Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - In Deeper Waters

Very cute and enjoyed the characters but felt a bit too, idk, quick? And apart from the end i didn't ever really feel any genuine peril for the characters. A little bit insta-love-y but i tend to be less judgemental on common tropes if the book is queer because they haven't had as long to use them!

Overall a cute, easy, queer fantasy!

CW: injury, fire, death, forced labour, blood, kidnapping, imprisonment

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indigo_fox's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love the characters! It is so easy to root for them and to want everything to go right for them! Like always F.T. Lukens is able to pull me into her world with her writing style. I just didn't want to put the book down! I feel like this book had a bigger chunk of angst in it than her other books I've read. It was GREAT. I loved the little mystery that was entwined in the book.

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booklifeisthelife's review against another edition

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adventurous funny medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a cute read. The characters were neat. I can't say I fell in love with them nor kicked my feet squealing but it was a cute, sweet read. I liked

them saving and being there for each other equally.

The story was cool and I liked the growth the main character went through especially. I love

that he no longer worries he is or will be his grandfather. I love his growing confidence.

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gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

Very good YA adventure - I’d call this a gay Little Mermaid type tale, but from the POV of the prince. It adds in political drama of being the 4th in line for the throne, feeling alone because of hiding who you are, and a few other things that wove into a heartbreaking tale that had a very hopeful ending about love and healing.

There’s strong teen emotions, almost-but-not-quite instalove (insta feelings?), feelings of being the odd person out, protecting family, what royalty owes to their people. I’d give it higher stars if it had either leaned into the lighthearted playful energy of the main two, OR kept the seriousness of the prince’s

abduction

through more of the beginning of the book. Not badly written by no means but definitely felt like I was reading two very different tones from first chapter going forward.

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1234_rowan_1234's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.75

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purplepenning's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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kayceeisbookish's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.0

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itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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? It's complicated

3.0

A solid book that did what it was set out to do, and is enjoyable enough without reinventing the wheel or anything. It might be a bit bland for some people and I do agree (hence the 3 star rating). I hesitate to call it "cozy" considering the slavery/torture sections, but again, it isn't anything too challenging.

What I liked:

Tal and Athlen were likeable and believable enough and had good chemistry. They're not a groundbreaking couple by any means but if you like the dynamic of their relationship -
Human Prince/Merman
- you'll enjoy them enough.
(Disclaimer to this point that I am not against sex scenes, I just think that not every story needs one unless it suits the tone and story) I like the fact that Tal and Athlen's relationship was strong enough that them sleeping together happened off page was just another part of their relationship and didn't overpower the whole dynamic; especially considering that this book seems to be intended for a slightly younger audience than myself.
I liked everything surrounding Poppy and I grinned when she got to become the Sea Witch's minion at the end. Good for her. Also good for the bastard princess that ran off with her handmaiden and that other guy - probably the funniest and most endearing part of the book.

What I didn't like:

The pacing of the book was a bit too fast and I didn't feel like I got the chance to digest anything that happened until I put the book down.
The conflict between Tal and Athlen felt laboured and repetitive at times with how Athlen withheld key information about himself. There's nothing wrong with the trope itself but nothing particularly interesting was done with it, which feels especially egregious since Tal and Athlen have good chemistry otherwise. I think the novel could have benefitted from being slightly longer to avoid feeling rushed.
On a related note, the ending chapters felt a bit rushed in my opinion.
In particular: 1) the confrontation with the sea witch felt like it was over before it really began. 2) For all the talk about how everyone feared magic and would be scared of Tal, nothing really came of it other than vague platitudes. I know it's supposed to be an allegory for being queer but it felt kind of redundant when the world was already accepting of Tal and Athlen not being heterosexual.
Some of the side characters felt flat, and the setting felt pretty generic. Again, this is really just a result of the book not being particularly ambitious so it's not as much of a bad point compared to what I've said above. I still would have liked to have seen a little more detail about the magic system and how it affects the world.

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