The Deep is a lushly set spooky historical featuring a few elements I really liked:. The Titanic-as-setting is always a draw for me and Titanic-with-ghosts sounds even better, right? The added promise of Irish mythology and a girl battling the madness of an early century sanitarium had me sold. But while the premise and world were promising, it took a little while for me to sink into this book, I think because of the way the chronology is unfurled, which meant I had to work a little too hard to understand what was going on before I really had a chance to connect with the characters. Additionally, while the writing is beautiful—really stunning in places—the story dragged a little and didn’t quite live up to the excitement I’d expected. Ultimately, there’s a lot to love here but it was a little slow moving for my taste.

You say 'Titanic,' I say 'AYE AYE, CAPTAIN!' The Deep was a haunting book that I couldn't keep my hands off of until its March release date. I enjoyed the history of the storyline, and it was just so unique to have two ill-fated ships plus a paranormal/horror element. It was so unique, I absolutely recommend this book!

“The troubled mind can never know itself. That is the sad truth of madness.”

Sinister and atmospheric drama infused with real people and facts regarding the voyage of the Titanic and the last Voyage of the Britannic. This was similar in ways to the Titanic movie in that it included some of the actual people who were on the Titanic. The story includes supporting characters such as John Jacob Astor and his young pregnant wife Madeline, Benjamin Guggenheim and a lady friend, Lucy Duff Morgan, a famous fashion designer and her husband Cosmo, as well as two boxers “Dai” Bowen and Leslie Williams.

Most of these people are more than just bit players, though the Main story revolves around a stewardess on the Titanic who later becomes a Nurse on the Britannic by the name of Annie Hebbley, and a young couple Mark and Caroline Fletcher and their Baby, Ondine. Annie leaves a sanitarium four years after surviving the sinking of the Titanic to board the Britannic as a Nurse at the request of her former cabin mate and fellow stewardess Violet. The Britannic, having been outfitted as a Hospital ship with the ability to carry thousands of men injured in the war.

The story is is told in multiple POV by Annie and the others and the reader is shown the events on the Titanic in flashbacks as Annie is working on the hospital ship and especially after she discovers Mark Fletcher as a patient on the Britannic. Annie had been taken with Mark and his Baby Ondine from the first time the met on the Titanic and she worried about the baby.

Odd occurrences plagued the voyage of the Titanic, starting with Madeline Astor’s young orphaned cabin boy, Teddy. The nine year old claims he heard singing from the sea and climbs the ships railing and nearly jumps into the sea, only to be pulled back at the last minute by the boxer, Dai. Some of the passengers decide to hold a séance that evening.

The séance happens and something eerie occurs, which may or may not have been an entity, depending on who you ask. The séance is broken up by a death on board. As the Titanic continues its’ voyage other things seem to happen and it is unclear to the reader if it is something supernatural, some sort of cabin fever where a few of the passengers and crew seem like they are either going crazy or they have very overactive imaginations.

Though the first half of the book went a bit slow for my liking, the second half made up for it. The entire book was interesting and informative. I always seem to have this issue though with a lot of fantasy novels. I don’t like the slow beginning, but then after reading the entire book, I think back and realize all the reasons for the slow beginning. In this case all the background is necessary to understand the story as a whole, but also I liked the fact that we didn’t get too many occurrences so that we weren’t really sure what was going on. Is there something supernatural happening or is it just in Annie’s mind? Even she is unsure most of the time.
”I know firsthand how easy it is for this kind of thing to happen in a confined space with few distractions. Someone gives voice to a concern and before long, it’s on everyone’s lips. Paranoia is itself a kind of contagion.”

The most interesting thing is the relationship between Annie and Mark. It is obvious she is interested in him. However, he is married and seems to be in love with his wife while they are on the Titanic. Throughout the book we learn more about Annie and her background as well as the Fletchers and how they came to be on the Titanic.

I don’t like to give away any spoilers aside from background information that occurs in the first part of the books I read. So I will just say that most of the book was unpredictable and I was constantly surprised by what was happening and especially the way it ended. I did end up really enjoying the book overall. I would give this a rating of 4.5, due to originality, historical information, great characters and wonderful world building.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love how the author intertwines Irish mythology of Selfies into a story about one woman's survival on the Titanic AND the Britannic. What's amazing... the story of a real woman, who honestly did survive the sinkings on both ships inspired the author to write this amazing thriller! I'd love to see, The Deep turned into a movie!! It's almost a mixture of "Titanic" and "Ghost Ship"! Thank goodness, the movie played out in my mind as I read!! I got to choose who played Annie. Annie and one of her friends both manage to survive the sinking of the Titanic... but, Annie finds herself committed to an asylum for four years... it's only by pure chance that her release depends upon her committing herself to serve as a nurse on the Britannic! omg.. you cannot make this up! Oh wait!! Yes, the author DID do just that! lmao. Right? Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... You'll just have to read it and decide for yourself. It's a deliciously wicked read!! I'm so glad that I got to totally savor every word! Mmmmm, Mmmmm!!

I love Alma Katsu and her novel The Hunger, however after having read that novel I expected so much more from The Deep than what was given. I would still rate this book 3.5 stars out of 5 for the story and the daring to imbue paranormal phenomenon within its very fabric, but there are a lot of plot holes. What was the relationship like with Annie and her past? Why did she always say the phrase about good girls? What happened to Mrs. Duff-Gordon, whose story is quite limited and then abruptly ended (and not in the way you are probably thinking). What happened to the boxer? Why did Mr. Stead have his own ghosts to deal with? And then you have the parts about the Britannic that have a few unanswered questions and confusing points.

Overall, none of the characters were people I could really connect with or found myself wanting to know more about. They seemed a little flat, 2 dimensional, and static. The character growth was mainly brought about by plot twists or back story that made it seem like they changed more than they did. Nobody really made me care about them, I couldn't feel their emotion in this story, I was not moved.

There were characters that had ample amounts of backstory that ended up not even really being important. With the book split between the Titanic and the Britannic, it made everyone besides Mark and Annie seem like background characters. Where one background character had a wealth of a background story (thinking of the boxers), another who was just as prominent had absolutely none (thinking of Mrs. Duff-Gordon). Caroline was nothing beyond her love for Mark and Lillian and even that was a little confusing on what she actually wanted or who.

In the need to, I guess, keep the story focused and concise, there have been a lot of prominent characters who have plot holes instead of a neat finish. This book did not live up to my expectations, but it is still a very well written, very thoroughly researched story. Because of the ending, I went on to do my own Titanic/Britannic research and found myself falling down the rabbit hole of information and intrigue.

I wanted so much more for this book, and it just doesn't deliver the same quality as The Hunger. This book managed to turn the exciting/interesting events of the Titanic into background noise. That being said, I still look forward to Alma's next book, whatever it may be.

There are certain books that stay with you days, weeks, or even months after you finish reading them. The Deep by Alma Katsu is one of those books for me. It's creepy, atmospheric, spooky, and utterly captivating. You think you know what the story is, but you have no idea. I literally shouted "holy shit!" at one point. Just because we all know the story of the Titanic does not mean this book won't surprise the hell out of you. Let's get to the review!

The book begins with Annie, a woman who survived the Titanic, in an insane asylum. She's been there for months, but now that the doctors think she's well enough to go out on her own, they convince her to take up her friend, Violet's, offer to join her as a nurse on the Britannica, a ship taking wounded soldiers (from WWI) to safety. 

And so the story begins. But Annie's journey on the Britannica is not the only story here. The book goes back and forth between the present and the past where Annie is a maid on the Titanic. Y'all know how much I love a book that is formatted differently and this is done so well. Not only do we get to go between the Annie's past and present, we also get to see the point of view of other characters on the Titanic. This gives incite beyond Annie's less-than-reliable narrative. 

And speaking of Annie, let's talk a little bit more about her. She's curious, suspicious, paranoid, and very loyal to the people she cares about. She's a very interesting protagonist because while at the beginning, she gives you no reason to think she's anything but trustworthy, as the story goes on and you see her on the Titanic and the Britannica, you begin to question what's true and what's being skewed by her perception. Her relationship with Mark is a perfect example of this. I don't want to giveaway any spoilers because the fun of this book is going through the twists and turns, but let's just say, Annie and Mark's relationship is not what it seems. 

But this doesn't mean she's totally untrustworthy. There's something going on on the Titanic and the Britannica that Annie is more attuned to than almost everyone else. Something dark has come for the passengers and Annie does everything she can to try and stop a tragedy from happening. But when she's up against a dark, supernatural force, does she really have a chance?

The other characters aren't any less complicated. Mark Fletcher and his wife have a dark past, Madeleine Astor is not as happy as she makes everyone believe, the two boxers everyone is enamored with are really a couple of con men, and Benjamin Guggenheim might be more aware of what's happening on the ship than anyone else.

The Deep is spooky, haunting, and difficult to put down. This is the first Alma Katsu book I've ever read, but it definitely makes me want to read more of her books. I'm giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars! If  you like spooky, interesting historical fiction stories, you NEED to read this book.

The Deep comes out March 10, 2020

Thank you to NetGalley and Transworld Digital for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This turned out to be an extremely difficult book for me to form a solid opinion on and subsequently rate. After a lot of thought, I came to the conclusion that I didn't really consider this one an outright horror novel, at least in regards to my own personal taste. When I instead thought of it as a supernatural tale with some horror elements, it made better sense in my mind. You see, in no way did I at all feel that uncomfortable, yet riveting unease that comes with something that ticks all the right boxes in the scary department. The typical tropes were there; the ghostly encounters, the ominous ship, but something also felt missing and I had one hell of a time trying to figure out what. It could've been the absence of a sufficient build up, where time is given to properly establish a sense of dread, or maybe the haunting scenes merely didn't offer anything frightful. Essentially, it wasn't my sort of horror, I'd even go so far to say it was relatively tame in the scheme of things, yet I did appreciate the storytelling - twists included.

Despite the cleverness of some aspects, I can't deny that I felt that the story dragged at times. For me, there's nothing worse than feeling the onset of boredom, and there were moments that came dangerously close to that.

Katsu's imagination certainly took me by surprise as I reached the end. Whilst the horror elements didn't do it for me, I mostly liked the story and background. It definitely had its ups and downs, but Katsu is one author I'll be keeping my eye on.

The Deep by Alma Katsu ended up being way better than I expected. It was very engaging; the writing was vivid, and I got the spooky feeling I wanted (maybe a bit too spooky. I could sleep after reading this. Ha!) I love how the author incorporated the history of the Titanic. I could easily see this book turned into a film. Over all I gave this book 4 stars.
Many thanks to Netgalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons for gifting me this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story blended so well with historical and paranormal aspects. The author did an amazing job with these two as a whole. I was hooked from the very first page and now I really need this to be a movie. I say it all the time that more of these books need to picked up for movies and tv shows. The story is told in the blending of truth and fiction and it was one that was freaking amazing. The characters were all one of a kind and the paranormal aspect of the story were spot on. Katsu is a storyteller unlike anyone else that I have read and I will have to check out her other titles if she has any. If you love historical blended with true history as well as fiction with the twist of paranormal then check this one out NOW!!!

When I first came across this one, I couldn't help but find myself drawn to the cover. It is just beautifully haunting. Although I am not a fan of horror, I still was memorized by the premise and I knew I needed to read it to find out for myself what happens. It definitely is a unique take on historical events and one that I think is done well. There were just a couple things that kept me from fully enjoying it.

This book has multiple parts to it. There are times the story is taking place in the past on the Titanic and other times it is the present on the Britannic. I thought that this worked well as the past events really shape the present and it also gives more insight to the plot and characters at play.

There are many characters and this book gives most a voice. Although Annie is the main character, there are other characters that are linked to her or share similar concerns. Through the different point-of-views the story comes together and lines are drawn as to how everyone is connected and how each holds secrets. Each character seems to be playing a game and honestly, it gave me a lot of Clue vibes.

As for the plot, I did like getting to know each character. The thing is, there just wasn't a lot going for the plot. As something that is described as being spooky, I'm expecting to be scared for my life. The problem was, I wasn't. There wasn't enough of the creepy/horror vibes that was to be expected from the premise. Yes, I'm a chicken but at the same time I want what is promised! There are paranormal happenings but they are very minor. If it would have had more then I most certainly would have liked it more.

There, of course, were plot twists and although I didn't see the ending coming it still didn't shock me as much as I would have liked. There also wasn't much closure for some of the characters that were introduced throughout but maybe that's for the best since some didn't have the greatest of outcomes.

This was not anywhere near what I was expecting when it came to what I had in mind for the plot before reading. I didn't mind it but at the same time I wouldn't say it is horror. It's a historical fiction with a sprinkling of paranormal. Although the sprinkling was nice, I would have preferred a heaping helping of it. I didn't dislike it but I didn't find myself fully enjoying it either.

Alma Katsu’s follow up to The Hunger, her Bram Stoker Award-nominated hit, puts readers on board two doomed ships: Titanic and Britannic.

Something seems off on the Titanic. Is it a spirit? A mythical creature from the deep? Or merely the result of hysteria? From a seance to a song calling from the sea, Katsu deftly blends legends that have haunted sailors and captains for centuries.

Meanwhile, aboard the Britannic, a Titanic survivor’s chance meeting with someone from her past opens up a barely healed wound, leading to emotions more tumultuous than the ocean on a stormy day.

Surrounding these two timelines are characters based on real-life people with the same names. Readers will meet many of the ill-fated Titanic’s most famous passengers. There’s also a nice focus placed on two real-life boxers who were headed to America for a year of fights. Just like with The Hunger, Katsu brought tears to my eyes a few times, even though I already knew who had died during the real Titanic disaster.

One of the best parts of the book is Katsu’s description of the Titanic sinking. We only see it from a few points of view, and it’s not a big section of the overall story. But the claustrophobic and hectic nature of such an event is captured perfectly, and it left me almost breathless as I speedily read along to keep up with the main character’s (Annie) frantic pace.

Although The Deep isn’t as terrifying as The Hunger, Katsu did conjure up a few genuinely spooky moments. Those who are afraid of ghosts will also likely find The Deep to be much more frightening than I did. Regardless, the true horror in this book is wrapped up inside people’s actions and thoughts.

How do some justify conning others? How can someone live with themselves after contributing to the deaths of 1,500 people? How does a young boy die long before the iceberg comes for everyone else? These questions and more are presented for readers.

When you combine the above elements with Katsu’s beautiful prose and the natural appeal of a ghost story on the Titanic, you get a story that’s well worth reading. As an added bonus, the historical figures are given many of their real-life mannerisms and interests, making this a truly compelling historical fiction novel.

The entire premise was very enchanting—ghosts on the Titanic and Britannic, haunting specific passengers and causing general unease?

But this book is no horror novel, or very much of a thriller, even, but a historical fiction novel with some ghosts.

I wanted to love it, but it was just okay. I didn’t hate it, either. I just have no real strong feelings about it.

The writing was good, though!

What a cover amirite!?

This sounded like a book I could really get behind, especially in the days leading up to Halloween. Spooky, creepy ghosties on the Titanic? A haunted young woman is doomed to experience a second disastrous voyage on another ocean liner? Sign me up.

Unfortunately, it was a little disappointing. I was prepared for chills and thrills. Not so much. I was hoping for fantastic clothes and settings, and I got those for the most part I suppose. It just never pulled together into a fulfilling journey. The main character, Annie’s issues over time pretty much just devolved into “bitches be crazy”. I felt the plot was missing some depth … ha … see what I did there? Depth? Titanic? Yeah … I know, I’ll stop.

The book was a little entertaining. Not spooky enough by half. It had the kind of upstairs/downstairs romances that could be expected but nothing to write home about or get excited about. Not a bad book, just not really for me I suppose.

Song for this book: Jig of Life by Kate Bush

I do love all things related to the Titanic so I was very excited to get an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from beginning to end. The way the author weaved history in with a scary tale was very fun! The characters were interesting and there were plenty of twist and turns as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Titanic history and paranormal stories.

ARC/Netgalley

I've gone back and forth on my review of this one. On one hand this is a GREAT idea for a book. Haunted Titanic? Count me in. Linking the stories of the Titanic and Britannic tragedies? A great choice for a historical novel. The plot fell apart in the last third of the book and the ending was very abrupt with a large amount of unanswered questions. But if you are looking for a fun slightly spooky read and aren't bothered by plot holes you'll enjoy it.

3 for neutral. I think it may be my mood and if so I will update if able to read and enjoy at a later date. I didn’t think it was poorly written, just was not grabbing me.

Katsu casts her spell by weaving together the timelines of the sinking of the Titanic and the explosion of the Britannic. There are ghostly goings-on, seances, marital strife, and the clash of class on the Titanic. All of which foreshadow the tragedy. The action on the Britannic provides closure to the mysterious occurrences. Despite some unresolved plot points, this is a haunting novel with a touch of the paranormal that captures that cold, visceral feeling of impending danger and the tragedies of sinking ships.

There are some authors who end up on my automatic buy list. I don’t need to read the plot summary. Amazon tells me the author has a new book coming, and I hit buy. And Alma Katsu is now on that list!

In The Deep, Katsu takes on one of my favorite historical disasters - the fatal voyage of The Titanic.

Her in depth research shows as Katsu puts the reader right onto the ship’s deck on that fateful journey. Honestly, it’s like you were there!

But, as she did with her Donner Party book, Katsu adds an element of the otherworldly to her story – and she does it beautifully. Intertwined in the already heartbreaking true tale, the author gives us an epic story of heartbreak and horror.

I loved it.

Yes, I’m now a faithful reader and I can’t wait to see what Katsu brings us next.

Five well deserved stars!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

History blend with a bit of the paranormal? Count me in. From the get-to I was immediately intrigued by the blurb. Like holy shit guys did you read it? The retelling of both the Titanic and Britannic tragic collapse, and used of the real life millionaires who tragically met their end on the passenger liner maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City was a refreshing concept. I was impressed but the author's writing style and in her ability to allow the reader feel apart of this historical moment. Sure not everything was peachy reading this novel. There were scenes here and there that the pace could've picked up because I zoned out more than I can count and a few plot holes that weren’t completely resolved at the end but overall it didn't defer me from this likable read.

The Deep was not only my first Alma Katsu book, it was my first Titanic novel. Having studied the ill-fated liner for over a decade, I knew the real story, but generally steered clear of any fictional renderings. This summer, I attended a session given by Katsu at the Historical Novel Society Conference and I was so impressed, I took a chance...and I'm so glad I did. The Deep had me riveted from the very beginning. Katsu is an accomplished storyteller who seamlessly weaves together the real and the surreal, the facts and the fiction, the earthly and the paranormal. The characters were richly drawn and deeply engaging, with complicated aims. Just as in real life, nothing is ever so straightforward. The sinkings provided well-matched bookends to the story and added to the suspense. Though I would hesitate to call The Deep anything close to horror, there were certainly plenty of startling moments. An excellent read from start to finish!