Bestselling author Astrid Scholte, returns with a thrilling adventure in which the dead can be revived…for a price.Seventeen-year-old Tempe was born into a world of water. When the Great Waves destroyed her planet five hundred years ago, its people had to learn to survive living on the water, but the ruins of the cities below still called. Tempe dives daily, scavenging the ruins of a bygone … ruins of a bygone era, searching for anything of value to trade for Notes. It isn’t food or clothing that she wants to buy, but her dead sister’s life. For a price, the research facility on the island of Palindromena will revive the dearly departed for twenty-four hours before returning them to death. It isn’t a heartfelt reunion that Tempe is after; she wants answers. Elysea died keeping a terrible secret, one that has ignited an unquenchable fury in Tempe: Her beloved sister was responsible for the death of their parents. Tempe wants to know why.
But once revived, Elysea has other plans. She doesn’t want to spend her last day in a cold room accounting for a crime she insists she didn’t commit. Elysea wants her freedom and one final glimpse at the life that was stolen from her. She persuades Tempe to break her out of the facility, and they embark on a dangerous journey to discover the truth about their parents’ death and mend their broken bond. But they’re pursued every step of the way by two Palindromena employees desperate to find them before Elysea’s time is up–and before the secret behind the revival process and the true cost of restored life is revealed.
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This YA Post-Apocalyptic Thriller was AMAZING!!! I couldn’t put it down!!!
It takes place in a world of almost all water. The old world is under the ocean. The world building in this book is so well done, I could picture everything so clearly in my mind.
Tempe (or Tempest) is my FAVORITE character, and she is just sooo much!!! There is so much depth to this 17 (almost 18) year old. She was fearless and determined, but she also had faults and so much anger. She and her sister, Elysea, lost their parents at a young age and then 3 years later Tempe lost Elysea. But she works at diving for notes (or money) for 2 years, so that she can go to Palindromena where the dead could be revived for a price. But only for 24 hrs. This is where she meets Lor. Lor is a favorite character for me too. He has been hiding from the world for two years because he feels at fault for his best friend’s death. He is a complicated character, like Tempe, and he is so kind and caring.
The adventure, along with many dangers, that they end up on is life-changing.
This is definitely a favorite read for 2020!! I won it on Bookish First and I’m so glad I did. You definitely need to read this book!!! Five glowing coral stars!!
What a unique and interesting world! I loved the whole world drowned by water concept! It had a tinge of Waterworld but a hundred times better!
These characters! I especially loved Lor. He had so much guilt going on and he just needed some love! Elysea was seriously a wonderful side character! She was sweet, genuine, and unselfish! Tempe, you couldn’t help but feel for her, especially after being alone for the past two years and struggling to survive!
I swear, Scholte has the coolest worlds, best twists, and excellent writing! I can’t wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!
This is one of the best dystopian stories I have ever read! It kept you gripped from beginning to the end. The characters were real and had great character development. You had to root for them, especially Lor. He was the best character, in my opinion. You wanted Tempe to find a way to let her sister live, to give her a chance at a second life. At times, the story seemed predictable, so I probably should have expected the ending, but a little part of me was still caught off guard
The Vanishing Deep is Astrid Scholte’s second novel, and it is another standalone novel. Though it will surprise fans, for it is quite different from Four Dead Queens. This is a tale of the dead, and how family can get their loved ones back – but only for 24 hours.
This is a world of water. The Great Waves came long ago, and they destroyed nearly everything. Now humanity survives on man-made structures, and the few small islands that are still available to them. All while diving and living off of what survived.
This is the only world that Tempe has ever known. She loves the water, and she loves to dive. But she can’t deny that the water has also taken much from her. Including her parents. Including her sister.
Now she’s going to make use of the technology that is available to her. She’s going to bring her sister back from the dead – a feat that will only last a day. She has only 24 hours to get the truth from Elysea, and with it, a sense of peace and understanding.
“Twenty-four hours with your loved one didn’t make it any easier to say goodbye, no matter what Palindromena promised. There was no closure. There never would be.”
Warnings: The Vanishing Deep contains several darker subjects which are worth warning about. Though some of them will be easy to guess, if you’ve read the description. This novel contains subjects of drowning and sibling death. There are also descriptions of bodies and preservation techniques.
The Vanishing Deep was a truly enchanting read. It was intense and emotional, with Tempe’s pain and determination dominating the pages. The events that unfolded were impossible to look away from, and I found myself reading this entire book in one sitting.
I fell in love with Scholte’s writing from the moment I picked up Four Dead Queens. So I knew that I was going to enjoy The Vanishing Deep. But I don’t think I was quite prepared for what was in store for me here.
You see, The Vanishing Deep is well and truly its own monster. It is raw and emotional, and is utterly unafraid to be itself. The fact that is has more of a science fiction leaning is more evidence for how different these two novels are.
The world created here is both similar and new, all in one. We’ve all seen stories involved a water world – a world where Earth (or a planet like Earth) has been flooded. Yet Scholte made the concept feel new and alive, adding her own twists as she went.
I should probably mention that this novel is actually told through two perspectives. One I already mentioned up above, Tempe. And the other, Lor. Through them we are allowed to see two totally different sides of the same situation, using their experiences from the past to filter in new information about the world – and the risks for what they are trying to do. It was an ideal way of unfolding this story, for more than one reason.
Tempe’s story was a fascinating one. She was so driven and determined, yet so wounded and emotional. I love that she was able to be all of these things, while feeling free to speak her mind. It made her feel more human, even as she dealt with the strangest things we can imagine (like talking to her dead sister).
Lor’s story was a bit more complex, in many ways. Yes, Tempe had to go through hurdles, and dig through many layers of truth to find what was real. But Lor…he himself was a mystery. One that took the entirety of the novel to solve.
The ending was unexpected…and if I’m being honest, I’m still processing a lot of what happened. I’ll probably be processing that for quite some time. I know the odds are good that this is a standalone novel, but part of me almost wishes that there would be another book or two. Ironically, given some of the themes in this novel, I almost feel like I need an opportunity for closure.
I really did enjoy The Vanishing Deep. So much so that it surprised me. You can officially consider me a fan of Astrid Scholte, as she’s proven she can write complex novels that are dramatically different in subject and theme. I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.
this was okay I started it and I dnf’d it not even half way through which was shocking since I liked four dead queens it wasn’t something I enjoyed and it was confusing and hard to follow it isn’t my type of book I’d want to read and it was even hard to get through the first half to read I was really disappointed because I love Astrid Scholte and this was a big let down
it was probably because I don’t like dystopian/fantasy novels but I’d enjoy reading more from this author
the only thing I liked about the book were the bond the two sisters had and how they always looked after one another which was a nice thing to see but other than that this book disappointed me and I can’t wait to read more from this author
The vanishing deep is a thrilling new story by the author of Four Dead Queens, Astrid Scholte.
Into a world that was destroy by the Great Waves, the surviving people have learn to survive on the water. Tempest dives daily to scavenge the remaining ruins of the Old World, searching for valuable thing to trade for Notes.
Temp doesn’t want food or clothes, shes saving to bring back her dead sister to life. She wants answers to her parents death years ago and her sister have the answer. The Palindromena work facility can revive the departed for twenty-four hours before returning them to death. It won’t be an easy reunion but Temp really need to hear the truth from Elysea who drown two years ago. Keeping the terrible secrets of her responsabilities of the death of their parents.
But Elysea after being revive have other plans, and only twenty four hours to do that. She will convince her sister to break her out ot the facility and both of them will embark on a dangerous journey to discover the truth about their parents while being pursued by two Palindromena employee before the revival secret and the cost it implied is revealed.
I have really loved diving into this new world that Astrid Scholte have build. Can’t wait to read her next novel.
The first 60% of this book was so enjoyable. But the ending felt a little rushed and incomplete.
At first the story was really exciting. A proper adventure that, at the same time, dealt with the raw emotions that comes with grief and guilt; but then it unfortunately kind of fizzled out.
I do still think it’s worth the read. Scholte is a great storyteller overall and I’m going to pick up her previous novel because I can see she has a fantastic writing capability.
The Vanishing Deep is set in a fascinating future world in which global warming melted the polar ice caps and The Great Waves submerged most of the planet. There is not much land left. The story is set on an island with an attached floating community called a reef. A facility called Palindromena is able to resurrect the drowned dead for 24 hours, after which they must die again. Tempest, is all alone in the world and decides to resurrect her sister who died two years ago, because she wants to find out more about their parents’ death. In doing so, she meets Lor and Ray and things get complicated. This aquatic adventure is non-stop and the complex plot has many suspenseful twists and turns. The author is able to convey well the depth of emotion between the characters. A really well done YA sci-fi dystopian.
Generally, science fiction is not my thing, unless it’s the type with sexy vampires sulking over broken hearts; “The Vanishing Deep”, however, hooked me from the first few paragraphs of the First Look!
As an avid scuba diver, I couldn’t wait to get my eyes on this book! I love that the author created a world where a diver can simply take a “recompression pill” to stave off decompression sickness. Well, that sure beats a hyperbaric chamber! It was a fun tidbit that showed the author really did her research to determine issues associated with frequently deep diving for treasures.
I loved this storyline: Tempest (“Tempe”) lives in a post-apocalyptic world where the rich live on and work on the land of Palindromena, while others lives and work (and struggle) on salty air islands. If you drown, you succumb to “salt lung”. If you can’t forage underwater for valuable things to trade, you die of starvation. Bleak indeed!
Tempest discovers a treasure that allows her to trade for enough money to finally revitalize her sister from the dead, for a period of 24 hours, on Palindromena. This is what she’s been working for! But, she gets ways more than she bargained for when her sister reveals secrets after secret.
The book is told from two points of view: Tempe and Lor, and they were both great characters.
This is the type of fantastical world you can just escape into after a hard week at work in the real world. I love how the author created this entire universe so beautifully that I could practically picture every scene perfectly. She doesn’t just write about life on the water, she makes you feel it. I was able to practically feel everything from the salty, starchy drinking glasses to the smoggy, humid air.
This book took great advantage of the haves/have notes (misspelling intended, as the characters trade “notes” as their currency) theme.
“The Vanishing Deep” will make a great movie.
I consider this book a cross between “The Hunger Games” and “Guardians of the Galaxy,” with a little “Maze Runner”, “Ready Player One” and that movie “The Island” mixed in. It’s truly riveting, perfect for fans of science fiction, both young adult or mainstream adult.
After reading the “First Look” , I was absolutely excited when I received the chance to read the whole book. The main story takes place over a 24 hour period. And so much is packed in those 24 hours… which I’m not going to go into as I don’t want to post any spoilers.
This book really captured my attention. The characters were very interesting. And the storyline was fresh and different. The world building was amazing and intriguing as well – a flooded world with small islands with attached floating man-made “reefs”. Flooded worlds have been done before, but not really in this manner. Then you have the idea of getting to spend 24 hours with a loved one who had passed away. A chance to ask them anything, or to spend time just being with them again. (Interesting, but also a bit cruel in a way – you kind of go through the grief of losing them twice.)
This book is a YA…which is not my usual choice of genre to read, but I’m so glad i had the opportunity to read it.
Thank you to BookishFirst for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.
I’m usually not a fan of science fiction / fantasy but I liked this one. It was a fast-paced adventure with an interesting dystopian setting and the author did a great job world-building something out of the ordinary. I like Tempe as she was a strong female character, and her relationship with Elysea. Lor I was unsure of at the beginning but throughout the story as his character unraveled I began to like him It was an emotional fast-pace story that kept me gripped from the start, and covered some darker and complex topics
I won this book from a Bookish First giveaway. The opinions expressed are my own.
The Vanishing Deep is set 500 years into the future, a time when the “great waves” covered the earth. When I picture the setting, I think the old Kevin Costner movie, Water World. There is very little land in this future world. What land there is, is the exposed tops of what were mountains.
Tempe is the main character in the book. She is a seventeen year old orphan (her parents were believed to be dead, killed in an accident and her older sister drowned). She dives in the ocean, to ruins of the old world. The things that she finds, if useful/valuable in some way, she can trade for notes (their form of money). She is saving so that she can make the trip to Palindromena, where she can pay to have her sister, Elysea, revived for 24 hours. She believes that Elysea holds the answers (and may be responsible) for the death of their parents.
Tempe finds a live plant while diving and trades it for enough notes to make the trip. When she gets there, she meets Lor. He is covering for his best friend Raylan as a Warden. Once he revives Elysea, she gives Tempe information that leads them to breaking out of Palindromena and running from the island. Lor gives chase, calling Raylan in for help.
The rest is a beautiful story. I don’t want to give any more spoilers!
What caught my attention the most is that this book was set in this water world. As we are dealing with global warming in our present, it really made me question if this water world could be the future of our planet. Or maybe something similar? There was so much going on, truths being discovered, love and loss…but it was never too much. Every piece of the story fit together perfectly.
The characters were so well thought out that I felt like I had personally met them and loved them. The book was so descriptive that I had no problems “seeing” the story play out. I highly recommend this book!
This story is about the future, after the world has had a devastating event, the Great Waves, appearing to turn their world upside down. Tempe, main character’s goal is to acquire enough notes, their money, to resurrect her sister and get answers about their parents death during the Great Waves.
“After the Great Waves, survivors from all over the world congregated on the few remaining islands, uniting various cultures. But they soon realized that the land was best saved for growing crops, and so the Reefs were built from bits and pieces of sunken Old World cities hauled from below. Now, large anchors tethered the floating metal structure to the land my ancestors once called home. Around fifteen thousand Reefs existed today with each zoned to the closest island in a five-hundred-mile radius. Anything beyond that was too far for crops to travel before they perished. And the Equinox was the biggest Reef of its kind,home to over ten thousand people.”
Tempe swan everywhere to find that one plant to help her to be able to collect the final amount of notes she needed to be able to resurrect Elysea, her sister, one last time.
The excerpt ends with Tempe riding off to Palindromena, their capital city, so to say, where all the control of the comings and goings of the population, such as: Couples can only have two children because the weight of everything is monitored by the Equinox Watchtower.
I really like the writing style, easy to follow and descriptions, This is a great YA dystopian story.