A spirited and beautifully woven debut that takes readers on a fantastical journey from the first word to the last. If you're looking for an exciting read for a younger audience, this is the book for you.

Kai and Kishi are twins, they do everything together, including following in their family's footsteps to become pearl divers. On the day of Kai's first solo dive, things go wrong when the mythical Ghost Whale appears, swallowing her sister Kishi whole and killing her. In her grief, Kai desperate seeks a way to save her sister, eventually meeting the Dragon King and a Goddess of the sea who send her on a journey to steal a pearl from a fox spirit. Along the way, Kai runs into new friend Ren and a bunch of trouble, as is typical for this sort of story. I thought the characters were really good, Kai is a wonderful main character that carries the story well, and there's a lot of morally grey characters actually done right. The plot dragged for me in places, and some of the events felt like more of a means to get the plot moving, and not necessarily something that was important or even needed. The end surprised me, I wasn't expecting it and I feel like it sets up a sequel nicely, which I would love to see.