THE LIGHT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD (The Light at the Bottom of the World #1)
Author: London Shah
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Publisher: Freeform
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 320
Hope had abandoned them to the wrath of all the waters.
At
the end of the twenty-first century, the world has changed
dramatically, but life continues one thousand feet below the ocean's
surface. In Great Britain, sea creatures swim among the ruins of Big Ben
and the Tower of London, and citizens waver between fear and hope; fear
of what lurks in the abyss, and hope that humanity will soon discover a way to reclaim the Earth.
Meanwhile,
sixteen-year-old Leyla McQueen has her own problems to deal with. Her
father's been arrested, accused of taking advantage of victims of the
Seasickness-a debilitating malaise that consumes people,often
claiming their lives. But Leyla knows he's innocent, and all she's
interested in is getting him back so that their lives can return to
normal.
When
she's picked to race in the action-packed London Submersible Marathon,
Leyla gets the chance to secure his freedom; the Prime Minister promises
the champion whatever their heart desires. The race takes an unexpected
turn, though, and presents her with an opportunity she never wanted:
Leyla must venture outside of London for the first time in her life, to
find and rescue her father herself.
Now,
she'll have to brave the unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt
government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a
secretive, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place.
If she fails, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture–and her
father might be lost forever.
Praise:
Praise:
“A work of fathomless imagination.”
——Samantha Shannon, New York Times best-selling author of The Bone Season and The Priory of the Orange Tree
“Riveting
and exciting, The Light at the Bottom of the World is a heart-racing
adventure that reveals compelling and necessary truths about several
critical issues of our times, while delivering all the thrills and
twists of an epic quest.
A stand-out, must-read book that engulfed me in its enthralling world
and characters. Leyla McQueen is queen of the (under)seas!”
——S. K. Ali, author of 2018 Morris finalist Saints and Misfits and Love from A to Z
"The
Light at the Bottom of the World is a wonderfully refreshing epic
adventure, with dynamite worldbuilding and a crafty heroine. Leyla's
determination and talent will keep you hooked in her story, and you will
be begging for Shah's next book before you've even finished this one."
——Rachel Strolle: Teen Librarian, Glenside Public Library District
"Shah's
debut is a fast-paced masterpiece from start to finish. Readers will
fall in love with passionate, persistent Leyla as well as her secretive,
swoon-worthy companion, Ari. While the tropes of dystopian
fiction—corrupt government, fear of the unknown—will be easily
recognizable by fans of the genre, Shah has skillfully shaped a gorgeous
world unlike any those fans have seen before. But be forewarned: the
book ends on a jaw-dropping cliff-hanger. Highly recommended."
——School Library Journal
The Light at the Bottom of the World is an mesmerizing new young adult science fiction novel that truly sets itself apart from everything else out right now. I was immediately intrigued after reading the description of the book. It sounded fresh and interesting - something I'd definitely want to read. I'm so glad that I did! There were some really amazing aspects to the book and the fact that it's the author's debut makes it all the more awesome.
What really got me caught up in this story was the world building. As we know from the description, it's in the not so far off future where there was a huge catastrophe and almost the entire world was submerged. The underwater setting that the story takes place in was fantastically described. I thought I might have a bit of trouble putting myself into Leyla's world, but the author did such an amazing job with all the vivid imagery and details of every little thing, that I couldn't help but be pulled in. It was all really interesting too and I loved learning about every single little piece that I could - the way they live now (how do they manage to live underwater?), the pieces of history we get throughout the story (they talk a lot about the "Old World" which is basically our time right now), and everything in between. I soaked it all up like a sponge and couldn't get enough.
The characters were all pretty well rounded, especially Leyla - our main character. She's obviously the focal point of the story and we get to know her very well. She has great qualities - a kind friend, smart, incredibly loving and loyal of her family (especially her dad) and determined to do whatever it takes to free her father and prove his innocence. It gets a lot more complex than that, but essentially that's her main focus. I found Leyla to be pretty realistic although she did seem a little flat at times. Looking back, I think the problem wasn't really with Leyla herself, but with the dialogue - both between characters and in Leyla's own mind. It felt forced and not authentic at times, which brought me out of the "bubble" the book had me in and made it a little hard to read and to connect more deeply with Leyla and the other major characters. The big thing for me was the writing style, which always plays a huge factor in my enjoyment of a book. The author wrote the story in the first person point of view from Leyla's perspective. I was so happy that she chose to do it this way! It's by far my favorite writing style because the reader gets to know the narrator on a much deeper and more personal level. We get to see everything that goes through Leyla's mind - her hopes and fears, memories, emotions, dreams and nightmares, and everything in between. I definitely think that this was the perfect choice for the story and I know it made me enjoy the book a lot more.
The plot was interesting, but not completely original. But it's really hard to find something unique anymore. I guessed a couple of things that were going to happen early on in the story, which turned out to be right, but it didn't bother me because this wasn't a mystery or thriller. Even though I saw some of the plot twists coming, I still enjoyed seeing them happen and the story unfold and play out. I'm glad this is just the first book in a duology because I would not have been able to let that ending be the finality of the story. I'm excited to see where the second book will take us and to learn more about this magical world the author has created for us. I definitely recommend this book for fans of YA fiction, science fiction, action and adventure, and fantasy.
London
Shah is a British-born Muslim of Pashtun ethnicity. She has lived in
Britain's capital for most of her life, via England's beautiful
North. When she's not busy re-imagining the past, plotting an alternate
present or dreaming up a surreal future, she's most likely drinking
copious amounts of tea, eating all the
sweets and cakes, strolling through Richmond Park or along the Thames,
getting lost on an evening in the city's older, darker
alleyways—preferably just after it's rained—listening to punk rock,
or losing herself in a fab SFF book or film. If she could have only one
super power, it would be to breathe underwater of course!
What really got me caught up in this story was the world building. As we know from the description, it's in the not so far off future where there was a huge catastrophe and almost the entire world was submerged. The underwater setting that the story takes place in was fantastically described. I thought I might have a bit of trouble putting myself into Leyla's world, but the author did such an amazing job with all the vivid imagery and details of every little thing, that I couldn't help but be pulled in. It was all really interesting too and I loved learning about every single little piece that I could - the way they live now (how do they manage to live underwater?), the pieces of history we get throughout the story (they talk a lot about the "Old World" which is basically our time right now), and everything in between. I soaked it all up like a sponge and couldn't get enough.
The characters were all pretty well rounded, especially Leyla - our main character. She's obviously the focal point of the story and we get to know her very well. She has great qualities - a kind friend, smart, incredibly loving and loyal of her family (especially her dad) and determined to do whatever it takes to free her father and prove his innocence. It gets a lot more complex than that, but essentially that's her main focus. I found Leyla to be pretty realistic although she did seem a little flat at times. Looking back, I think the problem wasn't really with Leyla herself, but with the dialogue - both between characters and in Leyla's own mind. It felt forced and not authentic at times, which brought me out of the "bubble" the book had me in and made it a little hard to read and to connect more deeply with Leyla and the other major characters. The big thing for me was the writing style, which always plays a huge factor in my enjoyment of a book. The author wrote the story in the first person point of view from Leyla's perspective. I was so happy that she chose to do it this way! It's by far my favorite writing style because the reader gets to know the narrator on a much deeper and more personal level. We get to see everything that goes through Leyla's mind - her hopes and fears, memories, emotions, dreams and nightmares, and everything in between. I definitely think that this was the perfect choice for the story and I know it made me enjoy the book a lot more.
The plot was interesting, but not completely original. But it's really hard to find something unique anymore. I guessed a couple of things that were going to happen early on in the story, which turned out to be right, but it didn't bother me because this wasn't a mystery or thriller. Even though I saw some of the plot twists coming, I still enjoyed seeing them happen and the story unfold and play out. I'm glad this is just the first book in a duology because I would not have been able to let that ending be the finality of the story. I'm excited to see where the second book will take us and to learn more about this magical world the author has created for us. I definitely recommend this book for fans of YA fiction, science fiction, action and adventure, and fantasy.
Her debut novel, THE LIGHT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD, a YA sci-fi, is out now. You can read more about it here.
You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and/or get in touch with her here.
(3) winners will receive a finished copy of THE LIGHT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD - US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
11/4/2019
|
Excerpt
| |
11/5/2019
|
Excerpt
| |
11/6/2019
|
Review
| |
11/7/2019
|
Review
| |
11/8/2019
|
Review
|
Week Two:
11/11/2019
|
Review
| |
11/12/2019
|
Here's to Happy Endings
|
Review
|
11/13/2019
|
Review
| |
11/14/2019
|
Review
| |
11/15/2019
|
Review
|
Week Three:
11/18/2019
|
Review
| |
11/19/2019
|
Review
| |
11/20/2019
|
Review
| |
11/21/2019
|
Review
| |
11/22/2019
|
Review
|
Week Four:
11/25/2019
|
Excerpt
| |
11/26/2019
|
Review
| |
11/27/2019
|
Review
| |
11/28/2019
|
Review
| |
11/29/2019
|
Review
|
Week Five:
12/2/2019
|
Review
|
No comments:
Post a Comment