Book Review: Daughter of Deep Silence

Daughter of Deep Silence
By Carrie Ryan
Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2015
Reviewed from First Reads
Audience: Ages 14 and up
ISBN:  9780525426509
Publication Date:  May 26, 2015

Frances Mace was pulled from a lifeboat, only hours after watching her friend give in to dehydration and  exhaustion, and surviving a violent attack on the Persephone which killed her parents and nearly everyone on board.  Now an orphan, Frances accepted the offer to become her friend Libby when her father asked to her help him find out the truth about the ship's demise.  There were two other survivors who both claim that the ship was hit but a rogue wave, not armed gunmen, and one of them is Frances' first love, Grey.  After four long years of living as Libby, she's come home to find out the truth and exact her revenge, for Libby, for her parents, and for herself.

This story takes place in a world of privilege, excess, and secrets.  Frances (I'm going to call her that for the sake of argument) has completely made herself into Libby, but Libby's first love Shepard notices the small differences that cannot be faked, and she's thrust into a dangerous position.  Meanwhile, Grey is slowly falling for new Libby, all part of the plan to expose the truth, and a local detective seems to be too interested in new Libby as well.  Plots abound, danger is everywhere, and emotions run high.

There must be something about girls with multiple personalities, like Vanishing Girls and The In-Between.  While Frances is this Libby hybrid, but she keeps referring to Frances as a girl that's locked up and wants to get out.  The revenge plot is quite well-planned and with Shepard's help, Frances is able to understand why the Persephone was a target in the first place.  Surprisingly, that plot point didn't feel forced.  Sometimes a detail like that can feel too simple once explained, but I actually thought that was well thought-out.

I blew through this book, something I alluded to the other day, and I do feel like some of the revelations lacked a punch.  Then again, I was left wide-eyed at the ending, so there was still obviously plenty of punch left.

One aspect of this book felt off to me.  Every love story (Libby and Shepard or Frances and Grey) was so intense that it left a mark for four years, even when Frances and Grey were only really together for a week or two.  It didn't feel believable to me, but maybe that's my adult side showing.  More on that to come.

For a plot driven revenge novel with come pretty compelling characters, look no further than Daughter of Deep Silence.

Happy Reading!