Below: The Surface

by Abigail Ryan

Jen was a typical teenager. Her life may not have been perfect but she was generally happy until a hidden addiction took her mom’s life, and her dad was incarcerated for it. A chance encounter sees her easily tempted away from her somewhat troubled yet overall humdrum life by Fae trickster Puck into The Below, an uncanny parallel reality where everything and everyone that has ever been imagined actually exists. While seemingly idyllic and deceptively familiar at first, Jen soon runs afoul of rules that govern this world that, despite appearances, is not the one she knows and understands. Facing painful truths, personal trauma, and with no obvious way to return to The Above, Jen navigates her way through trials of young adulthood and law within a fantastical setting sprinkled throughout with historical and cultural easter eggs.

254 pages, Paperback

Published July 12, 2023

Reviews

[Maria Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so much fun. Jen is very real and a very grounded character; she keeps it together remarkably well. Puck is chaos, largely well meaning but chaos none the less. This is a debut book and such a strong one, I'm hoping for more stories in this world.