In Deeper Waters

by F.T. Lukens

Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 307
Rating:

Synopsis:

A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean.

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family's kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.

Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.

That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming--and secretive--as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope...

F.T. Lukens’ In Deeper Waters is a fun story in which (spoilers ahead, kind of, but they’re mild and obvious ones) a prince falls in love with a merman, while struggling with his own hidden magic. There’s a bit of a Little Mermaid retelling woven in with Tal’s story, giving Athlen some background and helping round out the denouement.

It’s a quick read and obviously not really aimed at an adult fantasy reader, so it’d be unfair for me to judge it by the same yardstick as I would a book aimed at my usual reading tastes. For me, the romance all felt a bit quick and superficial (though very like my memories of being a teen), and the fast pace made the danger and peril seem pretty low-key (even though it’s life and death for Tal).

I did like Tal’s relationships with his siblings, which felt genuinely warm, but felt the theme of the royal family’s treatment of their people was very lightly treated and could’ve gone further. It’s made clear to Tal that something’s up, but it’s like his one gesture fixes that problem and it slides into the background.

World-building wise, there’s nothing here that isn’t required for the story, giving it a bit of an empty feeling round the edges of the map. Again, that’s probably asking too much of what this book is meant to do. Bottom line is that it was a fun quick read, all the same!

Rating: 3/5