The Abyss Surrounds Us

(Full disclosure: I temporarily received an ARC to read, which I didn't have to review, but I wanted to. So.)

This was ALL SORTS OF EPIC. Full review:

Okay. So I was already super intrigued by this one because there isn't a whole lot of genre f/f out there, and also I really like pirates. So you can imagine I was pretty darn pleased when I started reading and very quickly realized this book was going to blow my expectations out of the water (pun sorta intended).

The Abyss Surrounds Us is EPIC. Imagine Pacific Rim, except the monsters are on the protag's side, and also it's super girl-centric. Cas is such a badass, and her dynamic with Swift was fantastic. I loved the futuristic pirate element—which is something I've never read before (and it was awesome)—plus monsters, and emotions, and girls being awesome, and yeah. Basically, you need to read it.

Not to mention that it gave me really early book feels, and I loved the sea monster element way more than I expected—which was kind of like Pokémon, except kaiju-sized—and The Abyss Surrounds Us is so so different from anything I've read before in the best way possible.

So in short, if you're looking for genre f/f (especially f/f that is not of the coming out variety), and you like pirates, and sci-fi, and sea monster battles sounds like something that might be your thing, The Abyss Surrounds Us is so totally for you. And I can't wait to read the sequel.

Diversity note: Cas and the love interest Swift are both lesbians, and Cas is Chinese American.

Reread: 7/7/17: E Q U A L F O O T I N G ! ! !

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THE SCI-FI WLW ‘CAPTURED SEA MONSTER TRAINER/LONELY HARDENED PIRATE GIRL' STORY WE DESERVE

Things in this book that I am Here For:
• Ladies!!! So many ladies!!! Ladies loving ladies, ladies of color, ladies kicking ass, ladies being soft and kind and caring, ladies in positions of power, ladies at the bottom of the ranks, ladies with their own distinct personalities and motivations and hopes and dreams
• Lovable, flawed, queer WOC main character
• Enemies-to-friends-to-(almost) lovers NEED I SAY MORE
• A badass group of side characters including a conniving pirate queen/captain and a ride-or-die Pirate Squad with matching fish tattoos (Varma <3)
• Enormous, genetically manufactured, murderous sea monsters who are actually just sweet babies who want love and snacks (think: Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon)
• All the best forced proximity tropes: bed sharing, attached by handcuffs, and the always dramatic ‘our lives are twined together; you die/I die' scenario

There were a few writing things that irked me and I think the pacing was a little too fast in some places but I had a WHALE of a time reading it and I can't wait for the next book :')

DNF - PG 52 (approx)

I will admit, I had my doubts after reading the preview, but the preview cuts off just after meeting the pirates and within moments of meeting the love interest. So I felt like I needed to know more about the pirates before completely giving it a pass. (Because I was actually mostly enjoying it before the pirates' introduction.)

Approximately 22 pages later, I don't like them. At all.

I don't like the romance, I'm not a fan of enemies-to-lovers - especially not when Cas' love interest is basically her guard. I'm not digging the early violence perpetrated on Cas by her love interest. Nor do I like the early hints of Stockholm Syndrome from Cas.

(I'm not even going to get into the world building or the totally useless map. Because even if the world building was excellent (which, it's not) that would not save a romance that already feels this uncomfortable.)