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nevaraven's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An emotional fairytale retelling full of magic and political strife.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Minor: Suicide attempt and Alcohol
nyssa_jo's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
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
kp_writ's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
In Deep Waters is a straightforward novel with a lighthearted ending. It's especially slow for the first third, with lackluster worldbuilding that doesn't expand until about three quarters way through. The plot feels predictable but still haphazard-- some plot points had clumsy setup and some plot-forwarding dialogue felt forced enough to take me out of the story. I think the character development of the main protagonist was also laughably shallow in the beginning, induldging in the "I might be a sheltered royal but I'm still charitable" subplot in a way that made my eyes roll rather than endear myself to the protag.
Still, the relationships built-- especially between the protag and his family-- were quite solid, and the overall tone fit the fantasy setting well. The romance was also decent with a fair amount of chemistry, even if it took a while for the love interest to feel like a consistent and well developed person. I think another round or two of editing (especially of the first third) would have made this a solid queer YA fantasy, but for now I think it would only appeal to those looking for the specific tropes this novel satisfies-- and thankfully for In Deep Waters, it does touch on quite a few.
Still, the relationships built-- especially between the protag and his family-- were quite solid, and the overall tone fit the fantasy setting well. The romance was also decent with a fair amount of chemistry, even if it took a while for the love interest to feel like a consistent and well developed person. I think another round or two of editing (especially of the first third) would have made this a solid queer YA fantasy, but for now I think it would only appeal to those looking for the specific tropes this novel satisfies-- and thankfully for In Deep Waters, it does touch on quite a few.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Cursing, and Blood
Minor: Suicide attempt
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