ARC Review: The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie

Title: The Edge of the Abyss Series: The Abyss Surrounds Us #2 Written by: Emily Skrutskie Published: April 18, 2017 by Flux (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Three weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to the ruthless pirate-queen Santa Elena and set free Bao, the sea monster Reckoner she’d been forced to train. The days as a pirate trainee are long and grueling, but it’s not the physical pain that Cas dreads most. It’s being forced to work with Swift, the pirate girl who broke her heart.  But Cas has even bigger problems when she discovers that Bao is not the only monster swimming free. Other Reckoners illegally sold to pirates have escaped their captors and are taking the NeoPacific by storm, attacking ships at random and ruining the ocean ecosystem. As a Reckoner trainer, Cas might be the only one who can stop them. But how can she take up arms against creatures she used to care for and protect?  Will Cas embrace the murky morals that life as a pirate brings or perish in the dark waters of the NeoPacific?

*** I received an advance copy of this book from Michelle who got it from the publisher at ALA in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed my opinion. ***

I really liked the first book in this series and I was so excited to be able to read an advance copy of the second book. And while it's very different, it's just as good and maybe even better.

The Edge of the Abyss for one thing has and amazing and action-packed plot. I mean it's a book about pirates and sea monsters, how can it not be thrilling! And boy was it. There are so many amazing action scenes throughout the book and it really builds to an exciting climax. There was even so much build up that in the last twenty pages I made the decision to go somewhere late rather than not finish. It was that exciting. It took me just a few days to finish it because I really couldn't put it down.

The other great thing about this book is the world. I would say that much of the first book was about the Reckoners or sea monster, but most of this book is about the pirates. We get to see so much more about the inner workings of he pirate society here and even get to meet more of them. It was really interesting and I loved seeing Cas trying to figure out her place as a Reckoner trainer turned pirate. But don't think there are no sea monsters because there are. Oh man, there are plenty. Even that is expanded a little bit and we get to see them in action both wild and trained and it was really cool. These two things work together really well and definitely made for a fantastic and engaging world.

This book too has some great characters. In the first book we slowly got to know the crew of the Minnow. They're pirates so obviously they walk that fine line between good and bad. That line definitely got explored further in this book and I loved that. But no one got that exploration more than Cas. I really like her as a character. She's so complex. She's one of those characters who really tries to do the best thing even if that means doing some bad things for a good reason. I love those kinds of characters and it's one of the things I like about Cas. Plus she's so sassy. But all the characters here are great.

And honestly, I even like the romance here. The best part about it is that it's not easy. You can tell that the characters are deeply for one another but they are still constantly fighting. It's so on-again and off-again which I actually appreciate. It felt realistic and not forced. It's great to see that in a relationship. Plus it's a f/f relationship which added an even better level of awesomeness. In the end I totally ship it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a fast and action-packed read. I loved the first book in the series and this book is just as good if not better with a thrilling plot, an interesting world, and complex characters.

I give The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie 9.5 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you enjoyed The Abyss Surrounds Us you will love this book. And if you haven't read that and you are looking for a thrilling book about pirates check this series out. It's great.

Have you read The Edge of the Abyss? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Challenge Wrap Up: Debut Author Challenge

In the month of December I've been doing weekly posts and challenge wrap ups. In addition to doing a favorite books of the year thing, I want to talk about some of my favorite books in the categories that I did challenges for. I did a total of four challenges this year and I think they each deserve some individual attention. This week I am doing debuts and the Debut Author Challenge.

The actual challenge is to read 15 debuts a year but I always go crazy and read way more. My goal for the year was to read 25 debuts and I beat that. I read a total of 31 debuts for the Debut Author Challenge hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Yes, that's right, I read twice as many debuts as the challenge, because I couldn't help myself. And as I have read 155 books so far for the year which means 20% of the books I read in 2016 were debuts. That's a lot of debuts.

And while I found some really fantastic ones, I wasn't totally in love. Usually at least one debut is in my top ten books of the year and I don't think that is the case this year. And don't get me wrong, there were some really fantastic ones, and there is a book that was one of my favorites but it's not in the top tier I guess. But seriously, a handful of them were big disappointments. Although we're not here to talk about those books. We're here to talk about the good ones. Here is the list of some of my favorites. In no particular order...

1.) The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads )

This book was on my list of favorite books of the year for most of the first half of 2016 but unfortunately some fall releases kicked it off. Sorry, book. But honestly, it was really good. It's a very close call whether this was my favorite debut of the year or not.

This is one of those books where the lives of seemingly unrelated people all connect in an interesting and compelling way. It feels very much like a contemporary even though it is technically historical fiction. But honestly, I loved that. But I also liked the historical fiction elements. It's set in Alaska during the 1970's making it one of the most unique historical novels I've read in awhile. Plus I really connected with the characters who were looking to get out of their small towns and make something of themselves.

All in all this was a really fantastic and emotional story. I totally loved it and would recommend it to basically everyone. It flew a bit under the radar I think and I wish more people would read it, it's really good.

2.) The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads)

This is one of those books that was not what I expected but it ended up being way better than my wildest dreams. I'm not sure I knew what I was getting myself into with this book but I thought it was going to be more hard sci-fi with space travel and it was more science fantasy/dystopia/I don't know what to call it.

The only thing I really want to call it is amazing. It had a little bit of everything. For one thing it had pirates, which was honestly super hot this year which I am not complaining about. That would have been enough but it also had sea monsters, trained sea monsters, who attack pirates. Then there is the fact that it has diverse characters and a great f/f romance. see how it had a little bit of everything? Not to mention that the plot was amazingly thrilling that I flew through and loved every second of. It was a really fantastic and engaging story.

This is another debut that I think flew under the radar for a lot of people. It's a really fantastic read that has a little something for everyone. And if you are looking for SF/F with diverse characters then you should definitely pick this one up. But even if you aren't looking for that, read it.

3.) The Only Thing Worse Than Me is You by Lily Anderson - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads)

As soon as I learned about this book I knew I needed to read it. I mean come on, it's a Much Ado About Nothing retelling (shout out to one of the many Shakespeare retellings which I loved this year) with nerdy teen protagonists. That's super up my alley.

And it was honestly so good. Of course when we are talking about Much Ado it's all about the humor and the awkward interations between the characters. This had some really amazing ones. The perfect love to hate romance, great friendships, and just generally great characters. I'm not a huge contemporary reader but I love ones like this. Ones with humor and heart. Plus on top of that there was a fun mystery here and you all know I love a good mystery.

 I would totally recommend this book. If you are a contemporary reader or not, this is a book I think you will enjoy. It's a fast and fun read that you should check out as a palette cleanser or if you are looking for something fluffy. Or if you know, you like nice things.

4.) Kingdom of Ash and Briar by Hannah West - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads)

I didn't even know about this book until BEA. On the first day I was walking around with one of my friends (shout out to Rachael) and she stopped by the publisher to pick this book up and I was intrigued so I too asked for a copy. I'm so glad I did.

This was probably one of the most creative fantasies I read this year. It reads a little bit like a retelling with elements from some of your favorite fairy tales (yes, Sleeping Beauty like the title alludes) but it also had a very amazing fantasy world. It's one of those books that feels familiar and creative at the same time and those are some of my favorite kinds of fantasies. It's not a perfect read but it was a really great YA fantasy standalone and one of my favorite debuts of this year,

If you haven't read this book and you are at all interested in it, definitely read it. I think it's something that will appeal to a broad audience because it's one of those books that is reminiscent of the classic fairy tales and fantasies that we loved as kids but still feels new and different.

5.) Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads )

This book makes my list of favorite debuts because I was honestly surprised by how much I liked it. It's not the kind of book that I would usually gravitate towards but I think that was one of the reasons why I ended up liking it so much.

I'm not a big contemporary reader and one of the things that I liked about this book is that while it is definitely a coming-of-age story it is a book that plays with the tropes of contemporary YA and it does that in such a creative way. There's sort of this book within a book thing where the main character is trying to live the ideal bookish life so she can write the ideal book. That in and of itself was fascinating. But on top of that, the main character of Reshma was kind of terrible. And I mean this in the best possible way. Like this is a book about an unlikable character and I love that.

This is a book that I think will appeal to fans of contemporaries or those who don't necessarily like them. The way that it plays with the tropes will appeal to a broad audience and makes for an interesting read for sure. If you're like me and like unlikable characters then definitely check this out.

6.) Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco - My Review
(Amazon / Goodreads)

Last but certainly not least, is my favorite debut of 2016 and the one that will be making my favorites of the year list. This is another book that was one of mymost anticipated debuts of 2016 and didn't disappoint. Nope, this book was everything I was hoping it would be and more.

I was super excited when I heard that there was going to be a YA historical mystery centered around Jack the Ripper so obviously I picked up a copy of the book at BEA and met the author who is a delight, by the way. And it was seriously amazing. For one thing it had an amazing historical fiction setting. I love books set in Victorian England because of the built in drama that comes with that setting. But one that had mystery and CSI elements made it even better. And while the mystery was easy to solve, it didn't feel predictable and there was actually a really interesting twist at the end that had me all the more interested and engaged.

Basically this book is total Cassi bait and I loved it. I couldn't stop reading it and I really can't wait for the next book in the series. It was so amazing and without a doubt my favorite debut of 2016.

Honorable Mentions:

7.) The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye - My Review
I was going to include this in my top 6 but I already talked about it in my favorite audiobooks of the year and I honestly think that the main reason I loved this is because it's the perfect book in the audio format and it's narrated by Steve West who is utter perfection.

8.) Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh - My Review
This was one I really did consider putting in my top six as well. It was really really good. I loved how creative it was with the genderbent Pride and Prejudice, the prehistoric setting, and the semi-first person perspective.

9.) Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton - My Review
This is a case where I loved a book in the moment, or should I say immediately after finishing it, but over time I lost a little bit of my love. Although honestly it was a really great YA fantasy and I am super excited for the sequel/

There you have it, all my favorite debuts of the year. I loved a lot of them and despite being disappointed by many I did read some really great debuts this year. But the biggest victory for this is that I read a total of 31 debuts. I doubled the challenge which is not too shabby. For a full list of all 31 books check out my Debut Author Challenge tab.

What debuts did you read this year? What were your favorites? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

Title: The Abyss Surrounds Us Series: The Abyss Surrounds Us #1 Written by: Emily Skrutskie Published: February 8, 2016 by Flux (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water.  There’s no time to mourn. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup, make sure he imprints on her ship, and, when the time comes, teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.  But Cas has fought pirates her entire life. And she's not about to stop.

*** I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This fact has not changed by my opinion. ***

I went into this book thinking that it was going to be more of a hard SciFi novel and that's not what this book was. But strangely, that was not a disappointment. The Abyss Surrounds Us was not what I expected, in fact it was better than that. It was a fantastic read with an interesting world, great characters, and a fast-paced plot.

I was instantly engaged in the world of this book. It was this fantastic combination of a dystopian setting, fantasy creatures, and swashbuckling pirates. The world here definitely comes alive with a great show instead of tell style of world-building. I read this book as part of my pirates month so the sea faring aspects were fantastic and engaging but that was only the start of why this world was so good. It's a futuristic setting with fractured states and risks of pirates attacking ships that in and of it self would have been cool but it goes deeper than that. But what I liked is that it doesn't come right out and tell you about the inequalities of the world. You see them, you sense them, you feel them. This book had some great under currents of power and control which I loved. I also really enjoyed the fantasy creatures, the sea monsters. There was some great science involved with their creation and training. It felt rooted in real life which made it really interesting. Plus they were seriously badass.

But all the characters were just as badass, amazingly, and complex Most of the book took place on the pirate ship so there was a diverse and quirky cast of characters to meet and love, including a super devious villain that was terrifying and mysterious which I loved. But the best character was the main character. I almost immediately connected with Cas, and well it was more than the fact that she and I share a name. She was a wonderful strong female protagonist. Despite being captured by pirates and being in a very vulnerable position, and scared of what will happen to her, she doesn't take crap from anyone. She's tough and smart. But she's not perfect. She's a fantastic combination of brash and reckless while overthinking things at the same time. She was real and complex and I was so invested in her struggle. I was also invested in her relationships, especially the romance. This was a great slowburn romance. Like painfully slow at times. You could feel the growing attraction and affection between the characters but it wasn't until almost the end that things really happened for them. And it was also really great to see that portrayed in a f/f relationship. Not only do you not see that very often but it's super rare in SciFi/Fantasy.

Everything in this book combined to create a fast-paced and engaging plot. The Abyss Surrounds Us is not a long book. at under 300 pages it is a quick read. But that's not because of a lack of pages. I cruised through reading this book because the plot was engaging and interesting. For one thing, there was tons of cinematic action scenes and lots of high-stakes adventure on the high seas that really kept me reading. There was lots of drama between Cas and the pirates that kept me engaged as well. And while the twists weren't really surprising, but they weren't predictable either. It all flowed really well as things built to a thrilling conclusion.  I'm pretty sure this is the start of a series and I really liked that while it left things open for more, there was a clear conclusion and resolution. But I definitely need more. I need to know what happens next because I am seriously hooked.

On the whole, The Abyss Surrounds Us was a great book full of adventure, quirky and complex characters, a thrilling plot, and an interesting world. I enjoyed it so much despite the fact that it wasn't what I was expecting. It was a great read and I can't wait to see what's next for this world and this debut author.

I give The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you are looking for something different look no further. If you are like strong female protagonists, pirates, or a world full of fantasy creature then check this book out. It a fast an fun reading that I would definitely recommend.

Have you read The Abyss Surrounds Us? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!