Book Review: The Deep (The Rise Trilogy Book Two) by Robert P. Ottone
Title: The Deep (The Rise Trilogy – Book Two)
Author: Robert P. Ottone
Release date: August 8th, 2022
Having read the first book in this series and really loving it, I had wanted to dive into book two when it came out right away, but life and my TBR (and some review requirements) got in the way. Now, having finished this one up, I’m so excited for the finale and how Azlynn’s storyline comes to its conclusion.
Book One set the stage – and some of this will mildly fall into spoiler territory – so read no further if you’ve not read Book One!!
OK – here we go – last warning!
In Book One our characters travelled into The Triangle and retrieved The Pearl, the mythical ship. Onboard the ship was the sphere, the mysterious orb that was the gateway to Dagon. We ended with The Pearl being docked and Azlynn deciding to carry on and continue searching the ocean’s in the hopes of finding the island she keeps seeing in her visions.
We all know that the second book in a trilogy is often purely a means to an end. It fills the middle space to get us to the third and final act, so I was intrigued to see what Ottone could do to make this special all on its own.
What I liked: Book Two is essentially a 150 page Hollywood Summer Blockbuster. It’s filled with tons of action and finishes with an insane battle that sets us up for the finale. This was both a good thing and a bad thing (I’ll discuss what I didn’t like so much in the next section) but it worked really well to get us from where we ended to where we need to be and just what awaits Azlynn.
I mentioned it in my review of the first book, but I love this ‘Waterworld’ setting. With the world having been flooded, we get little tidbits of just how much throughout, even at one point we get a character mentioning they found something on the tip of Mount Everest that still juts out of the water. The imagery even in my description is so profound, but Ottone’s vivid descriptions of settings drives how difficult this new world is.
In this book, Azlynn finds an unlikely ally, Eux, leader of a group that is known to be cannibalistic, but who has also experienced Dagon’s pull and visions. It makes for a solid pairing and an emotional stake when the battle rages and people fall.
How Ottone ends this was spot on and exactly where it needed to leave, especially for setting up for the finale.
What I didn’t like: As I mentioned, this one is battle heavy, with the final third being mainly the battle between The Deep and the group that is forced to work together. I found it to be a bit much, especially considering how much ‘what needs to happen next’ is added in. It became a bit jumbled, but that might’ve been just this reader.
Why you should buy this: If you read and loved Book One, then Book Two is a must. If you’re a fan of Lovecraft’s lore but dislike him or his writing, this is a great spot to dive in and learn about the mythos and find some fantastic new characters to follow.
A solid sequel. Now, we wait for the finale!
4/5
