In Deeper Waters

I hate when plot summaries list other works to compare it to because it's almost always nothing like that - just because it has some pirates and ships in it doesn't mean it's anything like Pirates of the Caribbean (it's not even close) and this also didn't have the humour or snark that I found in [b:The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue 29283884 The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1) Mackenzi Lee https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492601464l/29283884.SY75.jpg 49527118]. This also read as a little more juvenile than I was expecting from the summary. It has pirates, mermaids and shapeshifters, royals, magic and magicians, and high seas adventures but it also spends a lot of time on land for no reason. The pirates are also barely key players so the cover is misleading - the main character is a royal prince out on his coming-of-age tour that just happens to start on a ship. The pacing ebbs a bit here and there and I got bored in those parts. I also thought it was a about 100 pages longer than it needed to be. This could definitely be edited down and would be the same story. It's also very much PG so if you're a reader put off by sex scenes beyond some kissing, this will be fine.Overall, it was just fine but I just was a little perturbed at the misleading done by both the cover and the summary.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS SO CUTE AND SWEET!!!!!!!! This has the PERFECT amount of fluff vs. angst in it!!!!!!! I will say there are Some very heavy theme/topics such as kidnapping and actual torture, but it also has Plenty of light-hearted scenes to make you Feel good!!!!!! It's a Perfect fairy-tale kind of story!!!!!!! The writing was Beautiful and I really REALLY liked how the relationships between characters were written in particular!!!!! This is SUCH a good pick-me-up kinda book, one that just Puts you in a really good mood!!!!!! And the ENDING!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH That was SO FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!

In Deeper Waters is a book about pirates. But more than that, about myths. And even more, about political drama. There's so many turns that make it hard to define. The story travels many paths that enrich the book's plot.

And, oh, what a plot. Tal's story is written to break your heart, and to make you root for him and for Athlen. And you do, and the story is not afraid of shattering your heart, but it also puts it togheter when needed, it gets to be scary and dramatic while also being adoring and sweet.

I'm sure that I'll remember these characters for a long time going forward, and I'm already missing them so much. Thank you, F.T. Lukens.

This is a very uneven book for me.

I love the characters and think they are all well written. I would love if all the siblings would get their own story and I would totally read them. (Kest and Garrett and Isa and I don't know who I adore more.) I love the real affection that these siblings have for each other. It's gorgeous stuff.

I don't like the whole ‘magic is evil' stuff in the story. I am thoroughly sick of it and the only reason I didn't drop the book the second it cropped up was that I liked Tal enough to stay interested. The magic problem only improves a little at the end of the book - and even then, it will be a long time before this society/world views magic as anything other than inherently evil. (I am so tired of this. Cheap, crappy copout, magic is evil, yeah, okay, we get it, you played Dragon Age.) (I'm bitter. Move on.)

I discovered while reading the acknowledgments at the end: the author conceived the idea as a ‘high fantasy fairy tale' and that's what it feels like. (This knowledge would have at least tempered my excitement for the story.)

The pacing of this story feels like it's at high speed once the second third starts (the prince-napping) and little through the story is expounded.

(But the siblings and their dynamic and how awesome they all are! And, yeah, that's what gives it an extra star.) (Yes, I said an extra star, because the whole ‘evil magic is evil' thing single-handedly knocked the rating down to two stars. Yay for evil magic.)