* I did get this book for review from the publisher for my honest thoughts*

I really wound up loving this read. I thought this book had much more solid and clear world building then her first book. I felt so much more connected to this world and found it to be even more compelling to read. I thought this book was solid mystery that captured me. I also really liked both POV characters that we go to know. I also really liked this book focused so much on sisters and that relationship. This book also tackled the many aspects of grief and really liked that. I also liked the setting of this book as well. I def liked this more than her debut. ( )

* I did get this book for review from the publisher for my honest thoughts*

I really wound up loving this read. I thought this book had much more solid and clear world building then her first book. I felt so much more connected to this world and found it to be even more compelling to read. I thought this book was solid mystery that captured me. I also really liked both POV characters that we go to know. I also really liked this book focused so much on sisters and that relationship. This book also tackled the many aspects of grief and really liked that. I also liked the setting of this book as well. I def liked this more than her debut. ( )

Trigger warnings: Death of a sister, death in the ocean

6/10, looking back this isn't the masterpiece I once called it and it was still enjoyable however there were two main issues that being the characters and the worldbuilding which I'll get to later on and if the author fixed them before she published this it would've been even better than it is now. The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte is an interesting novel about a world affected by rising sea levels but it wasn't really that original right from the beginning yet I still read it to see where it was going and it starts off with Tempest diving in the old cities and wants to revive her dead sister Elysea for only 3000 notes however the catch is that she is only alive for a day and then she dies again and I don't know how it happens other than some magic plant thing but she accepts the deal and revives her sister. It then slows down a little and I get to see the two main characters interact with each other for a while but it gets tiring quick and nothing much happens in the first half of the book however the latter half is where things get a little more interesting. In there Elysea is running out of time to live and starts dying again and I found out more information of the revival process including synchronised hearts and it turns out predictably that the revival company Palindromena is the antagonist yet somehow out of nowhere Tempest manages to revive Elysea again and give her a new life without any strings attached and that was really unrealistic and that ends the book. If you like science fiction novels pick this however there are ones better than this like The Maze Runner series by James Dashner. ( )

The Great Wave destroyed the planet five hundred years ago and since then, the surface has been covered in water. Tempest was born into a world of water. Tempest’s sister Elysea drowned holding the secret to their parents’ death and Tempest wants answers. A research facility on the island of Palindromena can revive the dead for 24 hours and Tempest saved every Note she possibly could for two years to do so.

The reunion isn’t what Tempest thought it would be and instead, Elysea insists she’s innocent and convinces her sister to break her out of the facility so they together can find the answers about their parents. But it won’t be an easy journey, especially since they have the Warren, the person in charge of Elysea’s revival, on their trail to return her back before the 24 hours are up.

The Vanishing Deep’s cover is what drew me in to begin with as well as the world the author created. Astrid Scholte does an amazing job at creating this world of water and the floating islands that people live in. A part of me wishes we were able to see more of the day to day life instead of small glimpses here and there simply because the world sounds so interesting.

Scholte has a unique ability to create multi-dimensional, realistic characters that you can’t help but care for. My heart ached for Tempest and Lor throughout the whole book and I kept reading to find out if they get their happy endings or not. Having the chapters be in both Lor’s and Tempest’s points of view gives the reader a more in depth knowledge as to what’s happening, especially since during some parts, a character might be viewing things slightly differently due to grief or past experiences.

I thoroughly enjoyed the twists, turns, and thrills this book had. There were so many surprises that it made it hard for me to put down once I got to reading it. This novel is full of plot twists, both big and small that will have you turning pages upon pages until there is no more left. I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover out there. I am absolutely going to check out more of Astrid Scholte’s other novels.

*Thank you BookishFirst and Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
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As a big fan of Four Dead Queens I enjoyed Vanishing Deep but did not connect with the 'world' as well as I did with Schotle's first novel. Still a great read! ( )