From USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen A. Miller comes this young adult adventure that will plunge you deep into the Atlantic Ocean. It was Stella Gullaksen’s final break before starting her freshman year at college. Joining her best friend, Jill, and Jill’s family aboard the STARKISSED, Stella wakes to a violent storm that capsizes the boat over a hundred miles off the New Jersey shore. As … the New Jersey shore.
As the waves haul her under Stella knows that she is going to die. Instead, an unusual current drags her deep into the underwater canyons of the Atlantic Ocean. Powerless against the raging waters, she is suddenly sucked into a ventilated cave. One by one, Jill and her family also emerge in the sunken cavern.
With only a faulty diving flashlight to keep oblivion at bay Stella and her best friend’s brother, Colin, search the cave in hope of finding a way back to the surface. What they discover, however, is that they are not alone. There are other survivors in this subterranean grotto–survivors spanning decades of maritime disasters.
Will this discovery prove salvation, or have they all been condemned to the same fate? A grim finale at the bottom of the sea?
On an alliance forged by friendship and attraction, Stella and Colin battle to escape the danger that lies beneath.
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Great book for teens, adults not so much. Still all and all an okay book.
Loved the characters. Unexpected ending. Thanks for the great read.
I liked this book a lot. It is a very different story. Very fantastic place. Liked the characters and the story enough to purchase the sequel. Which I just did and will begin reading today. Good job.
So good, can’t wait to read the 2nd book to find out what happens after they escape!
I loved this book! It kept me interested throughout. I am able to relax and enjoy a good fictional story without picking on whether some parts are believable or not. I suspend belief to enjoy a story. I couldn’t wait to read the second book. Excellent!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the sequel. Imagination was is exception the story easy to follow and very entertaining I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next.
I read this book to see if it would be suitable for my kids (which I think it is; some kissing and husky voices), and I didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed the story line, and now I want to read the sequel!
Omg! This book and its sequel should be made into a movie! It would without a doubt become a blockbuster. Loved every minute.
One of the best books I’ve read on a long time. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Looking forward to finding out the truth behind the secrets everyone seems to be guarding so closely. Will they be rescued? Do they WANT to be rescued? Will monsters take over and eat everyone? Will we find out three answers to any of these questions? Stay tuned
What an imaginative idea! I enjoyed reading this book.
A little like Gilligan’s Island, but underwater, with a twist. An enjoyable read.
Just sit right back, and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip.. Little humor there.. No this isn’t Gilligan’s Island. But it is a tale of of 5 people who set sail off the New Jersey shore for a family outing, get caught up in a storm which capsizes the boat and a strange powerful current drags them all down to a cave hundreds of miles beneath the Atlantic ocean.
They end up in what’s called a submarine cavern and turns out they are not alone. Many people over decades have gotten caught in that same current all ending up in the same cavern.
The main protagonist of this book is 18 year old Stella Gullaksen. She and her best friend Jill Wexler were just about to start their first year of college when Stella joined Jill’s family on a weekend fishing trip that would forever change their lives.
Stella, Jill, Colin (Jill’s 20 yr old brother), and Don (Jill’s dad) all survived the journey down into the cave. Jill’s mother was without oxygen to long and slipped into a coma. The group already in shock, cannot believe it when they find other people living in the cavern in a subterranean world they have built under the sea.
Some of the people have been down there for over 40 years but yet haven’t aged. Throughout the book we find out there are others that have been down there longer and are no longer what you’d call human.
Stella’s, who was going for a journalism major in college, curiosity makes her want to find out as much as she can from the other survivors. Some make her wary, one takes a liking to her best friend, and another brings up jealousy as Stella has always had a crush on Colin.
Some of the inhabitants have resign themselves to their fate of never escaping but Stella and Colin refuse to give up hope. This book does end on cliffy – its a hopeful cliffy if there is such a thing but there is still plenty more story that needs to be told.
One good idea is a sentence, not a book. There were so many times I thought, “OH! Something exciting is about to happen.” And then, “nope.” Follow a few rabbit holes. Failure develops characters!
Interesting but not too believable…
I actually felt guilty enjoying the sunshine while reading this book. It is a dark and strange setting for a romantic but tragic storyline.
Strange story but it held my interest til the end. I would not be interested in the sequel.
Kind of slow and the narrative didn’t really build the characters. There are others in the series, but I will not move on with the story. Totally original though!!
Too predictable on the romance front and just far enough from believable to keep me reading.
Interesting concept. Lacked something. The characters weren’t fully realized. Just disappointing. Mildly entertaining. Several errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.