3.5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: contemporary fantasy, paranormal, SCUBA, treasure hunting

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 12/10 and will be posted to Instagram on 12/12 and to my review blog on 1/21.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and the promise of ocean horror. I enjoyed The Depths , which was a horror with ghosts and free diving, so I thought I'd give this one a try. Unfortunately, this book was pretty light on the horror and a little too fast with its pacing. The elements are there for it to be atmospheric with the tension rising as Phibs slowly changes as a result of that cave dive. Instead, the body horror element felt rushed and more like a side plot.

I think one of the things that kept this book from being a really great horror is that the author split it into the past and present, with the past focusing on the dive 6mos ago where the Golden Age coins were found. While it provides some context for the Salt Squad's fame and the tension that exists within the group, I don't think it was necessary for those elements of the story. Phibs says that they found the coins and it rocketed them to fame, we don't need to see it too. Likewise, we can tell there's tension in the group, but I honestly think it kind of takes away from it to also tell us how that tension came about. It would've been more interesting, imo, for the issues of the group to spill out into the present, creating a more layered mystery. Removing the chapters set in the past would also have provided more room to weave a more atmospheric and psychological story.

Most of the book is set in the present, and we get to see how the group interacts with one another and their love of diving. Phoebe and the twins, Gabe and Will, pretty much immediately make a stupid decision and go cave diving despite not being experienced. Luckily for them no one dies, but instead the cave they enter begins changing them -- or at least Phibs and Gabe, who breathed in the air pocket of one of the caves. There's a couple more stupid diving stunts in the book and, honestly, someone needs to take these teens' certifications and remind them that diving can be deadly.

The discovery of the cave leads one of the Salt Squad, Lani, to lose her mind. She's desperate to get them out of there and erase all evidence of the caves, but refuses to say anything about it. This sequence, where Lani is being secretive and angry, was one of the more aggravating parts of the book. Lani just expects everyone to step in line and follow her orders despite her not giving them any reason to do so. She even threatens to destroy Phibs' camera, the last thing her grandfather gave her before he died, and goes so far as to hold it over the ocean. Later she dismissively tells Phibs she would buy her a new one if it had gotten destroyed, both completely missing the point and also showing her utter privilege and lack of empathy. The fact that the caves actually were dangerous doesn't matter, the way she behaved was atrocious. The very least she could have done is explain things.

There is body horror in the book, with both Gabe and Phibs starting to change after breathing the cave air. For some reason it seems to impact Gabe faster than it does Phoebe, who holds it together much better. Things progress pretty quickly for the both of them though, and I would've preferred to have it be a more creeping kind of body horror, where the changes start out subtle and get freakier over time. Also, I don't totally understand some of the changes. Usually there's a clear outcome for body horror, but I don't really understand what the end point is of the changes Gabe and Phibs are going through.

I also didn't love the ending. It was a little odd to me and I don't think it was particularly thought out long-term. Like...what are they going to do five years down the line? 10? What about some of the future goals Phibs mentioned wanting to pursue? Maybe I'm just getting too old for books like this, but I can't help but think the ending shows a decision in favor of childish belonging over practicality and maturing. Also, people are going to ask questions. The excuses the group came up with aren't going to work for very long.

DNF for me…. this one was not quite what I was expecting. I was expecting more of a thriller, but I think this is actually a YA drama. If you are an ocean lover and a diving lover, you will really like this book. The first couple chapters have intense descriptions of the ocean and under water life. For me, I needed a little more plot, but I could see this being a really good book for the right person..

The deeper you go, the darker you fall...

Out of Air is the perfect creepy story that you never knew you needed. Phoebe and her friends from the Keys have become social media famous for their daring diving and fabulous posts and photos. Phoebe is getting ready for it all to end when the wealthy twins move on the college, and her two girl friends, who are even wealthier, and dating one another, leave the state She knows she will be stuck in her small Key home caring for her grandmother and college is just not affordable.

This is why she is more than wiling to travel to a tiny island near Australia for one last dive adventure. But when the team discovers something that should have stayed hidden, they slowly turn on each other. Reiss builds the creepiness while laying the undertones of romance and the rivalries and wrought emotions that are so common in high school. A great horror-love story!
#stmartinspress #wednesdaybooks #outofair #rachelreiss