The Edge of the Abyss

May 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Cassandra Leung has become an official member of Santa Selena's crew. She abandoned her sea monster (a Reckoner), lost her family, and was deceived by Swift, the one person she trusted. Now she must find her place in this world of pirates. Cas learns that there are many Reckoners that were stolen and are now demolishing the ecosystem of the ocean, and all the pirates look to her for a solution. They must destroy the illegal Reckoners to save the sea. To do so, Cas must learn to rely on all those she has lost throughout this journey. She must accept that she will have to kill those she was raised to protect. And she must decide whose side she is on once and for all. Skrutskie's sequel to The Abyss Surrounds Us is just as engaging as its predecessor. It introduces pirates as a group who work together to protect their life force, the ocean, after being turned away from society. Just like Cas, the audience will struggle as they wonder whom they should support. Readers will love this sci-fi adventure story. VERDICT Purchase where the first novel and sci-fi are popular.-Jessica Strefling, US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 1, 2017
The sequel to The Abyss Surrounds Us (2016) finds this world's post-apocalyptic future threatened by rogue genetically engineered sea monsters.Cas Leung, once an aspiring trainer of the savage, gargantuan Reckoners that protect the world's maritime traffic from pirates, now bears the tattoo of pirate captain Santa Elena's Minnow. It's the only way, she figures, she can pursue the double-dealing Reckoner agent who has been selling unlicensed pups to pirates. When the Minnow tangles with one that's now grown and on the loose, Cas realizes the NeoPacific's fast-dwindling fisheries are being consumed by these Hellbeasts, and global environmental catastrophe looms again. Even as Santa Elena convenes the Salt, the treaty organization of the NeoPacific's pirates, to address this threat, the relationship begun previously between Cas and fellow trainee Swift continues to evolve, physical attraction and affection ever in conflict with the ruthless competition for supremacy that defines a pirate trainee's life. Skrutskie deftly balances introspection and action, making for a page-turning, thoughtful read. Her worldbuilding envisions a brutal and diverse future: gender is no barrier to success--kick-ass women abound, most notably brown-skinned Santa Elena and white Swift--and neither, for the most part, is race, although differences are both acknowledged and celebrated. Chinese-American Cas' moment with a plate of siumai, ordered in her "best Canto," is "pure bliss" with "food that is so thoroughly mine." A dazzling, satisfying sequel. (Science fiction. 14 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.