For readers who love historical fiction with the addition of the supernatural. In this story, the Titanic and the Britannic follow their natural courses but with all sorts of parallel intrigue added in. Part ghost story, part thriller, all around fun to read.

The Deep is a paranormal twist on the 1912 voyage of the Titanic. It is told in alternating time lines, first 1916 revisiting events of 1912. Overall entertaining but some plot holes and general issues with pacing.

3 1/2 stars. While I enjoyed this book, the supernatural elements just didn't provide the spookiness I was looking for. There is no doubt that the author researches her subject thoroughly and I did like the historical aspects.

Building on the momentum of her first historical horror sojourn (THE HORROR, an excellent reimagining of what happened to the Donner Party), Alma Katsu dives--pun not intended--into a tale regarding the sinking of both the Titanic and its successor the Brittanic. Haunted nurse Annie Hebley survived the "unsinkable" ship's demise, but spent the intervening years in a mental institution.

We start in 1916 after that hospital stay, when Annie is hired aboard the Brittanic, to tend to wounded British soldiers in the midst of World War I, and jump back and forth between 1916 and 1912. Both halves are compelling, though the ensemble nature of the 1912 chapters will likely be preferable to the claustrophobic 1916 storyline, which is mostly confined to Annie's decidedly unreliable point of view. Forces not of this earth are at work, and it's entertainingly unclear, for most of the story, whether Annie is the conduit or the victim (or something in between).

THE DEEP doesn't quite reach the deliriously lurid heights of THE HUNGER (nor does it have that novel's moments of extreme graphic violence), but is ultimately just as compelling in its own way. By inventing a protagonist out of whole cloth and not being overly stuck to history, Katsu tells an alternately intense and elegiac tale about women at the mercy of unjust times, supernatural forces and the flaws of their powerfully grounded characteristics.

Alma Katsu’s latest historical horror novel is atmospheric and eerie in all the right ways. True to form, Katsu couples slow burning dread with her trademark attention to historical detail. Katsu tells the stories of the Titanic and the Britannic in dual timeliness which run parallel to each other. Katsu sprinkles her plot with a touch of the supernatural and thus runs this mysterious tale that adds a paranormal twist to one of the the world’s most famous tragedies.

Our main character is Annie Hebbley, who has the misfortune of somehow working on both ships. On the Titanic, she works as a stewardess to the first class passengers and on the Britannic she finds herself nursing those wounded at war. Annie is a fictional character but her friend Violet Jessop, and many of the other people that Annie interacts with throughout the novel were real people who’s existences are corroborated by historical records and documents.

What Katsu does well is fleshed out characters. Ever character has their flaws and opinions and we get a handful of POVS that make the reader care about the characters beyond Annie. However, many of these characters frequently make terrible choices and its not a spoiler to say that most of these characters end up dead by the end of the novel.

If I had one complaint about this book it would be that at times the novel was quite slow and a lot quieter than I was expecting. Meaning, when I first became aware of this novel and heard it billed as horrific spin on the Titanic I expected more bumps in the night. I know the slow burn mystery/horror is Katsu’s staple so I am definitely at fault for assuming this book would be different.

With all that said overall, I gave this book 4/5 stars and would recommend it to people looking to try horror novels but are a little hesitant to dip their toe in. I would describe this one as a historical fiction novel with horror/paranormal elements, making it subsequently accessible to those with a low horror threshold.

Alma Katsu blends fiction and non-fiction into an engaging story about the sinking of the titanic and the various passengers, real and imagined, who are on board that ship, The story introduces us to Annie, who survived the sinking of the Titanic and is now put to work taking car of the men wounded in the war on the Titanic's sister ship, Britannic. The story goes back and forth between present and past, and brings to life many of the famous passengers on the Titanic, such as the Astors and Lady Duff Gordon. The story also has a bit of a paranormal twist thrown in - just enough to give you a little bit of a chill, but not enough to keep you up at night. I enjoyed reading this book - all the characters were interesting, and I was hooked from the start. I haven't read Katsu's previous book yet but now I most certainly will. 5 stars for an engaging read.

The story is told in multiple POV but the main story revolves around Annie Hebbley, she was a stewardess on the Titanic when it had sunk. She had survive and 4 years later she finds herself in the Britannic as a nurse during the WWI. The story goes between the events on the Titanic in flashbacks while Annie is working on Britannic which has been converted into a ship hospital that brings back memories of her time on the Titantic and meeting Mark Fletcher. Annie has connection and is pulled toward Mark and his daughter Ondine.

The story started out slow but it pickup in the second half of the book. The author introduce supporting characters who were real life passengers of the Titanic which made the storyline interesting. The book gives the readers in the first half background of Annie, Mark Fletcher and his wife and why they came to be on the Titantic.

I enjoyed the book with its historical story with paranormal mix into it. It kept the story going and I didn’t expect the story to end the way it did. I becams invested in the story and wanting to know what would happen to everyone on the Britannic.

I'm a huge Alma Katsu fan. And I've been obsessed with anything related to the Titanic since I was nine, so this book is right up my alley. I loved how she went back and forth between what was happening on the
Titanic and the Britannic slowly leading up to both of their ends. It read like a movie with a slow build. As with most Alma Katsu books, she doesn't give us a happy ending, but a truthful fitting ending.

Well researched and intriging, this book has elements of both historical fiction and the paranormal. The book is full of information about the Titanic and its sister ship the Brittanic. It's a bit confusing trying to keep the storyline straight- it jumps back and forth between 1912 and 1916, The story is a bit like a puzzle, you have to figure out the relationship between people, and sometimes you are not sure who to root for. The ending is satisfying- it brings in the paranormal and ties up the loose pieces.

The mystery was captivating until the last second.
The history was super accurate and talked about things that I hadn’t thought about or heard about. BRITANNIC was outfitted with hulls that were meant to be able to withstand ice but it was never used as a passenger ship.

At the heart of these two legends, it’s the age old story. Love. Annie thought she was in love. She was not. Lizzie, Caroline, and Mark were in a vicious triangle of passion and deceit. And love. They all loved each other two.

The almost eight POVs make it a little difficult to follow the story all that well. Mainly because by the time the POV makes the rounds you might have forgotten what happened with the other ones and so forth. For the most part it wasn’t that bad, in the beginning it was a little annoying but as the story went on, it lessened.

Jumping back and forth between time isn’t my favorite way to tell a story but I loved it here. The author did a wonderful job weaving the threads together and then unraveling them all.

Tragedies have always fascinated me. Jack the Ripper, the Romanov legend, and the Titanic. But to tell you the truth, I never bothered to learn much beyond the day of the tragedy. The HMHS BRITANNIC completely flew under my radar. And I am so glad this book brought it to the forefront.

Also, Rose totally let Jack die though. Like hello, scooch over

The story and tragic fate of the Titanic is well known. Lesser known is the story of the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, which also sank four years after the Titanic. Violet Jessup was a survivor of both ship sinkings and served as a stewardess and a nurse. THE DEEP features her fictional friend, Annie Hebbley. Anne is a stewardess on the Titanic and a nurse on the hospital ship, Britannic, but it appears demons from the past are lingering on both ships. What shadowy whispers are haunting both ships?

I have long been fascinated by the sinking of the Titanic, so I couldn’t resist picking up THE DEEP. In THE DEEP, we meet a whole host of intriguing characters, some historical and some fictional. I enjoyed delving into the worlds of Benjamin Guggenheim, John Jacob Astor IV, and Lucy Duff-Gordon. However, it was some of the lesser known historical figures, like boxers David John Bowen and Leslie Williams, as well as the controversial William T. Stead, who add depth to the story line so that it’s not all glitz and wealth. Instead, we see the darker side of humanity, even more interestingly so as it’s contrasted with the unspeakable horror of certain death at the sinking of the Titanic. Alma Katsu portrays some very poignant moments as passengers are put in a choice of life or death, some choosing to sacrifice themselves to help others.

Horror is a tricky genre, as much of the modern-day horror is focused on gore and the fear factor. THE DEEP harkens back to the classic horror tales, more reminiscent of Dracula or Frankenstein, where the literary telling and the building of atmosphere and character are crucial to the story line. Alma Katsu excels on all accounts and her brilliant retelling of the sinking of the two ships is classic horror at its finest.

THE DEEP is told through alternating timelines, weaving seamlessly back and forth between 1912 on the Titanic and 1916 on the Britannic. Alma Katsu brilliantly incorporates a paranormal element into the story as we explore the tale of the dubheasa. Alma Katsu’s lyrical writing evokes a haunting atmosphere that permeates the entire narrative of THE DEEP. Each word, each phrase is to be slowly savored as the tension heightens masterfully with the unfolding of each scene. I didn’t want to put THE DEEP down, even as I wanted to take time to relish Alma Katsu’s poetical use of words. THE DEEP is a shining example of atmospheric horror and highly recommended for fans of the classic horror tale.

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

When I read the blurb that talked about Titanic’s sinking on her maiden voyage and that of her sister ship Britannic – an event in history that has long since intrigued me; but this is the first time I have actually picked up a book with this weaving storyline!

Now; in The Deep, the author uses dual timeline to give the readers an intriguing plot using the protagonist’s life – Annie Hebbley – a woman who served as a Stewardess to the wealthy passengers. The second timeline following Annie’s path four years later; when she serves as a nurse in Britannic, the sister ship of Titanic which has been refitted to work as a hospital ship during WWI!

Now, it doesn’t take long for the reader to realise that Annie is tormented by demons; both real and imagined; especially with the disclosure that she was institutionalized in the four years after surviving the sinking of Titanic.

As a historical mystery; the writing and the plotline goes a little slow; but it is for me; a whole lot slower than I would have expected of this genre – and why it took me a little time engage with the storyline. It took me a little research to understand that the author has actually weaved in real people within the plot – even if the focus remains on the fictitious Anne Hebbley.

The paranormal aspect of the plot; left a little to be desired – it was an adventure to understand that the way people of this time period were obsessed with not just the occult but everything that inexplicable; but it, in the end, wasn’t creepy per say!

I, as a reader did not become fully invested in Anne and other characters; but the desperate need to know EXACTLY how the story pans out had me interested right till the end! Fans of the historical genre and those who love conspiracy theories would definitely find this an enjoyable read! ❤

Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week at The Reading Corner for All. Today we're featuring an astonishing read with blended narratives, a survivor of the Titanic, and whispered voices from unknown depths.


As I've mentioned before, I enjoy nothing greater than a well researched historical fiction read. While this is my first read by Alma Katsu, I was absolutely taken by Katsu's ability to breathe an authentic life into her work that remained faithful to the Titanic, the Britannic, and the spirit of the early 20th century.


The Deep was truly a unique story with an almost documentary style narrative that blends 1916 and 1912 in a story that has a core protagonist through Annie Hebbley, but simultaneously incorporates a compelling cast of characters who are all-in one form or another-linked to the haunting that followed the beginning of the Titanic...and the end of the Britannic.


The varying cast of characters enable a full vision that Katsu orchestrated towards an ending that makes you face the jagged teeth of the ocean and reach for the hand of darkness waiting under the waves. Annie Hebbley, in particular, was such a grounded character whose slowly unraveling background made for a flavorful read layered by her stay at the Morninggate Asylum, her experience hearing the siren calls of a familiar past aboard the Titanic, and how she had to face the aftermath of the war aboard the Britannic.


If you're ready to board a story that takes you to the terrifying heart of the ocean, The Deep by Alma Katsu should certainly be your next read!

This is a brilliant spooky tale as to why the Titanic sank. It is brilliantly written. Well researched and detailed. If you are looking for a heartbreak this is the book for you.

“Strange thoughts come to her through the cold: Here there is no beauty.”

The Deep was definitely a wild ride of a read for me. I didn’t really know what I was in for with this book, and that’s definitely my fault but I’m really happy I did spend the time on it.

So, why didn’t I really know what I was in for? I maybe got this book and Rivers Solomon’s mixed up and as I don’t read a synopsis’ I maybe expected this to be about mermaids.

Luckily, the prologue set me straight and I was over the moon as I’ve been meaning to read something by Alma Katsu for, well, forever. Her work is very noteworthy in the horror community.

“Someone once told her that the stars were merely sewing pins, holding the black sky up so that it did not come down on the world and suffocate it.”

Alma’s writing captured me in the prologue. I instantly realised I had to see this story through to the end. That I had to understand the mystery she’d set up in such a short space of time.

Truthfully I don’t know much about the Titanic and honestly even less about the Britannic, what I do know is only the very basics so I really found this book to be enlightening. Obviously, it is a fictional story based on these two ships, but there are truths weaven throughout which is what holds the story together so well.

However, for those of you who don’t know, I’m not a historical fiction reader. It’s something I usually avoid as I really struggle to focus on. Plus, I’ve covered in other reviews lately that I’m just not down with eBooks this year, I might actually have to take this as the sign to stop trying for a few months. To stop this endless cycle of despair.

So whilst I adored the prologue, I found the next 7 chapters to be a difficult read. I had to adjust myself and get into the headspace to read on a format I’m not getting along with, and a genre I don’t usually pick up.

Luckily, it’s also horror so I knew I’d be okay once things picked up. Which it did once the characters and settings had been introduced properly, we got introduced to the horror elements!

“Fear was a chained dog, startling and rough and always dangerously close, stretching its leash, baring fangs.”

That’s when I fell in love with this book and was able to devour it a lot easier. What you should take from this is that whilst The Deep is a historical book, it’s one that even non-historical fans should read!

I fell in love with finding out about the different passengers on the Titanic, how their lives were interconnected with each other, how their dirty little secrets slowly escaped.

But most importantly, I fell in love with finding out the truth about the haunting! Alma develops this ghostly story so well that you’re left putting many pieces together until the very end. There’s a few possible outcomes to the truth of what’s happening on the ship, perhaps it’s truly even female hysteria and nothing spooky at all?

Ugh, I don’t think I can ever explain just how well it was woven throughout ok! It just worked perfectly, and kept me hooked.

“Or perhaps she is the smoke, blown into the air, made invisible at the meeting of the lips.”

It is a fairly slow paced story, but I believe this is done intentionally to help set the eerie scene. Plus if a mystery quickly reveals all, it really lessens the impact of some of the stronger elements.

Additionally, I would like to mention there are at least five queer characters in this story. Three have it explored or written out a little more clearly than the other two but I really appreciated it.

Especially the subtle ways the secret gay relationship was introduced, and what they ultimately had to sacrifice for each other. Whilst I really enjoyed reading about these two characters, they were background characters.

The last part that I really appreciated is how it touches upon the difficulties in Ireland, the struggles of the class hierachy, and what women had to do to survive in a mens world.

Overall, The Deep took me by surprise and I would really recommend it to horror and historical fans alike. It’s not terribly scary, and you could definitely approach it as a mystery if you need a little push to read a horror.

“I’ve come for what’s mine. For what you owe me. You remember, don’t you? There is no fighting the ocean. Only a fool would try.”

What an incredibly brilliant idea for a narrative. The titanic, on it's own, was such an incredible feat of modern engineering, and it's ultimate demise, such a timeless tragedy. Katsu created with The Deep, something that can also be considered timeless, in it's melding of history with horror; factual, and non-factual character depictions with the added allure of the paranormal.

Annie Hebbley survived the infamous sinking of the Titanic in 1912, and after a brief stint in an asylum, where she attempted to ignore it's grip on her mind, she registers for a nurse aid position aboard the newly minted Brittanic (a sister ship to the Titanic, and an ocean-bound hospital liner for those injured in the first world war). Simultaneously, we experience both Annie's timeline on the Titanic, and her present-day on the Britannic in 1916. Annie's time spent on the first ship was defined by more than just it's tragic end, as a specific group of guests convince her that mysterious instances aboard are the work of paranormal entities. Years later, on her second sailing, Annie comes face to face with one those guests, one that she had thought she'd lost forever, both physically and emotionally. The impossibility of it brings back both dark memories, and a sinister threat that they thought they left behind.

Even while I was reading The Deep, my mind strayed to the author's backlist titles that I would have the pleasure of reading once I was done. Katsu's writing, for me, was true storytelling. It was immersive, and deliciously mysterious, it brought to mind the narratives of the greats like Christie, and Conan Doyle. I'll admit that, alike the aforementioned authors, the joy was in the writing itself, and not so much the genre it was promising. The 'horror' aspect was minimal, and served mostly as a decorative background for the in-depth character explorations that took the forefront. I became so heartrendingly attached to so many of the backstories, and present stories, in this narrative—I could read an entire book on Caroline Fletcher or Madelaine Astor.

I can't wait to become completely entranced by Katsu's future work!

I had high expectations for this book - Alma Katsu, the master of horror historical fiction, taking on the Titanic? Sign me up! I'm a huge fan of everything Titanic-related, and I loved Katsu's The Hunger. My expectations were somewhat met, but not in the way they thought they would be.

The Deep is not "horror" at all, if anything just a little bit creepy and unsettling. The book, told mostly from the perspective of stewardess-cum-nurse Annie Hebbley, switches back and forth between the Titanic's maiden voyage and the wartime travels of the Britannic, Titanic's sister ship made into a hospital vessel during WWI. The Titanic scenes feel more like a society drama between all of the first-class passengers, intermixing real-life figures like J.J. and Madeleine Astor with fictional characters like Mark and Caroline Fletcher. The "spirit" that passengers begin to feel on board is almost like a sneaky, tricksy poltergeist, throwing a spanner in the normal works of high society gossip.

Aboard the Britannic, Annie is brought on as a nurse tending to soldiers with war wounds, shaken at being on board a ship so similar to Titanic after spending years in an insane asylum after the sinking. When she finds that one of her patients is a man who she thought had drowned on the Titanic, a man who she knew very well, Annie is even more shaken.

The writing and pacing in the first 80% of the book was engaging - I much preferred the Titanic scenes to the Britannic scenes, and I ended up really enjoying the drama of the first-class passengers: the romance, the secrets, the intrigue, the scams. However, I was waiting for a good ending to tie it all together, a few perfectly timed reveals to make sense of it all. I didn't feel that we got this, and I ended the book feeling more confused than satisfied. Overall, The Deep was a fairly entertaining read - and the audiobook was fantastically narrated - but the strangely complex and unsatisfying ending would lead me to not pick this one back up again. However, I still love Alma Katsu, and I can't wait for her next releases! Thank you to GP Putnam's Sons for the ARC via Netgalley!

I was compelled to read this book since it is about the Titanic and its sister ship, the Brittanic. I appreciate that the author worked in so much historic fact, including the incredible coincidence of Violet Jessup surviving both nautical disasters.

The ghost story element was only secondary for me, but it played a big part in the story. Perhaps that is why it was not quite my cup of tea. The writing was done well, but the plot was confusing at times, which I found hard to follow. Especially as it got near the end, I found myself rereading parts to understand what was really happening.

Although I didn't love this book, it is a well-written novel that incorporates a lot of history, including about some of the most famous passengers on the Titanic - the Astors and Guggenheim among them. For those who appreciate a good ghost story, they may enjoy it even more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for access to an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Deep is the first book that I’ve read written by Alma Katsu. I was intrigued by this book because it is a horror story set in the past. Then, it was inspired by the ships that sank before – Titanic and Britannic.

The story was not fast-paced. Instead, the slow-paced narration helped in giving an atmospheric and suspenseful aura. While reading this, it makes me feel like I was rewinding my timeline to visualize the settings. It also gives me this creepy feeling while finding out the mystery that surrounds the sinking of Titanic and what happened there. As I keep on finding more clues, the story keeps on dragging me to learn the other secrets hiding somewhere, and why the Britannic might share the same fate as its sister ship.

I loved how the author weaves this story. How I can jump from the Titanic timeline to Britannic timeline through Annie Hebbley. I can see how these sister ships shared the same destiny and what lies behind the tragedic events. Is it just their fate to sank that day, or is there something more to it? I also love how she used the names of a real person as her characters in the story. It makes me think that this book was just like a journal of the events inside Titanic and Britannic.

Our main character is Annie Hebbley. She was onboard on Titanic when it sank in 1912, but she survives. Now, she was asked again to become a nurse aboard its sister ship, the Britannic. Annie is definitely an unreliable narrator since the start, and her being the narrator only adds to the confusion and mystery of what really happens before Titanic sank.

Overall, this is one hell of a ride from the past. I enjoyed the mystery and the other elements it has. I really love how the author comes up with the idea of retelling the events in Titanic and Britannic with horror elements. I will definitely check her other books.

Are you looking for historical events with a touch of paranormal? Then, I recommend this to you. Are you just looking for something to read? Then, try reading this book!

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy via The Fantastic Flying Book Club.

I'm excited to be a part of THE DEEP blog tour with The Fantastic Flying Book Club from March 10th - March 16th, 2020!

I received an ARC of this book from G.P. Putnam's Sons via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! In no way does this affect my rating or review.

All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.

Content Warning: Adult sexual content, Adultery, Death of a minor, Near-drowning, Gambling, Drug use (Cocaine), Illness, Thievery, Disaster (ship sinking), Injury due to war, Body horror, Suicide, War, Miscarriage

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

The Deep is inspired by the story of Violet Constance Jessop, a survivor of both the Titanic and Brittanic tragedies in the early 1900’s. Entwining elements of the paranormal makes this naturally eerie tale all the more so. Author Alma Katsu proves her capability at writing an enthralling story historically based and detailed that subtly draws the reader deeper into the complexities of each characters’ story.

Written from multiple perspectives, real-life characters like Madeleine Astor, William Stead, John Jacob Astor, and Benjamin Guggenheim (along with several others), and fictional characters like Annie Hebbley Caroline and Mark Fletcher, add immensely to an already intricately designed plot. The story jumps between past via flashbacks and “present” of 1916 and focuses mainly on the story of Annie Hebbley’s experience upon the Titanic as a stewardess and on the Britannic as a nurse.

"For all that was said about the Titanic, how superior it was, how well designed, how glorious and noble--as though it were a person, with a person’s traits--it would do nothing to save them. The Titanic was indifferent to the humans crawling on its decks and would willingly sacrifice them to the sea."

On its maiden’s voyage, the travelers on the Titanic notice odd occurrences. When a young servant boy of a wealthy family perishes aboard, it sets into motion a quick and haunting four days before the great ship’s imminent disaster. What andwho are instrumental in it’s sinking is the question that keeps the reader on the edge of their seats until the final page. Many points in the story intentionally make the reader question what is real or isn’t, to uncover what is actually happening with these characters. A slower start allows for vital detail to be cemented for the pace to anchor, then quicken to where the story reaches its revelation. The frenzied increase in the pace parallels Annie’s story arch.

In a time where societal change is volatile, women find more of a voice, but still remain risking their reputation by the actions they take. Many times, women, and the restrictions they have and the injustice of some, lie at the center of the inspiration for much of this story-line. In brief, a fateful love-triangle is the focal point of romance throughout the events of The Deep. Adultery, lust, and money also drive many aboard the Titanic, and create problems for many.

"They never learned, it seemed. Never changed. You couldn't save them from themselves."

This read is enthralling on multiple levels, and will certainly appeal to readers across many genres. Combining incredibly detailed information on the historical, dashing in paranormal, romance, and steeping it all into lore makes this truly an unique read.

Vulgarity: Some.
Sexual content: Quite a bit - includes adultery.
Violence: Quite a bit considering the nature of the content.

My Rating: ★★★★