Daughter of the Deep

I was greatly anticipating this new book from Rick Riordan. I was part of a touring show adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in college, so I felt that I was familiar with the source material and was curious about what he would do with it.

You don't need to have experience with the original story to enjoy Daughter of the Deep, though. This is kind of the Percy Jackson treatment for Captain Nemo(not the cartoon fish). It was nice to recognize some characters and events from the original story, but the book gave you everything you needed.

I enjoyed the female main character and the diverse group of supporting characters. The world of their training was really interesting, with Dolphins, Sharks, Orcas, and Cephalopods, each representing a house that had different strengths and talents.

There was a point at which I was expecting a character to, like, turn out to be a dolphin or something. Then I realized that wasn't happening because this is sci-fi! I've watched lots of Star Trek, but I haven't read that much sci-fi, compared to the amount of fantasy I've read.

Despite the action early on, the story felt like it built a bit slower than other Rick Riordan books that I've read, but it definitely picked up. I was riveted to the page by the end. I loved the “alt-tech”.

If there is a sequel, I'll definitely read it. I'm not sure if there will be or not. This book definitely works as a stand-alone, but I think the door is open for more stories in this world.