Fantasy

In Deeper Waters

In Deeper Waters

  • Downloads：1517
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-11 12:51:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-13
  • Status：finish
  • Author：F.T. Lukens
  • ISBN：1534480501
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean。

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour。 After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret， he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time。 His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey， when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel。

Tasked with watching over the prisoner， Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen。 So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears， Tal feels responsible and heartbroken， knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean。

That is， until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land， very much alive， and as charming—and secretive—as ever。 But before they can pursue anything further， Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war。 Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom。 And Athlen might just be his only hope…

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Reviews

Liana Ashley ，

Review to come

Ash McClintic ，

Thank you to Edelweiss for an ARC; All my opinions are my own。Okay guys， I LOVED this！ This was such a fun fantasy romance， between a prince and a merman。 Prince Taliesan — or Tally for short — is forth in line for the throne。 During his coming of age tour he finds a boy shackled on a ship。 When Athlen goes overboard， Tally is sure he is dead。 Athlen however， shows up days later not only alive but unharmed。This novel was fast paced and unique， and I loved the twists and turns。 There were parts t Thank you to Edelweiss for an ARC; All my opinions are my own。Okay guys， I LOVED this！ This was such a fun fantasy romance， between a prince and a merman。 Prince Taliesan — or Tally for short — is forth in line for the throne。 During his coming of age tour he finds a boy shackled on a ship。 When Athlen goes overboard， Tally is sure he is dead。 Athlen however， shows up days later not only alive but unharmed。This novel was fast paced and unique， and I loved the twists and turns。 There were parts that were predictable and parts that surprised me， and overall I thought it was cute and charming。 4。5 stars！ 。。。more

Charlotte Saragaco ，

*3。5

Faye Rix ，

This book has me all kinds of worked up。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

maireads ，

CAN I GET A COPY OF THIS NOW PLEASE

kat ，

well， this just looks the softest

Cass Moskowitz ，

I read this in the span of four hours。 I loved every second。 It was fast paced， a little thin on the details because of it， but all adventure and magic and love！ I couldn’t be mad at that。 Insta love isn’t always my thing but in this case it was so butterfly-inducing I couldn’t help it。

Bertie （LuminosityLibrary） ，

A lot of people seem to believe this one's about gay pirates， and I wanna start off by saying it is not about gay pirates。 It's got pirates and gays！ But not gay pirates。 That's not a negative or anything， but I feel like people might go into this with the wrong expectations。 In Deeper Waters was an adorable， fluffy， fantasy romance that I'd recommend to people who want light high fantasy and light political intrigue。 I wanted a little bit more， especially from the political conflict， but it was A lot of people seem to believe this one's about gay pirates， and I wanna start off by saying it is not about gay pirates。 It's got pirates and gays！ But not gay pirates。 That's not a negative or anything， but I feel like people might go into this with the wrong expectations。 In Deeper Waters was an adorable， fluffy， fantasy romance that I'd recommend to people who want light high fantasy and light political intrigue。 I wanted a little bit more， especially from the political conflict， but it was a lot of fun！ I think people who enjoy slightly younger feeling YA would love this one。CW: torture， violence（Thanks to Turn The Pages Tours and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for participating in the blog tour！）If you enjoy diverse sci-fi and fantasy you should check out my Blog！ You could also follow me on Twitter or Instagram。 。。。more

Lin ⏀ ，

FUTURE ME PLEASE DON'T FORGET ABOUT THIS BOOK！！！！GAYS AND PIRATES AND MERMAIDS！！ FUTURE ME PLEASE DON'T FORGET ABOUT THIS BOOK！！！！GAYS AND PIRATES AND MERMAIDS！！ 。。。more

Nicole ，

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。2。5 stars rounded up I'm just not sure about this one。 I feel like I was promised one thing and then delivered something entirely different。 The cover and the summary scream gay pirate adventure。 Which I was 100% down for。 The book I actually got was more like The Little Mermaid， which I wasn't expecting。 It's not necessarily a bad thing， but it definitely wasn't what I wanted to read。The love story between Tal and Athlen w I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。2。5 stars rounded up I'm just not sure about this one。 I feel like I was promised one thing and then delivered something entirely different。 The cover and the summary scream gay pirate adventure。 Which I was 100% down for。 The book I actually got was more like The Little Mermaid， which I wasn't expecting。 It's not necessarily a bad thing， but it definitely wasn't what I wanted to read。The love story between Tal and Athlen was cute enough and it kept me interested， but everything else was kind of meh。 I don't know how else to describe it， but the tone that the author uses just felt。。。 off。 The book didn't really feel like a YA book to me。 It almost felt like a middle grade book that was trying too hard。 Every time the author used the term "bad guys" （and believe me， it was a lot。） I cringed。 I'm not sure if that's how the author just refers to antagonists or if it was to demonstrate Tal's naivety， but it just didn't work。 The relationships between Tal and his family also kept me going in this otherwise meh book。 The whole family is loving and supportive， so I'm glad that Tal had that and that lgbtqa humans reading this book can read that。 The whole kingdom seems wonderful in terms of acceptance。 Don't come to this book looking and wanting a fun， pirate adventure。 This book isn't that book。 But if you want a cute little love story with some minor political intrigue， then maybe give this a shot。 。。。more

Bee ，

This was an ok read。 I had kind of high hopes for it， but in the end I didn't really connect to it like I hoped I would。 This was an ok read。 I had kind of high hopes for it， but in the end I didn't really connect to it like I hoped I would。 。。。more

Megan ，

[ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]Who doesn’t love a coming of age story between a magic prince and a mysterious and elusive yet charming boy？ Set on the high seas？ With shapeshifters？ Honestly， ordinarily that person wouldn’t be me。 But what F。T。 Lukens does in this story is weave together elements so well that I found myself captivated from start to finish。 In Deeper Waters tells the story of Tal， a sixteen-year old prince with magic that he must keep a secret from everyone in th [ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review]Who doesn’t love a coming of age story between a magic prince and a mysterious and elusive yet charming boy？ Set on the high seas？ With shapeshifters？ Honestly， ordinarily that person wouldn’t be me。 But what F。T。 Lukens does in this story is weave together elements so well that I found myself captivated from start to finish。 In Deeper Waters tells the story of Tal， a sixteen-year old prince with magic that he must keep a secret from everyone in the kingdom。 When he rescues a boy （Athlen） close to his age from a derelict， sinking ship and reveals his magic， the two are bonded。 Cue the series of misfortunes and conflicts。 This story has a lot of heart and joy to it and is well and truly queer。 There’s a lot of having to hide your magic， but nothing about having to hide your sexuality， which was nice to read。 Though the ending feels a little rushed， and almost would have done well with some breathing room spread across two books， I enjoyed my time living in this world。 Tal and Athlen filled me with the warm fuzzies that I needed from this book。 4 stars。 。。。more

Kinsey ，

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。First of all， THAT COVER！ *chef's kiss* I mainly wanted to read this book because that's one of my favorite covers I'd ever seen and I wanted to see if the story of those characters lived up to it。 The answer is。。。。 almost。 The book is about a prince with secret， misunderstood magic and a boy he rescues that is secretly a merman who made a mysterious bargain with the sea witch for legs。 This Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。First of all， THAT COVER！ *chef's kiss* I mainly wanted to read this book because that's one of my favorite covers I'd ever seen and I wanted to see if the story of those characters lived up to it。 The answer is。。。。 almost。 The book is about a prince with secret， misunderstood magic and a boy he rescues that is secretly a merman who made a mysterious bargain with the sea witch for legs。 This book is nearly nonstop adventure and a lot is crammed into this stand alone novel。 I think the story fell short for me because it tried to do so much which at times left some of it feeling shallow and underwhelming。 It was a fun book to read but while entertaining it lack some deeper compelling moments。 Read this book is you enjoy ocean adventures， ransom kidnappings， royal rescues， found love， sibling dynamics， and magic。 。。。more

Simplekind ，

Thank you to Edelweiss for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review。PIRATES！！ I was excited to read this book just for that fact。 The world building was great。 I felt like I was sitting on the boat with Tally （I'm sorry Tal）。 Tal was a great character。 While he was afraid of his magic and who it might make him become， he also understood his role in life because of his family。 He may not have appreciated being stuck in the castle his whole life but he understood。 This story beg Thank you to Edelweiss for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review。PIRATES！！ I was excited to read this book just for that fact。 The world building was great。 I felt like I was sitting on the boat with Tally （I'm sorry Tal）。 Tal was a great character。 While he was afraid of his magic and who it might make him become， he also understood his role in life because of his family。 He may not have appreciated being stuck in the castle his whole life but he understood。 This story begins when he gest a little freedom。I enjoyed the characters。 This was a fun read。 I just felt like more could have been done with it。 There was so much building up to when Tal and Athlen reach the castle， but when they do， everything happens so fast and the book was over。 I was left with so many questions。 Maybe there will be a second one？ 。。。more

Emily ~ emhoardsbooks ，

In this queer coming-of-age fantasy， a magical prince must work with a merman to save his kingdom。I was so excited by the idea of this book but ultimately it fell a little flat for me。 There were certainly some really fun and entertaining as well as tender and heart stopping moments。 I really liked Tal， Athlen and the array of characters they encountered on their many journeys。However， so much happens in this book that it left little time for necessary world building and any character growth fel In this queer coming-of-age fantasy， a magical prince must work with a merman to save his kingdom。I was so excited by the idea of this book but ultimately it fell a little flat for me。 There were certainly some really fun and entertaining as well as tender and heart stopping moments。 I really liked Tal， Athlen and the array of characters they encountered on their many journeys。However， so much happens in this book that it left little time for necessary world building and any character growth felt rushed。 I often felt like the many bad situations were just being forced on the characters again and again in order to make them stronger in the end。 It made every threat and bad guy they encountered feel like less of a big deal because they were given hardly any time in between to process what was happening to them。 This also made the finale feel less intense and almost predictable。 So the book was okay but I think it could've been great if it had focused more on the character and world building。 To sum it up， feels like it's trying too hard and not hard enough。rep: bi/pan mc， queer （possibly mlm？） li， poc side characters， side character with depressiontws: blood， torture， murder 。。。more

Jessica McAllister ，

This was a cutesy fluffy read but it didn't leave an lasting impression。 It was fine but stayed in shallow waters in terms of character development and plot。。。。I think this could have been a good set up to a series but this was too underdeveloped and wrapped up way to quickly and nicely for my taste。 I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This was a cutesy fluffy read but it didn't leave an lasting impression。 It was fine but stayed in shallow waters in terms of character development and plot。。。。I think this could have been a good set up to a series but this was too underdeveloped and wrapped up way to quickly and nicely for my taste。 I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Saniya （sunnysidereviews） ，

I'm not sure what to rate it yet， but ahh this was amazing！ I've never read high fantasy before， let alone fantasy， and this was just the perfect summer magical read。 Review to come on my blog and on goodreads！ I'm not sure what to rate it yet， but ahh this was amazing！ I've never read high fantasy before， let alone fantasy， and this was just the perfect summer magical read。 Review to come on my blog and on goodreads！ 。。。more

Book Fantasy Utopia ，

This book was wonderful to read。 I’ve never read any of F。T。 Likens other books， but after reading In Deeper Water I truly want to pick up more by them！ In In Deeper Waters we follow our main character Tal， the second youngest of his five siblings。 Tal is on his coming-of-age tour when he meets a mysterious boy named Athlen。 The two go on an adventure to try and save Tal’s kingdom and his family。 The relationships through this book were just amazing。 And I’m not just talking about how good Tal This book was wonderful to read。 I’ve never read any of F。T。 Likens other books， but after reading In Deeper Water I truly want to pick up more by them！ In In Deeper Waters we follow our main character Tal， the second youngest of his five siblings。 Tal is on his coming-of-age tour when he meets a mysterious boy named Athlen。 The two go on an adventure to try and save Tal’s kingdom and his family。 The relationships through this book were just amazing。 And I’m not just talking about how good Tal and Athlen’s relationship was although it was very good and I loved the way it was fleshed out。 Tal’s dynamic with his family was one of the best written family dynamics I’ve read in a long time。 I feel like a lot of books always end up having the main character of a book’s family die， or if they’re a prince like in Tal’s case a parent who wants them to marry off to a princess/prince。 That wasn’t the case for this book。 Tal’s family loved and supported him。 They lifted him and the sibling relationships were amazingly crafted。 I found myself falling in love with so many of the characters in this story。 The plot had me hooked from the beginning to the end。 I never felt like there was a dull moment along the way。 The plot was amazing all the way from the first page to the last。 The author knew how to keep it moving without packing it so full that it felt like you couldn’t keep track of what was going on。 The final thing I want to talk about is world building。 In Deeper Waters is a high fantasy。 While in the book they are in one kingdom throughout the story， the character interactions and the overall plot helps you to see how the world is。 Although I felt slightly confused at the start with the world as the plot progressed and we got to hear more people talk and give different looks at their world it helped me to piece it together in my mind。 The magic system I’m still kind of confused about because I feel like there’s a lot of blank spots， but with that I’m pretty sure that’s the way it’s supposed to be。 I'd love to see another book set in this world where we can’t learn more about the magic and world itself。 Overall I have In Deeper Waters a 5 out of 5 stars。 This book will cling to my heart for a long time and I can’t say how happy I am that this book exists and I got to read it。 This one is probably my favorite read so far this year。I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Elise ，

Wonderful book！ I loved how the characters were written， with their differing personalities and goals， which made them complex and relatable。 Reminds me， to some extent， of a more light-hearted Song of Achilles， in that there is a romance that is very important to the main character， but that romance isn't the sole focus of the book。 Wonderful book！ I loved how the characters were written， with their differing personalities and goals， which made them complex and relatable。 Reminds me， to some extent， of a more light-hearted Song of Achilles， in that there is a romance that is very important to the main character， but that romance isn't the sole focus of the book。 。。。more

Anniek ，

No one is more surprised and disappointed than I that I didn't vibe with this book。 I had such high hopes for it， it sounded right up my alley， but it just fell so flat for me。Initially， I found the book cute and endearing， especially the main character and the love interest。 But at the same time， this book felt so juvenile for YA， and it never gave me the coming of age story it promised beyond the plotline itself。 What I mean by that is that I want to see it emotionally， mentally。 And I just ne No one is more surprised and disappointed than I that I didn't vibe with this book。 I had such high hopes for it， it sounded right up my alley， but it just fell so flat for me。Initially， I found the book cute and endearing， especially the main character and the love interest。 But at the same time， this book felt so juvenile for YA， and it never gave me the coming of age story it promised beyond the plotline itself。 What I mean by that is that I want to see it emotionally， mentally。 And I just never gained much insight in that。I think the book was just really underdeveloped。 There was next to no world building either， and I feel like the romance was so sudden and instalovey without giving it more depth later on。 Like I said， I thought the characters were cute， but I don't feel like I really got to know them。 。。。more

Megan Nichols ，

In Deep WatersFive StarsI was very pleased when the story took off immediately。 Prince Tal is on his coming of age tour with his older brother， a family tradition。 Circumstances lead to his meeting Athlen， a charming young man in need of Tal’s help and knowledgeable of suspicious， uncirculated crown gold。 When Athlen escapes， he leaves Tal with questions only he can answer of possible conspiracy against the crown and the secret Tal holds close， hidden。I love Tal’s relationship with his brothers。 In Deep WatersFive StarsI was very pleased when the story took off immediately。 Prince Tal is on his coming of age tour with his older brother， a family tradition。 Circumstances lead to his meeting Athlen， a charming young man in need of Tal’s help and knowledgeable of suspicious， uncirculated crown gold。 When Athlen escapes， he leaves Tal with questions only he can answer of possible conspiracy against the crown and the secret Tal holds close， hidden。I love Tal’s relationship with his brothers。 They’re vulnerable with each other。 The family dynamic is truly so wholesome。 Tal’s older brothers absolutely adore him and tease him about Athlen。 Towards the end they fought to make sacrifices for Tal， that he may pursue his heart and not what the crown demanded and I cried。 It was the sweetest。 The Queen is an incredible mother。 She loves and encourages her children so much and is so close with them。 She cares deeply for their hearts and desires， and they care deeply for their kingdom。 It’s so sweetly balanced。 Tal and Athlen’s dynamic is so fun！ Tal is an absolute sweetheart and Athlen is a mischievous vagabond surrounded by mystery。 I was glued to the pages as they interacted， so in love with their dialogue。 There were some plot twists I didn’t see coming at all and was wildly delighted by them！ The storyline was simple yet full of depth and was enjoyable。 The experience was so good。 The writing was well done。 The ending stressed me out and I cried more。 This book mad me smile like a fool and curl my toes in delight。 I shed tears for the hearts of these characters and the way the author expressed them。 I was genuinely saddened to learn the book is a standalone because I’d love for it to be a series。 I’ll miss Tal and Athlen and the family so much。 。。。more

Anna ，

I received an ARC of In Deeper Waters from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。While overall a very interesting premise and fun characters， In Deeper Waters ultimately falls a little flat of being an AMAZING fantasy story。 However， that does not mean it was not a） enjoyable， b） loads of fun， and c） cute and cheesy。 The characters were probably the best part of the story， as the plot was lacking a bit of depth。 Cute family dynamic that seemed both authentic and ~quirky~ at the same time。 Q I received an ARC of In Deeper Waters from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。While overall a very interesting premise and fun characters， In Deeper Waters ultimately falls a little flat of being an AMAZING fantasy story。 However， that does not mean it was not a） enjoyable， b） loads of fun， and c） cute and cheesy。 The characters were probably the best part of the story， as the plot was lacking a bit of depth。 Cute family dynamic that seemed both authentic and ~quirky~ at the same time。 Quick， fun summer read！ 。。。more

zita campbell ，

*4。75Video coming soon to my TikTok。GAY HIGH FANTASY GAY HIGH FANTASY GAY HIGH FANTASYYYYYYYThis is one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint。 In Deeper Waters follows Prince Tal the second youngest of five and only one of the royal family rumoured to inherited magic。 While on his coming-of-age tour Tal meets Athlen， a mysterious stranger with secrets of his own。 Together Athlen and Tal set off on a journey escaping mercenaries and kidnappers all while uncovering *4。75Video coming soon to my TikTok。GAY HIGH FANTASY GAY HIGH FANTASY GAY HIGH FANTASYYYYYYYThis is one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it did not disappoint。 In Deeper Waters follows Prince Tal the second youngest of five and only one of the royal family rumoured to inherited magic。 While on his coming-of-age tour Tal meets Athlen， a mysterious stranger with secrets of his own。 Together Athlen and Tal set off on a journey escaping mercenaries and kidnappers all while uncovering a plot that could be the end to his kingdom’s long-sought peace。Tal and Athlen’s relationship was beyond adorable and didn’t feel too rushed。 I particularly enjoyed Tal’s relationship with his siblings， it was cute， wholesome， and felt true to life。 The actual world-building was a little confusing， the different kingdoms and their relationships to each other had me scratching my head at times。 The magic system on the other hand felt well thought out and was well executed。 I mean who doesn’t love fire magic and mermaids？？ The plot was intriguing and the writing was fast-paced and comical at times， keeping me engaged until the very last page。 If you are looking for an exciting， queer high fantasy at sea I would recommend giving In Deeper Waters a try！I received an eARC of this book through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

grace ，

This book was so fun。 Mermaids， magic， adventure， and some of my favorite tropes。 I am a sucker for hiding magical powers as an allegory for hiding another part of yourself！That said， the pacing was a bit off for me。 Moments of action would be rushed only to have long stretches in between where nothing seemed to happen。 The relationship between Tal and Athlen suffered from the same problem。

Taschima ，

2。5 StarsThe beginning of In Deeper Waters left a bit to be desired。 I felt the secondary characters were not very fleshed out; to the point they felt like cardboard copies of every other YA character。 The dialogue felt uninspired， the world underdeveloped， the story/plot slightly confusing in its unclarity in order to try to create problems/surprise the reader with revelations。 I don't know about you， but I like it when the story flows a bit more seamlessly。 It felt truly like the point of the 2。5 StarsThe beginning of In Deeper Waters left a bit to be desired。 I felt the secondary characters were not very fleshed out; to the point they felt like cardboard copies of every other YA character。 The dialogue felt uninspired， the world underdeveloped， the story/plot slightly confusing in its unclarity in order to try to create problems/surprise the reader with revelations。 I don't know about you， but I like it when the story flows a bit more seamlessly。 It felt truly like the point of the book was the romance and the rest was just window dressing--which eh， for fantasy to be done right you need a BIT more。The middle is good， focuses more on Prince Tal and the hardships he has to endure while having been kidnapped。 The other thing it focuses on is building the relationship between Tal and Athlen--which is super cute and where most of my enjoyment came from。 I rolled my eyes a lot because Athlen's "secret" is so obvious， and Tal keeps from asking him about his survival after he throws himself into the ocean （probably to keep the mystery alive） which irritates me because that would be the only thing I would want to know in his shoes。In the end once we are surrounded by a larger cast of characters is when I feel my interest began to ebb。 The other characters are just not very interesting， and it felt like we kept them around just because we had to at this point。 In Deeper Waters also left a pretty major question unanswered when it came to Athlen， and ends with the prettiest bow known to man kind。 I feel this will be one of those books I forget in a couple of weeks。 The idea of the book was better than the execution。 。。。more

Madison Auchincloss ，

I was hooked on reading this book as soon as I saw the cover。 I found the writing to be not quite as strong as I would have liked - characters making very silly decisions for no apparent reason， some bits of weird inner monologues - but overall， still a fairly solid story。 Whoever the cover artist is though， kudos to them because it is gorgeous and snatched me right away。 #NetGalley #InDeeperWaters

katie ，

gays at sea。 that's all i have to say。 rtc！ gays at sea。 that's all i have to say。 rtc！ 。。。more

katie :） ，

4。5 stars！！！In Deeper Waters is the gay Little Mermaid retelling you've always wanted， but didn't know you could have。 We follow Prince Tal as he goes on his coming-of-age tour and it doesn't go the way he planned。 I loved this book。 Truly and unapologetically loved it。 It's such a warm， fun adventure story with a sweet romance， and some spins on common fantasy tropes that make this book stand out amongst the crowd。 There are so many things I loved about In Deeper Waters， but one thing that keep 4。5 stars！！！In Deeper Waters is the gay Little Mermaid retelling you've always wanted， but didn't know you could have。 We follow Prince Tal as he goes on his coming-of-age tour and it doesn't go the way he planned。 I loved this book。 Truly and unapologetically loved it。 It's such a warm， fun adventure story with a sweet romance， and some spins on common fantasy tropes that make this book stand out amongst the crowd。 There are so many things I loved about In Deeper Waters， but one thing that keeps standing out to me as I reflect on this book was Tal himself as a character。 In pirate adventure fantasy books like this one， the protagonist is usually a cold badass type of character。 But Tal is soft-hearted， kind， considerate， thoughtful， and smart character who still manages to be one of the bravest characters I have read in a long time。 His bravery throughout the book is in the little moments。 The little things he does to show that he is stronger than he lets on。 The romance is sweet and well-paced， making it seem believable for the characters to have fallen for each other as they have。 The climax of the book in terms of their relationship was fairly predictable， but in the way that all the pieces lined up perfectly and made sense when you hit the point where you should have it figured out。 I love that this book has a really strong familial love aspect in addition to the standard romance plot line that is advertised。 I wasn't expecting to get as strong of a sibling bond as I did in this book， but I was so pleasantly surprised。 The relationship between Tal and his brothers specifically is like nothing I've ever seen before in YA Fantasy， and I didn't realize how muchI wanted it until I was reading it。 The plot did feel a little rushed at times， and I felt it could've been expanded a little bit more; but I also felt that the speed of the plot helps the reader feel as if they are really there。 On this adventure with Tal and Athlen。 I really enjoyed the magic system and world building of this novel as well。 It was vague enough that I could sort of create the image in my head how I imagined it， but it was vivid and well developed so I didn't have to do too much work in creating my interpretation of it。 I like how the magic works in this world， and I found the world to be really fun and exciting。 This book is overall a lighthearted one， but there were some moments that felt really tragic and dark laced throughout。 It was a really healthy balance of peril and soft moments that made me fall in love with this story。All in all， I loved In Deeper Waters。 It was fast-paced， light hearted， and so much fun。 Highly recommend！I was provided an e-ARC through netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Chloe Scully ，

So this book is mostly meh。。。I am about 100 pages into the novel （a third of it） and honestly， I am still waiting for the plot to start。 There is beautiful worldbuilding， but worldbuilding is not the only thing a book needs。 Probably just not the book for me。*1 Day Later*Okay， IN DEEPER WATERS slaps and I will fight anyone （including yesterday me） who says otherwise。 It is a beautiful story of love， magic， and fantasy。

Is ，

A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean。That blurb coupled in with that beautiful illustrated cover， and In Deeper Waters was one of my 2021 most anticipated reads。 Once I got the advance copy， I quickly bumped it on my TBR pile。 In Deeper Waters is rich in fantasy， adventure， and magic。 The journey has begun for Prince A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean。That blurb coupled in with that beautiful illustrated cover， and In Deeper Waters was one of my 2021 most anticipated reads。 Once I got the advance copy， I quickly bumped it on my TBR pile。 In Deeper Waters is rich in fantasy， adventure， and magic。 The journey has begun for Prince Tal by the time the reader begins the novel。 We’re on a boat along with Tal and one of his older brothers and soon we meet Athlen， who is found captive on another boat with a chest of gold， and questions piled on high。 With Tal’s coming of age tour turning rather surprising， Athlen jumping overboard is just the beginning of said surprising turns。 Soon， Tal finds himself evading rumors and people who want to find out his secrets and kill him。 One of my biggest disclaimers for In Deeper Waters is that it could have gone deeper。 Though I can see the resemblance to the comp title， A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue， the similarities are surface-level—coming of age tour， bi protagonists， complot， romance，etc。 With Pirates of the Caribbean， the same could be said， but it falls short of living up to the latter title。 “Why else would I hold a prince” She spread her palms。 “Ransom。 Assassination。 War。” Her gray eyes glinted。 “Magic。”Tal didn’t rise to the bait。 He remained impassive。 “Well，” he said after a moment of silence， “which one is it？”—In Deeper Waters， page 96I think this novel could have gone levels higher with the magic， the lore， the plot。 Instead， it felt rushed at times。 The ending way too perfectly wrapped for all that it promised in the beginning。 Don’t get me wrong， I loved a nicely-wrapped ending。 But for the plot this novel could’ve tackled it just felt that 320 pages wasn’t enough to develop it。 The magic confounded me at times。 I wasn’t sure if Tal’s magic was only fire based， and if it was what all did it entail。 Magic in this world was what？ Dominitating that element？ As for Athlen， I don’t know if what he is considered a spoiler， but even with him I felt under explored。 The ending， again， felt rather wanting。 Wanting to know what happened to his family…like he literally cannot be the last one。 What happens when he dies…do they become extinct？ Like the war plot…I—， him being the last mage （we could’ve an all out fight…）…The thing is that it had its moments of what could’ve been。 Tal’s talk about the slipper slope of using his magic and being a weapon for his family， in defense of his family。 Of Athlen and his fear of being left behind。 The significance of him showing Tal something so personal before he even showed Dara， which he has know for far longer。 （Reminds me of MDZS and the ribbon， I am a sucker for romance in the little details。）Even their romance， it started off good and then things happened which you can understand and infer but it left the romance as a beginning， suspended whilst angst happened， and then suddenly we’re in love？ One thing that romance， in general， needs to do better is the fact that as a reader we should know why two （or more） characters fall in love with each other。 It shouldn’t only be that we get told these two （or more） are in love and we take it as face value。 Despite all of this， I did enjoy it。 It was light， and not something I needed to follow closely in fear of missing a clue or foreshadowing， or a twist that would have me grasping at what I’d missed。 I did like that Tal had to fight back after literally getting tortured。 I wished more “hero” characters did what needed to be done。 Though of course he had guilt after and I wished we could explore doing necessary things without feeling like you’re a monster or evil。 One step at a time， I guess。 In all， it does have moments of torture and high actions， but overall it isn’t an overwhelming read。 I’d say this is a good fantasy read when you’re in the mood for…。NOT high fantasy。 This is like when you’re trying to dip your toes back in and kind of simmer there for a bit before plunging all in。 （view spoiler）[**Some hmmm moments SPOILERS LOOK AWAY *** Cat shifter not recognizing Tal later on… The whole plot of having 23 year old Garrett almost marrying a 17-year old？ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=In Deeper Waters

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=In Deeper Waters&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,In Deeper Waters&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0