*SPOILER ALERT*
Wow, what a concept! I was absolutely enthralled right from the beginning of the story.
An entertainment company called Imagine sent a research ship into the Mariana Trench in search of mermaids. Something terrible happened and the entire ship is killed and from what footage is gathered it seems like the mermaids came onto the ship and killed everyone, but it’s disputed by the world as being fake. Now 7 years later Imagine is sending another ship to try and figure out what really happened.
This cast of characters was really random and diverse and everyone had quite a distinct personality, which made it easier to keep track of them all. I loved that we got quite an in depth insight to these characters and their backgrounds. We learn so much about them in such a short period of time but it definitely didn’t feel info dumpy or rushed in any way. I enjoyed how the story jumped from point of views every few chapters and how she incorporated the dolphin and mermaid povs just to add a bit of context to what was happening and how the contrasted with the humans, it was fascinating!
Tory is a character that you just want to support and hope that she gets the closure that she needs. She comes from what I believe to be a pretty privileged background allowing her to really set reality aside and really focus on her goal of finding out what happened to Alice. She isn’t very relatable but she is likeable and I found myself really hoping that she doesn’t die.
Luis was precious. Again another character that is super privileged but he uses his wealth really for good and actively tries to help those around him, especially Tory. He is super supportive of her and he really steps up and takes charge when the mermaids started to attack which made me love him even more!
Dr Toth was an interesting character. I was a bit ambivalent towards her at the start as i thought she came across as a bit of a know-it-all. Once I found out a bit more about her history and what she has had to endure during her career and the guilt she felt after what happened on the Atargatis, I did end up coming around and appreciating her a bit more. She was very integral to the plot and her ability to keep cool under pressure I think is what saved them all in the end!
This book really had me on the edge of my seat. Mira Grant definitely didn’t shy away from making this very dark and killing off the characters when it suited the plot. I almost wish a few of the more main characters would of died as well, I just think it would of made the story that much more shocking and realistic in a way.
⭐️4/5 If you aren’t a fan of a lot of blood and gore this is definitely not the book for you!
Amy Leigh Reads 