I was initially draw to Lying In the Deep by Diana Urban because of the books fabulous cover (yes- I judge a book by its cover!). I love the bloody handprint on the porthole window. I swear I can see a tiny heart in it too!
The plot then also lured me right in. I love cruises and travel, so the premise of a murder on a ‘campus on board’ ship Reeled me right in. Who hasn’t wanted to do a semester at Sea? Earning colleges credits while traveling the world sound like a dream. But could this dream turn into a nightmare when people on board start dying??
Once I started reading I realized this was going to be a slow book. Which is not want you want in a thriller. It starts with a lot of action but then slowed way way way down. I stuck with it though and all in all it wasn’t terrible. But I had expected more. I wanted this to be 371 pages of action thrills and chills. But it was about 50 pages of what I wanted and 320 pages of fluff. The plot was good, but there was a lot of unnecessary story in it. I did like the characters and the little love story. I was floored by the ending of the book and the last words on the last page- it was a mic drop moment “Betrayal can make you do ridiculous things.”
I hope to read more books by Urban in the future, because I think her writing style is very enjoyable. But this one just wants the 5 star YA jaw dropping thriller I was hoping for.