Amethyst, The Shallows Review Book Blog Hop #lonestarlit

When Lorelei has a strange and almost deadly encounter in a sea cave, her loyal boyfriend, Casey, cannot reconcile her fantastical experience with the rational world. Condi, Lorelei’s best friend, understands ocean magic but isn’t free to share what she knows. Kait, a girl from Ireland, regrets her impulsive move to America–all because of an odd occurrence involving her deceased boyfriend’s lost surfboard. When tides turn and the moon shifts, Isaac, the new kid in town who despises the ocean, is forced to face the truth–a profound and powerful magic lives in the deep.

Guided by a wise surf master, mystical old women known as the Beachlings, and an open-hearted grandmother, six kids embark on transformative adventures that challenge their beliefs about possibilities and the intense nature of love.

 

  Julie’s Review:

I read The Aquamarine Surfboard while living on an island, and the love of the ocean in the book resonated with me. Now, reading the sequel Amethyst, The Shallows while back on the mainland in the middle of cold winter, was a slightly different experience. Plus, the content was darker.

Where the first book was more whimsical and really gave us a lovely glimpse into the underwater world, this sequel is grittier and heavier. The first book focused on one main character, and this companion novel zooms out to several characters and their stories. There were new characters we hadn’t met before and some of our familiar friends from the first book, as well.

Amethyst, The Shallows feels more realistic because of a shared worldwide experience of “The Sickness” that the characters also went through. The world is opening back up for them, just like it is for us, and many are grieving the loss of many loved ones. That’s where I say it is grittier, but it is still middle grade. You still remember that our main character lost her parents at sea in the first book, so she lives with her whimsical grandmother. In this sequel, there is more – the pain of the loss of a mother, the loss of a spouse, a mother in a coma, and other moments of grief our characters go through.

In Amethyst, two characters experience the magic of the underwater spirits. These experiences of being saved by magical ocean dwellers from near drowning cause confusion and anxiety about what they saw and experienced. This drives a wedge in some relationships while forging others.

As we follow each character through their experience and coming-of-age journeys, the magic of the sea and the power of friendships remain the biggest champions.

This book is great for middle-grade and beyond readers who enjoy YA fantasy and the ocean. Also, if you respect octopi for their intelligence, you will enjoy a special character in this story.

While this second book can be read as a standalone, without the details and world-building of the first book, you might miss out on some of the magical aspects. Amethyst had some hand-waived reminders of this and that, so it is best read in order.

If you haven’t read the first book, read it now, and thank me later. Then you can enjoy the second, for the coming-of-age magical realism that it is.

 

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