Deeplight

Starred review from February 10, 2020
For centuries, denizens of the Myriad archipelago “served, feared, and adored” the magical, monsterlike gods that routinely rose from the Undersea and terrorized them. Then, 30 years before this book’s beginning, the gods inexplicably slaughtered each other, leaving behind only fragments. A chunk of “godware” can now fetch a fortune, provided its lingering power is sufficiently strange. On the island of Lady’s Crave, storyteller Hark, 14 and orphaned, survives by swindling godware-hunting prospects—until his dodgy best friend, Jelt, involves him in a dangerous heist. Hark gets caught and becomes indentured to Dr. Magdala Vyne, a godware expert who promises Hark a better life if he cuts ties with his past. Jelt won’t let go, however, and bullies Hark into joining a perilous expedition during which Jelt nearly drowns. Hark finds a bit of pulsing godware that resurrects him, but the
discovery proves more curse than blessing. Equal parts dazzling fantasy, swashbuckling adventure, and tender coming-of-age tale,
this ambitious standalone
from Hardinge (A Skinful of Shadows) cautions against xenophobia, zealotry, and greed while using boldly drawn characters to illustrate storytelling’s power and fear’s role in faith. Ages 12–up.

February 28, 2020

Gr 7-10-Hark and Jelt are best friends with no one but each other to lean on. They live on the edge of society, scouting for godware in the shallows of the ocean to sell for money. When Hark gets caught trying to help smugglers, he is sent to auction where he is bought by the mysterious Dr. Vyne. Hark starts his new life at the Sanctuary, waiting on the old priests who once served the gods-before the gods died, tearing one another apart in a terrible war. Hark discovers, though, that not all gods are dead, and that great power rests in a hidden piece of godware Dr. Vyne is using for purposes Hark doesn't understand. But when Jelt gets too close to the godware, he begins an awful transformation that can only be fixed if Hark can get his hands on the heart of the Hidden Lady. This messy blend of fantasy and science fiction explores themes of sacrifice in the name of friendship, and the friction between science and religion. Across the book, character development is weak, and the story is clumsy and confusing. VERDICT A frustrating and unfulfilling reading experience. Not recommended.-Corey Hall, Manheim Central Middle School, PA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2020
Monsters and mortals collide in this fantasy adventure that explores the hypnotic allure of fear, the adamant grip of the past, and the redeeming power of stories. For centuries, the islanders of the Myriad revered the murderous, terrifying gods who rose from the Undersea. Now, the gods are 30 years gone, and divers who dare to retrieve scraps of their magical remains can make a fortune--if they can get past the governor's men. Fourteen-year-old Hark is an orphan who ekes out a living by spinning tall tales to gullible prospects while dreaming of a brighter future. Hark's best friend, Jelt, has always been his fierce protector. But Jelt is also manipulative, abusive, and dangerous. Just as new possibilities open up for Hark, Jelt coerces him into another reckless scheme in which Jelt nearly drowns. Hark finds a mysterious pulsing relic and uses it to save Jelt, unleashing catastrophic consequences. Hardinge (A Skinful of Shadows, 2017, etc.) conjures up an atmospheric world peopled with sinister smugglers and a stubborn scientist, artful urchins and armed fanatics, ravenous gods and wretched priests. The unhurried opening soon escalates into cinematic action and a thrilling climax. The many pleasures of this tale include a range of extraordinary female characters and sensitive and respectful depictions of deaf people and hearing signers. Humans in this world vary in skin tone, but race has no significance; there are few physical descriptors for the main characters. Spellbinding. (Fantasy. 12-adult)

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March 1, 2020
Grades 7-10 The archipelago of Myriad was once ruled by fearsome sea monster-like gods, and their remains, dubbed godware, fuel a bustling salvage trade, legal and otherwise. Teenage Hark, an orphan and street kid, has no qualms about taking advantage of people's hunger for these divine scraps, selling them stories and fake godware whenever he can. In spite of this, Hark has always harbored a fascination for the old gods. When his bully of a best friend, Jelt, ropes him into a dangerous job with a smuggler's gang, it goes awry, landing Hark in indentured servitude to a slightly mad scientist, Dr. Vyne, at Sanctuary?a home for addled former priests. Hardinge (Skinful of Shadows, 2017) conjures an imaginative world shaped by monsters, corruptive faith, storytelling, fear, and friendship. She is unafraid to probe darkness, literal and figurative, as Hark confronts personal dilemmas and a toxic friendship, all while wrestling with the question of what to do when he comes into possession of the still-beating heart of a god. Chilling and provocative, this dark fantasy will appeal to thrill seekers and cerebral tweens.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020
"Human fear has a terrible power," a wise old man tells protagonist Hark. "It changes everything, distorts everything, maddens everything. It is the dark womb where monsters are born and thrive." This explicit (and politically edged) lesson drives the plot of Hardinge's fantasy/horror/action novel, but as one might expect from the author's bounteous imagination (The Lie Tree, rev. 5/16; A Skinful of Shadows, rev. 1/18), it's embedded in a tale of a strange realm. In Hark's island world, the Undersea gods had destroyed one another decades ago. But while diving into the water to rescue his drowning friend, Jelt, Hark discovers the still-beating heart of one of the old deities. The heart keeps Jelt alive--but it also changes him, transforming his already domineering nature into something monstrous and murderous. Caught between Jelt's demands and what he's learned of the gods, Hark must find a way to leave his old allegiances behind, even as he dodges multiple contests for power--rapacious smugglers, a religious sect aiming to resurrect the old gods, and a monastery of cast-aside monks. Rather cumbersome in plot, the story nevertheless provides a great many features of interest: the Undersea's breathable water; sign language as a common parlance (since so many of the island's aquanauts are deaf).

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2020
"Human fear has a terrible power, " a wise old man tells protagonist Hark. "It changes everything, distorts everything, maddens everything. It is the dark womb where monsters are born and thrive." This explicit (and politically edged) lesson drives the plot of Hardinge's fantasy/horror/action novel, but as one might expect from the author's bounteous imagination (The Lie Tree, rev. 5/16; A Skinful of Shadows, rev. 1/18), it's embedded in a tale of a strange realm. In Hark's island world, the Undersea gods had destroyed one another decades ago. But while diving into the water to rescue his drowning friend, Jelt, Hark discovers the still-beating heart of one of the old deities. The heart keeps Jelt alive�? but it also changes him, transforming his already domineering nature into something monstrous and murderous. Caught between Jelt's demands and what he's learned of the gods, Hark must find a way to leave his old allegiances behind, even as he dodges multiple contests for power�? rapacious smugglers, a religious sect aiming to resurrect the old gods, and a monastery of cast-aside monks. Rather cumbersome in plot, the story nevertheless provides a great many features of interest: the Undersea's breathable water; sign language as a common parlance (since so many of the island's aquanauts are deaf). Deirdre F. Baker

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)