When Rick Riordan releases a new novel, it is not only instant buy for me, but I usually start and finish the book within 24 hours of getting my hands on it. Daughter of the Deep is no exception. I loved it and was up until the early hours of the morning reading it.

This is Riordan's first sci-fi novel, and has a bit of a different feel to his mythology-based fantasy - in fact, the closest book I could think of in terms of feel is Brandon Sanderson's Skyward, although it does have Riordan's quirkiness and sense of humour. It's definitely aimed toward the upper end of middle grade, and could easily fit in on YA shelves too. 

Riordan has been deliberately making his books diverse and inclusive for some time now, and this book is no exception, with an autistic character and two of Bundeli Indian descent, among others. I don't pretend to know how good the representation is in those cases, but I loved his portrayal of his female main character - how many male sci-fi authors mention girls having their periods? If I had read this book at 10 I would have been thrilled. 

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I'll give a few hints: adventure, betrayal, a giant octopus, The Great British Bake Off, and a living submarine...