I was so torn on how to rate this book! I wanted to give it a 4, but I went with my gut and ended up giving it a 3.
The main reason is because in the middle of the book, the story lost me. I was pumped for the beginning and then the ending was satisfying.
I was absolutely fascinated by the African Lore this book was based off of. The discussion of the historically horrendous trans-Atlantic slave trade was told in such a fantastical way—the slaves that were pushed overboard were the creators of mer-people. The setting of The Deep was vividly depicted as well as darkly enchanting; however, at times I felt the world-building was vague and left me with questions.
I loved the LGBT+ and Black Voice representation, which is essentially why I picked this book up—plus I love mermaids. The unexpected relationship between Yetu
and her two-legged friend was my favorite part of the book!
I think this is exactly how you mix fantasy with history. It’s hard to do, but Rivers Solomon (et al) was able to mend the two aspects together nicely. I do wish we had more character development. I felt like the history was being thrown at me, where I would have enjoyed it more if I were to learn about it along with the characters in the story. However, that is what most lore does—it tells you about things, instead of shows you (in a way, the author is basically saying, “you’re late, catch up.”)
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Daveed Diggs. Holy hell, his voice is sexy. Like, can we all just agreed? He sounds like he needs to cough sometimes, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll cough for him while he continues to read to me.
Overall, I really loved the story, I was mesmerized by the premise. I just wish it held my attention more during some parts of the book. There was a lot of repetition re: rememberings and the desire to assimilate, but I also think that was intentional—it was a way to show how joint experience and memories are what helped many Black individuals survive in a world that has always tore them down and to showcase what it’s like to come from a group of people who have a history of trauma and to be able to share that trauma together. Very powerful!
The main reason is because in the middle of the book, the story lost me. I was pumped for the beginning and then the ending was satisfying.
I was absolutely fascinated by the African Lore this book was based off of. The discussion of the historically horrendous trans-Atlantic slave trade was told in such a fantastical way—the slaves that were pushed overboard were the creators of mer-people. The setting of The Deep was vividly depicted as well as darkly enchanting; however, at times I felt the world-building was vague and left me with questions.
I loved the LGBT+ and Black Voice representation, which is essentially why I picked this book up—plus I love mermaids. The unexpected relationship between Yetu
and her two-legged friend was my favorite part of the book!
I think this is exactly how you mix fantasy with history. It’s hard to do, but Rivers Solomon (et al) was able to mend the two aspects together nicely. I do wish we had more character development. I felt like the history was being thrown at me, where I would have enjoyed it more if I were to learn about it along with the characters in the story. However, that is what most lore does—it tells you about things, instead of shows you (in a way, the author is basically saying, “you’re late, catch up.”)
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Daveed Diggs. Holy hell, his voice is sexy. Like, can we all just agreed? He sounds like he needs to cough sometimes, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll cough for him while he continues to read to me.
Overall, I really loved the story, I was mesmerized by the premise. I just wish it held my attention more during some parts of the book. There was a lot of repetition re: rememberings and the desire to assimilate, but I also think that was intentional—it was a way to show how joint experience and memories are what helped many Black individuals survive in a world that has always tore them down and to showcase what it’s like to come from a group of people who have a history of trauma and to be able to share that trauma together. Very powerful!