In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens | Discussion with Ely

Welcome back to Ely and I’s buddy read discussions. We haven’t done one of these in a while, but here we are. This year these are just going to come as they do. We don’t have much planned, but you will see a fair few this year.

Today we are talking about In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens. I have been wanting to read this one since I heard it announced. But let me tell you trying to get a copy of this one in Australia last year – was not fun. But anyway, let’s get into it. You can check out our other buddy reads here on Angel Reads and Earl Grey Books.

In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens

Pages: 320
Publish date: April 20th 2021
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 9781534480506
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.

Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.

That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope…

In Deeper Waters:

Angel: I didn’t know what to expect when reading this book. I haven’t read a YA book in a while, but I just want wanted to read it. And I’m so glad that I did. It’s the book that I needed. It’s sweet, heartwarming and I didn’t want to stop reading it. And it’s one of those books that makes you feel warm inside. I know that you felt a little different to me, so what were your thoughts?

Ely: I agree that it’s an incredibly sweet and heartwarming read, but I think that I was expecting something completely different than what we got. I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. I suppose I was expecting something to do more with an adventure with more action. While those aspects were there, I think this was more character-driven than plot-driven.

A: I have to agree why you for sure. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was just different. I also absolutely agree that this is more character-driven, which is why I think I loved it so much. I am a massive fan of character-driven books, so this one suited me so well. Talking about characters, what did you think of Prince Tal?

Photo by Kameron Kincade on Unsplash

E: I think for me it was partly a case of not the right book at the time. I was really looking forward to something fast-paced and filled with adventure when I picked this one up, so it just wasn’t quite what I was after. I liked Tal—he’s a character with a big heart and honestly, I could relate to the way he just kind of wanted to stay home. What about you?

A: Tal just made things better. You know those characters that you can just connect with right away. That is Tal for me. As you said, I loved that he just wanted to stay home. And while some of it may have to do with his magic. He also just wanted to be where he was comfortable and gosh I can relate to that. We don’t see that a lot in fantasy and I kinda enjoyed that a lot. His family play a big part in his life, what were your thoughts on them?

E: It’s definitely a rare thing to see in fantasy so I did really enjoy that aspect. I loved his family—they’re all really interesting characters and I loved the way they interacted with one another and the people around them. I do wish we’d gotten to see a little more of them, they were just such a fun part of the book.

A: Yes! I really wish we got to see them a little more. But from the start, you could see how much they cared for one another and would do anything to help each other and the family out. They also had amazing siblings banter. They would tease one another, push each other to the edge. But at the end of the day, they loved each other. The romance in this one is very simple. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. It was just very nice to see, something very sweet and easy-going. Yes, they had their troubles, but it wasn’t about them as a couple. What did you think of the romance?

E: The romance is ridiculously sweet, and I mean that as a compliment. It’s so rare to get an LGBTQ+ romance in YA without a huge amount of angst so I loved that this was just simple and light-hearted. As you said, they have their issues but on the whole, it was just very heartwarming. What did you think of Athlen?

Photo by Juanita Swart on Unsplash

A: Athlen was such a huge cutie. Like you said the romance was ridiculously sweet and Athlen is exactly the same. He just made me smile the whole time. He has been through a lot himself. But there is something that happens when he is with Tal and it made me so happy. As we said before In Deeper Waters is very character-driven, what did you think of the arcs of Tal and even Athlen?

E: I honestly couldn’t have picked where their story would end up at the beginning of the book. I was expecting it to go in one direction, but instead, there were a few twists and turns. I absolutely adored Athlen—as you said, he’s just a downright cutie and I loved him for it.

A: I think that is why I enjoyed this book so much I didn’t know what going to happen. There were a fair few things that surprised me and I really enjoyed that a lot. I also enjoyed the writing style of this one. Everything was easy to read, I didn’t get lost. Especially when I wasn’t expecting the world of this book to be what it was. What were your thoughts on the world here?

E: It’s definitely an easy read. I think there were a couple of moments where the writing needed to be a little bit stronger. I think worldbuilding was one of those times—Lukens created this really interesting world but then I don’t think they used it to its full potential. And I feel like there were lots we were introduced to that then never came up again.

A: I have to agree with you on that for sure. I felt that this book could easily become a series about the whole family and the world. I had the markers for that. As you said the world was really interesting, but I just wanted more. It wasn’t that it was lacking, but it could have been tighter.

E: I 100% agree with you there, it could definitely be stretched into a series following the different family members. I think it almost would’ve been better with fewer elements so that the really important ones had time to shine.

Photo by Jakob Braun on Unsplash

A: I think it would have also made for a fantastic series. As I said before I really enjoyed the family aspect of this book and being able to see their stories would have been really interesting. In saying this I am really excited to read FT Lukens new book coming out in a few months. I want to try more from this author for sure.

E: I think I’m going to wait and see your thoughts on their next book before jumping into it myself, but if you really enjoy it, I might end up giving it a go too!

A: Well thank you for joining me today. And don’t forget to check out all our previous discussions and I hope you check out some of our future ones soon.

And there we go! I hope you enjoyed us talking about In Deeper Waters by FT Lukens. Have you read it yet? Are you planning on reading it? Let’s Chat!