I read an eARC of Into the Sunken City by Dinesh Thiru. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Children’s Book.

Honestly, this book was not for me, but it could be for you.

The book is about Jin, a cynical nineteen-year-old who lost her father in a diving accident and now has to make enough money so she doesn’t get conscripted into the Navy (basically they “tax” anyone not in it) so she can take care of her fourteen year old sister. One way she could do this is by “diving” as she lives in a world drowned in water and there are hidden treasure within the deep sea just waiting to be found, but after her father’s death, Jin finds herself unable to put on the suits and dive.

She decides just before her ex-boyfriend leaves on conscription to dive and get something to get the money she needs, but it goes bad. Thankfully a strange woman who won’t give Jin her name, shows up with plenty of gold and who also promises to help her dodge having to conscript. Only thing is, she has some weird rules like looking out for a man.

Later she talks about going on a dive, somewhere only she knows about, where there’s a stash of gold just waiting to be brought up to the service, and maybe even enough that Jin can finally see the sun.

As I said, the story is interesting, the pacing is good, and the characters fun. The problem is that I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. Part of it is that, especially at the beginning, Jin would think back in detail about things that happened in her past, before abruptly starting to talk about what was happening in the present, but since the book is written past tense throughout, it was whiplash going from one to the other with no real cues beyond pronouns or her suddenly talking about being inside, and then I’d have to figure out how much of what I’d read had been in the past, and what was supposed to be happening in the moment.

So, a book to check out, either at your library or to read about a chapter of before you buy it, but I think this book can definitely find its audience.

If you have ever wanted a sci fi book that takes place after climate change when most of the world's land has been covered by water, this is the book for you. I really loved the setting of this book and felt the world building was well done. I also really enjoyed the "villain" of the story and their characterization (being very vague here to avoid spoilers).

I was absolutely hooked from the first page. The world building was incredible! It was easy to feel immediately immersed and I am so excited for this books release.

Into the Sunken City is a dystopian retelling of Treasure Island. The year is 2532, and the continents have slowly been covered by water with only a few remaining pieces of land and little sun. Jinn and Thara manage the inn, and Jinn wrecks with her, maybe more than her friend Taim, to make ends meet. A mysterious stranger shows up named Bhili, flashing ounces of gold, the current currency. She entices the sisters, along with Taim and a friend named Saanvi, to help her dive the wreck of the Treasure Island Casino, which is now underwater in Vegas-Drowned. Along the way, they encounter the Corsair Captain Silva, sea monsters, and other obstacles.

I'm not usually a fan of fantastical adventures, but I enjoyed this. I enjoyed the Treasure Island connection even more once I picked up on it. The world-building was great.

My only qualm was Captain Silva's sentiment towards his cousin Vittoria; it seemed out of character.

I gave it 4/5 stars and will be purchasing it for my library.

Definitely quite strange and unique. I highly appreciate that in today's world of homogeneous fiction. I highly recommend this book.

This was certainly an interesting read. For a YA fantasy, it was definitely a bit dark, but I definitely enjoyed it. Into the Sunken City is a futuristic wasteland type novel where the world has been plunged into rainstorms for over 500 years, leaving much of Earth’s cities underwater.

Living in a state of constant raining, wrecking old cities and working for the coast guard or navy seem to be the only options for people. This book brings a sort of heist-esque quest filled with privateers, lies, and insane diving.

I have always found the world of diving super interesting and have only read a few books that go into that world, so to read one where the diving was in underwater cities, was really something cool. This book had a sort of gritty feeling that was a nice palette cleaner for me

I’d definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for something different and really well written!

A very original YA post-apocalyptic sci-fi book with pirates and diving. The setting is so cool and unique. It’s like climate change run amok; sea levels have risen catastrophically, and corsairs travel around to seek treasure from our sunken cities. There are also new giant undersea creatures to worry about.

Jin is a great FMC. She’s a bad*** with a shaved head and doesn’t take s*** from anybody. However, she doesn’t come up with the best ideas and has a pretty skewed viewpoint of people.

There is romance, but I wouldn’t say it is heavily featured. It does have religious references (Hinduism). There’s a lot of diversity; I think every character might have been BIPOC.

To begin, the world-building in this book was truly amazing, creating a vast and immersive setting that significantly contributes to the story's depth.

Jin, our main character, initially leads a cautious life due to her circumstances. However, an exciting opportunity arises that demands her unique skillset.

What truly shines in this book is the adventurous journey it takes us on It's reminiscent of TV shows and video games I've watched. What sets it apart is the diverse and intriguing characters.

Jin, in particular, captured my heart, and without giving away any spoilers, I must say that I enjoyed the book.

I want to express my gratitude to Dinesh Thiru and Netgallery for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. Also, the cover is gorgeous!

I was so intrigued by this book at first, I loved the premise of it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t connect to any of the characters and I couldn’t get invested into the story.

Perfect for fans of Fable and House of Salt and Sorrows, this spectacular YA fantasy adventure debut is like nothing else, featuring a unique twist on Treasure Island, a magnetic second chance romance, and a thrilling heist where the reward is great—but the risks are even greater.

This book was magical and I loved every moment of it. I can't wait for more from this story and this author.

Full on highly entertaining. A clever plot, fast pace and brave and sordid characters make this debut a quick escape-of-a-read. It’s a whirlwind of taking chances, deep rooted stubbornness, and tested loyalties, in a cloudy world of dangerous decisions, grief + fear, promises and submerged cities … but also hope, love and the fluid nature and emotional depths of water, spirit and faith.

Is it possible to put this book down? I wouldn’t know. The action never slows down as the stakes continue to build in this epic adventure of a dystopian future world where the rain never stops and the world as we know it is drowned under the water. Add pirates, a heist, dangerous dives, and romance, and you’ve got gold. Literary and literal – the kind hidden in Vegas Drowned. Jin and her sister, Thara, inherited an inn for their father and 2 diving suits that they use to dive for treasures in the water that covers the former cities of Earth. After their father dies in an accident, diving has changed for Jin and so has her relationship with her boyfriend, Taim. When Taim reveals that he is leaving to join the Coast Guard, Jin assumes that their relationship is over. But when a suspicious pirate shows up at the inn and charms her way into Thara’s imagination, Taim returns to help the sister with a heist that may be the salvation that they are looking for, or the curse that sinks them all. I picked this up during the sort of torrential rain storm that are becoming more frequent and this book’s dystopian climate themes paired with Indian mythology left me spellbound. Although it may be inspired by Treasure Island, the complex character relationships and hints of a larger conspiracy make this a satisfying reboot of a classic.

Dnf . The summary drew me in and the cover. It wasn't for me because I couldn't stay interested in reading it.

The voice is great, the story flows well and it jumps right into the action. It should go over well with audiences. I stopped at the end of chapter 1 (5%), but definitely can see this doing well with the target audience. Easy three stars, probably fours, and five for the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

“Into the Sunken City” is a sensational debut by Dinesh Thiru. This is a tale of grief, loyalty and adventure, all wrapped up in page after page of dazzling scenery. Woven within this storyline is also an ode to the sea, one that celebrates both the warring wonder and inherent danger of something as unpredictable and untamable as diving the waters of the deep. I’m eagerly awaiting Thiru’s sequel.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*