Scan barcode
tsky's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Death of parent, Medical content, and War
khargaotte's review against another edition
- 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
It was quick and sweet, with an added layer of second hand embarrassment for the young (to me) protagonist, who happens to be only 16. The plot was certainly predictible at times, but in a way that is inherent to this type of adventurous romance. I still managed to get surprised by a few twists!
The writing is nothing to write home about, but it's still good enough to not be intrusive; once again, everything one asks from this type of book. I really enjoyed the snippets of world building that we get to see and would have loved to get even more! Tal's family was also interesting, especially since it's pretty rare to see
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
magical_mads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A light read, but not really something I would read again.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, War, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent and Death
stardustandrockets's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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!
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
writewithapendragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Grief, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Blood, and Classism
Takes place in a fantasy setting with somewhat unconventional monarchy structure. Men and women have equal power, non-hetero relationships are not discriminated.nyssa_jo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Kidnapping
Moderate: Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Violence
aexileigh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Moderate: War, Murder, Torture, Vomit, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Slavery
sssssoup's review against another edition
- 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
The writing style itself was so fun to read. It had a lot of description, but it felt balanced with the dialogue and it didn’t feel overly flowery. The plot was also very well done. It has a lot of moving parts and I was impressed with how everything got resolved. You could argue that the ending was too convenient, but it made sense and felt natural to me, so I’m not complaining.
I also really liked the characters a lot. The progression of Tal’s arc was very well executed and I really liked seeing how he changed over the course of the story. I also felt like
I also liked the worldbuilding and how the author took time to really explore the world’s history. I think it would’ve been nice to have a map, but I was still able to understand without one.
Overall I just really really loved this book!! It’s definitely a new favorite of mine, and it exceeded my expectations by miles. The messages and themes in it as well as the ending really made me smile and I think it’s an important book that a lot of people would benefit from reading. I will definitely be thinking about it for a long time and will be recommending it to everyone I know!
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Torture, Vomit, Abandonment, Blood, and Confinement
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Grief, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: War, Cursing, Misogyny, and Medical content
alexiab's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I always love to see a story where queerness is openly accepted and expected, and this is a great example of a fun adventure and sweet romance without any homophobia to taint the experience.
I do think the plot moved a little too fast, it often skipped over some depth that could have been added to the world and the characters. I don't think it's *too* bad, but I don't even know what half of the characters look like so... coulda been a bit better. But overall wOO WE LOVE MERMAN/PRINCE ROMANCE!!
Graphic: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Torture, Confinement, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Gore and Injury/Injury detail