Drowned

April 28, 2014
Following cataclysmic floods, the remnants of humanity compete viciously for space on dry land while predatory “scribblers,” creatures with swordfishlike horns, thin their ranks. The physically disabled, like nearly 16-year-old Coe, who was left with just one hand after a scribbler attack, face a bleak future, consigned to the dangerous outer edges of the platform that offers protection from high tides and makes social ranking a matter of life and death. Coe’s narration sometimes bogs down in angst, but tight plotting keeps the story moving forward. When Coe and her unattainable beloved, Tiam, “who laughs in the face of scribblers and ghosts and taunts the vicious ocean,” rise in the favor of the royals, they become targets for those discontented with the selfish king’s rule. Suspense mounts as Coe and Tiam explore the labyrinth beneath the royal palace and the mysteries of their island’s past. A fantasy twist toward the end of this series opener from Reilly (a pseudonym for writer Cyn Balog) fits perfectly with the fairy tales Coe retells throughout the novel. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

May 15, 2014
The world ends in water in this tense post-apocalyptic novel.On the far-future island of Tides, eroding from chronic catastrophic floods, the survival of each of its 496 inhabitants depends on the relative importance of their jobs. The higher their status, the farther they stand from high tide at "formation"-when each citizen crowds onto a platform and prays not to drown. Coe, who lost her hand to sea monsters under mysterious circumstances, prays hard; her job as Craphouse Keeper will make her especially vulnerable when she turns 16 and loses the protection of childhood. When ineffectual King Wallow falls ill, rebellion rises, and Coe finds herself attendant to spoiled Princess Star. Coe's friend, Tiam, is chosen as the next king. Love is a liability in cutthroat Tides, but Coe hates imagining him with Star. When anarchy breaks out, Coe must abandon rivalries to save Tiam and find safety in a secret mountain. Suspense rises with the water as characters reveal their flaws and loyalties, and key words-which only Coe can read, kind of-are obsolete riddles that engage readers' attention until the answer becomes plain. Coe's voice is tough but eloquent, saturated with the bleakness of Tides and her hopeless romance. Though the story fizzles under an unexplained major plot convenience, the briny yet hopeful ending arouses anticipation for the sequel.An atmospheric, uneasy tale of survival. (discussion questions) (Post-apocalyptic romance. 12-16)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-In the future, there will be only water and one's distance from the rising tides. This is where strong-willed Coe finds herself with the water always rising on the small island where she has lived since her birth. There are only so many places of dry land left on Earth, and in order to make sure inhabitants don't get washed away into the tide, Coe's people, who have dwindled to 496, have created a standing formation in order to stay safe. In this formation, the closer one is to the rising waters, the lower her station in life. Unfortunately, Coe is the Craphouse Keeper, and it's just as dirty and smelly as one might imagine and closer to the edge of the water than she'd like to be. Then, her former playmate, Princess Star, daughter of the King of Coe's people, has asked for Coe to be her new Lady-in-Waiting, which brings Coe protection from the tides as well as goregous clothes and fragrant baths. There's also Tiam, the beautiful boy who has stood next to her in the formation since they were children, and with whom she's desperately in love. But, Princess Star has a plan for him, too. Tiam is to marry the Princess to guarantee a male heir to the King, who is dying, and whose death might spurn the remaining residents to revolt and tear the palace to make a bigger landing to protect them from the ever encroaching water. This suspenseful and dramatic tale will make readers feel just as trapped as Coe feels by the rising tides. Coe is an interesting and well-developed character that teens will root for every step of the way, and the other inhabitants of her island provide foils and allies alike. The book ends on a cliff-hanger, and readers will clamor for a sequel. For libraries where dystopians with a twist are popular.-Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Grades 9-12 Some postapocalyptic worlds are more miserable than others, and the world of Tides, a tiny island surrounded by rising water and man-eating fish, is day after day of misery, of waiting to die . . . and the longer you go on, the more life seems like a game you're meant to lose. Coe Kettlefish is the most miserable inhabitant of Tides. Small, pale, and pink-eyed in a world of blue-eyed tanned people, she is missing a hand and destined for a short life on the fringe of their tiny, isolated world and doomed to spend that short life cleaning the latrine. But thanks to her intelligence and a childhood friendship with Princess Star, she is whisked away to a castle and discovers a world of intrigue. Despite the presence of royalty and two hunky boys, Drowned is not your average postapocalyptic fantasy romance. The unusual setting of a human settlement on the brink of collapse and several simmering background mysteriesis Coe's father alive? How did the king's family come to power?keep the pages turning.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)