Book Review of Daughter of the Deep
The Children’s Book Review
Daughter of the Deep
Written by Rick Riordan
Ages 9+ | 352 Pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion | ISBN: 9781368077941
What to Expect: Science fiction, adventure, marine biology, family relationships
Ana Dakkar feels pretty lucky to be a student at Harding Pencroft. The elite school trains students for top careers in marine biology, naval warfare, and much more, and it has been home to her and her brother Dev ever since their parents went missing on a mission for the school five years earlier. The day before her freshman trials, however, everything changes. A surprise attack from the rival Land Institute wipes Harding Pencroft and its students – including Dev – off the map. Now the freshman class and one ailing teacher are all that remain of HP, and they find themselves on the run from a deadly Land Institute attack force.
To make matters worse, it seems that HP has been hiding some pretty big secrets: Ana and her brother were the only living descendants of the infamous Captain Nemo, whose amazing alt-tech discoveries have been under the guardianship of HP and jealously sought after by the Land Institute. As the grieving Ana tries to come to terms with her terrifying heritage, she knows she might be all that stands between her classmates – and the world – and devastation at the hands of the Land Institute.
From amazing technology to thrilling secrets, this cyberpunk adventure has it all. Taking two of Victorian science fiction writer Jules Verne’s best-known novels as a starting point, like all the best speculative fiction, Daughter of the Deep blends the real and recognizable with the extraordinary to create a reality that is both believable and fantastic. Genuine science provides a foundation for wild flights of technological fancy, offering readers a glimpse of the passions that drive humanity to new discoveries – and the dangers that they face if they do not temper passion with ethics.
The story itself is exciting, blending steampunk details with as much action as a James Bond film, and Ana is a charismatic and enticing protagonist. Daughter of the Deep definitely stands out as one of Riordan’s best offerings yet. Tip: make sure you have copies of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island handy, as readers are sure to want to read them next!
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About the Author
Rick Riordan, dubbed “storyteller of the gods” by Publishers Weekly, is the author of five #1 New York Times best-selling middle grade series with millions of copies sold throughout the world: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and the Trials of Apollo, based on Greek and Roman mythology; the Kane Chronicles, based on Ancient Egyptian mythology; and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, based on Norse mythology.
Rick collaborated with illustrator John Rocco on two #1 New York Times best-selling collections of Greek myths for the whole family: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. Rick is also the publisher of an imprint at Disney-Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents, dedicated to finding other authors of highly entertaining fiction based on world cultures and mythologies, and the contributor to an RRP short story anthology, The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons.
Follow him on Twitter at @RickRiordan.
More Science Fiction Books to Read
Boon on the Moon, by John Huddles
Landscape with Invisible Hand, by M. T. Anderson
Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan was reviewed by Dr. Jen Harrison. Discover more books like Daughter of the Deep by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Adventure, Marine Biology, Middle Grade Books, Rick Riordan, and Science Fiction.