In JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE ABYSS, London Shah dives to greater depths, racing towards a dramatic conclusion full of as much imagination as the first.

The underwater world is equal parts fascinating and terrifying, and themes surrounding history, identity, and politics are adeptly woven through the story. I loved how JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE ABYSS frames the concept of nostalgia. There is comfort, but also room for caution. Clinging too tightly to what was can be even more dangerous than the uncertainty of what could be.

Protagonist Leyla’s enduring optimism shines through as she fights for truth in a world so overwhelmingly shrouded in secrets (some darker than others). Her growth in JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE ABYSS was incredible, and I loved how readers are given the opportunity to really see her come into her own, in every sense.

There are betrayals and secrecy at every turn to keep you guessing. The book is, for the most part, brilliantly paced—especially towards the end when the truths readers will have been yearning for finally come to light. London Shah also offers such a satisfying delivery for those final revelations and reveals. JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE ABYSS is absolutely a study in how to effectively execute the villainous monologue.

Full review can be found at kaitplusbooks.com!

I LOVED this book! I think it did a wonderful job answering all of my questions from the end of book one, plus I loved all the new questions that arose while I was reading this! If you're looking for a thrilling, dystopian-ish story, then Journey to the Heart of the Abyss is the book for you!

I read and really enjoyed Ms. Shah’s debut novel, The Light at the Bottom of the World, back when it first came out for another blog tour (you can find my review here!), so I was excited to hear that the second and final book in the duology was releasing after a bit of a delay. I really don’t want to say too much in this review of Journey to the Heart of the Abyss because I don’t want to spoil the series for anyone, so this will be short and sweet.

I enjoyed returning to the underwater world Ms. Shah envisions, zooming along with Leyla in her decked out submarine, trying to avoid the authorities. A lot more information comes to light about what, and how much, the government has been both keeping from the public and lying about to the public. At heart, this duology is about learning to face, and even embrace, change without fear, without needing to create an “other” onto which we place our hatred so that we feel better about fighting to maintain the status quo. While in real life we don’t live underwater, we certainly have those same issues Leyla and her family and friends encounter and fight against. This is actually my favorite aspect of the duology, how you can see certain groups in the books are analogous to others in our life and use the lessons as a learning tool.

I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys innovative sci-fi, especially if you are a fan of the ocean and all its creatures! It’s a pretty quick read, but there are definitely lessons we can learn about how we treat people who are different from us and how we learn to adapt to change without living in fear.

Rating 3.5 stars

**Disclosure: I received an ARC of the book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE ABYSS is the thrilling and satisfying conclusion to an intriguing YA sci-fi/fantasy duology. In the future, humanity has been forced below the ocean where they are barely thriving. In former London, they live in constant fear of the genetically modified humans who can breathe underwater. Initially developed so that they could serve humanity as they began their life submerged, the amphi (short for amphibius) community has now sought to live their own lives. Forced into hiding and known as Anthropods, which propaganda claims are dangerous and deadly despite just being people who can breathe water, the government is increasingly ruthless in destroying them, adults and children.

The second book picks up where the last book left off, with Ari captured by the government Blackwatch and Leyla and her father being labeled among the most wanted criminals. In the Kabul, Leyla's sub, they are searching for the amphi communities for their help in locating and rescuing Ari. As she begins her search, she is now increasingly aware of the government lies and injustices, willing to do what it takes to protect the people she loves.

What I loved: This is an absolutely action-packed sequel with lots of twists and turns that lead to the explosive ending. While readers do need to have read the first book to fully get into this sequel, the book does a great job of recapping the key events from the first, which is helpful if the first was read a while ago. This book is expertly plotted with clues leading to the big reveals along the way, and some which may be guessed, while others will be surprises.

The characters remain really compelling with Leyla leading the charge. Leyla's love for those around her and willingness to learn and evolve have led to a lot of character growth throughout these books, and it makes for a really captivating story. Ari remains another strong character, and I loved the way they come together and make space for each other. Although the romance is relatively background, their relationship definitely shines in their friendship as well as interest. The world-building is also fully realized, with the underwater cities and culture coming to life, and I absolutely wish I had a sub anything like the Kabul.

The themes of the book are really thought-provoking and make this a great duology for discussion. The story touches on propaganda, weaponization of "civility," othering and prejudice, the power of whistleblowers, religion, identity, and hatred stemming from ignorance. All of these themes touch on the reality of history but remain important to consider and discuss, making it a great choice for book clubs.

Final verdict: With compelling characters, thought-provoking themes, and captivating plot twists, JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF THE ABYSS is the explosive and thrilling conclusion to an atmospheric and lush YA sci-fi/fantasy duology. Highly recommend picking up these books for fans of LEGEND, THE TIGER AT MIDNIGHT, and DEFY THE STARS.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author for inviting me to read this through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this so much!! Fantastic ending.

Journey to the Heart of the Abyss is the conclusion of Leyla McQueen's adventures which started in The Light at the Bottom of the World. This book picks up right where Light left us. Leyla has been reunited with her father and they're beginning to search for the amphi communities so they can come up with a plan find Ari.

This book was one giant adventure with so many twists and turns. There were so many times I thought I knew where the book was going and then it would go a different direction. It was so much fun!

It's so easy to love Leyla. I've loved seeing how much she's grown from the first book where her fear of the ocean would almost paralyze her. She's done so much since winning her submersible race. What started as a quest to find her father has changed into a battle to unveil the injustice her family and friends have faced. We also find out what truly happened to Leyla's mother all those years ago.

I really loved the huge diversity of the amphi community. One point this book features a wedding of a WLW couple and I was giant heart eyes. I also really loved seeing Leyla bond with Ari's adoptive family. The love they had for him was so soft and I loved it so much. And then there's Ari's sister who is so cute and curious! I loved her rock collection.

The ending was freaking fantastic. I don't know how it could've been better, both as an end of the book and the end of a series. All I know is that I'm a forever fan of Shah and I cannot wait for this to release and whatever may come next!

Rep: British Muslim female MC of Pashtun descent, adopted biracial love interest that is an amphis, side character with a prosthetic leg, AI that is programmed to be Oscar Wilde--gay, side WLW couple, various BIPOC side characters.

CWs: Animal death, animal cruelty (scientific manipulation of animals), blood, confinement (to submersibles and to the ocean), death, gun violence, medical trauma (including experimentation without consent), violence, xenophobia (against amphis), death of parent, suicide (brief mention of side character).

*inserts relevant sea shanty and sinks it to the bottom of the ocean in a submarine*

The conclusion to The Light at the Bottom of the World duology, ABYSS picks up a few weeks after that explosive and heartbreaking ending. Leyla has rescued her father from the dreaded Broadmoor prison, but before she could even breathe a sigh of relief Ari was kidnapped and taken away by the Blackwatch. Now listed as one of England's most wanted, Leyla is hiding in the country's northern ocean and searching for Ari's hidden amphi community. If she can find his family, then perhaps they'll be able to help her find him and strike a blow at the Blackwatch.

Leyla has had some really great character development throughout this series. In the beginning she was so terrified of the great wide ocean outside of London. After listening to all the news reports of anthropoid attacks, terrors of the deep, and explosions and earthquakes taking down infrastructure, the thought of leaving London was paralyzing. Of course, after her father was taken she was left with no choice but to look for him, and it was refreshing to see this young woman step into the world and start seeing the cracks in what she's been forced to grow up knowing. This second instalment in no different. Leyla has her eyes wide open, her heart ready to love everyone who needs it, and no thought but to unveil the injustices the government has laid on so many people, including her family and friends.

The story is so solid. For one, there are a lot of scenes of action and cool ocean moments. There are so many fabulous twists that change quite literally everything. Betrayals are rife and secrets are ripe for the picking. And the author did a great job with misleading the reader. All of my incredibly confident guesses were wrong and I'm so embarrassed. I truly thought lol! Questions that were asked in the first book are answered at last. We learn more about Ari's childhood before he was adopted and we learn more about what happened to Leyla's mother. I literally cannot say more about either because *spoilers*

I do have some critiques as this wasn't perfect. It should be held in mind that I read an advance reader copy; all of this may be rectified in the finished copy. One, some of the dialogue is too middle grade-sounding and could use a bit of tightening. Two, the action at times can be difficult to follow along with every step. This was my complaint with the first book, though, and might just be a Me issue. And three, I thought the middle was a bit slow. Things happened, for sure, but the quieter scenes really dragged the pace down in between.

With all that in mind, I had intended to rate this as four stars. And it very nearly stayed four stars ... until the last few chapters. Dang, now that is how you reveal the villain with a monologue and wrap up a duology. I was utterly riveted and enraptured by the events that unfolded and the secrets that were spewed. It was so satisfying, so shocking. There is absolutely no way I could have guessed what the result would. And I definitely didn't. All my guesses were wrong, remember? The author and book gets a whole star based on that alone.

Honestly, if you're looking for a cool sci-fi series with Bioshock vibes, authentic Muslim Pashtun rep, and an all around good time, then I can't recommend this enough!