Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for this opportunity to read rate and review this arc which is available January 9,2024.

Let me preface this by saying I freaking love this author. They write the most compelling fantasy books. And the south Asian inspired ness? Chef’s kiss!

17 yr old Krescent Dune is buried under the weight of her dead parents debt and ruinous legacy that they left behind. The only way for her to earn money to escape her unforgiving island is by battling monstrous creatures in an under ground fighting pit.

That right there is what sold me to request this arc. Sounds great right?

But after a fight goes wrong she’s banned from the pits and now hopeless. But she is offered a deal in exchange for the erasure of her debt she just join and protect a hunting party for a rescue mission deep with in the mining camps under the island.

So begins the shenanigans. Someone is out to make sure she doesn’t leave the lines alive.

The mystery of this book was top notch. I was curled up under my blanket unable to function because I had to know what was going to happen next. I loved these words in this book. I highly recommend

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After not being crazy about this author's previous book I decided to go ahead and give this one a try hoping that her writing has improved with time. I was intrigued by the synopsis. The world building was great. However, I had a hard time connecting to the characters. This book had a lot of potential but just fell flat for me. It's probably me and this author's writing style just isn't for me.

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Somewhere In The Deep. A thrilling, fresh new action adventure, rife with fantastical beasts and resilient characters.
This being my first look into this world (I wasn't aware there was a previous book in the same world!) I found it interesting, sharp and tough, and that characteristic transferred to it's inhabitants. Some of the cultural aspects seemed a bit flat, and the politics seemed a bit rote at times, but overall the theme and feel of the world was easy to see.
Now I'm not one to shy away from a bit of gore, and since this book is about a pit fighter, we got plenty. I was a little exasperated with the incredible recovery time and boundless strength and stamina of the characters, though. One minute someone's arm is described as 'being shredded like ribbons', and the next they're waving guns around, fighting off baddies, and generally continuing to be invincible. I... found that hard to believe. Also not a huge fan of magic/fantasy that revolves around blood and appeasement, and it usually gets used in very unpleasent/unclean ways. Whenever I see a book focusing on it, I tend to shy away and no longer feel like continuing, no matter how much I've enjoyed it up until then.
My favourite aspect was the deep cave creatures, for sure. A perfect blend of mystical, terrifying, and gross.
Perfect for anyone who's a fan of creative and creepy monsters, fighting and biting, unrealised romance, and outcast heroes.

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I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. I was just getting out of my little mermaid phase and this brought it back. It was a fun read and fun to be spending time in this kind of world.

Will definitely recommend this to my middle schoolers!!!

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Ok first I loved the premise of this book. Fighters protecting monsters and fighting pits it was very sci-fi but also seemed dystopian and I love both of those genres. I loved entering this new world and all the descriptions of the “monsters” and the people

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Had to DNF at 40%,

While the writing was okay, I felt no connection to the characters to want to follow them through the rest of the book.

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Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC of Somewhere in the Deep by Tanvi Berwah. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have read it and give feedback.

This has been my favourite ARC so far. I’m not exaggerating when I say I loved every minute of it!

It’s a fairly simple story: Krescent Dune is a fighter in the fighting pits, forced to kill monsters, hated by her own people. When something goes wrong, she gets the opportunity to make it up to her employer — go deep into the mines with a rescue party. Down there, another dark world awaits, and it forces her to rethink about the history of her own people and why she’s so hated in the first place.

The writing was nice and fluid, the ideas were really fun and kept me engaged, and the characters were decent. Krescent is a standard fantasy “fighter” character, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The cover is gorgeous, and the ARC I received had no issues with formatting. If Goodreads and Netgalley had .5 stars, I would give this a 4.5. As it is now, I've rounded it down to 4.

This is a very short review compared to my other ARC reviews, but what can I say? The book was that enjoyable. I would buy this, recommend it to people I know, and I’ll happily read anything Tanvi Berwah publishes. I’ve seen she has another book set in the same world, so that will be added to my to-read list! While I generally dislike sequels when I feel a book is good enough as a standalone, I would love to see some short stories and novellas set in this world.

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Thank you, Tanvi Berwah, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you, SOURCEBOOKS Fire, for your hard work!

This is a book full of emotion, monsters, and mystery. Diving into it there, I'd fighting and killing of monsters in an arena, the powerful and hungry ruling over the weak and meak, and the unknown. There are things going on that no one understands and stories passed down generations that hols truths: truths that will change the world.

Reading this book it did take me a moment to truly get into it. It was slow in the beginning but picked up the pace the further along the more I got into it.

Following the main character, her life has so many hardships, her being accused of things her parents did and branded. Paying debts that may never be paid and eventually given a job that would change everything only to be betrayed. The end is coming, and there isn't much time left to stop it. What's she to do? That's for you to find out.

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This book started pretty strong for me, but I admit that I got a little lost around the time they started to turn back to the entrance. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but I ended the book wondering which of the monsters I was to be cheering for. While I'm glad they got the outcome they did, I was just a bit confused on the lead up to get there.

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From the first chapter, Somewhere in the Deep made me want to continue reading. The world was well built and the title character was someone you cared about. There are many YA female led books that make the lead strong and too independent or strong and too emotional, but Tani created a character that was strong yet vulnerable. The supporting characters were well fleshed out and we appreciated the motley crew. The Collector and his grand daughter were a bit heavy handed in the end, but it was a good twist we suspected, but didn't fully get until it was shown. The old gods and first ones was a good nod to The Eternals, but there needs to be a bit more world building in that respect to make it more understandable to the reader. The vision chapter was a little confusing and the thrown in character of the warrior/chariot racer was a bit distracting to the island we had the whole book take place on. I understood this may be a first in a series, but we aren't as worried as we should be of that character from the two times she was mentioned. All in all, loved the book and kept sneaking off to read it. Can't wait to see if this becomes a series.

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Thank you to Tanvi Berwah, Sourcebooks Fire. and NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review-- all opinions are my own.

"Somewhere in the Deep" is a fast-paced and heart-racing adventure fantasy story that follows the main character, Krescent Dune, into the dark and deadly depths of the earth in search of something long hidden and a chance at freedom from the hard life she lives on Kar Atish. This book was a really enjoyable read. The setting and plot is very fast-paced so there are a lot things that happen very quickly which was really enjoyable. I didn't have any moments where I felt that it was dragging along which can happen sometimes with some adventure stories. The action moments are paired well with moments of dialogue and discovery between characters that help the story move along nicely. Berwah does a really great job of world-building, monster creation, and storytelling. For most of this book, I genuinely felt that I was walking alongside the main character because of just how detailed the writing was. Also, the monsters were genuinely designed and described so well. It was a lot of fun imagining how they looked like in my mind from the descriptions. Throughout the book, I was rooting for the main character and the people on Kar Atish to survive and rise up against the people who have had them working and living in horrible conditions. Overall, a really nice read!! I also did not know that there is another book set in the same world that the author mentions in this book a couple of times, but after finding out I want to read it as well! Overall, a very good book!

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Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I really enjoyed Somewhere in the Deep, it was a really unique story, and I loved the South Asian flavors that were folded in. I believe this was written even better than Monsters Born and Made, more developed and I really connected with the characters. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

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Tanvi Berwah is quickly becoming one of my new favorite authors and Krescent Dune is the new Katniss Everdeen, but much cooler. Born on a hostile and desolate world made up of. Haves and have nots or Landers and Renters , Krescent is an orphan who struggles to pay off her late parents debts from an early age by fighting wild beasts in an arena in battles to the death. She is undefeated, and loathed by her competition for it, until they steal her wages from her and force her into a bad position where she does the unthinkable and loses favor with the crowd. Having been banned from the fighting pits and the only way of life she knows, she takes a job to pay off her debts with will either leave her free or dead. Nonstop action, vividly and lush detailed fantasy that reminds you in many ways of Dune, but is entirely unique and fully enjoyable. This is a story not to be missed about perseverance, courage, determination and understanding that you have the right to live freely as who you are. Awesome all the way across the board.

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Thank you Sourcebooks fire and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

I’ve read Monsters born and made by the same author and I didn’t feel anything while reading that book. Maybe, it’s the writing style that annoys me, maybe it’s the characters that I didn’t feel any connection with, maybe it’s just me. But both books were not of my liking. And while I’ve struggled to keep on reading Monsters born and made, I decided that the books of Tanvi Berwah are not my kind of books so I decided to DNF this book and not going to pick up books of her.

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This was a fast paced book. Action packed. Also felt like there was a lot going on, but the authors writing kept me engaged so I wasn’t lost. World building was good too. The story really focuses on the main character, Krescent. Secondary characters were interesting enough, but the story revolved around Krescent and her struggles. I think I like Monsters Born and Made better as Koral is more likable, but this story was entertaining, engaging, and fast paced that you want to see it through. The fight scenes especially were gritty and had me squirming.

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"Somewhere in the Deep" is a ya fantasy written by Tanvi Berwah. The book is set in the same world as "Monsters Born and Made," the author's previous work, to which there are references, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

The story follows 17-year-old Krescent Dune, otherwise known as Kress, crushed by the weight of her deceased parents' debts and the terrible legacy they left behind. Outcast and despised, the only thing she wants is to escape the hostile island of Kar Atish. To do so, however, she needs money. And the only way she can get it and survive is to fight monstrous creatures in an underground fighting pit. However, after one fight goes terribly wrong, Kress is banned from the pits. Now hopeless, she suddenly receives a proposition: in exchange for total cancellation of her debts, she will have to join and protect a research company on a rescue mission deep in the mining caves that flow beneath the island. Desperate and eager to finally be free, Kress accepts the deal. Determined to keep her head down and fulfill her assignment as a bodyguard, she finds herself on a team made up of two of her childhood enemies and people who would happily kill her if they knew who her parents were. As they plunge into the depths of the earth, among the pitfalls of the path and terrible creatures that repeatedly attack them, it becomes clear that they are in more danger than she could have ever imagined. And it becomes clear that someone does not want Kress to make it out alive. In an increasingly hostile setting, under increasingly difficult circumstances, Kress will have to figure out who it is before she is left alone in the dark.

I found it a fast-paced, exciting and compelling read. The presence of short chapters, combined with the non-stop action, pushed me to finish it in less than two days. I admit that some elements did not convince me, some things left me a little puzzled, but overall I found it an enjoyable and highly entertaining book.

I loved the setting of Kart Atish island! I felt it was described in such vivid detail that I was able to picture the various environments. It is a rocky island, marked by terrible weather conditions, where even the air is spoiled. It is an inhospitable place, where everything seems shaped to be uncomfortable, so as to make the already miserable lives of the residents more difficult. The mines, rich in a precious mineral of unknown origin, are the main source of wealth, along with the salt pans and their salt. The society is divided into castes, according to a brutal system: the islanders, considered the lower caste, in fact are forced to bow to the will of the Landers, the wealthy upper class who have arrived from beyond the island's borders, and who rule with cruelty and viciousness. The narration of this situation is blunt and cynical, without embellishment, which I appreciated a lot. I was intrigued by the depiction of the underground environments, of the various monstrous creatures, which I thought was very well done. The setting in fact is almost a character in itself, important to the story. However, while the island convinced me, what did not is the world building more generally. There are a lot of names and events mentioned here and there, a lot of references, but nothing more.

The plot proceeds very fast, full of events, with a frenetic succession of actions upon actions. There is not a moment of peace, not a moment of quiet, so much so that the narrative takes on an almost frenetic pace. Most of the book takes place in the depths of the earth, among narrow tunnels and treacherous descents, in a decidedly claustrophobic and dangerous atmosphere, made even more deadly by the presence and attack of nightmarish creatures. I loved the whole part about the underground expedition, although some passages seemed too rushed. I felt the final part excessively convulsive, chaotic at times, too full of events.

I really liked Krescent, also known as Kress, the protagonist and only first-person pov. Kress is a seventeen-year-old girl who has really been through a lot. Orphaned from the age of eleven, marked by her parents' debts and the horrible burden of what they did, she has been forced to fend for herself. Outcast and despised, to support herself she began fighting in the brutal underground pits against beasts of various kinds. Kress is an extremely determined girl with enormous willpower and incredible courage. She is a fighter, a survivor, used to relying only on herself. Her greatest desire is to escape from the oppressive island, from a place that has nothing to offer her except hatred and misery. Strong, but at the same time fragile, behind her armor she is lonely and longs for connections, a place where she can feel accepted. I loved Kress a lot, with her complicated and conflicted personality.

The rest of the characters unfortunately seemed rather shallow to me. A pity, because some had potential. The only exception is Rivan, a cinnamon roll who deserves nothing but cuddles and hugs, who grabbed me right away. There is a romance component, very marginal to the story, which I liked in its development.

All in all, I found it an adventurous, fast-paced and energetic ya fantasy, not without its flaws, but still enjoyable and highly entertaining.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

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I liked this book better than the first book in the series! I highly recommend reading Monsters Born and Made before reading this book. You may think since it follows a different main character that you can read them as standalone, but I think the experience is better having read them in order. I'm really looking forward to seeing where Berwah goes with this world next.

As with the first book, you are thrown into the action from the first page and it seldom lets up. Because of this it reads incredibly quickly. I had a hard time picturing the monsters in this book and I hope we get some good fanart to help bring the world to life a bit more. The political dynamics in this world made me so mad; it is an exaggeration of extreme wealth inequality but it's also something that is realistic to my pessimistic mind.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC of this book.

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Somewhere in the Deep was a great action adventure. The plot to me read as pretty unique, with great characters. I breezed through it since the story moves at a very quick pace, as it should for a YA, but there was nothing other than the pace that felt YA, this is totally a book that is perfect for anyone who loves action and adventure. I'm actually shocked its almost 400 pages considering how smooth I read it, there wasn't a single chapter that dragged, the pacing was fantastic.

I did not know until I finished that this was from the same author and world as Monsters Born and Made (which I dnf'd, sorry author and publisher). I probably wouldn't have picked this one up had I known, so please, give this a try, you absolutely do not need to read MB&M.

If I have one negative thing to say against this entire story, it's the choice to call the class system "Renters", "Landers", and "the Collector". Trust your audience will get the poverty political commentary without highlighting it so obviously. There is also a gap I was missing which explained why everyone was in debt. These complaints are so small though because really they were just the set up to get Krescent to agree to the mission where the story really takes place.

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Think The 100 plus murderous creatures.

I absolutely loved the pacing of this book, first page our FMC is in a fight with a murderous creature. The book is action packed but not overdone which keeps the reader intrigued but not bogged down with too many fighting scenes back to back.

There is a friends to lovers sub plot that makes you want to pull your hair out, in the best way, and will have you screaming "JUST KISS ALREADY!".

Overall, found this book to be super enjoyable, the ending felt a touch rushed but otherwise left you feeling as though this could end well as a stand alone or has the potential for a sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this as an ARC!

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Going in reading this I had really high expectations because I was so totally enthralled with the first book. Berwath steam rolls right past the high standard she set in her first installment and soared straight on up to create a new high. Continuing in her masterful way the characters that got a cameo in her first book come to life here so you get sucked in anew! You meet new adversaries, get new villains to hate, along with one or two old ones, and further explore the world you first met when she dazzled with her debut. In Somewhere in the Deep, Berwah further showcases her ability to captivate and shares a story that makes you feel it all, and does not disappoint you when you invest yourself in the characters she so skillfully brings to life. Just like with the first, this is a MUST read, as well as, again a must have on your shelf so you can read it over and over again.. I remain entranced with this world and characters she has created and am eagerly awaiting the next installment because there is no where to go from here but up!!! I really really can’t wait to see what she does next.

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