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Child of a Hidden Sea by A.M. Dellamonica
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
CHILD OF A HIDDEN SEA is an interesting take on the fish out of water fantasy tale. Our heroine Sophie is cast into a strange world after trying to save the life of her aunt that she’s never actually met, and wonder of all wonders, she actually questions the setting! She takes a scientific look at her surroundings and even has the smarts to record some of the odder, even magical occurrences. She questions as much as she can, but of course, this gets her into trouble. Sophie finds secrets that others would prefer to remain hidden, and she has to unravel a murder plot and inheritance question, and practice diplomacy to keep her new world from descending into war.
I love the fact that Sophie is a scientist, how she catalogs each new specimen and compares it to known Earth items. I like how she texts her brother even though she’s obviously in a place with no cell coverage (would that be roaming or what?). Eventually, Sophie is able to get back to Earth, but she has to return to Stormwrack to fix what she has inadvertently broken, taking her nerdy-cool brother with her. Her brother is gay, but it doesn’t take over the story, nor does it seem odd. Diversity is normal here, and that’s the way it should be. The magic system in Stormwrack is interesting, with the fantasy trope of making sure no one knows your real name becoming important.
This is a classic example of portal fantasy, and I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series, to go back to Stormwrack and get some questions answered!
Received as a free digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.