3.5 stars.
Well... this was completely different than I imagined it to be! If you're expecting a fast-paced story full of haunting action then this won't be the book for you. It's not a flash thriller where horrifying incidents are constantly shoved in your face but it's the creeping kind of mystery that works its way under your skin and before you know it you're feeling goosebumps, your mind is racing to figure out when the next tragedy will occur, and you're on the edge of your seat full of anticipation and dread.

I wouldn't say it's a ghost story in the "traditional sense" but I'm also writing this from the perspective of someone who doesn't read ghost stories because I'm the Ultimate Chicken. There are rumours of hauntings on both ships and there are spirits and ghostly things like seances involved, but there aren't many "jumping" moments to shock or scare you. The more ghost element gets more "tangible" towards the end, and I really had to suspend my disbelief with it, but for most of the read the ghosts are of the ‘psychological, ghosts from the past that linger due to guilt’ variety.

I found the characters mostly unlikable and unreliable but I struggled with Annie Hebbley the most. I just couldn't empathise with her in any way and I found myself growing increasingly frustrated up until the end. All the characters were full of secrets and dubious pasts they were trying to escape, but many were also full of paranoia. I liked the gems that Katsu dropped about each character's past but I felt as if I never learned enough about them to fully care and I kept wanting more. I think the only character I liked and empathised with was Dai Bowen, and his was a character whose purpose was unclear other than for passing entertainment. I'm still confused as to why he got so much time in the story when it resulted in nothing significant. There were other interesting revelations and intersecting storylines that Katsu included but again they didn't bring anything important to the story so I don't know what the purpose was other than to have an 'oh' moment.

Katsu's writing is atmospheric and almost dreamlike. I think it leant the story a perfectly fitting surreal atmosphere that make you question whether the events were actually happening. The combination did make the story feel disjointed at times, especially as we went from one scene and character to another. But what Katsu did so well was to permeate the writing with a deep sense of foreboding and dread that slowly filled me up while reading and made me anxious to know what happens next right now. Katsu builds the tension and mystery up very well! I have to admit that while the explanation for the paranormal activities was interesting, I don't think that it gave the most satisfying ending after the build up. I found myself wanting more--more what I'm not sure, but just more!

You can tell a lot of research has gone into the historical setting though and I enjoyed the descriptions of the first-class passengers and the Titanic itself. It was easy to picture the grandeur and luxury of the space. It's (still) mind-boggling to think of how much was fit onto a ship and how huge it must've been. The historic sinking of both ships did not play a very big role in the story though and was used mostly as a backdrop for the setting. I did like the author's note mentioning Violet Jessop as the spark of inspiration for the novel I had no idea she was an actual person who survived both disasters, so I found that historical tidbit fascinating! Another historical bit I found interesting (and I don't know if I'm the only who didn't know this) but doctors used to prescribe doses of cocaine as medicine?! Wowzer.

Despite expecting something completely different I still enjoyed this read. It's a slow-paced historical fiction mystery that has a terrific build up full of anxiety and dread. The atmospheric writing really helps you immerse yourself in the old-time setting. The one really good thing for an Ultimate Chicken like me is that this didn't end up being as scary/spooky as I thought it'd be, so if you're just like me and have been hesitating to read this because you're not sure if you can handle it, you definitely can! I enjoyed the writing and I'm looking forward to reading more by Katsu in the future.

Title: The Deep
Author: Alma Katsu
Genre: Historical, psychological thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5

The Titanic is haunted. Sudden deaths, mysterious disappearances, objects that aren’t where they’re supposed to be, and visions…something is plaguing the ship. Annie Hebley serves on the maiden voyage of the celebrated ship, assigned to care for Mark Fletcher and his family. Early in the voyage, Annie realizes something strange is going on with the Fletchers—but then disaster strikes.

Years later, Annie, having miraculously survived the Titanic’s sinking, finds herself working on its sister ship, The Britannic, a hospital ship during the war. Memories of that other fateful voyage haunt her, then she sees a wounded soldier on the verge of death—Mark Fletcher, whom she thought died years ago in the frigid waters around Titanic. Annie doesn’t know how he survived, and soon comes to believe he didn’t.

Whatever haunted The Titanic is now on board The Britannic. And it wants what it lost.

I found The Deep a little hard to follow, as there was so much disjointedness in both time periods. Annie was an unreliable narrator—but so was everyone else—so knowing what was really going on wasn’t easy. I’ve always been fascinated and saddened by stories of The Titanic, so that was part was wonderful, but some of the secondary characters here—the boxers—seemed…kind of pointless to the storyline.
Alma Katsu lives outside Washington, D.C. The Deep is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group/Putnam in exchange for an honest review.)

One of my favorite kinds of stories are fiction stories that take place in an historical setting. Something realistic that the author made their own with fictional elements. So, of course, I couldn't wait to read The Deep.

The fact that the author used real people in this book, helped me to connect to the story.

Annie Hebbley, who was a maid on the Titanic, is an enigma at first. All we know is that she's spent her time in an asylum since the sinking of the Titanic and seems to be suffering from something--either supernatural or not, we don't know right off.  Soon, Annie embarks on a journey on Titanic's sister-ship, the Britannic during WWI. She's there with fellow-Titanic survivor and friend, Violet Jessop.

After the suspiciously supernatural events that took place on the Titanic, Annie soon finds herself in another situation very similar. I don't want to give away too much, so I'll stop there with the summary.

First and foremost, I have to say that I legitimately enjoyed Ms. Katsu's writing. It was engaging and suspenseful in all the right places. There weren't any boring places that I felt the need to skip over; I was hooked through the whole story.

The only issue I had with this one is that I didn't fully engage with the characters. I've always been more engrossed in character-driven stories as opposed to plot-driven. And, unfortunately, for me, The Deep falls into the latter category. That doesn't take away from the quality of the story, however. Just the overall enjoyment for me, personally.

Because while I may not have enjoyed that cast of characters as much as I'd hoped, I was really very impressed with the way Ms. Katsu wove the fictional and realistic aspects of the narrative together.

Also, it wasn't predictable in the least. Which, is no easy task, in my mind. Most stories are pretty telling from the beginning and they don't leave much joy in the end when you get to the climax.

I've heard wonderful things about this author's other works, and I'm eager to read more!

*Review to be added to Amazon upon release!*

**The Deep is a haunting, compelling story of the Titanic and the Brittanic. It is overflowing with secrets and unpredictable characters and intriguing narrators, though unfortunately I didn't find myself overly enamored with many of the characters. The Deep is promising and doesn't quite live up to what I'd hoped, but still makes for a fun and extremely worthwhile read!**

The Deep is filled with components I love--it's set on a ship, there are hauntings, and it takes place during an interesting historical setting--and yet I still (even after having read it months ago) have some of the most conflicting feelings about this book. I really wanted to love it more than I did, and as much as I enjoyed many scenes and elements, I also found myself bored with a lot of this story and I had a really difficult time connecting to some of the characters.

I read and enjoyed Alma Katsu's The Hunger last year and despite occasionally feeling like there was too much going on, I had a great time with it and therefore was really excited to see what The Deep would bring. I loved the Titanic and Britannica overlapping storylines that helped to set the background and overall atmosphere of the story and how Katsu managed to develop the plot in such a way that things were crafted together overall in a very careful manner. I also really appreciated how much historical fact and inspiration went into creating this story, as it really created a vibrant backdrop for the events of this story and a certain level of authenticity that made it feel real.

One of my biggest issues--or perhaps disappointments?--was that this book wasn't half as spooky as it had been made to seem. The synopsis and cover made this book seem like the haunting components would play a big role in the story, and although they were importance and manifested in various ways, I never found myself feeling particularly spooked or thinking that this book was about a haunted ship. Something about the descriptions and the way the 'hauntings' were incorporated just felt lackluster and never really hit home for me. I can't tell if it's just me that has this problem or if others will also see the issues, but it was definitely a bit of a letdown.

The other main reason I couldn't fully get into this book was due to the characters. There are two main timelines, both of which feature Annie Hebbley as the main character (who is actually based off of a real woman), though we also get the POV of a few different characters as well. I think of my favorite POVs was of the boxer Leslie Williams, as I felt I connected most with his character and I found his entire storyline and personality the most compelling.

Katsu' pacing is definitely on the slower side in The Deep and I think that really made it more difficult for me to get into the story and maintain my interest. The Deep has a fairly strong start, but near the last third/quarter or so of the story is when I really started losing interest. A lot of this is because of my issues with the characters and their personalities, as mentioned above, and some of this is also simply because it started to just feel a bit messy near the end and I didn't really feel connected to anything that was happening.

The Deep didn't quite live up to what I'd hoped, but it still makes for a fun and extremely worthwhile read if you're interesting in the premise, topic, or historical period--overall, I've given it 3.5 stars!

Disclaimer: I was given a temporary eARC of this book by PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book but I had a hard time connecting with it. I think that this book just wasn't right for me but I think that someone that likes this genre will really enjoy it.

I have a bit of a fascination for the Titanic - I remember when it was finally find deep in the North Atlantic. I was immediately down to read The Deep by Alma Katsu, with the twist of a haunting on the ship. Along with the Titanic piece, the sinking of the Britannic is also looped in. There's a lot to like with Katsu's writing style and the fact that our lead character is based on a real person who survived both the Titanic and the Britannic, and the eerieness of the paranormal elements. It's not a quick read, but a deep dive into the twists and turns of the lives of the main character and supporting cast of characters. A fascinating read, very well written, although not for those who prefer a heavier dose of paranormal or a lighter read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The nitty-gritty: Alma Katsu's signature atmospheric prose elevates this eerie, domestic thriller set on the ill fated Titanic, with mixed results.

The Deep was one of my most highly anticipated books of 2020, and I’m sorry to say it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I was expecting a ghost story set aboard the Titanic, and that’s sort of what I got. But many of Alma Katsu’s “ghosts” are simply in the characters’ minds, or metaphorical “ghosts of the past.” The author excels at creating an eerie atmosphere, and her writing is beyond reproach, as lyrical and evocative as I’ve come to expect from her. But if you’re looking for a supernatural-heavy story, then you may want to look elsewhere. Instead, the story centers around a handful of complex characters whose lives are intertwined in some very interesting ways. This is more of a domestic drama that explores the way women's mental issues were treated during this time period, so if you enjoy intricate character studies, then you will most likely love this book.

The story follows a young girl named Annie Hebbley in alternating timelines. In 1916, we meet Annie, newly released from the Morninggate Asylum, as she has just been hired as a doctor’s assistant aboard the HMHS Britannic, the sister ship of the Titanic, which has been retrofitted as a hospital ship during the war. The story flashes back to the maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912 and the ensuing disaster when the ship hits an iceberg and sinks. In this timeline, Annie joins the crew as a stewardess in first class, where she meets husband and wife Mark and Caroline Fletcher and their baby Ondine and immediately becomes embroiled in their lives.

Right away, strange things begin happening on the ship. Jewelry goes missing, and a young boy nearly jumps into the ocean after he “hears” voices calling to him. The boy is rescued, but later dies of unknown causes. One passenger, a pregnant woman named Maddie, is convinced that there is an evil spirit on board who wants to harm her unborn baby. And Caroline Fletcher suspects that Annie, who is helping them take care of Ondine, is somehow involved with her husband Mark. As tensions among the passengers rise, the ship makes its inevitable way towards disaster.

The Deep gets off to a slow start, and the first half is especially light on plot while Katsu sets the stage by introducing her characters and dropping lots of hints about their dubious pasts. Katsu is brilliant at setting up her mystery, but she’s very slow to show her final hand, so readers will have to be patient. First, there is the mystery of Mark, Caroline and Annie. How are they connected, and why does Annie think she’s met Mark before? Annie can’t seem to stay away from Mark and his baby daughter Ondine, but Caroline doesn’t want her anywhere near her husband and child. And what of the girl named Lillian, a seamstress who nearly died in a factory fire? How does she fit into the picture? Just about every character in this story has something shameful in their past that they want to hide or forget, and the author brings each one of these secrets to the surface.

The Titanic disaster itself is almost an afterthought and only takes up a chapter or two, although I have to admit that my favorite scenes happened during the sinking of the ship. These were small, almost insignificant moments, strangely enough, and didn’t really impact the overall story. But the drowning death of one character in particular—and I won’t tell you which one—nearly made me cry, it was so beautifully and horrifyingly written. The rest of the disaster reminded me a lot of the Titanic movie: panic as thousands of people try to jump into lifeboats, and the sheer terror as the ship starts to tilt and fill with water. You can tell the author did a lot of research for this book, and it really shows in these final, desperate scenes on board the ship.

A few of the characters just didn’t work for me at all, unfortunately. There is a rather drawn out side story about two famous boxers who are passengers on the ship named Leslie Williams and David “Dai” Bowen (both real life victims of the Titanic disaster). I just wasn’t that interested in their story. Les and Dai are secretly lovers and Dai is extremely jealous of Les and his good looks and easy way with women. In this story, they are portrayed as con men who enlist the services of a stewardess to break into the first class passengers’ rooms and scope out their possessions. I don’t know, I just couldn’t figure out why their story was given so much page time, because ultimately their characters weren’t that important.

Then there are the sections in 1916 aboard the Britannic. I understood what Katsu was trying to do: by jumping ahead in time and reuniting Annie and Mark, she gets to finally shed some light on the past and explain their very weird connection to each other. But since the Britannic is also famous for sinking, I think she wanted to mirror the events of the Titanic in order to bring her story full circle. Instead, the fate of the Britannic was completely underwhelming and felt slightly out of place.

What I did love, though, was Katsu's atmospheric writing and her ability to create a wonderful sense of time and place. You can tell a lot of research has gone into this book, and really, who isn’t fascinated by one of the biggest and most famous disasters in our history? I loved her descriptions of the first class passengers and their fancy clothes and jewelry—and their disdain for those in the lower classes of the ship. I could feel the chill in the air as Annie stands at the helm in the dark, shivering in the icy winds, and I too felt a little seasick when the waters were choppy and the ship listed from side to side. Katsu also nails the time period by focusing on some famous passengers. I particularly like W.T. Stead, a newspaperman and occultist who is convinced there is a vengeful spirit on board the ship. I also loved fashion designer Lucy Duff-Gordon, a hard-as-nails woman whose textile factory tragically burned down before the sailing of the Titanic, an event that ties into the lives of a few other characters. Even the mention of how cocaine was often prescribed for “women’s maladies” like headaches was simply fascinating.

Eventually we do get some actual supernatural events, but I almost felt as if they came too late. There’s a feeling of “is it real or not?” that carries through most of the story, a device that allows the reader to make up their own mind about what’s happening. I think I would have preferred to leave it there, and perhaps that’s one reason I finished this book with a feeling of dissatisfaction. As a domestic mystery, The Deep works really well, but as a ghost story? Not so much. I’m sad to be rating this book as low as I did, but I’ll never lose faith in Alma Katsu’s abilities as a writer, and I look forward to her next book.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

A winding tale of mystery, forbidden love, and paranormal hauntings, The Deep will keep you up at night, guaranteed. Taking the reader back to 1912 when the Titanic sank and then to 1916 when her sister, the Brittanic, did the same, you'll feel like you're there in the action, praying for safety and feeling horrified as you witness all the lives that are lost. My first introduction to Titanic was, of course, watching the movie with Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio. I loved that movie, even though I know that was just one theoretical story among many true stories of the tragedy. I am drawn to stories of people who were lost and people who survived, so this was naturally a book I would want to read. But it is so much more than historical fiction; it is a horror story to be told at night, when the wind howls and the icy cold sends shivers down your spine.

It's 1916, four years after the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, killing over 1000 people and forever changing those who survived. Annie Hebbley has been in an asylum, unable, or perhaps unwilling, to face the reality of life after trauma. She is not thought to be insane but rather afraid, and so is eventually released and finds herself once again on a ship - this time, the Brittanic. There she sees a face she hasn't seen in four years, one she loves and fears at the same time. She begins to remember her time on the Titannic, and Annie isn't sure what is real and what is a dream. One thing is for sure though - not all on the Titannic was what it seemed and eventually the truth will come to light.

I went into this expecting a lot of different genres meshed into one book, and that's essentially what the reader gets, which can be somewhat confusing. We met many characters, see the story told from multiple perspectives, and some make more sense than others. If I didn't know any better, I would suspect the Titannic to have been a transport for the mentally insane, since so many of the characters seemed to have completely lost their minds by the time the ship sank. We see the paranormal in a ghost haunting passengers, with fatal consequences. There is also love, though it is saddening. Two boxers who love each other during a time when their love was not accepted.
A woman who married for money and prestige, but at 18, seems too young to have made such a momentous decision. And there's our main character, Annie, and a married man named Mark.
Knowing that Annie is reunited with the young man she knew, I was expecting some romance in the story, but I didn't expect it to be so dark and toxic. For truly, this book teaches at least one lesson in life - love can be the most disastrous thing of all.

Read with the lights on. And get ready for a wild ride that blurs the line between reality and fantasy.

The Deep by Alma Katsu is a paranormal historical fiction novel about mysterious ghostly events happening to passengers on the Titanic, including famous ones such as Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim. I hesitate to write more about the plot to avoid revealing any spoilers.

Historical fiction is a favorite genre. I love a good ghost story. I'm fascinated by the Titanic. This was a no-brainer, I had to read this book! I was intrigued by the mysterious ghostly content and bringing in real-life characters, but felt a bit deflated by the ending after the tension-filled middle portion of the book. Overall, I would still recommend it to those who like the subject matter. It's a creative take on the Titanic disaster.

I received an advanced reader copy from Net Galley.

I'll admit that I'm a sucker for anything Titanic related, so I was immediately drawn in by the sound of The Deep by Alma Katsu with the ship being haunted. Combine that with the sinking of the Britannic and I fully expected to love this. Unfortunately it never quite lived up to my expectations. There's a lot to like with Katsu's writing style and the fact that our lead character is based on a real person who survived both the Titanic and the Britannic, and the eerieness of the paranormal elements, but I found myself wanting more from the novel. I think I was looking for more horror and paranormal. Plus, maybe it was just me but overall I would have preferred the entire story to be set on the Titanic rather than continuing on to the Britannic.

Can't make it through this one. There is just something about the writing I just can't connect to, and it doesn't feel authentically historical. The concept is interesting.

“The Titanic” was called the ship of dreams, but tragedy soon follows her glorious maiden voyage. Four years later, a nurse aboard the fated ship’s twin Britannic, is afraid that something evil may have followed her from the famously doomed vessel. Katzu puts a new spin on the dark history of Titanic’s tragedy, making us wonder if the ship was truly doomed from the start.
If you looked Katzu's The Hunger, and enjoy a different spin on otherwise historical fiction, you'll surely enjoy this book.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fantasy novel about the Titanic and Britanica that contains supernatural elements. Fun read.

This was just okay. I feel like there were too many perspectives of characters, which made it hard to connect to any of them. It was also harder to distinguish exactly who our main protagonist was. There were a few character perspectives that I didn’t see the reason for, necessarily. I understand they played a role in the story for other characters, but I didn’t see a reason for needing their thoughts, or what happened to them.

Another big issue for me, and this is probably a personal thing, me being somewhat of a Titanic enthusiast, I did not care for the perspectives of well-known names. I didn’t care for the story line to directly affect real named characters, as I felt it disrespectful. This being a fictional story, not a true story, or based on any truth at all, besides them being passengers on the ship, and the sinking of it, and a possible general belief of the occult in that time period (this I don’t know if it is true or not), I felt it was disrespectful to assume and create these stories about real people that dealt with this ordeal, or even died a horrible death during this event. Maybe we just are far enough removed, there hasn’t been enough years, for me to be comfortable with it. There are still direct descendants to some of these named characters, and I couldn’t imagine someone reading about “their grandmother or grandfather” in a role like this that isn’t true. I feel like the author should have used fictitiously named characters, even if they may be based upon real characters, for her book.

This was an interesting read. I loved the parallel story between the Titanic and her sister ship. Just enough history and spookiness to keep me interested. Annie is a survivor of the Titanic tragedy and years later serves aboard the Britannic as a nurse. Strange things seem to follow her, odd events and coincidences. Including her reunion with Mark, a handsome gentleman she first met on the Titanic. Someone is clearly being haunted, but who and why?

This book has everything that I never knew I needed - spooky ghosts, paranormal activity, and the Titanic. Seems random, but how perfect is this mix? This book is told in dual timelines, following Annie, a nurse who survived the sinking of the Titanic. After her unlikely survival of that fateful night, Annie becomes a nurse on the Britannic, which has been turned into a hospital. There, Annie sees someone who she believes sank on the Titanic. This is a tale of history and occult intrigue, and it will not fail to satisfy readers who are looking for a book that is both respectful of the tragedy of the Titanic, but also those who are looking to be entertained by some good old fashioned paranormal spookiness.

What a fun way to learn about history. Like in Hunger, the author combines real facts about the Titanic and the Britannic along with a paranormal story. Annie is a stewardess who serves the first class passengers on the Titanic. Her story is made up but the passengers are real, John Jacob Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim, W.T. Stead. I didn't know about The Britannic so it was interesting to read about it as well as Viola Jessop who in real life survived both sinkings

A tale of survival, love and family set in the high seas. Although, at first, I was engaged with the characters and story, I lost interest in the plight of the protagonist. I will recommend this book to customers but did not truly enjoy this saga.

I loved Alama Katsu's The Hunger so I was looking forward to this one. Add to that that I am a huge Titanic nerd and I was FULLY in! And it was engrossing and creepy and thrilling, as I thought it would be! And the cover is just a masterpiece. If you get a chance check out the cover of the UK edition as well, totally different but just as amazing!

Keep them coming Alama! I love historical fiction!

While stories about The Titanic may feel a little old hat these days, Katsu really taps into something new and fresh with THE DEEP. Not only does she do a great job of creating new characters, with their complexities and fascinating back stories, she also broadens the stories and tales of historical figures. The perspectives change from her original characters, such as Annie, Mark, and Caroline, and historical figures like Madeleine Astor and Lady Duff Gordon, and she brought life and believability to them all. She also has created an eerie and sad mystery as to what exactly is haunting the ship and why, and it kept me guessing the entire time. By the time it all came together I was practically blown away, and more than a little saddened, which is exactly how one is supposed to feel. She brings in mythologies and ghost stories, but also has a lot of ambiguity to work with so that the reader ends up questioning a lot of what they are reading. It worked very, very well, and I thought it was the perfect chilling read for a winter night.

THE DEEP was a fantastic follow up to THE HUNGER, and Katsu has shown once again that she writes spell binding horror with a lot of depth. I am eager to see what she brings next.