I’d like to start off by thanking @netgalley & @putnambooks for this copy. All opinions are of my own. This review is incredibly late & I’m horribly sorry.

This was a book I wanted to love & I tried so hard. The idea behind the story was amazing, and having a historical fiction with a paranormal twist surrounding the Titanic really stole my attention. The book’s delivery really fell through the cracks though.

The Deep feels like those movies that begin by setting the tone with a prologue of sorts...then throws you into something that feels entirely different. It wasn’t until about 65% through that things felt a bit organized. Then you reach the sinking scene (spoiler alert! JK 😂) and you’re thrown back into a setting that starts to match the intro. The ending makes the book better but still has you wondering what the focus was supposed to be...the middle felt like one big filler chapter.

You felt like you knew the characters, and almost like you were on the Titanic, but the thrills and spooky atmosphere wasn’t strong (even reading at night) and there were many POVs that just felt like filler content. There was so much going on yet almost nothing felt crucial to the story. Felt more like unnecessary chaos cloaked by calm build-ups to a grand finale. The book started to make sense at the very end which effected the whole reading experience. I struggled with this and am disappointed because it sounded amazing. It falls short of expectations majorly.

I still recommend reading this because I’m one person & the concept really is cool.

This was an odd but really good book that gave an unlikely spin to what went on onboard not just the Titanic before she sank but also the Britannic. I really enjoyed the way several characters were eventually connected, but do wish one of the characters (that was less likable) had managed to make it, as I did like him. Great book and I would definitely recommend it.

Alma Katsu is the master of historically-informed horror, and this is a great and unsettling book, right up there with The Hunger.

I found The Taker trilogy to be compelling, if a bit graphic and creepy at times. This book had a great concept, and there was clearly a lot of historical research done. However, it was very slow and I found myself just not caring too much about what was going on with the characters. I vaguely remember finding the ending stupid, but I honestly can't remember why. When I read this, I had many specific comments to make, both positive and negative, but they're all gone now. Search other 2-star reviews, because there are many people who make good points and clearly reviewed as soon as they finished!

The fine print: I was already behind and didn’t write reviews for a huge chunk of the pandemic, so anything I read from February-July was reviewed in August or later… hence the lack of details!

The novel sweeps between 1912 and 1916, through the few days of the Titanic’s voyage and the final days of the Britannic’s life.

An excellent psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

The Deep from author Alma Katsu is the perfect example of a genre I like to call Historical Fiction with a Twist. To qualify, that twist needs an element of fantasy or supernatural. In this case, Katsu imagines the lives of Titanic passengers and crew. With the hint of foreboding spirits. Truthfully, it’s more of a twist than a hint.

Katsu’s main character is young, Irish Annie Hebbley whose story shifts from 1912 to 1916. We also get snippets of her youth in Ireland, especially as it relates to Irish myths and legends. In 1912, Annie is a stewardess serving first-class cabins on the Titanic. In the line of duty, Annie meets Mark and Caroline Fletcher, and their wee daughter Ondine. She’s immediately drawn to them, especially to the baby. And as the voyage progresses, their lives become tangled together.

But we first meet Annie as she’s discharged from an asylum in 1916. Clearly, she survives the shipwreck, albeit not completely intact psychically. One reason Annie leaves the institution is the invitation to work as a fledgling nurse aboard the hospital ship Britannic, sister to Titanic.

Annie finds the experience more unsettling than she bargains for. Partly, that’s because both ships have exactly the same layout. And she also sees one of the first class passengers among her 1916 patients. It’s within that relationship that the real mystery of The Deep lies.

My conclusions
One of the things I like most about this book is how Katsu layers many plot elements together. It’s hard to tease them into individual threads, which enhances the mysterious nature of the story. In addition to Annie and the Fletchers, she includes two young Welsh men. They earn their living as boxers, and aspire to great wealth, if not integrity, in America. She also follows some of the real-life Titanic and Britannic passengers, most notably Violet Jessop who famously served on both ships. And of course, we need to get a feel for the mega-rich couples like John Jacob Astor and his much younger, pregnant, second wife.

Although I’m not well-versed in the real history of either ship, I believe Katsu presents a well-researched historical fiction novel. Her descriptions are rampant with detail—of the ships, the gowns, the events. So many things that can only come from historical accounts. And she also accurately represents the popularity of occultism during that era. Folks thought seances and spirits had direct connection to our world in a way that’s different than our modern perspective.

All in all, I found this a satisfying, twisty, historical fiction story. Once I started, it was hard to put it down. I wanted to untangle the mystery and find out why Annie had that interlude in the asylum. And Katsu made me work for it. While she foreshadows like crazy, the full explanation happens late in the book. As all good twists should!
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to NetGalley, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and the author for the opportunity to read a free digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This was a surprisingly successful mix of historical fiction and paranormal mystery. The inspiration for the story was the real life survivor of both the Titanic and the Britannic sinking , Violet Jessop. I also enjoyed how the auth tied in the mythology of the dubheasa, madness, and the emotional connection of mothers and children.

*𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌*
The Deep
Alma Katsu
3.5 / 5 🌟


Is there such a thing as Titanic fan-fic? Okay, well if you love all things Titanic you will love this one. With the grand staircase, and the fancy dishes and dining, as well as the millionaires like the Astors and the Guggenheims. But beware, in this story the Titanic has an unwanted passenger, something or someone is haunting the Titanic.
Annie Hebbley is a maid working on the Titanic, she is amazed by the beauty and the opulence, but she is hiding from her secrets. As the ship sails, strange things begin to occur, beginning with the death of the Astor’s little servant boy. As more bizarre happenings take place, the passengers believe there is an evil spirit aboard.
Annie is strangely attracted to a passenger, Mark Fletcher, although he is on board with his wife and baby. But Mark and his wife have secrets of their own. Passengers are thieving, swapping beds, and disappearing. What or who is causing this peculiar behavior?

And then, of course, disaster strikes.

Annie survived the sinking of the Titanic, but not without her demons. Four years later she is given an assignment aboard the Britannica, which is now a floating hospital for wounded soldiers of WWI. Annie comes across Mark Fletcher now a wounded soldier, but he had perished in the sinking of the Titanic, hadn’t he?
I enjoyed the historical details of this story and the paranormal element added a great twist. You will begin to wonder what is a disturbance of the occult and what is from the mind of a mad person on this ill-fated ship. Ultimately, there is a psychological mystery to be solved.

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for this copy for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Welcome to my review of The Deep
My thoughts
Rating: 5
Would I recommend it? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes , in fat as soon as I recognized her name I knew I wanted to request the book.
Once again this author has done it, first with her book The Hunger and now with this one. This one is even more dark and twisted as well as creeper then The Hunger if that was even possible. I would have to say it was how she wrote the supernatural aspect of the tale and makes you wounder if its real or it its paranoia that setting in. Plus the way she writes the desperation, fear and the loss , she brings all of that to life and gives its a life of its own , so much so that even helps with the atmosphere of the story .So with that said I want to thank NetGalley for letting me read and review it and I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Alma Katsu is a terrific author. I love her style. But this story was not for me. It dragged more than progressed. The historic elements were interesting, but I found myself constantly checking to see how much longer the book was. Never a good sign. I also expected more horror elements, as with her first book, but sadly they were few and far between. Still, if you're interested in a slow burn, the writing is good enough that you should enjoy yourself.

In 1916, Annie Hebbley leaves Morninggate Asylum to join her friend Violet as a nurse on HMHS Britannic. She is uncertain of herself, her memories of her life before the asylum hazy. One thing she does know is that four years earlier, she and Violet worked together on another ship, the RMS Titanic. As the Britannic begins its voyage, Annie begins to remember exactly what happened aboard its doomed sister ship. There was something very wrong, something haunting the Titanic from the moment it set sail.

The Deep is a dual narrative, alternating between 1916 and 1912. It primarily follows Annie, but the perspective shifts among a few other characters as events unfold. Those events are mysterious and creepy, with a constant sensation of something lurking just out of sight, something terrible. The reader already knows what is about to happen to the ship, adding to the pressure while the time ticks away to April 14th.

Katsu fits her characters among some of the famous figures aboard the ship: Annie's friend Violet is real-life survivor of both the Titanic and the Britannic disasters Violet Jessop. Period details melded with supernatural aspects create a gripping, atmospheric read.</p>

I've seen this tagged as a horror novel, but it feels more like a historical mystery. A paranormal mystery centered on one of the most famous shipwrecks in the world.

I read "The Deep" after enjoying the "The Hunger". I really enjoy the author's alternative take on a historical event, either the Donner Party expedition or the sinking of the Titanic. I appreciate all the detail and grounding of the story by using historical figures and feel that the author does an excellent job with the setting of both novels.
"The Hunger" provided the reader with a very creepy and unsettling feeling and while I felt the author was trying for the same effect with "The Deep" it never quite materialized. The premise of an evil spirit causing events that led to the sinking of the Titanic was exciting, but the story development was too slow. The character's were well developed, but the underlying "horror" or "ghost story" element of the plot was lacking. It seemed that the author couldn't decide which story she wanted to tell, one of a tragic character dealing with a life changing event or of something supernatural causing both the sinking of the Titanic. The reader needed more focus to be put on the spiritualism and haunting elements of the story in order for that part of the plot to drive the story forward. While an interesting historical fiction read, it very much lacked as a paranormal novel.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

I wanted to love this so much but I tried 3 times to read it and I finally just had to DNF at about 43% in the book. I will try to pick up at another time. I am not sure if my head was not in the right place or not. This had one of my favorite ships mentioned. I LOVE the Titanic and to have the story involve the Titanic had my heart so happy but I could not jump on board. I did however, really enjoy the writing and it was very easily to follow so I still highly recommend this author. I just hope to pick it up later and give it another try. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

This is a good read. Sometimes it drags a little or maybe it's just to much info. I couldn't wait to read this. I was in high school when the movie Titanic came out and like every girl my age went to see at movies about 20 times and cried and carried on like I was on the boat with them!!! Also, I love the paranormal. So what could be better right!!! Still I struggled a little at times to get through but I am happy I read till the end. It was still a good read but it has to have all your attention.

3.5 stars really. This had a very strong start and I was really into it. It's a touch too long however, so it did drag for me at the halfway point. But Annie's story right out of the gate was a pleasure to read, even if I felt some threads of her story were left out as the book progressed. We go back and forth between 1912 and 1916 with Annie - first in the asylum, then to the Titanic and then on board the HMHS Britannic.

Was the Titanic haunted? Annie, Madeleine Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim and William Stead thought so! What happens in the years following that fateful voyage made for an intriguing story for sure. I thought the beginning was most excellent and the rest remains enjoyable but perhaps a touch too long not wish it to hurry along and reach its conclusion.

This is a delight for those who like paranormal ghost stories. This book was spooky in a good way. Not too overdone. Good read. I would recommended it to all who love paranormal books.

Unfortunately I had to stop reading The Deep at 31%. I feel like there should have been more going on at that point but I was just feeling bored and had no desire to pick up the book to read more.

I greatly enjoyed Katus' last title The Hunger and was looking forward to this read. It did not disappoint and I highly recommend.

I thought it was spooky and an interesting read. I enjoyed the duel time. It was really interesting in the beginning but kinda fizzled at the end for me

Alma Katsu uses dual timelines to tell this story. I thought it was very well done and thought out. It took me a little bit to be able to go back and forth with Annie, but I caught on pretty quickly. Annie was on the original Titanic and was fortunate enough to survive. Annie was a stewardess on the Titanic and served the wealthiest people. Now Annie is a nurse on the Titanic’s sister ship Britannic. The Britannic has been made into a hospital ship during WWI.

Annie has had her fair share of problems since surviving the Titanic catastrophe. Annie has been in an asylum in Liverpool for the previous 4 years before she goes to work as a nurse on the Britannic. Annie has been keeping in touch with Violet, and she is the main reason that Annie is going to work on the Britannic.

The way that Alma Katsu works the paranormal in this story was very intriguing. Annie has had her fair share of ghosts, both real and imagined since the Titanic. When Annie is on the Britannic, she thinks that she recognizes a man that was on the Titanic. Annie is drawn to this man for some reason. Maybe it is the thought that she recognizes him.

I can only imagine the ghosts that would haunt someone that survived the Titanic. Alma Katsu tackled this topic with some great ideas that she threw our way in this read. I was pleasantly surprised by how she put this book together. You will get hooked into this one and not want to put it down.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book.