Reviews with content warning for Death - Soul of the Deep

Overall I loved it! I think Natasha Bowen makes a great use of foreshadowing and is just a great writer. I didn’t see the character development that I was hoping for—there is a specific flaw of the main character (in my opinion) that seems to get a lot of attention but that never improves—but there still is character development.

My biggest gripe, if it can be called that, is that the plot twist is almost the same as it was in Skin of the Sea! In SotS, one of their traveling companions betrays them. In SotD, one of their traveling companions betrays them. The methods are different and the characters are different, but it’s basically the same twist. I feel like that made SotD a little less exciting.

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paigeinabook's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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? It's complicated

3.75

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lennie_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional tense 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

3.75

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Children's UK for this ARC.

At the beginning of the book we find Simi in the land of the dead helping Olokum after their bargain at the end of book 1. Simi is cold and lonely and miserable but is given the opportunity to escape when one of her mami water sisters tells her that Olokum kept Esu trapped and he is now needed to trap the anti gods.

Simi and one of her sisters take Esu and find Kola. Kola is, rightly so, still angry with Esu but trusts Simi. Weirdly, his siblings are seemingly fine being around Esu though, despite the fact that he kidnapped them in the last book. Esu doesn't even mention their powers in this book, so I assume we're meant to think that he had some time to reflect whilst stuck in the land of the dead, but that is never communicated on page.

Somehow this book felt very rushed and yet was longer than the first one. I still feel like we needed more one on one time for Simi and Kola. I'm happy with Kola's story arc and whilst I liked the ending, I do feel like we could've seen Simi with her family or even see Kola visit her and her family.
The two of them seemed to go through a lot to then not be together at the end. I would've liked a bit more closure at the end of the book. Unless we're maybe getting another one? I still feel like there's unresolved issues with certain characters.

The betrayal didn't really surprise me but again we didn't get that much of an explanation as to why the character decided on that path.

As with the first, the folklore and mythology is rich and vibrant and Bowen paints such a vivid picture of all the gods and creatures. I also really love Simi as a character and seeing her struggles with what she wants and what she feels her duty is. She is curious and brave and has a huge heart.

If you love a Little Mermaid retelling then you should definitely pick this series up but just a heads up it can be a bit dark so please check the trigger warnings.

CW: death, mentions of slavery, imprisonment

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maybe_a_cat's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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sophiesmallhands's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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

3.5

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mayy_y's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

I love this story. I read the first part sometime last year and I’m surprised I still remember the important parts from it.
I love the incorporation of different folktales from different parts of the world. It does a great job of tying the story together.

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antonique_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.0

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