Reviews

Tori's sister was lost at sea seven years ago aboard the Atargatis, where she was part of a crew filming a mockumentary about mermaids in the Mariana Trench. Released footage revealed the mermaids may have been real and they are violent predators. Now after spending years searching data from the trench for signs of the creatures that took her sister, Tori is given the opportunity to join a second voyage. Tori and the other scientists on board get so much more than they were expecting.

I was living for this book. OMG. The way the science was used here was fantastic. I normally don't like head hopping or omniscient narrators, but the way this was done was just so perfect. The characters were introduced in a way that made you connect to them and care about what they were doing, even the characters that I didn't like I felt something for. There was no way to tell when or who would die but a constant concern that they would. Also! Diversity! I really enjoyed the inclusion of deaf characters and the discussion of what they had to deal with in terms of accessibility in the sciences. The whole depiction of being in the sciences was really well done as a whole. I will probably be re-reading this and I actually cannot wait to read the prequel now.

_hauntingtales_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

This multi POV book tells the tale of a team full of scientists, engineers, journalists, etc as they start their journey to unravel the truth of the tragic disappearance of the Atargatis crew in the Mariana Trench.

What had started as a mockumentary in 2015 ended in a tragedy costing too many lives bringing into the light, thanks to the recovered footage, of a creature that was seen as imaginary until then.

7 years after the events, a new crew assembled by Imagine, an entertainment company, is ready to embark on a journey on the new vessel called Melusine. Some seek the truth, some seek an adventure and some seek recognition in the scientific world with their life work.

Victoria Stewart, a graduate student specializing in acoustic marine biology, is looking for answers and maybe revenge to be able to grieve her sister lost at sea at the hands of monsters. What she and the entire crew will find out in the Mariana Trench is not for the faint of heart.

Dr. Jillian Toth, the siren expert, whose research work as been discredited for years might finally gain the respect of her peers back. That, of course, if she survives the journey.

Is this new ship truly ready to face the danger that lies ahead or will it meet the same fate of the Atargatis and its crew as the unknown takes over once again to feed?

This story was amazing, from start to finish I was really into it, thinking how cool it would look like as a TV show. The variety of characters is very interesting and brings a lot of elements that wouldn't be present if we only followed one character.

I was on the edge of my seat during the last quarter of the book, the intensity of the events made it hard for me to put down my ereader.

Disability representation is also present in this book, with deaf twins, an autistic news personality and a physically disabled Imagine representative. As an autistic person, it's always pleasant to have diverse characters.

If you enjoy the mysteries and horrors of the deep sea, this book is for you.

vannychopiny's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

lady_smith's review

Go to review page

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

I read this because it was on a list of fantasy books with excellent representation, but I cannot in good faith give it a star rating.

On the one hand, it is a very well-written book with detailed science, engaging and diverse characters, vivid descriptions, and a good plot. So objectively it should get at least 4 stars for all that.

But I'm writing this review 2 years after reading it and honestly cannot reread the SYNOPSIS without starting to hyperventilate because this book was so bloody terrifying (for me). I know there are people out there who would enjoy the stress of

following worker dolphins' last thoughts before they are massacred by ~~mer~~murdermaids

but I'm not one of them. So in my heart I'd give this like -50 stars because I'll never be comfortable with mermaids again, except that it wouldn't be fair to the author, who clearly was writing this for an audience that isn't me.

So if you like mermaids, oceans, boating, or HEA... probably don't read this book.

If you like terrifying monsters attacking a bunch of characters that you're emotionally invested in... go for it??

Content Warnings

More...