Song of the Abyss

June 15, 2019
In the dark of night, raiders attack a ship sailing home to St. John del Mar. Seventeen-year-old Reyna is no longer an apprentice cartographer but a royal del Mar explorer in her own right. After escaping from entranced pirates and swimming through sea monster-infested waters, Reyna sputters onto shore and meets a handsome, grieving prince. Capt. Levi, the second child of the recently deceased King of Lunes, offers aid, but the two start off on the wrong foot with mistrust, lies, and deception. Mysterious disappearances of beloved family members while at sea unite the royal families, and they agree upon a desperate and dangerous mission to the mysterious kingdom of Miramar. In this sequel to Isle of Blood and Stone (2018), Lucier creates a richly satisfying maritime world where maps are revered by kings and queens. The action-packed romance weaves together an assortment of dangerous sea creatures, magical sirens, underwater ghosts, and human armies sacrificed to appease a dying monarch. There's more heart-pounding action in Reyna's story, with a superbly developed heroine, charming secondary characters, and playful dialogue. However, after traversing dangerous waters, the plot careens through the climax somewhat insipidly, and romantic developments aboard ship can feel timeworn. Levi is presumed white, and Reyna is brown-haired and golden-skinned. A delightful romantic adventure flavored with ancient legends and salty ocean lore. (map) (Fantasy. 12-18)

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August 2, 2019

Gr 7 Up-When apprentice mapmaker Reyna discovers that her ship has been boarded by mysterious pirates, she escapes into the water. Helped by Prince Levi of Lunes, Reyna discovers that her ship has been recovered, but the sailors are gone. Soon, more ships turn up empty. As the only eyewitness to the strange raiders, Reyna sets out with Levi to uncover the mystery. The plot moves at a fast clip with staccato sentence structure and restrained description that lets readers fill in the details of the places and peoples Reyna encounters. In the tradition of Tamora Pierce, Lucier represents a global diversity of cultures. Reyna's Portuguese-inflected homeland and Levi's Jewish kingdom are not too distant (geographically and linguistically) from Miramar, which borrows from the Chinese Qin dynasty's funeral rites and Japanese Meiji imperial iconography. The result is a diverse cast and a swashbuckling adventure that evolves into court intrigue. The consequences of Reyna and Levi opening isolationist Miramar to the outside world are perhaps too briefly dealt with. Reyna's relationship with Prince Levi works best as a solid partnership when they are united in finding the missing-and ensorcelled-sailors. Both young people's good sense and open attraction to each other means that bits of romantic conflict don't quite fit. Thankfully, they are more interested in harpies and secret passages than relationship drama. VERDICT A forgotten kingdom, kidnapped sailors, and an ambitious girl cartographer hungry to chart the unknown-this book will satisfy fans of female-led adventure fantasy.-Katherine Magyarody, Texas A&M University, College Station

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