The Abyss Surrounds Us

The Abyss Surrounds Us, Emily Skrutskie, 273 pages

Cas Leung was raised as a Reckoner trainer – responsible for the care of a massive, genetically engineered monster bred solely for defending against pirate attacks in the NeoPacific. But on her first solo mission, something goes terribly wrong. Her Reckoner sickens and dies, and she’s captured by Santa Elena, an ambitious pirate captain, to raise a pirate Reckoner. As her Reckoner grows, now named Bao after the steamed buns, Cas becomes closer to one of Santa Elena’s protégés, a young woman named Swift. Will Cas lose her head – or her heart – to the pirates, or will she remember her duty to her parents and her country?

I loved this book. The romance is masterfully handled, issues of moral ambiguity are tackled head-on, the worldbuilding is detailed without being long-winded. The Abyss Surrounds Us is a book that knew exactly what it wanted to say and how to say it, and then went out and said it. I wish the side characters were slightly more fleshed out, but apart from that, I honestly can’t remember the last book I felt this unreservedly positive about. Mostly I wish it had been longer! I can’t wait to read the sequel.