Book Review

Love is proven once again to be the one all cure all for every problem, whether you’re a bisexual prince with forbidden magic or a sole member of a species once believe to be gone. The former being Luke and Athlen being the latter, both lonely souls who found each other at an excruciating circumstance. A bond forged through that of adventure, struggle for power and search for love.

 This new book I’ve read by F.T. Lukens might just be my favorite of her works so far (the other being “So This Is Ever After”). A fantasy Young Adult novel that takes you into a coming-of-age adventure. Which, first of all, will leave you feeling giddy from elation and fluffy from the romance. And second of all, will send you into the deepest waters searching for an intimacy similar to that of Luke and Athlen’s love story. An M/M, LGBTQIA+ book, it explores finding self-acceptance and overcoming loneliness, a common yet effective theme for LGBTQIA+ stories. A theme that I myself, as a queer non-binary person, is still trying to understand.

Strengths of In Deeper Waters

Moving towards the strength of the book. I felt like the pacing of the book was really good. It was never slow to the point that it warrants boredom or was it too fast to the point of confusion. Another strong suit of this book is its characters.  Athlen has this loveable airhead personality that I would describe similar to that of The Little Mermaid’s Ariel. Being the sole member of his family, Athlen often succumbs to loneliness, which is why he’s in a search for a community/family to have. An unattainable need he had, until he met Luke.

Meanwhile, Luke is an excellent protagonist and a great narrator. The way he views his world, where he started of as a privileged naïve prince that transforms into this intelligent proactive character, which definitely translates to how we view the story.

This could be seen to his use of powers, which he was reluctant of using at first at first in worry of persecution. But then as he matures throughout the story, he leans into his power as a way to protect himself and those he loved without succumbing to his fears. This is in line with the two of the central themes in the book, with Luke’s being self-acceptance. Luke being in tune with the reality that he is magical and that it is ok.

Weaknesses of In Deeper Waters

However, not all is great about this book. I felt like the main antagonist of this book was very one note and is frankly a little too dumb in my opinion. Like, who would confess at a crime when accused of in front of your persecutors. The mercenaries that were hired by the mastermind was far more enjoyable than the reveal of the said mastermind. Another slight criticism I have is that the twist and turns of this book was really predictable. If one has an ounce of Emotional Intelligence, one can see the twist miles ahead of the story. However, this isn’t some mystery novel nor a book about crime so it doesn’t irk me too much.

Overall Thoughts on In Deeper Waters

In conclusion, I really like this book by F.T. Lukens. I didn’t expect that I’ll like it as much as I did. However, it’s a light hearted, feel good, overcoming one’s weakness, and inspirational type of book. How can I not love it. I felt like the strong character’s really carried the entirety of the book and really gave justice to its themes and storylines.

The book also didn’t feel rushed. Since, there was a nice progression with the story due to it being well-paced. To add, the lack of homophobia and vilification of queerness, made me like it more. And overall, it made me realize the gravity of self-acceptance as a way to promote self-love, which is a mirror to Luke’s story and my overall journey as a LGBTQIA+ person.

Favorite Quotes

“Our people often talked of the sea witch as a legend. I was afraid and awed by the stories. Those who called her name and had a desire in their heart could barter with her. I was desperate, so I tried. She came to me and offered me the ability to walk among humans so I wouldn’t be alone.”

Tal leaned close. “What did you give her?”

Athlen didn’t respond right away, and the quiet stretched between them. Finally, Athlen looked up, his mouth turned down; the expression he wore was something Tal could only classify as regret.

“Something I thought I would never find.” He reached out and touched Tal’s Chin, the tips of his finger cool and tentative, then he slid them along the line of Tal’s stubbled jaw and cupped his cheek. ”I know you want to protect me, but I don’t need protecting. I’d rather be in danger with you than left behind.”

“You married for an alliance, Isa, to help our family and the people of our kingdom. I will do the same because it’s the responsible thing to do, but because you know I can’t allow you to be better than me at anything.”

“I know we’re young”, he blurted. “I know that we met under stressful circumstances. I know that I’m a prince and you’re a merman. But I also know that I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. I know we’re both the last, and we’ve felt alone. But we could be alone together.”