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rileyswan'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? No
4.0
Athlen laughed and kissed him again. Tal sank into it—happy, loved, and unafraid.
In Deeper Waters is a chaotic, life-threatening adventure of trials, tribulations, and thrills galore. We see magic, pirate, mermaids, shapeshifters, death and murder and burning ships. And the two main characters just so happen to be two boys falling in love, with complete and utter acceptance from everyone around them, because there are no standards to attraction.
It was so refreshing to read such a riveting tale from Lukens, and find solace in the strongly highlighted romantic relationship between Tal and Athlen in the same manner cishet people are afforded by most books. I adored every moment.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Self harm
Moderate: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Alcohol
Minor: Misogyny, Sexual content, and Death of parent
kgracer1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Grief
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
bookhoarderbea's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Grief and Vomit
Minor: Colonisation, Misogyny, 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.cheye13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, Grief, and War
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
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
amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
writing wasn’t great but plot and characters were fun
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, and Vomit