This is a Young Adult Debut novel and I really enjoyed it! Readers follow Marisol through the final weeks of her last year in school when she will be assigned to a permanent assignment in her undersea settlement. Marisol's been underwater on the Aqueous campus for 10 years, she's happy and well adjusted, and dreams of becoming an elite diver, a dangerous position. Prior to this she was adopted in the chaos of a dying earth above the ocean. She's always felt her mother gave her up so she would be sure to have a better life. As she adjusts into her new adult role, Marisol learns some information about the above world that changes everything. She's unsure of what's to come, but she won't keep silent. We are left with a big CLIFFHANGER and I'm left wanting book two now.

The biggest strength of the novel is the fantastic worldbuilding. I was fascinated and really enjoyed all of the descriptions of the sea steading pods created to survive climate disaster. If there is a weakness, it's in the dialogue. Overall, it is a bit stiff and made me feel like I wasn't really reading/listening to teens talk among themselves, but I was able to suspend my ideas and I told myself that theses were all kiddos who learned to interact "under the sea" and of course their language might be different.

The audiobook is read by the author herself and does included 2 musical numbers which were pretty enjoyable (I usually skip right over any added lyrics etc, so if I say I enjoyed it, that's a real endorsement).

one more note- this is true YA. There is no "spice" Marisol and her friends do engage in the usual teen aged crushes, kisses and flirting- but it isn't the main point of the novel, and this is not Ocean based romantasy. I was happy to be immersed in a novel about a normal teen in unusual circumstances, facing normal challenges! Marisol isn't "the chosen one" or a hidden paranormal princess and I must have read too many of those books because I really liked her concerns about dresses, career choices and friends. I think it's an excellent book for kids aged between about 11-16 and very well written for exactly that age group. (and for me...)

Oof, for a YA novel this one is a doozy. It is set on an Earth where humans have ruined things ecologically and people are starving, dehydrated and dying everywhere. made me think about how easily we could be headed down this path ourselves, making me enjoy the book more as I was just sucked into this new underwater world. Marisol is a young child who is adopted on the whim of a childless couple to go to on of the three merstations. Fast forward 10yrs and she is now about to graduate and take her place as a contributing adult, but first she must go through a series of trials to aid in her placement. Marisol is athletic and bright, but also very naive in many ways. Watching her and her friends go through these trials and trying to find their place is captivating. All about the age of 16, they are mature in many ways and immature in just as many. Warning: this book is meant to be a series and ends with a huge cliffhanger. I’m now following the author and wanting to know what’s next

As life on Earth reaches a breaking point and dwindling resources threaten humanity’s survival, a small group of scientists and experts turns to the ocean in search of salvation. Marisol barely remembers her life above the waves, except for the stories her mother used to tell—tales of princesses and dragons whispered as they journeyed across the higher latitudes in a desperate bid to survive.
When they finally arrive at the ocean fortress that promises their only hope, they are met with a grim omen: a stampede of fleeing vehicles. The last surface dwellers are escaping. Life on land has ended.
But fate gives Marisol another chance. She is taken in by an escaping couple—Admiral Blaise and her wife—who become her new family.

Now, as Marisol approaches her sixteenth birthday, she must face the trials that will determine her role in this underwater society—a decision that will shape the rest of her life.
In Aqueous, Shyback’s stunning debut, we are immersed in the intricacies of a vividly imagined undersea world. The author masterfully weaves together history, societal structures, and complex relationships as we follow Marisol and her friends through their trials.
As a dystopian novel, the worldbuilding is truly impressive—rich, detailed, and delivered in a way that feels natural and immersive, never like a dry lesson. The story moves at a brisk pace and builds to a tense ending that will leave you eagerly awaiting the sequel.

thank you to netgalley and red hen press/xeno books for this complimentary copy of their audiobook version of aqueous. i enjoyed myself a lot!

the audiobook was engaging enough and has some musical numbers to go with. this kept me on my toes listening.

this book is the book i would have eaten up especially as a younger teen- post apocalyptic mermaidic type vibes??? please, this is like a wishlist item.

fun read, highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Xeno Books for the advanced listener copy of this audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

Aqueous is a YA dystopian novel set in an underwater world, where humanity retreated as Earth became uninhabitable. The story follows Marisol, who had to leave her birth mother behind to have a chance at survival underwater with her adoptive parents. Now, a decade later, 16 years old Marisol is undergoing trials to determine her role within the Aqueous community, but hidden truths begin to unravel.

I enjoyed this book! The start had me hooked immediately, and set this book up incredibly. My favourite part of this book was the world building, it was so well done. I was fully immersed into this world, largely due to the descriptive and vivid writing style which brought this unique world to life. I liked the characters, and their dynamics; in particular the nuanced and complex relationship between Marisol and her adoptive parents.

I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by the author herself, and she did a great job keeping me engaged in the story. While I would have liked to hear a bit more distinction between the characters, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book.

If you enjoy dystopian novels, with a strong female main character, I would recommend Aqueous. I cant wait to see what happens next, especially after that cliffhanger!

I love this fresh take on a dystopian world! The details and development throughout the entire book are phenomenal and while there are a few times the narration got a little confusing between different characters conversations, it was overall done exceptionally well. This is a great Y a story that adults will enjoy as well and I cannot wait to see where style author takes us in this new world!

thank you to Net Galley for this ARC.
This is a Young Adult Debut novel, and I enjoyed it! We follow Marisol through the final weeks of her last year in school, when she will be assigned to a permanent assignment in her undersea settlement. Marisol has been underwater on the Aqueous campus for 10 years; she's happy and well-adjusted, and dreams of becoming an elite diver, a dangerous position. Before this, she was adopted in the chaos of a dying Earth above the ocean. She's always felt that her mother gave her up so she would have a better life. As she adjusts to her new adult role, Marisol learns some information about the above world that changes everything. She's unsure of what's to come, but she won't keep quiet.

The novel's greatest strength lies in its rich and imaginative worldbuilding. I was fascinated and enjoyed all of the descriptions of the sea-steading pods created to survive a climate disaster. If there's a weakness, it lies in the dialogue. Please keep in mind that this is YA book No spice.

A heart wrenching YA dystopian novel that will stick with you long after you have read it, maybe even changing the way you view certain things. It is incredibly relevant.

The story follows Marisol’s journey on earth, which is no longer hospitable for human life to her journey living in the deep part of the sea. Aqueous dives into the science and the social workings of the underwater world. The limited resources, conformity and cold sea rules are an important part of the new life but the human spirit aways finds a way to shine through, just like nature always finds a way to survive.

The narrator for the audiobook did a great job as the voice of the story. It has been awhile since I have listened to an audiobook and listening to this one reminded me of how enjoyable audiobooks can be.

I really loved listening to this book. I’ve never heard or read anything like this. But it was absolutely amazing. I must admit I shed a few tears, both because of what happened in the book, but also because something like this could happen in the future. I have nothing bad to say, except now I have to wait for a second book to come out. I need a book 2, very very soon.

If you’re in your “under the sea “ phase like I have been, this is DEFINITELY a “must add” to your TBR. Beautiful writing will have you hooked from page 1 and the rest of the story makes you never want to leave