In Deeper Waters
- Downloads：3843
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-09 08:52:30
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：F.T. Lukens
- ISBN：153448051X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean。
Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour。 After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret， he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time。 His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey， when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel。
Tasked with watching over the prisoner， Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen。 So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears， Tal feels responsible and heartbroken， knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean。
That is， until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land， very much alive， and as charming—and secretive—as ever。 But before they can pursue anything further， Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war。 Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom。 And Athlen might just be his only hope…
Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour。 After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret， he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time。 His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey， when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel。
Tasked with watching over the prisoner， Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen。 So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears， Tal feels responsible and heartbroken， knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean。
That is， until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land， very much alive， and as charming—and secretive—as ever。 But before they can pursue anything further， Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war。 Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom。 And Athlen might just be his only hope…
Reviews
Natalie
，
I thought this was super cute if a bit slow in the middle and needing more of a plot at times。 Our leads are lovely cinnamon rolls who also tend to have attitude fits which honestly made me smile and laugh。 I liked they this felt carefree most of the time， but would surprise me with moments where some trauma and deeper themes comes to the surface。 While the miscommunication trope was a biiiiit overplayed， I think it fits here and mostly I just wanted our lovey duo to get back to their make out s I thought this was super cute if a bit slow in the middle and needing more of a plot at times。 Our leads are lovely cinnamon rolls who also tend to have attitude fits which honestly made me smile and laugh。 I liked they this felt carefree most of the time， but would surprise me with moments where some trauma and deeper themes comes to the surface。 While the miscommunication trope was a biiiiit overplayed， I think it fits here and mostly I just wanted our lovey duo to get back to their make out sessions。 Could have used more background on the siblings and magic， but still a fun time。 。。。more
Sharla
，
What a wonderful， gay， magical romance！ This is a pure bubblegum/pop song book， but it is a really wonderful update to， what could be argued （view spoiler）[ The Little Mermaid （hide spoiler）] with a whole new cast of interesting and unconventional characters。 What a wonderful， gay， magical romance！ This is a pure bubblegum/pop song book， but it is a really wonderful update to， what could be argued （view spoiler）[ The Little Mermaid （hide spoiler）] with a whole new cast of interesting and unconventional characters。 。。。more
Arend
，
Entertaining novel with just the right amount of angst， courage， and romance。 The only jarring bit for me is the difference between the directness of the personal experience （e。g。， captivity of one of the protagonists） versus the abstracted streamlined treatment of war and social injustice。
Trisha
，
Magical。 Fairy tale。 Nautical。 Pirates （sort of）。 Gay。Family bonds。 Loyal bonds。 Promises。 Separation。 Kidnapping。 Rescues。 Betrayal。 Secrets。 So， all the things really。 And all the feels。
Madison Harris
，
This book delivers on everything you expect it to。 It’s adorable， fun， engaging， and adventurous。 Is it the most groundbreaking novel ever？ No。 Did I enjoy every minute of reading it？ Yes。 Tal and Athlen made an adorable couple; I enjoyed the family dynamics; and the ending was extremely satisfying and full circle。 Highly recommend。
BookishBIsexual
，
Such a fun read！！！ I could not stop smiling！！！！！
Aimée
，
（2。75）I am so freaking disappointed， man。
Aye
，
QUÉ HISTORIA TAN LINDA Y DULCE， POR FAVOR。 Es un libro que me resultó súper sencillo de leer。 Rápido y adictivo para salir de un bloqueo lector asqueroso。 Cómo siempre， no había leído la sinopsis， solo había visto la portada y resultó ser distinto a lo que pensaba， la trama se torno más fantasía aún de lo que creí y me enamoró。 La historia es simple， le faltan miles de cosas para ser perfecta， como detalles， más desarrollo y construcción del mundo， pero。。。 No voy a mentir， yo estoy encantada con QUÉ HISTORIA TAN LINDA Y DULCE， POR FAVOR。 Es un libro que me resultó súper sencillo de leer。 Rápido y adictivo para salir de un bloqueo lector asqueroso。 Cómo siempre， no había leído la sinopsis， solo había visto la portada y resultó ser distinto a lo que pensaba， la trama se torno más fantasía aún de lo que creí y me enamoró。 La historia es simple， le faltan miles de cosas para ser perfecta， como detalles， más desarrollo y construcción del mundo， pero。。。 No voy a mentir， yo estoy encantada con Tal y Athlen y no necesite más para amar el libro。 A los personajes principales no se los llega a conocer a fondo， no están súper desarrollados， pero aún así， llegas a empatizar y quererlos。 Los demás personajes， igual que los principales no están desarrollados， no se obtienen más que algunos detalles y algo de sus historias metida muy de vez en cuando。 Es un libro juvenil， de romance instantáneo y súper cliché de momentos pero que me hizo un mimo al alma。 。。。more
Keyara Jackson
，
Sucks that this didn't work out for me。 I didn't have much expectations outside of it being a cute gay romance and even on that front it failed。 The romance is very instant and I actually found myself wishing that the book focused more on the relationship with his siblings。 I liked the scenes with Garrett the most。 Everything else felt bland。 No genuine plot just feels like filler。 It had no tension and I felt that Tal behaved bratty more often than not and not really his age at times。 I don't t Sucks that this didn't work out for me。 I didn't have much expectations outside of it being a cute gay romance and even on that front it failed。 The romance is very instant and I actually found myself wishing that the book focused more on the relationship with his siblings。 I liked the scenes with Garrett the most。 Everything else felt bland。 No genuine plot just feels like filler。 It had no tension and I felt that Tal behaved bratty more often than not and not really his age at times。 I don't think the kidnapping plot was the best because it isolated him and he's not the best protagonist。 He's obsessed over Athlen it feels like because they only have one conversation （very inorganic one I might add） and now he's all Tal thinks about。 They have no similar interests or chemistry to me。 Conversation feels forced because the book is depending on two interactions to hook us on their love。 。。。more
Lily_loves_to_read
，
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Sera Taíno
，
I read this book on the recommendation of one of my students， who couldn't stop raving about it， so I picked up the audiobook in my local library。 He was right， this book is incredibly cute， with some really heavy moments of tension for the fate of the main characters。 The diversity is solid， while depicting a society that is clearly comfortable with queerness but not with magic， which is a twist。 But the sweetest part is the romance between the main characters。 They meet under intense circumsta I read this book on the recommendation of one of my students， who couldn't stop raving about it， so I picked up the audiobook in my local library。 He was right， this book is incredibly cute， with some really heavy moments of tension for the fate of the main characters。 The diversity is solid， while depicting a society that is clearly comfortable with queerness but not with magic， which is a twist。 But the sweetest part is the romance between the main characters。 They meet under intense circumstances， which contributes to their powerful bond， but they share as many commonalities as differences。 It's clear that they are really the ying to each other's yang （I don't want to spoil the way they compliment each other but it's almost elemental）， and while it did smack a bit of instalove， I was sold on it。 I like that the author didn't shy away from making them imperfect - Tal has some really bratty moments and Athlen was not always perfectly honest （which， given their backgrounds and secrets， made perfect sense）。 Fun， action-packed， easy read， I enjoyed it enormously。 。。。more
vicki （astoriagetaway）
，
4。5 stars
Jessica Boris
，
3。5
vanessa nicole
，
so lighthearted and sweet🤍more queer coming of age that doesn’t end in sadness pleaseeeee
Ellana-san
，
I have to say I enjoyed the first part of the novel a lot more than the second half。 It reads really young for YA， almost bridging the gap into middle grade and unfortunately， while I initially enjoyed the setting and the direction the story was taking， it soon started lacking enough depths for me。 The two main characters sound very young for 16。 Now， I don't think that's a bad thing because often 16 yo are painted as almost adult characters so it's good to see a kid acting their age for once。 H I have to say I enjoyed the first part of the novel a lot more than the second half。 It reads really young for YA， almost bridging the gap into middle grade and unfortunately， while I initially enjoyed the setting and the direction the story was taking， it soon started lacking enough depths for me。 The two main characters sound very young for 16。 Now， I don't think that's a bad thing because often 16 yo are painted as almost adult characters so it's good to see a kid acting their age for once。 However， I couldn't help but feel like the characters never truly developed。 Sure， Tal has some development and comes into his own but the character still felt very basic to me。 Same with the other characters， it all felt very "basic YA"， with no one having a define personality outside of one striking trait。 It's frustrating because some of them really had potential to be more。 The pace was rocky， mostly （and that's totally a personal opinion） the chapters were toooooo long。 24 pages in one chapter is。。。 a mouthful。 Particularly if， like me， you dislike stopping in the middle of a chapter。 After a while， I just lost interest in the story and the pacing wasn't helping me。 In the same vein， I didn't think the suspense was particularly working because outside of the queer representation， the story is really not unique。 The plot is rehashed。 The world building was close to non-existant and there were so many threads left unexplored。。。 I also didn't enjoy the ending all that much。 It felt too easy and really rushed。 This being said， I enjoyed the writing style， I really really did like the first half and I'm curious to read more by this author。 I think I just wasn't the target age and I went into it expecting something for older range which influenced my reading。 With their next book， I will know better。 。。。more
Kirsty
，
This is such a lovely book。 My friend bought it for me as a Christmas/Birthday present and I'm so glad she did。 It is aged for 14 years up， so nothing is overly detailed， nothing too gory or sexual。 It was actually refreshing to read this。 Saying that there is drama and suspense in the story so its not all cute and fluffy。 But it makes those soft moments all the more sweet after everything the main characters go through。 Tal really does have a coming of age turn in this， and I guessed Athlen's s This is such a lovely book。 My friend bought it for me as a Christmas/Birthday present and I'm so glad she did。 It is aged for 14 years up， so nothing is overly detailed， nothing too gory or sexual。 It was actually refreshing to read this。 Saying that there is drama and suspense in the story so its not all cute and fluffy。 But it makes those soft moments all the more sweet after everything the main characters go through。 Tal really does have a coming of age turn in this， and I guessed Athlen's secret （well one of them） fairly early on。 I loved the flow and the pace of the story and their learning of each other。 In fact the only problem I had with this book is I wanted more。 I wanted to see more of Tal and Athlen， wanted to learn more of Tal's family and experience more of their world。 I would love there to be another volume but for a stand alone novel？ It's so sweet and exactly what I needed to read right now。 💗Also the cover is absolutely gorgeous 😍Though I would love for the author to make this a series~ 🥰 。。。more
Riv
，
wow。。。。。 this was so good。。。。 I was very torn between taking my time and savouring every word， and finishing it as fast as humanly possible。。。。。 unfortunfortunately I was unable to put it down 😔
Caro Acevedo
，
4。5 stars。I honestly didn't know what to expect going into this book。 It was a new author and a story that didn't quite fit with my tastes but Oh， my God I loved it。I think I'm not giving this book a full 5 stars because it was hard at the beginning to love Tal and that sort of pulled me out a bit but once you get through the starting portion of the book， it got so good it was impossible to stop reading！So， we are following 16-year-old Tal who is making his coming-of-age tour sailing around， he 4。5 stars。I honestly didn't know what to expect going into this book。 It was a new author and a story that didn't quite fit with my tastes but Oh， my God I loved it。I think I'm not giving this book a full 5 stars because it was hard at the beginning to love Tal and that sort of pulled me out a bit but once you get through the starting portion of the book， it got so good it was impossible to stop reading！So， we are following 16-year-old Tal who is making his coming-of-age tour sailing around， he is in a very bad place personally because of a lot of things going on in his life and around him but everything takes a turn for the worse when he and his brother Garrett find a capsized boat and in the wreckage a boy named Athlen （😍） who was being held hostage in the boat for reasons he won't disclose。 The characters were definitely the selling point of the book， they had an amazing development and their story was told in such a wholesome， tender， and a bit heart-wrecking way that it was impossible not to love them deeply。 。。。more
Athena Goddess Of Books
，
3。5 stars。 The book was decent and I liked the plot。 However， I love characters and character driven stories and that’s where this book fell short。 Great concepts and everything but the characters weren’t fleshed out so I never got attached or invested in the story。 That being said， the relationship between Tal and Athlen was interesting， and I liked the family dynamic。 It was nice to see that underlying theme of acceptance in more ways than one。Overall， I don’t regret reading this book but it a 3。5 stars。 The book was decent and I liked the plot。 However， I love characters and character driven stories and that’s where this book fell short。 Great concepts and everything but the characters weren’t fleshed out so I never got attached or invested in the story。 That being said， the relationship between Tal and Athlen was interesting， and I liked the family dynamic。 It was nice to see that underlying theme of acceptance in more ways than one。Overall， I don’t regret reading this book but it also wasn’t very exciting so personally， I don’t really recommend but maybe someone else might enjoy it。 。。。more
Minnie
，
If you want a very quick gay fantasy fairytale retelling （I won't tell which fairytale because I think it could spoiler the premise） then this is the right book for you。 It's super cute and heartwarming - but sadly it never went beyond that stage。 The writing style， the world， the magic system: everything was lacking， too juvenile even， because it felt everything was washed over it but we didn't dive any deeper in the concept。 But still， I want to try the new book of F。T。Lukens， because it's rig If you want a very quick gay fantasy fairytale retelling （I won't tell which fairytale because I think it could spoiler the premise） then this is the right book for you。 It's super cute and heartwarming - but sadly it never went beyond that stage。 The writing style， the world， the magic system: everything was lacking， too juvenile even， because it felt everything was washed over it but we didn't dive any deeper in the concept。 But still， I want to try the new book of F。T。Lukens， because it's right up my alley。 I mean， aArthur/Merlin kinda retelling？ Where are my bbc merlin fans？？ Anyone？ So nevertheless， three stars isn't by any meaning a bad rating for me， it's an okayish/enjoyable read with a lot of stuff lacking in my opinion。 。。。more
Cara
，
It was good！ I just felt like I had to force myself through it。 I didn’t feel like I wanted to pick it up， and could only read it in short bursts cause I kept getting distracted while reading cause I didn’t feel “hooked”。 I was also a little disappointed because I was expecting more pirates and time on the water， mostly because of the cover。 But overall， the romance in it was really cute， and it was worth the read。
Lauren
，
So that was adorable
Marmar
，
It was okay。 I expected more and it didn't really deliver but I had a fun reading it for the most part。 I guess my main issue was that I was looking for more complexity but it was lacking in that regard。 It was okay。 I expected more and it didn't really deliver but I had a fun reading it for the most part。 I guess my main issue was that I was looking for more complexity but it was lacking in that regard。 。。。more
Daphne
，
Honestly kinda disappointed。
Aranza （grumpy version）
，
3。5 stars！ Heeey！ I wasn’t planning on finishing this today but I suddenly couldn’t stop reading， so here I am。 This was pure softness， not gonna lie。 I enjoyed this book and these characters a lot and I was really engaged on the second half。 I really liked the world too， which is the reason I wish we had more of it。 Overall， enough is explained for you to understand the context of the characters and the world， but it doesn’t go much deeper than that。 The relationship between our prince and his 3。5 stars！ Heeey！ I wasn’t planning on finishing this today but I suddenly couldn’t stop reading， so here I am。 This was pure softness， not gonna lie。 I enjoyed this book and these characters a lot and I was really engaged on the second half。 I really liked the world too， which is the reason I wish we had more of it。 Overall， enough is explained for you to understand the context of the characters and the world， but it doesn’t go much deeper than that。 The relationship between our prince and his mysterious boy it’s at center stage alongside some political drama。 I liked the build up， but I also feel it progressed too quickly。 Not quite instalove， but more like a rather quick-love。 Oh， well。 They were cute， so I’m not mad。 Something that I adored from this book？ Family dynamics。 It’s painfully rare to find those in books， especially fantasy ones。 Seeing Tal’s relationship with his siblings and mother， getting to enjoy their dynamics， felt like a gift。 Definitely one of the best parts of the story。 The political drama was nice and engaging， you know？ Nothing suuuper dramatic and over the top， and I think it’s meant to be that way。 This book is supposed to entrain you and fill you with cuteness and fluff。 I’m real happy I picked it up。 Real images of me reading this fantasy attached below: 。。。more
jasminks
，
So this was sweet sweet sweet - at times cringingly so。 A fairytale with adorable characters for sure， but I just failed to connect with much of it on any deeper level。The romance happened so quickly and easily I struggled to feel any chemistry there。 The plot was pretty predictable and underdeveloped， as was the worldbuilding， the writing decent but quite generic throughout。 All in all， the story felt like a lite version of its potential。 I can’t say I disliked it， either。 Just。。 overly cute an So this was sweet sweet sweet - at times cringingly so。 A fairytale with adorable characters for sure， but I just failed to connect with much of it on any deeper level。The romance happened so quickly and easily I struggled to feel any chemistry there。 The plot was pretty predictable and underdeveloped， as was the worldbuilding， the writing decent but quite generic throughout。 All in all， the story felt like a lite version of its potential。 I can’t say I disliked it， either。 Just。。 overly cute and lovely to its own detriment; endearing， all the same。 。。。more
David Nadalini
，
"In Deeper Waters" was a light-hearted and cute BL novel。 At times， the plot was predictable for a YA novel， but it still made me smile with Tal and Athlen's honest romance。 F。T。 Lukens paints a beautiful backdrop of the sea and it's many creatures， but I got lost when it came to character descriptions。 I didn't know who was who on the cover right away （Tal's brother is described as having a ginger beard， which really confused me）。 The only problem I have with this book is the ending， a subtle c "In Deeper Waters" was a light-hearted and cute BL novel。 At times， the plot was predictable for a YA novel， but it still made me smile with Tal and Athlen's honest romance。 F。T。 Lukens paints a beautiful backdrop of the sea and it's many creatures， but I got lost when it came to character descriptions。 I didn't know who was who on the cover right away （Tal's brother is described as having a ginger beard， which really confused me）。 The only problem I have with this book is the ending， a subtle change would have made a more lasting impression。 With how things stand， I wouldn't mind a sequel。 。。。more
Theresa
，
The book is not bad per se， but it's so simple， very basic high-fantasy elements， no conflict between people whatsoever， everything is solved too easily。。。 Did not enjoy it。 Other people might， this is more for people who don't tend to or have never read fantasy， but I need a bit more substance on my high fantasy。 And the relationship was very insta-love。 I'm going to give this author another chance with their new book that just came out， but I feel it's going to be very similar。。。 The book is not bad per se， but it's so simple， very basic high-fantasy elements， no conflict between people whatsoever， everything is solved too easily。。。 Did not enjoy it。 Other people might， this is more for people who don't tend to or have never read fantasy， but I need a bit more substance on my high fantasy。 And the relationship was very insta-love。 I'm going to give this author another chance with their new book that just came out， but I feel it's going to be very similar。。。 。。。more
Ayden_Rae
，
I overall very much liked this book， but a lot happened in a short amount of time so I lost the plot at some times。 The characters were very well thought out and it was very enjoyable to read their experiences。
et
，
so cute :（
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=In Deeper Waters
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=In Deeper Waters&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,In Deeper Waters&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0