? Wouldn’t that be really expensive or something? Or the lamb for the food she eats?
Anyways if you look past some of these world building issues there is a pretty solid story. I like how it confronts fear and examines hope for both of the main characters. The prose is nice too. Very good at setting the tone.
The dialogue is pretty cringe though. It’s just ehh. and the handsome dark muscle boy is of course there. Cliche but he’s much more interesting than I first thought he would be.
Overall it was fast paced enough to keep my attention but I don’t know if I’ll finish the duology.
Anyways if you look past some of these world building issues there is a pretty solid story. I like how it confronts fear and examines hope for both of the main characters. The prose is nice too. Very good at setting the tone.
The dialogue is pretty cringe though. It’s just ehh. and the handsome dark muscle boy is of course there. Cliche but he’s much more interesting than I first thought he would be.
Overall it was fast paced enough to keep my attention but I don’t know if I’ll finish the duology.
merlin_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I've seen a lot of 4 & 5 star reviews for this book so I was really excited to start it. I don't know if it was just me, but I spent most of the book going
The idea was brilliant. It had intrigue and wonder and imagination, but I couldn't get all the way there. Parts seemed missing to me. There wasn't enough back story on how our world became this underwater planet. How did this world come to be? How are they still surviving? Every explanation I felt just barely skimmed the surface of what this world is. And I just wanted more.
Our protagonist, Leyla, was a little prickly for me in the beginning as well. I didn't really like her voice and I found her to be rash and impulsive, and not in the good way. But I will say, over the course of the book, she grew on me. Her dedication to her family was her best trait and I loved the scenes with her little puppy JoJo. I'm interested in seeing how her growth continues in the follow up.
I also really liked the "love" interest, Ari. I enjoyed his journey and learning about him and where he came from. The little twist, although not surprising, was fun as well and I want to see the author play more with that.
Overall I felt it was a solid debut. The book ended on a cliffhanger so it all but guarantees that I will be reading the next one when it's released. I just hope there's more world building involved so I can really escape in the story and not just feel like an outsider.
The idea was brilliant. It had intrigue and wonder and imagination, but I couldn't get all the way there. Parts seemed missing to me. There wasn't enough back story on how our world became this underwater planet. How did this world come to be? How are they still surviving? Every explanation I felt just barely skimmed the surface of what this world is. And I just wanted more.
Our protagonist, Leyla, was a little prickly for me in the beginning as well. I didn't really like her voice and I found her to be rash and impulsive, and not in the good way. But I will say, over the course of the book, she grew on me. Her dedication to her family was her best trait and I loved the scenes with her little puppy JoJo. I'm interested in seeing how her growth continues in the follow up.
I also really liked the "love" interest, Ari. I enjoyed his journey and learning about him and where he came from. The little twist, although not surprising, was fun as well and I want to see the author play more with that.
Overall I felt it was a solid debut. The book ended on a cliffhanger so it all but guarantees that I will be reading the next one when it's released. I just hope there's more world building involved so I can really escape in the story and not just feel like an outsider.
gia279's review against another edition
The writing style/voice was not my thing, the setting seemed pretty interesting though!
ashton_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
This was a tragically beautiful story, and I really enjoyed travelling the seas with Leyla and Ari!!
Goodreads Synopsis:
At the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean's surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the Earth.
Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her father's been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the Seasickness—a debilitating malaise that consumes people,often claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he's innocent, and all she's interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to normal.
When she's picked to race in the action-packed London Submersible Marathon, Leyla gets the chance to secure his freedom; the Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. The race takes an unexpected turn, though, and presents her with an opportunity she never wanted: Leyla must venture outside of London for the first time in her life, to find and rescue her father herself.
Now, she'll have to brave the unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a secretive, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If she fails, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture—and her father might be lost forever.
I can’t say this is an entirely perfect book, and it’s not one of those that you’re constantly thinking about the transcendently lyrical writing, but I really enjoyed the unique tone of the novel. The world, first of all, is haunting and tragic, yet there’s an allure to the vastness of this new, water-covered world they live in. That’s honestly the point of this book: sometimes you’ve got to let go of the past and embrace the change the future will inevitably bring. It’s an interesting message on its own, but Shah delivers it with water-related metaphors and beautiful imagery that gives the setting a vivid brilliance that quite contrasts the tragic undertones of the story. I was enveloped immediately.
The pacing is a little weird at the beginning, I’ll be honest, but it levels out pretty quickly, and from there the story is an action-packed journey with a sliver of romance as Leyla’s perspective is challenged and she dives headfirst into the vast unknown. I enjoyed this fast-paced adventure, and I hope to continue the story with the sequel coming later this year!
If you enjoyed this review, you can friend me here on Goodreads and follow my Bookstagram/Pinterest/Twitter @ashton_reads. Thanks for reading!
Goodreads Synopsis:
At the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean's surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the Earth.
Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her father's been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the Seasickness—a debilitating malaise that consumes people,often claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he's innocent, and all she's interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to normal.
When she's picked to race in the action-packed London Submersible Marathon, Leyla gets the chance to secure his freedom; the Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. The race takes an unexpected turn, though, and presents her with an opportunity she never wanted: Leyla must venture outside of London for the first time in her life, to find and rescue her father herself.
Now, she'll have to brave the unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a secretive, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If she fails, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture—and her father might be lost forever.
I can’t say this is an entirely perfect book, and it’s not one of those that you’re constantly thinking about the transcendently lyrical writing, but I really enjoyed the unique tone of the novel. The world, first of all, is haunting and tragic, yet there’s an allure to the vastness of this new, water-covered world they live in. That’s honestly the point of this book: sometimes you’ve got to let go of the past and embrace the change the future will inevitably bring. It’s an interesting message on its own, but Shah delivers it with water-related metaphors and beautiful imagery that gives the setting a vivid brilliance that quite contrasts the tragic undertones of the story. I was enveloped immediately.
The pacing is a little weird at the beginning, I’ll be honest, but it levels out pretty quickly, and from there the story is an action-packed journey with a sliver of romance as Leyla’s perspective is challenged and she dives headfirst into the vast unknown. I enjoyed this fast-paced adventure, and I hope to continue the story with the sequel coming later this year!
If you enjoyed this review, you can friend me here on Goodreads and follow my Bookstagram/Pinterest/Twitter @ashton_reads. Thanks for reading!
healingtothemax's review against another edition
3.0
Part of the Underwater trend I've noticed/dove into, TLATBOTW launches a new series. This debut author's entry earned 3.5 stars. Nods to social media here because London Shah is so very likable in her gratitude, graciousness with readers and championship of other artists' works. I feel this book is a fair start of a new series and the world built is thorough and immersive; we stick with our heroine and her very relatable isolated viewpoint which at times proves frustrating (her obsessive search/longing for her missing papa irregardless of others' boundaries) and liberating (her determination in bettering her world and the larger world through hope and kindness brings her to question everything and everyone around her including her own choices). The book's writing and its heroine read young, as in both will mature with more experience. Often odd notes were hit for me in its editorial choices, prose phrasing and plotting especially in the third act when all strands converge. Other characters are ciphers, unfortunately including the romantic interest with many shirtless "he's so pretty and heroic" scenes. Action-packed in plot and overpacked in sentence structure, tlatbotw speeds its reader through a dreamily familiar world nostalgic for its glorified "happier" days and wary of its danger-fraught future. Advice for both reader, writer (and wayward editor), slow your roll through these dense waves, try to breathe rather than drown. Taking your time will reveal you can in fact swim and savor a deep plunge into the unknown.
iris_purpurea's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
“We with our skin and bones and muscles and hearts and souls and minds and hopes and dreams, are still being. We’re alive.”
taratara44's review against another edition
3.0
The ending felt a little underwhelming to me, I know it's setting it up for a second book, there were things I really liked in theory but then just felt a little flat, however I am sure I'll have students love this
emily_mh's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.25
I really liked the MC Leyla. She was resolute, yet also unafraid to question herself, her ideas, and her beliefs. It was obvious how much she loved those close to her. I also appreciated her passion for submersibles and water transport generally, and loved how this was juxtaposed against her deep-seated fear of the ocean. It made for a layer of complexity that added well to her character.
I’m not generally a huge fan of straight romance being included in a non-romance genre book, but I think it was done well here. The development of the connection between Leyla and Ari was nice and slow, and also simply believable. And it was definitely more of a background plot that complimented what the story was already doing.
The underwater setting was ELITE. As the reader, you’re not allowed to forget for a second that this story is occurring in a dystopian underwater world and I LOVED it. I loved Leyla’s submarine and all her knowledge on racing submersibles; I loved the chilling descriptions of being surrounded by the fathomless ocean; I loved the author’s interpretations of what future tech might look like.
The pacing was just fantastic. It managed the precise and difficult balance of having something new happening every chapter, while giving every new development space to breathe. Nothing felt rushed, yet at the same time I felt like I was racing from one point to the next. This is my personal favourite type of pacing.
I found the concept of historians being incredibly valued members in Leyla’s society fascinating. It made sense, because of course you would cling to the past when the world as you know it has been wrenched away and you’re left with an arguably lesser existence, and who better to do that with than historians? It gave such a stark contrast to the way historians are treated in our society, and I think the difference lies in the fact that current society believes we live in a better time than anything that has come before; this is not the case in Leyla’s world. I’m definitely not saying that we should treat history and historians like 2099 London does, though. The story delves into the discourse around valuing history more than living people’s lives, which was excellent. Why should a crumbling castle take precedence over a person? What are preserving those kinds of artefacts for, if not for the people of your living society?
This book was also exemplary of the human spirit. Hope and resilience are so key to our existence, are so central to the human condition, and the story shows this in how humans have created a new world for themselves in the wake of disaster. It instilled a weird sense of pride in me.
I know this is a LOT of positive gushing, so why only 4.25 stars? The thing is, I had a few troubles, too. The dialogue could be clumsy and awkward, and the prose tried too hard in places. I also thought the climax could have had another chapter dedicated to it as it didn’t feel fleshed out enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Genocide, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Vomit, Police brutality, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
Major: apocalyptic event, mass death, forced separation from family, missing loved one Moderate: imprisonment, earthquake, drowning Minor: loss of a loved one, 1 HP reference, eugenics