This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here.
Interested in a dystopian adventure set entirely under water? Then you’ll want to read on to learn more about Journey to the Heart of the Abyss, London Shah’s latest novel! (Note: this is the second book in a duology, so there may be mild spoilers for the first book, The Light at the Bottom of the World.)
Well, it certainly has been a while since there was something new on this website, huh? I promise I’ll share a little more about what I’ve been up to these past few months in a future post, but for today, I am thrilled to be a part of the book tour for London Shah’s latest book, Journey to the Heart of the Abyss, hosted by TBR and Beyond tours!
TITLE: Journey to the Heart of the Abyss
AUTHOR: London Shah
RELEASE DATE: November 9th, 2021
MORE INFO: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indigo | Indiebound
Synopsis
The sequel to London Shah’s thrilling futuristic mystery The Light at the Bottom of the World, perfect for fans of Illuminae and These Broken Stars
Leyla McQueen has finally reunited with her father after breaking him out of Broadmoor, the illegal government prison—but his freedom comes at a terrible cost. As Leyla celebrates his return, she must grapple with the pain of losing Ari. Now separated from the boy who has her heart and labeled the nation’s number one enemy, Leyla must risk illegal travel through unchartered waters in her quest for the truth behind her father’s arrest.
Across Britain, the fallout from Leyla’s actions has escalated tensions between Anthropoid and non-Anthropoid communities, bringing them to an all-time high. And, as Leyla and her friends fight to uncover the startling truths about their world, she discovers her own shocking past—and the horrifying secrets behind her father’s abduction and arrest. But as these long-buried truths finally begin to surface, so, too, do the authorities’ terrible future plans. And if the ever-pervasive fear prevents the people from taking a stand now, the abyss could stay in the dark forever.
My Thoughts
This is a pretty amazing sequel! After the shocking ending of The Light at the Bottom of the World, we rejoin Leyla, newly reunited with her father, as she searches for yet another important person in her life: Ari. This is made even more difficult because Leyla has been labeled one of Britain’s most wanted and is living that fugitive life. She’s hoping that finding Ari’s community will help her find him, but of course things are never that easy and she’s once again thrown into an action-packed journey for not only her own survival, but that of pretty much everyone she cares about too.
This book certainly does not lack for action, and it seems that there’s a new twist or turn or mystery to unravel in each and every chapter. Leyla makes some pretty big discoveries about herself, her connections to Ari, and her family, and all of them help to move the story along. Plus, she has to learn some hard truths about who she can and can’t trust in this treacherous situation.
Although I loved all of the action in this story, particularly the continued fight for justice for amphis, I think my favorite parts were the interactions between Leyla and her friends and family. Leyla’s in-person reunion with Theo and Tabby, especially Leyla and Tabby’s virtual fashion show, Leyla’s new relationship with Ari’s sister Freya, and every single interaction with the Navigator, Oscar (Wilde), were all particular highlights for me.
Additionally, one thing I particularly love in speculative fiction is when authors skillfully draw parallels between their imagined world and the real life issues we deal with in the present day. There is a lot to be gleaned from how humans perceive and treat the amphi community in Shah’s duology that can certainly be compared to how marginalized groups are treated in our own society. The conclusion of the story is hopeful in regard to future relations between the two groups, and I can only hope that our own society can move further in that direction as well.
If there is one small critique to be made, I did feel that the pacing was a bit uneven at times. It felt as if certain sections could have been tightened up a bit, and at about 40 pages from the end, I was truly wondering how everything was going to be wrapped up in that amount of time (though I was reading an advanced copy, and some of these things may be changed in the finished copy). Nonetheless, I found it to be a truly enjoyable read, and I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.
Favorite Quotes
There were a lot of memorable lines throughout Journey to the Heart of the Abyss; here are just a few that stood out to me! (Please note: these quotes do come from an advanced copy, and may be different in the finished copy.)
I can’t believe how little I knew or understood about a whole people, how I was aware only of the few differences between us instead of the many ways in which we’re exactly the same.
Those in charge, those tasked with looking after us, are ignoring all the science and warnings and instead continue to pour all funds into pointless projects for living up on the surface. And at such a heavy cost to our lives right now.
The opposite wall has several bookcases, and it’s the best feeling ever when you sit on the chunky lavender chair beside them and lose yourself in another world.
There are endless dangers I still don’t know about. But doing nothing achieves exactly nothing. We’re as prepared as we can be, and now we’re going to have to hope for the best.
All the history we access through Jeeves tells me we’ll always point to someone else, always need an ‘other’ to reassure ourselves we’re somehow superior, to feel better about our own lives and ways of living. We’ve done it forever, way before amphis existed, and we’ll most likely do it until the end of the world.
Everything is most satisfactory, though as predicted the environment is currently rather capricious. Alas, not a day for rousing adventures!
I look at the faces around me and my heart expands. Two amphis and three non-amphis. How much easier life could be if some didn’t consider it beneficial to divide us.
Why did we so readily choose to condemn an entire race of people based on somebody else’s views instead of using our own hearts and minds?
Still, today is a new start, inshallah.
Voyage. Adventure. Once more we shall rule the waves!
About the Author
London Shah is a British Muslim of Pashtun ethnicity. She has lived in Britain’s capital for most of her life, via England’s beautiful North. On any given day she can be found daydreaming of a different past, an alternate present, or some surreal future. She enjoys 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, and losing herself in a fab SFF book or film. The Light at the Bottom of the World is her debut novel. The sequel Journey to the Heart of the Abyss releases 09.11.21.
Well there you have it-if any of these quotes or thoughts on the book intrigue you, make sure you check out Journey to the Heart of the Abyss by London Shah, out on November 9th! (And be sure to pick up The Light at the Bottom of the World first, if you haven’t yet!) And to hear more thoughts about this great book, check out the other stops on the book tour here!
Want to read more posts like this? Check these out:
- 45 Excellent YA Novels in Verse to Read for National Poetry Month (and All Year Long!)
- YA Fake Dating Books to Read After To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
- 10 New Must-Read YA Books to Read this Spring
