Astrid Scholte's debut novel Four Dead Queens was very unique and creative, and it looks like she's done it again with The Vanishing Deep. Right away, Scholte builds a captivating world where people live in the water and cities have been buried underwater. The island of Palindromena is named after the facility where the dead can be brought back to life for 24 hours. The two alternating perspectives are engaging from the beginning - Tempe wants to see her sister again, and Lor works for Palindromena and cuts himself off from the outside world to punish himself for the death of his best friend. This excerpt was clearly just the beginning, and I'm curious as to what will happen when Tempe reawakens her sister! Iwas initially underwhelmed by the cover but I do think it's a stunning color and the cover model's look is very intense.