Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

This was such a unique story and the action just kept coming. I loved Kress & Rivan and the friendship/romance between them was so well done.

The monsters were awesome and I would have been terrified being in contact with any of them. Kudos to Kress for fighting them all the time. I liked all the twists that the story kept pumping out and the more I read the more I wanted to know.

The only thing that annoyed me was how everyone treated Kress about her parents. She had NOTHING to do with them and yet the entire island hated her and treated her like a monster. Why? She was a child when it happened. I can understand why you would be upset and angry over it, but to take it out on a kid? It just didn’t make sense to me how mad everyone was. And it was annoying every time it happened.

I haven’t read this author’s debut novel so now I’ll have to see how that one is too.

I originally requested <i>Somewhere in the Deep<i> expecting it to be something it wasn't, then realised what it was and didn't read it for the next few months because I thought it wasn't for me. However, after reading it, ohmygodit'ssogood.

So! Read <i>Somewhere in the Deep<i> if you enjoy:
- Class solidarity because honestly yeah
- Ocean-themed eldritch horrors
- Childhood best friends to lovers
- and a girl who can and will fight anything and everything if she must

I'll admit I don't have much to say on this book, for the most part every part of the book was excellent, but it wasn't perfect, which is why the 8/10 rating. Like the pacing was fantastic, but I would've preferred if Berwah had spent more time on the climax, not the final 50 or so pages, and given us a more meaningful resolution. The characters were incredibly fun, but many of them blended together and a handful of them felt fairly undefined. The romance was cute and didn't feel like it came out of nowhere, but the two LI's could've stayed friends and I don't think it would've changed much in the book. The worldbuilding was uniquely fantastic though, and all the compliments to Berwah for an incredibly intriguing world, yet not showing off her entire hand., I'm honestly considering picking up her other book just in the hopes of learning more about the world. I really liked all the creatures we say in this, and found the use and mixing of real world mythology honestly incredibly well done. More often than not when books try to mix cultures it comes off as crass and somewhat offensive, but Berwah's attempt felt a lot more natural because she was truly fitting these things to the world, and not vaguely reskinning them.

All in all, a good book, just... not perfect.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for providing an eARC to review!

Unfortunately I just found the writing really clunky and couldn’t see myself connecting with the story or the characters. I did get this arc like months ago so maybe it’s just an early version, but there were enough times that I stumbled over the word choices that it was pulling me out of what was happening.

It also felt like it was going to be a pretty run of the mill YA fantasy - an orphan girl who is unique in some way and has a boy supporting her for no real discernible reason apart from us being told they’re really close. Maybe it could have surprised me going forward, but I sadly just wasn’t really drawn in.

I think people who enjoyed Grace and Fury might enjoy this though as it has some similar elements.

Shout out to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Tanvi Berwah for the ARC!

Overall: 3.5/4 stars

I read the synopsis for SitD and immediately requested an ARC and I'm eternally glad I did. I went into this world (as it is the same universe as Monsters Born & Made, which I did NOT read) a little blind, but I don't think you need to read MB&M to be on top of everything. I went back and read MB&M and can definitively say they're hugely contrasting themes and I can see why the author even labelled them each other's antithesis.

The plot: 4/5; fast moving and easily engaging writing
Characters: 4/5 (Kress's opening scene is chef's kiss)

I really have no criticisms besides it didn't engage me as well as other YA books and it took me a bit to get INTO it. I struggled through the first half or so but I mostly felt like I was waiting for something to happen. That might be more about me reading way too many fantasy series and not enough standalones, though.

I will happily read more of the world in the future, definitely worth checking out!

“Today is not the day I die.”

"You can't pick who to love any more than you could avoid a tsunami splitting your body and leaving you strewn in the water."

“I'm not the monster they think I am, but I'm no better than one either.”

Wonderful, amazing, thrilling, fantasy book with great plot, action and characters!!! After reading Monsters Born and Made, I became an instant fan of this author !!! When I knew this book was on NetGalley… I needed to read it!!! So grateful I had the opportunity to jump back in this author’s world which I love. Her writing makes me feel part of the story and even though I would never be able to be in the main character me shoes, it’s still a fun and emotional ride !!! This time we have Kress, orphan trying to extinguish a debt, her parents left her with, with fights against terrible monsters. She is given the opportunity to be finally free and leave but she has to join a company of miners, who hates her, on an impossible quest in the deepest darkness. Only her childhood friend, Riven who loves her deeply can’t leave her alone so he joins her on the adventure. Amongst terrible fights, monsters made out of the deepest recesses of the earth, they will soon find out that the journey they embarked on is much more than what they expected!! A bit of magic, a bit of romance, a bit of found family and a lot of action made this book marvellous!!! And … Final epic battle to save the world … check !!! I’m a fan of this book and this author and conceding the bit of the cliffhanger left at the end of this story … I can’t wait for another one !!!!

“I am insane, I think.
From somewhere in the deep, a whisper.
And what makes your reality the sane one?”

"Kress, not even the ocean could have stopped me from finding you. It's about damn time you accepted that."

“And if Sollonia wants to threaten our world, this island will be ready.
I will be ready”

This was fine. I thought I would enjoy it a lot more than I did.

At first I really didn't vibe with the book, the characters were annoying and the world building was clunky and it was almost bashing you over the head with social class commentary. I still didn't like the characters by the end, but the world was unique and interesting enough to keep me engaged.

Overall this was nothing special, but it was decent.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

I honestly forgot all about this book. I was liking the beginning of it, but then it changed into a completely different plotline with all these characters I didn't know. I was lost and confused, and so I stopped reading. I never picked it up again. I feel bad about it and it's probably a decent book once you get into it, but the fact that it seemed to change plots really threw me off. Maybe it's just not a book for me.

Somewhere in the Deep drew my attention with that beautiful cover and once I read the summary, I knew I had to read it.

Kress had my heart from the moment I met her fighting monsters in an underground ring. The beginning of this story had me hooked, I did lose interest a bit as it went on but I can definitely see this being a well loved book. I enjoyed my time with it.

And we have another of Tanvi Berwah’s amazing stories! Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Krescent Dune is a fighter in a fighting pit against sea monsters for scrips. Ever since her parents died, she’s been taking the brunt of their mistakes and is shunned by everyone from the island of Kar Atish. So when an opportunity presents itself for her to finally leave the island, she takes on the task of finding the men lost in the previous expeditions underground. But as they delve into an endless abyss somewhere in the deep, Kress soon discovers a horrible truth that could kill them all.

A book like this is why it’s incredibly important that stories are told. Tanvi Berwah’s writing has a knack for leaving everything to a reader’s interpretation which I think is very interesting. This South-Asian inspired fantasy novel is immensely reflective of what it means to live in an oppressive society and how creating an undeterred, united front can bring upon change. It has parallels to Monsters Born & Made, but as the author mentioned, is the complete antithesis of this novel and you will see the contrasting themes of both books pan out. Lastly, I find the prose here so much more riveting. The prose here is so much better, and shows us a delightful slowburn romance between. I would totally recommend!

An action packed and fast paced story, well plotted and entertaining. I loved the storytelling but wasn't a fan of the characters
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

OH. MY. GOSH. ★★★★★

I don't think words could ever express how obsessed I'm becoming with this series. truly.

what a beautiful expansion of the world we saw in Monsters Born And Made, wow !! I, personally, loved reading both books together, but seeing how they can both stand as their own is awesome too !

we have many new characters, and regardless of how much time we had with them, they were fleshed out beautifully. it wasn't just a surface level personality we were given. not only did it make me really care for them, but I was worried for them on so many occasions haha.

the galdiator fights and other action scenes were my absolute favorite ! I was gripping my seat the whole time, so scared the fight would go one way or another. and I swear, I was getting claustrophobic just reading about them going into those caves !! or i'd think of how worse that feeling would be with giant murderous monsters in the cave with them.

so much of the story took place underground, and the scenes never felt stagnant or repetitive. especially with our characters being limited to this one setting, the story was always moving at just the right pace. and still, I seriously feel like I devoured this book lol ! this is genuinely just such.an.amazing.book !!

I am crossing my fingers that we get more of this world and its characters. I have so many hopes for a third book (and have my own theories of what could happen if we ever got one hehe) but I think I'd fall over myself rushing to grab any other book Tanvi Berwah releases next. I knew with MBAM that I would be coming back for more, but this book just solidified it !

so so SOO grateful to have received an arc of this gorgeous book. thank you so much netgally and Tanvi Berwah !!

Berwah brings together a wonderful blend of Asian mythology, a slow burn friends to lovers romance, and the island of Kar Atish, holding all of its own secrets within its depths.

We follow Kress, orphaned at a young age, who fights in the pit to one day secure her freedom from the island. She finds a family of sorts in Rivan, a miner, and his two brothers, but all that is torn away from her when she is forced into joining an expedition into the depths of the island; in exchange, she will receive enough silver to leave the island.

I thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed the island and the monsters and secrets it held. They were extraordinary, and I could really picture the almost descent into madness that the characters were feeling. And [minor spoilers] after some in the group betrayed the others, I could feel the desperation for survival seeping off the pages [end minor spoilers].

This was a fantastic YA fantasy, where there is a great mix of plot and romance, and sufficient scary creatures that it was heart racing at times! Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for an e-arc of this book, all opinions are my own.

Rating: 2.5/5 ☀️ (rounded up)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, which was given in exchange for an unbiased review.

Somewhere in the Deep was an action-packed adventure beginning to end. The overall anti-capitalist and collectivist themes were so well done, and that’s the main reason I am rounding up my rating. However, that aside, the plot and most of the characters were relatively underdeveloped.

The first few chapters were a bit rocky, but the story quickly found its footing. The setting of the island and the monsters and their variety was one of the most interesting parts of the story. However, I was rather irked by some of the titles in worldbuilding, like Landers, Renters, and Collectors. They felt simultaneously too on-the-nose and reductive - after all, it’s not just “renting” but imperial takeover.

Overall, the plot fell into a repetitive pattern that quickly became rather boring to read. The characters are going through the mines, they get attacked by monsters, they fight and somehow escape, they rest for a bit and have some conversation to move the plot forward, and then rinse and repeat. I think the rebellion scenes in the last quarter of the book should have been more of the focus than just traversing the mines. In general the story was more plot-driven than character-driven and as a result, I couldn’t invest in any particular characters.

Kress was definitely a highlight, though, with a strong backstory and mostly consistent characterization. However, the romance was frustrating because her love interest, Rivan, had very little personality or character beyond being her love interest and having a family. We’re told they care for each other so much because they grew up together and look out for each other, but that wasn’t enough. I found myself annoyed by how he was following her around and causing problems because she got distracted trying to protect him. The rest of the characters such as Raksha, Thayne, Siril, and Yara were interesting, though, and I enjoyed the supporting cast.

There are definitely parts of this I loved, especially Kress finding her place in her homeland and the execution of the anti-capitalist and community-centered themes. However, as a whole, the story was pretty underdeveloped. I know this is connected to the author’s other book, Monsters Born and Made, and maybe reading that would give this more context. But on its own, it just didn’t reach its full potential.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I highly recommend this book.

Kress is a 17 year old girl who is plagued with her parent’s mistakes. A mistake that took their lives making Kress a walking reminder of lives lost.
Kress fights monsters in the pits to pay her parent’s debts and to collect silver to get off her island.
There is one person holding her back. Will he be the one that makes her stay and claim the island as her home.
This book is non stop action that is full of twists and turns.

4 Stars.

The YA fantasy novel, Somewhere in the Deep by Tanvi Berwah is an adventurous story set on an island named Kar Atish which is steeped in lore, mystery, monsters and classism. We follow the main character, Krescent Dune, a monster fighter in the popular underground pits who longs to be free from the island and a past that haunts and follows her due to her parents actions. To achieve this Krescent Dune will take on a mission and go in the depths of the caves with others who may or may not wish her harm.

This is a fast-paced story with tonnes of action scenes involving unique and terrifying monsters. I enjoyed the different characters and the small romantic side plot. The descriptions and world building felt well thought out and added to the creepy and dark atmosphere of traveling into the depths of the island. This was a really fun YA fantasy which can be read as a standalone. I also have seen that this novel is set in the same world as a previous story written by the author called Monsters Born and Made which I will be adding to the never depleting TBR.

My only criticism is it may have been too fast paced at times where too much was happening making the plot and character development feel rushed.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the author for sending this book for review. Of course, all opinions are my own.
This book is unlike any romantasy I've ever read. The majority of the setting takes place underground in the mines filled with deadly creatures and hidden secrets and is chock full of plot twists. Though quite a few were predictable, they were still entertaining when I read them.
What I liked about this book is that there was a plot along with the romance. It wasn't all about the relationship between Kress and Riven. In fact, the relationship was put on the back burner until certain events came to fruition.
Speaking of, I was about ready to strangle Kress myself every time she deflected and said she wanted to go live somewhere else. Like just let the man love you! That part was probably the most frustrating part with the "will they won't they.
Overall, I think this was a good read. There were quite a few holes at the end though, I have many questions regarding side characters and some of the storyline.
Hopefully those get answered in future books. The romance was cute. I would've loved to see more of the relationship develop though instead of having all the angst.
Lots of tropes including friends to lovers, castes, corrupt government, betrayal, fighting to survive, and protecting one person over everything else. Zero spice, lots of pining.
4/5 stars!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.5/5 STARS

Genre: YA Fantasy

Synopsis: Orphan Krescent Dune fights dangerous beasts in the pits to pay off her family’s debt. When she accepts a deal to relieve her debt in exchange for leading a mission in mining caves, she encounters more than just the deadly beasts hunting them.

This is set in the same world as Monsters Born and Made which I loved! You do not need to read MBAM though in order to read this one. They do make reference to some of the characters a few times(in case you did read it), but it has nothing to do with the story.

I really enjoy this world. I love the different beasts and imaginative monsters along with a good quest. This is action packed with a hint of a romance and plot twists.

It is hard to compete with Monsters Born and Made though, but for her second book it was well done. I hope she writes another book set in this world!

Thank you Sourcefire Books for the ARC! 🧌

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

I really enjoyed this book! I kind of wish i had read the first one even though they are standalone novels. I loved Kress and how the book highlights colonialism.

Some grammer mistakes in the book.

How gripping! I love a creature book, and Berwah's writing absolutely delivered for me. The plot was so interesting and really had me hooked. I actually read this in 1 sitting because I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to see where the story went. The characters are enjoyable and I really loved the atmosphere building.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the ARC.