14 Mar 2020

Blog Tour: The Deep by Alma Katsu – Review and Giveaway!

Posted in Blog Tour, Giveaways |

The Deep

Author: Alma Katsu

Publication Date: March 10th, 2020

Publisher: Transworld Digital

Synopsis: Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.

This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner’s illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers – including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher – are convinced that something sinister is going on . . . And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.

Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not – could not – have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . .

I know I always say this, but I definitely do not read enough historical fiction. There is so much on offer with this genre, and for some reason, I just tend to bypass it more than I care to admit.

But I was hooked on this one the second I read the premise.

A haunting on the Titanic? Yes, please! Definitely sign me up for that!

I’ve always been interested in everything relating to the Titanic, and well…anything ghostly or horror-like in books is my cup of tea. So I had a feeling this was going to be a book that I was going to be unable to put down.

I was right about that! Except for you know, a few parts here and there where I had to quit reading because it was a little scary before bedtime. But you know, sometimes sleeping with the lights on is a good thing, right?

Anyway, the setting is so creepy and atmospheric – I love it. The author really captures the emotions of the characters in the book, and I absolutely adored that. It was so amazing and so well written. I felt like all of these characters really came to life and that was just…definitely amazing!

The story line in the book was pretty darn incredible, too. I mean, I can’t say that I’ve read a single other Titanic horror novel, so I can’t compare it to any other books of this kind, but it was great. I really enjoyed being pulled into this world.

If you like dark books that have a haunting atmosphere and some pretty creepy stuff, this is an amazing read. Couple it with the history aspect and you’ve got a book that you won’t be able to put down.

The pacing of this novel is pretty decent, too – it isn’t really too fast or too slow, and I find that it progresses along nicely. Considering the amount of detail put into describing the ship and the characters, I think the author did a good job with it.

Finally, I want to say how much I love the cover of this – it’s just so darn gorgeous. I want to get a copy just to look at it because it’s so pretty!

Note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – Thank you!

Alma Katsu is the author of The Hunger, a reimagining of the story of the Donner Party with a horror twist. The Hunger made NPR’s list of the 100 Best Horror Stories, was named one of the best novels of 2018 by the Observer, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books (and more), and was nominated for a Stoker and Locus Award for best horror novel.

The Taker, her debut novel, has been compared to the early works of Anne Rice and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander for combining historical, the supernatural, and fantasy into one story. The Taker was named a Top Ten Debut Novel of 2011 by Booklist, was nominated for a Goodreads Readers Choice award, and has been published in over 10 languages. It is the first in an award-winning trilogy that includes The Reckoning and The Descent.

Ms. Katsu lives outside of Washington DC with her husband, musician Bruce Katsu. In addition to her novels, she has been a signature reviewer for Publishers Weekly, and a contributor to the Huffington Post. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Writing Program and Brandeis University, where she studied with novelist John Irving. She also is an alumni of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.

Prior to publication of her first novel, Ms. Katsu had a long career in intelligence, working for several US agencies and a think tank. She currently is a consultant on emerging technologies. Additional information can be found on Wikipedia and in this interview with Ozy.com.