"Today is not the day I die."
From gladiatorial fighting pits with angered monsters to a quest into the deep, elaborate underground tunnel systems that hold their own beasts, to a revolution to save the island from annihilation, Somewhere in the Deep is a diverse, OwnVoices rollercoaster that weaves Asian mythology with a story about the on bone-tiring soul-sucking struggle of living under colonisation and oppression.

Krescent Dune is manipulated into a corner. Her circumstances are dire, and the pressure to come up with a solution has narrowed to one option: protecting the rescue party going deep underground from the deadly creatures that make the darkness their home.
"What the lowest deeps hold, I can only imagine. Creatures of the dark that no one on this island could face."
The class system is divided into two tiers; the upper-caste Landers, and the lower-caste Renters. The Landers are the elite in charge, who hold and hoard the wealth, rights and control. Those unlucky enough to be born in the lower-caste, a Renter, must work everyday to pay off the debt of 'renting' the food, cloths and homes from the Landers. Being a Renters on the island Kar Artish means working in the mines extracting a valuable mineral zargunine in order to live.
"for a Lander, the rest of us are barely human. It makes things easier for them if they don't see us as being worthy of the same life as them. Our loved ones could bleed in front of us, and they will still demand that we finish our job for them first. Everything must serve them."
In the journey bellow, beliefs are challenged, myths brought to life and the threat of death and betrayal with every step. When intruders from above disturb the things that make the the darkness home, cults, gods and mythical beasts try their hand at snuffing out their lights.
"How long can I keep cheating death?"
Somewhere in the Deep is a novel that can be read as a standalone, or as the companion to Monsters Born and Made, the authors previous book, released in 2022. However, I was unaware that Somewhere in the Deep was a companion novel. I only realised around 80% in, and I found reading it as a standalone took nothing away from the story.

I did find the exposition was a little dumpy, spread out but just chunks here and there within the first 20%, to get you caught up in the world fast enough so the characters can quickly leave it and go underground.

Another issue I found was the repetition of information. Krescent consistently repeated information on her leaving the island, on her relationship with Rivan and the unfairness of her treatment as the child of a murderers.

This book contains clean friends-to-lovers romance with Rivan as he supports her heroes journey into the deep and becoming the spark of change for her people.

Somewhere in the Deep is a quite a long book, yet doesn't truly master all the things it was trying to achieve. I appreciate the representation of the transgender character, Ashvin, who was one of Rivans brothers. Dystopian diverse YA fantasy had pacing and structure issues but had interesting themes of oppression, colonisation and capitalism.
"Trying to convince everyone of my humanity every day of my life."
As a standalone fantasy, I was unsure how the author was going to resolve the issues of the class divide when the story was so heavily focused on the underground quest. Without entering spoilers, I found the ending quite rushed, with the somewhat haphazard in dismantling such a violent politcal system. Revolutions should take longer, and have a harsher cost to them. Somewhere in the Deep should have decided what type of book it wanted to be, a quest book or a revolution and trying to do both made them both suffer.
"I went into the deep and faced a god and lived. I did all those things. I'm a fighter. I'm a survivor."



Would I recommend this book??
Unfortunately, it's gonna be a no from me.

Will I re-read this book?
I doubt it. It's not a very re-ready book.

I did not know that this book was a sequel. You wouldn't necessarily have to read the first book to understand "Somewhere in the Deep," but I'm sure it would provide morr backstory and character development. I wish I knew this before reading, because I struggled getting into this book. I'd read some, and put it down and have trouble picking it back up. I think the world was interesting, but still could not get hooked. I think this was a good book, but not the book for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review this book. These are my honest opinions.
First, a breakdown of my rating system:
5 stars - phenomenal book; I’ll recommend this one to everyone, I want to live in this world, and I will read this one over and over!
4 stars - great book. I enjoyed the story and the characters, but I probably won’t reread it.
3 stars - good story and characters. I can’t see myself coming back to this one, but it was an entertaining read
2 stars - hard to finish. The story was not for me, and I had to make myself keep reading.
1 star - DNF. Absolutely could not finish.

Somewhere in the Deep is a YA fantasy book with a little bit of romance driving the plot as well. Krescent Dune is our main character in this story, and all she wants to do is escape her life on the island of Kar Atish. When she was 11, her parents did something unforgivable, resulting in the deaths of many other people on the island. As ignorant people tend to be, the people here cannot look beyond the sins of her parents and see her as just as guilty. Kress (Krescent) is fighting in the pits to try to save enough money to leave when she is backed into a corner and pretty much forced to join an underground expedition as their bodyguard. The expedition is fraught with peril, from monsters underground to people who are not who they pretend to be. Along the way, we find out more about the land and its origins, which is more complex than Kress or any of her fellow islanders can imagine.

I’m not going to lie, there were times when this story felt slow and strained. Some of the world-building felt incomplete and characters fell a little flat in their motivations as well. Kress could be a bit frustrating with her actions and thoughts, but to be fair, she was a kid. I know this is a YA book, but at times it felt hard to read even for YA.

Keep in mind, reading is subjective and you may love this book. It just wasn’t my fav. cup of tea.

The first half of the book is very action packed and fast paced . However the second half seemed a little rushed and not fully developed.

Thank you for the eArc.

This book was not quite what I was expecting.

First, I didn't realize that this was a (kind-of) sequel - same world as the author's first book, Monsters Born and Made, with some mentions of events that took place in the first book. I'm assuming the down-trodden citizenry was very similar to what it was in her other book based on the reviews I have seen of that one.

Second, I was basing my interest in this book on the blurb that I read, but the blurb only scratches the surface. Like being told that you are getting candy only to find out it's really candied carrots, with all the associated let-downs and tortures of eating vegetables when you were expecting sweets. I also didn't see any South Asian inspiration, unless some of the obscure monster descriptions are supposed to match up with the creatures in this novel?

All that aside, the world building was pretty creative. Depressing, but creative. The descriptions of the monsters, the feelings of being down in the dark alone, those were great. Despite this I just didn't like it. The characters were annoying and clueless and everything was just so... dark. The interactions between the jaded Kress and, well, everyone else, was just painful. And the unrequited (maybe) love schtick? Cringe.

A very good story

At 17, Krescent has to fight monsters in a fighting pit to earn enough money to survive. After her parents died, leaving her with crippling debts, she had no other choice. After being banned from the pits because of a fight gone wrong, she is sent to join a rescue mission in the mining caves under the island to protect the adventurers. She will have to ally with strangers she doesn't know in order to save herself and the people she loves.

The very beginning of this book was really intense and sucked me into the story immediately. I had a blast reading this from start to finish. Even if some parts were a bit predictable and cliché, the amazing world was so interesting I was enthralled. Krescent was not the most relatable and likeable main character but I understood her struggles nonetheless and the difficult situations she found herself in. The plot in itself was sometimes a bit slow, but then, the author wrote those amazing action/battle scenes with the monsters that were very intense and gripping and I couldn't put the book down. The hint of romance was sweet, although expected and I liked the love interest and his relationship with Krescent. All in all, it was a fun read!

I recommend if you like YA fantasy that inches toward sci-fi.

"Now I have to finish what they started and risked everything for."

This was an entertaining fantasy read that I ultimately had mixed feelings about. Krescent Dune is a 17-year-old who’s been on her own ever since her parents blew up a mine. Not only is she saddled with their debts, but she’s hated by everyone because her parents killed so many people. She survives only by working in the pits, battling fierce monsters – until her boss sends her as a bodyguard on an excursion to rescue some people who have been lost in the mines.

It’s an atmospheric read, taking place mostly underground in dark caverns and underground lakes. The party is attacked by killer scorpions, and worse. I enjoyed the world Berwah created, and the backstory of the main character. But one thing that detracted a little is I felt like I had seen many of these things before, in movies like Fellowship of the Ring. Just when the exploration party thinks they’re safe, something jumps out of a dark crevice or murky pond. It’s campy and foreboding, but definitely has been done before.

Another distraction was the characters seemed a little juvenile to me. I understand this is young adult fiction – but even so, both the romantic story and another character’s hatred of Kress seemed immature given the setting of the book. These are hard-as-nails characters who are fighting for their lives and oppressed by their leaders at every turn. Think Hunger Games, but with more angst.

The world-building was interesting and I appreciated the detail given to the class distinctions (the Landers own everything and the Renters either work in the mines, fight in the pits, or get stuck in a work camp for debtors. I also appreciated Krescent’s character growth during this journey, as she comes to terms with what her parents did.

Their journey is full of twists and turns and scary flying beasts. Kress never knows which characters will betray her (though one “surprise” was pretty obvious). But the last part of the book lost me a bit, things happened too quickly and the writing felt one-dimensional.

Most of the book is a fast-paced action/adventure read, and if you’re looking for YA that’s reminiscent of Hunger Games, you’ll like this one. But I can’t recommend it for anyone who isn’t a teen (and there are lots of YA books I recommend for all ages). If the cover is drawing you in, I suggest Mira Grant’s Into the Drowning Deep instead, or Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King.

Note: I received an advanced review copy of this book by NetGalley and publisher Sourcebooks Fire. This book was published January 9, 2024

I wanted to like this story so much, the plot was really intriguing and the cover is amazing However, I ended up DNFing it. The writing was very intense, it just went on and on. The world building was more telling the reader rather than showing and creating a visual representation of what the world looks like. The twists were predictable... I just couldnt continue reading it. At least not right now, i might go back to it and finish it at some point.

I wanted to like this story so much, the idea for the plot was really intriguing. The cover is amazing. That said, the world building was all tell- not show-, the "twists" were predictable at every corner, the characters were uninspired and I found myself confused at the decisions for infodumping content that would have fit better elsewhere; e.g. the hard sell of the mother being a descendant of the shadowfolk should have come far before the abandonment in the mines.

Somewhere in the Deep is a gritty, dark YA fantasy filled with monstrous creatures and a deadly quest that tests both physical and mental resilience. Kres is living a miserable life on a mining island run by cruel Landers, forced to fight creatures in the pits to pay off her deceased, infamous parents’ debts. Until she gets offered the chance to finally leave the island and its hateful people behind if she joins an expedition into the deep underground to uncover the secrets hidden beneath.

When I say this was an intense read, I mean it. If you’re looking for a dark yet fun YA read, this is not it. Our characters are living truly miserable lives and cannot catch a break. You can feel the desolation and misery woven into the world-building in the descriptions of the dark, sinister caves and the ominous atmosphere. Themes of oppression and bonded slavery are portrayed with raw honesty.

I had a hard time digesting that almost every miner blamed Kres for her parents’ crimes to the point they wanted her blood. She was a child at the time of the events, yet everyone calls her “Kinkiller.” She’s actually still a child! I understand people would despise her, but even the adults want her dead? Maybe I still have too much faith in humanity.

This was a fast-paced and very well-written book, yet it took me a long while to get through it as there was not much to balance out the dark, heavy parts. I suppose it was realistic in that aspect. And I probably went in with the wrong expectations. However, I adored and appreciated the few lighthearted moments with Rivan and his brothers! Speaking of Rivan, and though romance is not the main focus of this book, I loved his dedication and loyalty to Kres. Their sweet romance provided a much-needed break from their wretched circumstances.

Thank you NetGalley, Tanvi Berwah, and Sourcebooks Fire for the Advanced Reader’s Copy,

Tanvi Berwah weaves a tale of monsters, mines, ancient powers and gods, which we uncover through the eyes of the protagonist Krescent (Kress) Dune. The plot description prior to my reading the novel was one that appeared to fufill my usual preferred genres, fantasy, mythology and some fantastical beasts. As I journeyed through the various trials that Kress underwent, I found myself exhausted with the bloodshed, and attempts at building anticipation and fear in the reader. Throughout the work, I felt a little less time could be spent on the monsters and fights, and more on world building. The brewing romance between Rivan and Kress could have used more plot time and plot building as well. It is no small feat to build a world with such incredible monsters, as Tanvi did, however I enjoy a world that has more to it when it comes to the story, especially when the ancient powers are so close at hand. It is with a heavy heart that I rate this book 2.5 stars, as it simply was not my cup of tea.

Somewhere in the Deep follows Krescent Dune, who is a young girl/woman in a gladiator-like situation. She fights gigantic beasts for money, hoping to buy her freedom. She is given the opportunity to earn her freedom faster through a search somewhere in the deep for larger beasts for her current employer to use in the ring.

I ultimately DNFed this book, not because it was bad, but because it was not for me. This book leaned much more strongly into YA than I anticipated, and it therefore felt predictable. The writing got a bit frustrating to me (I get it, the people around her can't know who her parents are, move on!) and I just didn't feel the need to continue with it. But, I am a 31 year old who does not read a lot of YA, and I can recognize that a younger reader who loves adventure and fantastical worlds and beasts would greatly enjoy this.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 61%.

I tried so hard....

First I want to say that I absolutely loved "Monsters Born and Made." I gave it 4.25 stars and it was one of my big surprises of last year. So I was so excited when I heard this was coming out and was taking place in the same world, just on a different island occurring simultaneously as "Monsters Born and Made."

This was a massive letdown after the first book. There was a friends to lovers romance that was just not even remotely interesting and the characters had no chemistry. The premise is really cool about going down into mines and fighting monsters, but I think we saw one real monster? It was mostly just a lot of talking, being paranoid, and arguing. It just wasn't even remotely entertaining and at 50% through the book, it felt as if I had been reading the book for a lifetime. It literally pains me to write this review since this was such an anticipated release for me.

I still plan to pick up the next book by Tanvi Berwah, but I'm crossing my fingers that the next one gives me the same feelings that the first book did.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In "Somewhere in the Deep," Tanvi Berwah has crafted a captivating and thought-provoking tale that explores themes of colonialism, environmentalism, and personal agency. Set on a colonized island, the story follows Krescent Dune, a young woman struggling to survive in a society that has stripped her people of their culture and autonomy.
One of the standout features of this book is Berwah's world-building. The island setting is richly imagined and vividly described, with a complex history and culture that feels authentic and believable. The characters are equally well-drawn, with motivations and desires that feel genuine and complex.
Overall, "Somewhere in the Deep" is a must-read for anyone looking for a thought-provoking and engaging story that explores complex social and environmental issues. Berwah's exploration of colonialism and its impact on both the environment and the colonized people is nuanced and insightful, making this a timely and relevant read. With its memorable characters, vivid world-building, and thought-provoking themes, "Somewhere in the Deep" is a standout work of speculative fiction that is sure to stay with readers long after they turn the final page.

Krescent is living under the shadow of her parents, she is left to clear their debt after their tragic deaths and the only way she can do this is to fight in arena battles

However, when a deal goes array, Kress is offered another deal to protect an expedition of explorers going to the deep. Kress sees this as her chance to get herself out of the place where her parents actions will always haunt her.

Kress, and the rest of the team, could have never expected what they would find in the deep, and can't know if any of them will even survive to see the light again... and if they do, what is waiting for them..

A really creepy, monstrous, atmospheric story. It was a tad slow on the build up but packed a punch in the last stretch

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcefire books for this copy, out now so you can 'dive' right in if you are interested in this tale

DNF at 23%

I was super sad to be dnf'ing this one as I really did enjoy Tanvi Berwah's previous book, Monsters Born and Made but this one I found was really difficult to get going, not much had happened of importance and it just dragged for me sadly.

Somewhere in the Deep follows a seventeen-year-old girl Krescent Dune, an orphan who is stuck on an island that is no longer her home, she can’t leave until she pays the debt her parents own. Stuck with no other options she fights in the pits and pays her weekly installments until a fight that goes wrong gets her banned from the arena. She takes on the job of being a guard for a group of people who are set to explore the mines underground and find survivors from the last expedition that went wrong.
Somewhere in the Deep is a story full of monsters and magical creatures, that Kress and his friends tackle while being underground on an island. The majority of the story takes place inside the caves and the world building is so fascinating that I was obsessed. I love stories where the characters don’t have magical powers to rely on, they use the resources around them and their own physical and mental strengths.
There are some well-written action scenes and chase sequences. I developed a soft spot for these characters and was praying for all of them to make it out alive. (except one)
Even though the book is not heavy on the romance part, there is Rivan. Kress’s best friend and he would do anything for Kress and her happiness. I loved him. Even though this was Kress’s story, Rivan goes through so much and evolves into a stronger person. I love friends to lovers and enjoyed every moment between Kress and Rivan.
The world-building is amazing and the full truth about the small group that goes on the journey together was well done. I loved how the miners took a stand for themselves. Somewhere in the Deep is a story about fighting back stronger until you resist and taste victory.

Somewhere in the Deep looked great on first look. Great cover and interesting synopsis with monsters. But the book was a let down for me.

Krescent collects money from fighting monsters in the pit. But after a ban, she is left with only one option. Take the deal to take the trip underground in the mines as a bodyguard. It is dangerous. But it all she has left. Or is there?

The promise of monsters and that very glorious cover made me have high hopes for this book. Unfortunately it did not live up to that at all. This had to do with three things. The characters, the plot and the world building.

The idea of the plot was good but the way it was executed was boring. They go in the mines. Monster. Walk. Monster. Walk. Betrayal. Run back. Of course that wasn't all but it was the main gist. There just wasn't any anticipation or fear for the monsters for me with the way this was being set-up.

It didn't help that I didn't care for the characters. I didn't find Krescent nor her love interest engaging. I felt like I wasn't getting to know Krescent at all. Just that outwardly hard shell throughout the whole book. The side characters were also rather flat. There was a mention a side character having the same secret as our main character and then it was never brought up again.

And then there was the world building that I thought was severly lacking. They are on an island. Krescent is very adamant about getting of the island. But what is off the island? What is there? Where would she go? How would she even know? The monsters, the underground world and those that were living there did not get enough attention nor description.

Overal a lot of it felt as if it was half. It needed and could have had so much more. The potential and idea was there. But ended up going flat.

Crescent doom is a monster fighter and she is one of the best not to say she is valued because she knows very well she can easily be replaced. She is also haunted by the death of her parents and is blamed for what they done. The only solace she gets is with her best friend Ribbon his younger brother Maven and older brother Arsalan. Ribbon and Crescent are at the point in their relationship where it is time to take it to the next step but due to their naïveté the feelings they get are confusing and neither one knows how to do it. They live on an island there ocean is full of sea monsters and where Crescent‘s boss badger gets the monsters he fights. She has been winning it so because of that they want her to lose and after a bad set up they offer her a deal. Under the island is an elaborate cave system where shadow people and other monsters are thought to dwell those who have gone far into the cave has come out mad or not come out at all because the powers that be say some men were left behind Crescent, her nemesis Björn, another fighter named Roxy and a few minors are sent to find them . Crescent is half elfin something she doesn’t advertise as she is already not trusted and disliked by most of the community and when down in the caves trying to reach the destination after running in to the first monster she realizes Ribbon his followed her own this dangerous treck it will be long and hard but what Crescent and the others don’t know is getting to their destinations will be when the hardest fight begins. It took me almost a week to finish this book but it seemed the further into the story I got the more I hated to put it down. To Tonvi Berwah has written a very intricate and well-rounded story where even the hero has flaws and insecurities. Not to mention the great world building the awesome characters that had their own distinct personalities and the young but unnamed affection that was between crescent and Ribbon trust me there is so much I have left out of this book it is an awesome read and if you are a sci--fi supernatural fantasy reader then you will definitely love the story I think Crescen and Ribbon are great characters to root for this is definitely a five star read and if you’re a fast reader you may be able to get through it in a weekend or two. So so so good! Just be prepared to get immersed in the world we’re by the time the book is over you will be thanking the ocean. I want to thank sourcaBooksFire and net galley for this great free arc please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I enjoyed coming back to the world of Kar Atish and I was excited that this book had more sea monsters. This book had highs and lows. I would be really into it for a few chapters but then stop reading for a few days. Some action scenes were not easy for me to follow — I’m not sure if this is because I was reading an ARC and maybe some sentences/paragraphs were further edited in the final book, or perhaps the author didn’t translate the imagery too clearly.

Surprisingly, I liked the relationship between Kress and Rivan. At first I thought, “well here we go, it’s another boy pining after a rebellious girl” but it worked.

And because it’s hard NOT to compare books, overall I think I liked Monsters Born and Made just a little bit more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this early release copy to read and review.