Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica | 2014 | Tor Books | Hardcover $25.99
One minute, twenty-four-year-old Sophie Hansa is in a San Francisco alley trying to save the life of the aunt she has never known. The next, she finds herself flung into the warm and salty waters of an unfamiliar world. The world is Stormwrack, a series of island nations with a variety of cultures and economies — and a language different from any Sophie has heard.
Sophie doesn’t know it yet, but she has just stepped into the middle of a political firestorm, and a conspiracy that could destroy a world she has just discovered… her world, where everyone seems to know who she is, and where she is forbidden to stay.
Disclosure statement: I received a digital ARC of this title from the publisher.
Child of a Hidden Sea was, for me, a quick and happy binge-read. The focus in this book is on the protagonist’s accidental adventure and her relationships with other characters and the really interesting new world around her.
I quite liked this book and will probably purchase it for our library. The characters could perhaps use a little more sculpting and polishing, but I think the fantastic world-building and nearly continuous action (not a slow spot in this book!) more or less make up for that. As always, I’m a sucker for an interesting to world to explore. The fact that the inhabitants of this new world actually seem aware of the “real” world (even if it is some sort of state secret) adds to the mystery of how + why the world of Stormwrack exists.
I’m interested in the intended sequel(s) because I want to know more about the politics and ecology of Stormwrack; what happens to the main character and her brother and their new-found family and friends is also of interest but not my main concern! I could definitely relate to the main character’s obsession with the wildlife and social structure of her unexpected home world. I halfway wish that the entire book had been devoted just to her explorations and evidence and specimen gathering.
I’ll happily recommend this book to folks who would like a quick-paced portal fantasy adventure with a sprinkling of natural science for flavor.
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Publication information: Dellamonica, A.M. Child of a Hidden Sea. New York: Tor, 2014. EPUB.
Source: Electronic format review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.