The Depths

by Nicole Lesperance

A tropical island full of secrets. Two Victorian ghosts, trapped for eternity. And a seventeen-year-old girl determined not to be next.

Eulalie Island should be a paradise, but to Addie Spencer, it’s more like a prison.

Forced to tag along to the remote island on her mother’s honeymoon, Addie isn’t thrilled about being trapped there for two weeks. The island is stunning, with its secluded beaches and forests full of white flowers. But there's something eerie and unsettling about the place.

After Addie meets an enigmatic boy on the beach, all the flowers start turning pink. The island loves you, he tells her. But she can’t stop sleepwalking at night, the birds keep calling her name, and there’s a strange little girl in the woods who wants to play hide-and-seek. When Addie learns about two sisters who died on the island centuries ago, she wonders if there’s more to this place, things only she can see.

Beneath its gorgeous surface, Eulalie Island is hiding dark, tangled secrets. And if Addie doesn't unravel them soon, the island might never let her go.

• ISBN10: 0593465369
• ISBN13: 9780593465363
• Publish Date: 13 September 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Razorbill
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593465363

Reviews

[Kim Deister]

The Depths has the feel of an M. Night Shyamalan movie, with its supernatural aspects and contemporary plots and settings. The book is a gothic horror tale set in the current digital age.

<b><i>There’s a video of me dying on the internet, and I can’t stop watching it. My mother says it’s morbid, and I need to stop.</i></b>

As the introduction to the book, the above truly sets the stage for the eeriness of the story. A freediving accident has turned Addie’s life upside down. Not only was her death almost permanent, the fallout has changed her life, perhaps forever. She’s trying not to worry her mother, but the reality is that she’s neither healing nor dealing with the trauma well, leading her to become obsessed with the video of her death. But on the island, her access to the videos is eliminated, and she soon finds another obsession… discovering the secrets of the island. But those secrets might be too much for her.

The island was as much a character as any of the humans. The descriptions of it were lush and vivid, allowing the reader to feel the humid heat, smell the cloying odor of flowers, feel the heaviness of sap on the skin, smell the stench of mold and decay, hear the birds sing. There is much about the island that is mysterious… cenote and caves filled with water that pulses and seems to heal, even if only for a little while. Flowers that change colors in an instant, plants that react in sentient ways. And the ghosts of two Victorian girls and a mysterious boy, inextricably tied to the island itself.

This was a beautiful book, with wonderful writing and a great story.

[Quirky Cat]

Ohhh. Magical plants and waters? Yes, please! The Depths, written by Nicole Lesperance, is a YA paranormal read with slight horror vibes. In other words, it sounds like it is exactly up my alley. Let's dive in! (Pun intended – sorry).

Addie Spencer dreams of becoming one of the best free divers around. Unfortunately, a horrible accident while diving has paused her dreams. To make matters worse, Addie is now getting dragged along on vacation to an island – where she can't dive. Salt in the wound.

Her frustration with the trip begins to wane. First, she finds an intriguing boy out in the woods. Then she finds magical waters that quite literally take all pain away. Finding a ghost sort of crossed a line for Addie, but by then, she was too invested in the island's mystery.

"There’s a video of me dying on the internet, and I can’t stop watching it. My mother says it’s morbid, and I need to stop."

The above quote is the first line of the book. How can you not be curious about a line like that? But seriously, The Depths sucked me right in, promising a tale of magical wonders and dark horrors on an island.

We certainly got all that – and then some. The premise itself is pretty fascinating. We have a girl that loves free diving (something that sounds both beautiful and terrifying, if you ask me) – who can't safely do so. Her body has betrayed her, and now an island surrounded by idyllic water mocks her.

Honestly, if we had left it at that, I would have found it an interesting enough novel. Sad, but interesting. Throwing magic and lore into the mix made it all the better. Mostly, I think this novel succeeded because it took its time telling us the truth. There was something about it that made it impossible to look away. Was it the ghost girls or something else?

In a way, I was sad when The Depths ended. All things considered, while I enjoyed the ending, I actually think the build-up to that big moment was far stronger. Again, the mystery itself had a lot to do with the compelling nature of this read. Still, I don't regret reading it! Or finishing it.

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