London Shah

In the last days of thetwenty-first century, sea creatures swim through the ruins of London. Trappedin the abyss, humankind wavers between fear and hope-fear of what lurks in thedepths around them, and hope that they might one day find a way back to thesurface. When sixteen-year-oldsubmersible racer Leyla McQueen is chosen to participate in the city's prestigious annual marathon, she sees an opportunity to save her father, whohas been arrested on false charges. The Prime Minister promises the championwhatever their heart desires. But the race takes an unexpected turn, forcingLeyla to make an impossible choice. Now she must braveunfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep itssecrets, all the while dealing with a guarded, hotheaded companion she neverasked for in the first place. If Leyla fails to discover the truths at theheart of her world, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture-or worse.And her father will be lost to her forever.

The Light at the Bottom of the World

Haley Sherman

I thought this was going to be a standalone. With how that ended, it better not be. Excellent. Loved every minute of it.

Leelynn Brady

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club and Disney Hyperion for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.




Okay, but seriously? How amazing was this book though? How is this NOT getting enough love like it deserves?

When I first read the synopsis and signed up for the chance to be a part of the blog tour, I didn’t think that I was going to completely fall head over heels in this world, the characters, and just everything that Shah created in this one novel. But I totally did, and I’m so glad I was a part of this!

One of the first things that really stopped me while I was reading this and got me thinking, was that the event that basically sunk the world underneath the waves wasn’t even a century old by the time this novel starts. And yet, there were so many changes that humans had to make in order to survive in an element that we are just not used to living in. Instead of trying to combat the oceans, and push it back somehow so that we can live above ground again, the humans in this world invented things like personal submarines, airtight apartment buildings, stuff like that so that somehow… human beings can continue to exist. I don’t even know how humans could come up with stuff like that in the short amount of time that we lost the world we live in today, but it was amazing to see.

And to think that there were probably people alive at this time that actually REMEMBER what it was like living above the ocean, breathing the air, seeing the sun without the salty water to filter out the rays. That’s insane to me.

LOL I’m talking about this book like I actually live in this world. That’s how much I was engrossed in this novel, to the point that I could feel myself shadowing Leyla and her friends, somehow going through the same things that she went through. Although, I know my imagination is not as great as Shah’s and I doubt I could have even thought to dream of a world like this, but man, there’s a part of me that would love to see it even if for a few minutes. I wouldn’t want most of the land animals to be completely extinct, especially dogs and stuff. I love my dogs. But to see cities like London, Tokyo, maybe even Paris, from the eyes of those that survived and were innovative enough to almost thrive in the sea? Now, that would be something.



Something about that line really shook me too. I remember seeing the Thames in person when I went to London for the first time, and just trying to imagine it… in essence not there because the ocean levels took over it, is just so difficult for me to wrap my brain around. In actuality, I can’t even imagine London being in the abyss, but still somehow teaming with life, both human and sea life in some sort of harmony.

Then there’s not only that, but humans tried to create some sort of super-human type creatures that could survive in the ocean, and they ended up turning against their creators. So there’s like this war between the regular humans and what they call the Anthropoids. Hearing about them…





There was something about Leyla that I liked in the beginning. Not saying that I didn’t like her towards the end or anything, but I just really admired the kind of strength she had to possess in the kind of situation that she was in. She was in essence living alone, trying to survive without worrying her Grandpa when her father was arrested for a bogus charge. Sure, she was lucky enough to have a dog, JoJo, who was adorable and her main companion. And sure, she had the twins Tabby and Theo, but she wasn’t going to have their family suffer to feed two additional mouths like that. She just did what she needed to do, what she thought she needed to do, to get her father back, and I found that very admirable. I liked her.

Ugh, I feel like I could go on and on about this book in so many different ways, and this is already getting super long. Basically, you’re missing out if you haven’t read this one already. It’s finally passed its publication day, so it’s out in the world for you to enjoy. It’s on The Book Depository if you like shopping there and are an international blogger. I know because I bought my copy from there yesterday. Don’t waste another moment wondering whether or not you should pick it up. Go see if your library has it, go find the Kindle or Kobo copy, just go pick it up and get immersed in this world like I did so I can hear everything you have to say about it.

Seriously, go read it.

Erin 

In a strange twist of events, I read this purely because I was interested in the plotline and the world, while at the same time really disliking the characters and writing. I can't say I've ever been in this position before. The world-building in this was great. I'm a big fan of dystopian futures (particularly if they're given an actual date in the future, such as this one), and the planet Earth that exists in this book in 2099 is really intriguing. I can't say I've ever read anything like it, although my next statement will seem to contradict that. This book has vibes that feel like a combination of several of the books and/or series that I love dearly: Doctor Who, Star Wars, The Hunger Games, and the Uglies Trilogy are the first ones that came to mind. Perhaps its because of these things that I kept on reading despite a considerable lack of quality writing, or even proper character development. While I am disappointed in those aspects, the world is really what drew me in and kept me interested. (However I will say that those things seemed to be quite strong at the beginning, but unfortunately took a bit of a dive after the two main characters started on their journey, for some reason I can't really come up with an explanation for.)

In a nutshell, the Earth in 2099 is entirely underwater, which means that sea creatures regularly float on by, road vehicles have been entirely replaced by submarines, and somehow, the London Marathon has evolved into a submarine race where the winner gets whatever they want in the world. Except, apparently, to get their father out of jail, which is where Leyla and her story come in. The entire book revolves around her trying to escape the corrupt government who is now after her, as she tries to search an entire country for her father, while also trying not to fall in love with the boy her grandfather forced upon her as a sort of personal bodyguard. There are also humanoid robot things that apparently are committing terrorism throughout the land, a disease called "seasickness" which inflicts those who become too nostalgic for the the Old World and end up committing suicide, and also a healthy dose of scapegoating blame being placed on the previously mentioned humanoid robot things. Oh and the main character is Muslim and her family is from Afghanistan, which is pretty cool. One of the other things I really liked about this book is that it is a dystopian that doesn't take place in America, but in London, which I haven't seen a lot of. 

From the first chapter, it's clear that you can't really trust anything at face value in this book, which is both fun and a bit disorienting, because sometimes you second-guess everything you are told, which can get exhausting. But mostly it's fun, and even though some of the plot twists could be seen coming pretty clearly, it still kept me interested. I don't know how many books are planned for this series, but I do know there's a second one. While I wouldn't necessarily call this book purely an introduction, a lot of this book is the characters escaping those who are after them, rather than learning more about the corrupt nature of the government. I hope the next book delves into that more, because I do think the future world that has been established here is the strongest part of this story. It's an intriguing take on the future and I'm pretty keen to find out more. I will say though, for a debut, it's not too bad. I appreciate that so much effort was put into the world-building. The characters can come later, as long as you have a strong foundation to build upon. 

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

From debut author London Shah, comes a thrilling futuristic Sci-Fi mystery perfect for fans of Illuminae and These Broken Stars. In the last days of the twenty-first century, sea creatures swim through the ruins of London. Trapped in the abyss, humankind wavers between hope and fear of what lurks in the depths around them, and hope that they might one day find a way back to the surface. When sixteen-year-old submersible racer Leyla McQueen is chosen to participate in the city's prestigious annual marathon, she sees an opportunity to save her father, who has been arrested on false charges. The Prime Minister promises the champion whatever their heart desires. But the race takes an unexpected turn, forcing Leyla to make an impossible choice. Now she must brave unfathomable waters and defy a corrupt government determined to keep its secrets, all the while dealing with a guarded, hotheaded companion she never asked for in the first place. If Leyla fails to discover the truths at the heart of her world, or falls prey to her own fears, she risks capture-or worse. And her father will be lost to her forever.

Ashton Reed

This was a tragically beautiful story, and I really enjoyed travelling the seas with Leyla and Ari!!

Goodreads Synopsis:
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.

I can’t say this is an entirely perfect book, and it’s not one of those that you’re constantly thinking about the transcendently lyrical writing, but I really enjoyed the unique tone of the novel. The world, first of all, is haunting and tragic, yet there’s an allure to the vastness of this new, water-covered world they live in. That’s honestly the point of this book: sometimes you’ve got to let go of the past and embrace the change the future will inevitably bring. It’s an interesting message on its own, but Shah delivers it with water-related metaphors and beautiful imagery that gives the setting a vivid brilliance that quite contrasts the tragic undertones of the story. I was enveloped immediately.

The pacing is a little weird at the beginning, I’ll be honest, but it levels out pretty quickly, and from there the story is an action-packed journey with a sliver of romance as Leyla’s perspective is challenged and she dives headfirst into the vast unknown. I enjoyed this fast-paced adventure, and I hope to continue the story with the sequel coming later this year!





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The Light at the Bottom of the World

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