Series: The Abyss Surrounds Us #1
Genre: Science-Fiction
Age Group: New Adult
Paperback - 273pages
Publisher - Flux (2016)
Rating: 4/5
For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water.
There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.
When I put this in my bag to take along to the beach earlier this summer, I didn't even think about it being atmospheric. As I read it next to the water and heard crashing waves in the background, I couldn't put this book down. I absolutely devoured this story like a Reckoner pup would devour a barrel of fish. Things start out with a bang and Cas's world is rocked right from the start. Because this book is rather short, jumping right into the action worked really well.
Even when the
fighting stops, this book was impossible to put down. The author does a great
job of making Cas's position more and more precarious and making the reader
feel that tension throughout the book. For a debut I think storytelling is
incredibly effective. The world is extremely interesting and, though there are
a few info-dumps, the world is well thought out and feels complete.
The characters are
fantastic. I really enjoyed both of the main leads. Cas and Swift are developed
independently of one another and as their worlds collide they explore and talk
about how complicated their feelings and their situation is. I cannot speak to
the representation in this novel, but I really enjoyed this romance and the two
characters. I have a weakness for the friends to lovers trope and this book
really hit me in the feels.
Though I have
heard mixed things about the next book in this duology, I cannot wait to check
it out for myself and see where Cas is headed.
 |
| Source |
No comments:
Post a Comment