In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens

Forbidden magic, high-seas adventure and love . . . the perfect LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author F. T. Lukens is here! Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Daughter of the Pirate King and Adam Silvera. Prince Tal has waited a long time for his coming-of-age tour – a chance to explore his family’s kingdom. When his ship’s crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a derelict vessel, Tal feels an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal is heartbroken. But it’s not long before Athlen turns up on dry land, very much alive, and as charming – and secretive – as ever. When Tal is kidnapped in a plot to reveal his powers and destroy his family, Athlen might be his only hope. But can Tal trust him? Funny, subversive, romantic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author F. T. Lukens. Look out for So This is Ever After and Spell Bound.

This was just kind of okay to me. Okay writing, okay characters, okay story, okay worldbuilding. The romance was rather shallow and uninteresting, I didn't really care about Athlen as a character and I didn't really feel a lot of chemistry or tension between him and Tal, so a lot of the emotional moments fell way, way short. I liked quite a lot of the side characters, like Tal's siblings (an entire star of this rating is thanks to Kest and Garrett tbh) and Dara, and I liked Tal's interactions with them a whole lot more than the romance. I was also intrigued by the world and its magic and politics but so little of it was explored and it just made me feel frustrated, I wanted more but the book is so short and moves at such a breakneck pace at times (plus there's probably a solid five pages combined filled with just descriptions of kissing) so ? no room I guess.

Overall I enjoyed myself and had a good time, but I think it might have benefitted from being a bit longer, the romance might've been fleshed out a bit more, as well as the world (I also really wanted there to be a map but that's a nitpick tbh).

Big shrug.

I hate when plot summaries list other works to compare it to because it's almost always nothing like that - just because it has some pirates and ships in it doesn't mean it's anything like Pirates of the Caribbean (it's not even close) and this also didn't have the humour or snark that I found in [b:The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue 29283884 The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1) Mackenzi Lee https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492601464l/29283884.SY75.jpg 49527118]. This also read as a little more juvenile than I was expecting from the summary. It has pirates, mermaids and shapeshifters, royals, magic and magicians, and high seas adventures but it also spends a lot of time on land for no reason. The pirates are also barely key players so the cover is misleading - the main character is a royal prince out on his coming-of-age tour that just happens to start on a ship. The pacing ebbs a bit here and there and I got bored in those parts. I also thought it was a about 100 pages longer than it needed to be. This could definitely be edited down and would be the same story. It's also very much PG so if you're a reader put off by sex scenes beyond some kissing, this will be fine.Overall, it was just fine but I just was a little perturbed at the misleading done by both the cover and the summary.