Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea meets Frankenstein in this inventive YA fantasy from award-winning author Frances Hardinge The gods are dead. Fifty years ago, they turned on one another and tore each other apart. Nobody knows why. Now, even coin-sized scraps of dead god are worth a fortune because of the strange powers they’re said to possess. But few are brave enough to dive and search … few are brave enough to dive and search for them.
When fifteen-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of one of these deities, he’ll risk everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, scientists, and cults who would kill for its power. Because Hark needs the heart if he wants to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But the power of a god was not meant for human hands.
With the heart, Jelt begins to eerily transform, and Hark will have to decide if he can stay loyal to his friend–or what he’s willing to sacrifice to save him.
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I cannot begin to recommend Deeplight by Frances Hardinge enough. It is magical, mysterious, and mesmerizing (and more). The worldbuilding, characters, and storytelling are amazing. It truly sucks you in and doesn’t let go!
First, just take a look at the synopsis and appreciate just how truly terrifying it is. The gods are dead…they turned on one another and tore each other apart… Say what? They tore each other apart?! 15-year-old Hark finds the still-beating heart of a terrifying deity… Great. Just great. Still-beating heart….terrifying deity. What could go wrong? he risks everything to keep it out of the hands of smugglers, military scientists and a secret fanatical cult…yeah, that’s what could go wrong…the bad guys could get it! he can use it to save the life of his best friend, Jelt. But with the heart, Jelt gradually and eerily transforms…that could ALSO go wrong. When you read about Jelt’s transformation, you will be terrified!
If you read lots of YA books, you’ve probably heard of YALLWEST. It’s a book festival in California featuring young adult and middle grade authors. Rather than cancel it altogether, the 2020 festival became YALLSTAYHOME. Since my daughter reads a ton of YA books, she knew all about this, and we both signed up to listen to some of the panels. One of the panels was called Modern Magic Worldbuilding, and Frances Hardinge was one of the panelists.
Random information? No! I loved listening to the authors on the panel talk about how they form worlds in their novels. I’ll tell you what: Frances Hardinge is an expert at worldbuilding. She sets up an area of the world composed of islands and the sea. And from what I gathered in reading the book, the residents of the islands (the majority of them, I believe) are unaware of just how large the rest of the world is. I could be wrong, but it seems like they believe the islands are a large center and the rest of the world is small and revolves around the islands.
This island-centric way of life has much to do with the gods. Though the gods are long gone, bits of godware are in high demand. The people believe the godware is powerful, and they’ll risk their lives to get it. Outsiders pay a lot of money for godware too, so to have access to godware is to have power. The author said that her fascination with early submarines played into her worldbuilding as well, and you’ll see that access to these types of submarines gives the characters power as well. Getting to the Undersea means access to more godware. It is this obsessive desire for godware that changes the main characters’ lives forever.
Deeplight is a must read for anyone who appreciates amazing worldbuilding and fascinating storytelling. Speaking of storytelling…the author not only tells the present story, she weaves in stories from the past…from when the gods were alive. And stories of how they died. I don’t even have the words to describe how brilliantly Hardinge tells stories. Deeplight will stick with me for a very long time. You have to read this. Seriously. It’s amazing. Read it! Now!
As compelling as the plot of Deeplight is, the characterization is offputting. Jelt is a terrible character, and it is clear that it is intentional. However, reading of him was such a turn-off because he is cruel and manipulative, and horrible. Jelt puts himself first preceding to make Hark feel bad if things do not go according to plan. Hardinge does an excellent job of highlighting just how terrible a toxic relationship can be. Nevertheless, Jelt offers no redeemable characteristics to make him worthwhile to read.
Deeplight Offers Great Growth
Now, that said, the moment Hark stands up to him without backing down, that is a great scene because the reader gets to see e just how much Hark has grown as a person. He learns to appreciate himself and indeed learns much about friendship during his time as an indentured servant because even while he was a servant, they treated him with more respect and kindness than Jelt ever offered him.
Jelt’s ultimate demise is also gratifying. Probably the best part of the novel because it brought out the monster the reader could already see inside of Jelt, the corruption, the malice, the sheer arrogance, and self-centeredness came to life in incredible detail. It is a beautiful scene to witness and one worth reading repeatedly (much like Joffrey’s death in Game of Thrones).
The fantasy is there and written wonderfully. The detail, the mythology and connection to the gods, their beginnings, it was unique and wonderfully defined.
Hardinge writes with a vivid passion, allowing her to create such a brilliant fantasy with long-dead gods. The plane of existence under the sea was also unique. It is interesting to think of gods living below instead of above, creating a sinister edge to the story.
The development of the lore in Deeplight is fantastical, and I wish the book had more of it.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Deeplight is a good book, and there is something to be said about Hardinge’s representation. The fact that one of her best characters is a deaf girl is incredible.
There are not enough books featuring disabled people in strong roles, and here is one. She is a fierce, intelligent character, becoming the snarky friend Hark needs. Her dynamics with Hark are a saving grace for the novel.
There are parts that slow it down a bit to highlight Hark’s ability to grow and escape a toxic relationship. Not always easy, it is important for readers to see that nothing should trap them in an unhealthy relationship. Jelt being the only hindrance to the novel does not stop the story from being compelling.