caseythereader's profile picture

caseythereader 's review for:

In the Shallows by Tanya Byrne
4.0
dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Thanks to Henry Holt Books for Young Readers for the free copy of this book.

 - Tanya Byrne has the incredible ability to write books that feel both real and ethereal, and IN THE SHALLOWS is no exception.
- I loved Mara and her group of girlfriends. They were a wonderful mix of loving and sniping, always there for each other but also willing to tell hard truths.
- I also liked the perspective of the book. It’s told as if an older Mara is looking back at this time in her life. There’s a lot of “I understand now that...” and “if only I had known” and I think made the intense subject matter a bit of a lesson for younger readers without literally spelling out morals.
- As soon as I understood what was happening with the central mystery, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Truly: I read this whole book in one day because I had to know what was going to happen. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings