The Vanishing Deep

A definite must read! Astrid Scholte paints the story of a beautifully haunting world in The Vanishing Deep. I found myself flying through chapters simply because I was so intrigued by the story and just had to know what happened next. Tempe has hardened her heart after the loss of her parents and older sister, Elysea. She's self-sufficient and determined. Elysea confesses a secret to Tempe after her revival and Tempe makes a rash decision to flee Palindromena with her sister; creating the setting for a whirlwind adventure for the two sisters! Lor has his own secrets that are given away as you progress through the story providing more intrigue and mystery...and there is just a touch of romance between him and Tempest that I found quite charming. This novel is creepy, twisty, and amazingly structured. I could imagine the story so clearly, making it that much easier to immerse myself into the dystopian world. "The Equinox is close to many sunken cities and if you look down upon the ruins below and let your eyes blur, the ocean looks like the night sky, and the coral its stars." I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and, I enjoyed it so much I purchased a finished copy!

I feel like with Scholte's books, I expect one thing to happen, but then something else happens. This isn't a bad thing; in fact I usually really like it. I do think her writing has improved since "Four Dead Queens". There's less characters in this book, but you still love them all. Let's start with Tempe or Tempest. She's one of our main characters and one of of points of view we see throughout the book. Tempe holds a lot of anger, but for good reasons and I like her development over the course of the book. I think that's something Scholte did really well on. Tempe is going to get her dead sister (Elysea) revived for 24 to get answers on if/how Elysea is responsible for their parents' deaths. Two years have past since Elysea drowned and Tempe has finally raised enough money to revive her sister. Elysea is the dead sister that has been brought back to life for 24 hours. She's not supposed to know she's dead, but she figures it out anyways. She convinces Tempe to break her out, because she thinks their parents might still be alive and in hiding. Of the main four characters Elysea fell a little flat for me (Compared to Lor and Tempe) but I still really liked her character. Unlike Tempe she didn't really develop over time. The main thing with Elysea was she had a lot of regrets and she didn't exactly want to die once the 24 hours were up. Lor, is other other point of view that we see; the book switches back and forth between him and Tempe. This character had the biggest twist to the story towards the end of the book. He takes his friend Raylan's spot as a warden and becomes responsible for Elysea for the 24 hours that she is revived. When the sisters escape he tries to track them down so Ray doesn't lose his job. It becomes a life or death situation for Lor. He tries to take over the sisters' ship, but instead ends up going on the journey with them to find their lost parents. He also starts to develop feelings for Tempe. Out of all the characters the ending made me love Lor so much. I feel like the ending was rushed a little by Scholte; I feel like Lor deserved more. Raylan is our final character and of the main four characters the one we see the least of. Raylan was in an accident and injured his foot. He goes to see a doctor the day of Elysea's revival and asks Lor to take his place as a warden. He is a pretty loyal friend though, which we can see at the end of the book and he does try to do his best by Lor. Overall I think this was a really solid book. I can't wait to see what Scholte comes up with next!

"The Vanishing Deep" by Astrid Scholte was such an emotional roller-coaster. if you have the print version, the font is a larger size than most books of its kind, making its 430 pages seem like a breeze to read through. Which is why i say its a great Summer beach read! i finished it in one day! Tempest, our main protagonist, is living in a post apocalyptic world where water covers somewhere around 90% of the earth's surface. Everyone in her family is gone. taken by the rough seas that surround their little floating man-made island. She dives into the ruins of the old world and collects artifacts to sell so she can save up and pay for a special service. She wants to bring her sister back from the dead. But not for closure like most families. no, she wants to find out what really happened to her parents and what her sister's true role was in their demise. Lor is a hermit who lives alone in the basement of the company that brings people back to life. He knows things about the procedure, horrible things, but the company isn't the only one keeping secrets. When his life and Tempest's are thrown together, they must come to terms with the choices they have to make, and what it truly means to be alive. 5 Stars! I love a book with a little sacrifice! That's all i will say on the matter! The parents story didn't fully jive .... won't say anymore- no spoilers

There were things I really loved about this book. It’s well written. I loved the relationship between the sisters. The ending wasn’t what I expected and felt rushed. I also came in thinking there was a fantasy element to the story and there wasn’t. Still an enjoyable read.

What a unique and interesting world! I loved the whole world drowned by water concept! It had a tinge of Waterworld but a hundred times better! These characters! I especially loved Lor. He had so much guilt going on and he just needed some love! Elysea was seriously a wonderful side character! She was sweet, genuine, and unselfish! Tempe, you couldn’t help but feel for her, especially after being alone for the past two years and struggling to survive! I swear, Scholte has the coolest worlds, best twists, and excellent writing! I can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!

The product came safely. The cover is gorgeous. The story setting is extremely interesting. A world taken over by water. A girl who wants to revive her sister just to know one answer. A facility that revives humans for 24 hours. The book is written in 2 POVs. The main characters have depth but the others fall flat. A good one time read though.

The product arrived on time as expected but the cover is scratched and damaged. Disappointing since I payed full price for it and it’s supposed to be a gift.