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At Sea
A female driller takes charge of an isolated offshore oil rig with an entirely male crew in this propulsive literary debut about ambition, greed and the deadly consequences of ignoring Mother Nature. For readers of Greenwood and Wild Dark Shore.
When Zainab, an expert driller, is tasked with overseeing a high-stakes oil rig operation, she leaves behind her pregnant sister to embark on the most challenging assignment of her career. But there’s a catch. The rig is teetering on the edge of disaster, and as a woman, Zainab’s experience isn’t enough to convince the crew of hardened men that she has any place among them, let alone at the helm.
The sole woman on the rig, isolated at sea, Zainab is hypervigilant towards potential threats. But as she investigates the issues that have plagued the rig, she quickly grasps that an even more pressing danger may lie in the cold calculations that underpin the entire operation, placing profit before safety, sustainability and sense. When all her warnings are ignored, Zainab must race to prevent the looming catastrophe that threatens the rig, the lives of the crew and the very welfare of the sea before it’s too late.
Haunting, original, and as poetic as it is propulsive, At Sea is a taut and gripping novel about principle, prejudice, and the capitalist endeavors that overlook the concerns of women—and of Mother Nature herself.
When Zainab, an expert driller, is tasked with overseeing a high-stakes oil rig operation, she leaves behind her pregnant sister to embark on the most challenging assignment of her career. But there’s a catch. The rig is teetering on the edge of disaster, and as a woman, Zainab’s experience isn’t enough to convince the crew of hardened men that she has any place among them, let alone at the helm.
The sole woman on the rig, isolated at sea, Zainab is hypervigilant towards potential threats. But as she investigates the issues that have plagued the rig, she quickly grasps that an even more pressing danger may lie in the cold calculations that underpin the entire operation, placing profit before safety, sustainability and sense. When all her warnings are ignored, Zainab must race to prevent the looming catastrophe that threatens the rig, the lives of the crew and the very welfare of the sea before it’s too late.
Haunting, original, and as poetic as it is propulsive, At Sea is a taut and gripping novel about principle, prejudice, and the capitalist endeavors that overlook the concerns of women—and of Mother Nature herself.
- GenresFictionMystery Thriller
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 10, 2025
Really enjoyed this - slick, lyrical, and with a gathering momentum that made it hard to put down. Loved how every man Zainab meets on the rig, even the “good ones” are inherently flawed in their treatment of her, their ogling of her as other. I don’t confess to know a lot about oil rigs or engineering, but I do know now that they make a kickass premise for a foreboding, heart-wrenching story.
May 19, 2026
Before you go into this book, I think it’s important you know the story of the Clarissa Clyde were inspired by the blowout on the Macondo Well in the Gulf of Mexico (April 20, 2010).
I bring this up because there is a lot of oil rig jargon in this book. So much so, that sometimes I couldn’t focus, because I was not interested in the workings of the rig. At first, I was interested to learn about something new, but this newness slowly lost its charm and I never want to hear about drilling again 😂. I’m only being a tad bit dramatic.
Outside of the technical aspects, which I do still believe add to the story building as it truly sets the scene, I was intrigued by Zainab’s story. I wanted to know what makes her tick, the why and the how. Even often, when frustrated by the characters around her, annoyed by the vulgarity of the dialogue, it felt real and I had to accept that it wasn’t going to tamper down.
Intertwined in the unfolding of events is Zainab’s faith. A true portrayal of how faith is present in our everyday.
A short read, overall interesting, but ultimately a read that I had a hard time immersing in completely.
I bring this up because there is a lot of oil rig jargon in this book. So much so, that sometimes I couldn’t focus, because I was not interested in the workings of the rig. At first, I was interested to learn about something new, but this newness slowly lost its charm and I never want to hear about drilling again 😂. I’m only being a tad bit dramatic.
Outside of the technical aspects, which I do still believe add to the story building as it truly sets the scene, I was intrigued by Zainab’s story. I wanted to know what makes her tick, the why and the how. Even often, when frustrated by the characters around her, annoyed by the vulgarity of the dialogue, it felt real and I had to accept that it wasn’t going to tamper down.
Intertwined in the unfolding of events is Zainab’s faith. A true portrayal of how faith is present in our everyday.
A short read, overall interesting, but ultimately a read that I had a hard time immersing in completely.
May 18, 2026
This is a compelling premise, but the ending is not good. The entire book is a build up, and then the ending is a series of brief vignettes scattered over several pages. This reads as an incomplete draft.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
At Sea was a somber, tense read with a blend of patriarchal arrogance and the wildness of the open ocean.
We’re following Zainab, the only woman onboard her latest offshore oil rig operation. She’s been offered a chance to step up in the ranks, leaving her pregnant sister onshore for her first major leadership position. But something is off about the rig and its crew, and everything is oddly rushed and haphazard about this mission.
Zainab has to fight to be heard, and every basic question she asks or task she directs is met with a sneer or a dismissal. And as it becomes clearer that the men in charge are prioritizing profit before all else, Zainab feels more alone than ever as she fights for everyone’s safety.
This is such a fascinating character study on Zainab: how she behaves with the men versus her sister versus in private, and all the ways she folds into herself and manipulates and defers and charms. She has to quickly read the room and take countless extra steps just to be - at a bare minimum - heard & acknowledged. Separately, I was intrigued by her flashbacks and her relationship to her sister, and I would have enjoyed exploring those moments a little deeper. I think witnessing her behave in different environments for longer stretches would have served as a more effective foil for her behavior on the isolated rig.
I was super curious about the experience of working on an oil rig, and I suppose I don’t have any idea about how precisely accurate this story was, but it definitely engaged me & I felt like I learned a lot. The unique hierarchies that form, the power struggles and imbalances, and the simultaneous feeling of claustrophobia and freedom were all described very well. I felt like I was part of this strange atmosphere.
I did fade in and out at times because of the large amount of oil rigging language (simply because I don’t know enough about it and it was hard to get a clear image of what exactly was happening), but the tension was UNREAL. I wasn’t sure what exactly was going to go down, but I was stressed and sweating and frustrated on behalf of Zainab. But even aside from the sometimes-challenging lingo, the pacing was a little funky at times.
This story is a warning against supercilious men who battle for authority, dismissing nature, and refusing to look at the big picture. It paints a fascinating (and sometimes harrowing picture) of a lone woman having to warp herself for survival, and how her faith and knowledge and cleverness all come into play as she does her best to look out for the rest of the rig. It was a solid thriller overall, and slight awkwardness of the prose & buildup aside, I was gripped.
CW: death of loved one, misogyny, sexism, sexual harassment, fire, pregnancy, mass death
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
We’re following Zainab, the only woman onboard her latest offshore oil rig operation. She’s been offered a chance to step up in the ranks, leaving her pregnant sister onshore for her first major leadership position. But something is off about the rig and its crew, and everything is oddly rushed and haphazard about this mission.
Zainab has to fight to be heard, and every basic question she asks or task she directs is met with a sneer or a dismissal. And as it becomes clearer that the men in charge are prioritizing profit before all else, Zainab feels more alone than ever as she fights for everyone’s safety.
This is such a fascinating character study on Zainab: how she behaves with the men versus her sister versus in private, and all the ways she folds into herself and manipulates and defers and charms. She has to quickly read the room and take countless extra steps just to be - at a bare minimum - heard & acknowledged. Separately, I was intrigued by her flashbacks and her relationship to her sister, and I would have enjoyed exploring those moments a little deeper. I think witnessing her behave in different environments for longer stretches would have served as a more effective foil for her behavior on the isolated rig.
I was super curious about the experience of working on an oil rig, and I suppose I don’t have any idea about how precisely accurate this story was, but it definitely engaged me & I felt like I learned a lot. The unique hierarchies that form, the power struggles and imbalances, and the simultaneous feeling of claustrophobia and freedom were all described very well. I felt like I was part of this strange atmosphere.
I did fade in and out at times because of the large amount of oil rigging language (simply because I don’t know enough about it and it was hard to get a clear image of what exactly was happening), but the tension was UNREAL. I wasn’t sure what exactly was going to go down, but I was stressed and sweating and frustrated on behalf of Zainab. But even aside from the sometimes-challenging lingo, the pacing was a little funky at times.
This story is a warning against supercilious men who battle for authority, dismissing nature, and refusing to look at the big picture. It paints a fascinating (and sometimes harrowing picture) of a lone woman having to warp herself for survival, and how her faith and knowledge and cleverness all come into play as she does her best to look out for the rest of the rig. It was a solid thriller overall, and slight awkwardness of the prose & buildup aside, I was gripped.
CW: death of loved one, misogyny, sexism, sexual harassment, fire, pregnancy, mass death
Follow me on social media for book recommendations!
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
May 6, 2026
4.5 stars — a visceral, thought‑provoking experience
At Sea isn’t just a book you read — it’s a world you enter and inhabit. Abdel‑Magied drops you directly into the harsh, male‑dominated environment of offshore oil drilling, where language is abrasive, the culture is unforgiving, and gender dynamics are constantly under pressure. The writing is sharp, immersive, and at times so raw that I physically recoiled from the crassness and aggression on the page. It’s meant to be uncomfortable, and it succeeds.
There’s a moment halfway through the novel that stopped me cold: Zainab, a Muslim woman navigating this roughneck world, is offered a cup of REAL hot chocolate by a man whose nickname on the rig is literally “Porno.” He digs out actual chocolate, steams milk, and hands her something warm and human in a place built on hazing and hardness. When she asks about the treatment she’s been receiving, his response — “You wanted equality, didn’t ya? That’s how men treat each other out here.” — made me put the book down and think.
The scene is messy, complicated, and revealing. It exposes the tension between equality, cruelty, camaraderie, and the ways women are simultaneously included and excluded in male‑dominated spaces. Abdel‑Magied doesn’t offer easy answers; she invites you to sit with the discomfort.
What surprised me most was the spiritual undercurrent. Zainab’s faith grounds her, anchors her, and shapes how she interprets the world around her. The poetry threaded throughout the novel — almost like the sea and the earth themselves are speaking — adds a mythic, witnessing quality to the narrative. Lines like:
you hear and yet
you do not heed
but now
the hour has come
…made me pause and wonder: who is speaking? Are we reading it, or is it being spoken to us? And the lack of capitalization here says more than I can.
The final third of the book is claustrophobic, tense, and propulsive. I found myself reading with darting eyes, trying to track every movement, every thought, every shift in the rig’s fragile ecosystem.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. It’s an incredible choice for book clubs because it invites discussion not just about Zainab’s experience or the world of offshore drilling, but about gender, power, environment, faith, and the stories we tell ourselves about who belongs where. And the ending… I won’t spoil it, but it will divide readers in the best possible way.
A challenging, immersive, unforgettable read.
At Sea isn’t just a book you read — it’s a world you enter and inhabit. Abdel‑Magied drops you directly into the harsh, male‑dominated environment of offshore oil drilling, where language is abrasive, the culture is unforgiving, and gender dynamics are constantly under pressure. The writing is sharp, immersive, and at times so raw that I physically recoiled from the crassness and aggression on the page. It’s meant to be uncomfortable, and it succeeds.
There’s a moment halfway through the novel that stopped me cold: Zainab, a Muslim woman navigating this roughneck world, is offered a cup of REAL hot chocolate by a man whose nickname on the rig is literally “Porno.” He digs out actual chocolate, steams milk, and hands her something warm and human in a place built on hazing and hardness. When she asks about the treatment she’s been receiving, his response — “You wanted equality, didn’t ya? That’s how men treat each other out here.” — made me put the book down and think.
The scene is messy, complicated, and revealing. It exposes the tension between equality, cruelty, camaraderie, and the ways women are simultaneously included and excluded in male‑dominated spaces. Abdel‑Magied doesn’t offer easy answers; she invites you to sit with the discomfort.
What surprised me most was the spiritual undercurrent. Zainab’s faith grounds her, anchors her, and shapes how she interprets the world around her. The poetry threaded throughout the novel — almost like the sea and the earth themselves are speaking — adds a mythic, witnessing quality to the narrative. Lines like:
you hear and yet
you do not heed
but now
the hour has come
…made me pause and wonder: who is speaking? Are we reading it, or is it being spoken to us? And the lack of capitalization here says more than I can.
The final third of the book is claustrophobic, tense, and propulsive. I found myself reading with darting eyes, trying to track every movement, every thought, every shift in the rig’s fragile ecosystem.
This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. It’s an incredible choice for book clubs because it invites discussion not just about Zainab’s experience or the world of offshore drilling, but about gender, power, environment, faith, and the stories we tell ourselves about who belongs where. And the ending… I won’t spoil it, but it will divide readers in the best possible way.
A challenging, immersive, unforgettable read.
May 21, 2026
At Sea is Sudanese author and screenwriter YM Abdel-Magied’s first literary novel. It seems to draw on her past career as a mechanical engineer although whether she had a direct connection to oil rigs or oil extraction is unclear. It certainly feels like she does as At Sea puts readers onto an oil rig where things seem to be a little out of control.
The main character of At Sea is Zainab, an engineer who essentially ran away to sea (for reasons explained later in the book) to become an oil rig drilling expert. All Zainab wants when At Sea opens is to spend some time with her pregnant sister but her old boss offers her a promotion to go out and help supervise the closing down of an off-shore rig. He sends her because he is sure that something is not right.
Zainab quickly discovers, not unusually, that she is the only woman on board, a situation that she has faced before but one that takes a lot of management and care. Particularly as her promotion means that she has a crew to manage and has to share the job with a man whose nickname is Porno. Zainab has few allies and finds herself constantly pushing against the culture of the rig which is being driven by the “boss man” a South African nepo-baby who wants to prove himself by ensuring the highest level of profit.
At Sea is a tense read from the outset and the pressure only increases as the clock ticks down. Abdel-Magied provides enough detail for readers to understand some quite technical processes and the risks involved in them without clogging up the narrative with exposition. So that even as a casual reader, knowing nothing about this industry going in, there is a sense of danger and red flags being ignored. But this tension is almost background to the constant state of alert that Zainab has to be in around a crew of alpha males, many of whom do not accept her expertise or experience. Zainab often finds herself out of her depth as the rules that she has developed to survive and succeed in these environments seem to change.
At Sea is a dark, compelling tale that shines a light on an extreme, male-dominated and profit-oriented industry. With its relatively short length it is likely that many readers will pick it up and find themselves unable to put it down.
The main character of At Sea is Zainab, an engineer who essentially ran away to sea (for reasons explained later in the book) to become an oil rig drilling expert. All Zainab wants when At Sea opens is to spend some time with her pregnant sister but her old boss offers her a promotion to go out and help supervise the closing down of an off-shore rig. He sends her because he is sure that something is not right.
Zainab quickly discovers, not unusually, that she is the only woman on board, a situation that she has faced before but one that takes a lot of management and care. Particularly as her promotion means that she has a crew to manage and has to share the job with a man whose nickname is Porno. Zainab has few allies and finds herself constantly pushing against the culture of the rig which is being driven by the “boss man” a South African nepo-baby who wants to prove himself by ensuring the highest level of profit.
At Sea is a tense read from the outset and the pressure only increases as the clock ticks down. Abdel-Magied provides enough detail for readers to understand some quite technical processes and the risks involved in them without clogging up the narrative with exposition. So that even as a casual reader, knowing nothing about this industry going in, there is a sense of danger and red flags being ignored. But this tension is almost background to the constant state of alert that Zainab has to be in around a crew of alpha males, many of whom do not accept her expertise or experience. Zainab often finds herself out of her depth as the rules that she has developed to survive and succeed in these environments seem to change.
At Sea is a dark, compelling tale that shines a light on an extreme, male-dominated and profit-oriented industry. With its relatively short length it is likely that many readers will pick it up and find themselves unable to put it down.
May 7, 2026
I genuinely don’t know how to put my feelings about this book into words because I finished it feeling hollow with anger. Not sadness. Not heartbreak. Pure frustration at how terrifyingly real this story felt.
First of all, congratulations to Yassmin on her adult debut novel. And thank you to randomhouseca and Yassmin for the gifted ARC opportunity.
Zainab’s story hit hard because so many women will recognize pieces of themselves in her. A woman with years of experience, knowledge, and instincts still forced to constantly prove she deserves to exist in a male dominated workplace. Every warning she gave was questioned. Every decision scrutinized. Every ounce of authority challenged simply because she was a woman standing on an oil rig surrounded by men who had already decided she did not belong there. The assumptions, the mockery, the quiet patronizing comments all felt painfully familiar.
There’s one scene halfway through involving a cup of hot chocolate that completely infuriated me. It was such a deeply human moment yet so unbelievably condescending that I had to stop reading for a second just to process my anger.
And then comes the thriller aspect. This book was gripping from beginning to end. The tension never loosened its grip on me and I genuinely pulled an all nighter because I could not look away from the disaster waiting to unfold. Some of the oil rig terminology went over my head, but the writing grounded everything enough that I never felt lost. Instead, it made the story feel even more immersive and unsettling.
What I loved most was seeing a Black Muslim woman hold onto her faith in the darkest moments. Watching Zainab call upon Allah for strength while everyone around her doubted her intellect and capability felt incredibly powerful. Her faith was not erased to make her stronger. It was part of her strength.
This book is haunting, infuriating, claustrophobic, and devastatingly relevant. I sat with my thoughts for an entire day after finishing it because it left that much of a mark on me.
First of all, congratulations to Yassmin on her adult debut novel. And thank you to randomhouseca and Yassmin for the gifted ARC opportunity.
Zainab’s story hit hard because so many women will recognize pieces of themselves in her. A woman with years of experience, knowledge, and instincts still forced to constantly prove she deserves to exist in a male dominated workplace. Every warning she gave was questioned. Every decision scrutinized. Every ounce of authority challenged simply because she was a woman standing on an oil rig surrounded by men who had already decided she did not belong there. The assumptions, the mockery, the quiet patronizing comments all felt painfully familiar.
There’s one scene halfway through involving a cup of hot chocolate that completely infuriated me. It was such a deeply human moment yet so unbelievably condescending that I had to stop reading for a second just to process my anger.
And then comes the thriller aspect. This book was gripping from beginning to end. The tension never loosened its grip on me and I genuinely pulled an all nighter because I could not look away from the disaster waiting to unfold. Some of the oil rig terminology went over my head, but the writing grounded everything enough that I never felt lost. Instead, it made the story feel even more immersive and unsettling.
What I loved most was seeing a Black Muslim woman hold onto her faith in the darkest moments. Watching Zainab call upon Allah for strength while everyone around her doubted her intellect and capability felt incredibly powerful. Her faith was not erased to make her stronger. It was part of her strength.
This book is haunting, infuriating, claustrophobic, and devastatingly relevant. I sat with my thoughts for an entire day after finishing it because it left that much of a mark on me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The book follows a middle-aged Muslim woman working on an offshore oil rig. She is sent to replace a team leader, effectively a promotion, to help complete a troubled project, with a warning from her boss that something may be wrong. On arrival, she faces a male-dominated culture and must establish authority while uncovering why operations are not proceeding as they should. The story operates on two levels: her struggle to succeed in a macho environment, and an impending drilling disaster, clearly inspired by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A secondary thread explores a traumatic past that led her to this role, revealed gradually.
The writing is excellent. The author has a strong command of pacing and tension, and the narrative reads like a crime drama. The depiction of offshore rig life, its routines, politics, and technical complexity, is particularly effective and informative.
However, the book tries to do too much at once without fully integrating its themes. The protagonist’s identity, her backstory, and the disaster narrative often feel disconnected. It is unclear whether the focus is on industrial catastrophe, gender dynamics, or the experience of a Muslim woman in such an environment. In attempting all three, none is explored with sufficient depth.
The pacing is uneven. Much of the book unfolds at a measured pace, with limited exploration of character motivations, followed by a rushed climax that feels underdeveloped, almost like a draft.
Overall, the quality of the writing makes it worthwhile, and the subject matter is engaging. Still, it does not fully realise its potential and reads more like a precursor to a film script than a fully developed novel.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
The writing is excellent. The author has a strong command of pacing and tension, and the narrative reads like a crime drama. The depiction of offshore rig life, its routines, politics, and technical complexity, is particularly effective and informative.
However, the book tries to do too much at once without fully integrating its themes. The protagonist’s identity, her backstory, and the disaster narrative often feel disconnected. It is unclear whether the focus is on industrial catastrophe, gender dynamics, or the experience of a Muslim woman in such an environment. In attempting all three, none is explored with sufficient depth.
The pacing is uneven. Much of the book unfolds at a measured pace, with limited exploration of character motivations, followed by a rushed climax that feels underdeveloped, almost like a draft.
Overall, the quality of the writing makes it worthwhile, and the subject matter is engaging. Still, it does not fully realise its potential and reads more like a precursor to a film script than a fully developed novel.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The cover grabbed my attention and the synopsis had me curious about what it was like to work on an offshore oil rig. I needed to know more about these unsung heroes of the drilling industry.
Zainab supervises the crew on the Clarissa Clyde rig, making sure tasks are completed correctly and on schedule, that they align with the company vision and safety standards. She constantly monitors and adjusts to optimize Clarissa Clyde’s performance. She’s the lone woman, and a Muslim, on a crew of hardened men…men who don’t take lightly to a woman checking their work.
Y.M. Abdel-Magied reveals the power imbalance and the uncomfortable reality of keeping an oil rig an inclusive and equitable workplace. Her characters show us that safety isn’t just a priority, but a way of life and that mental resilience is needed. I was shocked at the hypervigilance Azinab needed to survive this work environment and how commanding this rig needed mental acumen, especially when the men decided to put profits over safety and the environment.
Something really strange was definitely going on with Clyde.
I appreciated the way Y.M. Abdel-Magied showed me that working on an oil rig is not only a job, but an adventure. She placed me in the setting with her vivid descriptions, alerted me to the living conditions in this isolated and unique place, and shared the weight of sexism in the workplace. The suspense was fantastic and the insight was amazing. I was in awe of the power imbalance and the challenges some had with reframing and adapting to take instruction from a woman. We’ve come a long way - there are still more entrenched beliefs from which we need to break free.
🚩Swearing
I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Zainab supervises the crew on the Clarissa Clyde rig, making sure tasks are completed correctly and on schedule, that they align with the company vision and safety standards. She constantly monitors and adjusts to optimize Clarissa Clyde’s performance. She’s the lone woman, and a Muslim, on a crew of hardened men…men who don’t take lightly to a woman checking their work.
Y.M. Abdel-Magied reveals the power imbalance and the uncomfortable reality of keeping an oil rig an inclusive and equitable workplace. Her characters show us that safety isn’t just a priority, but a way of life and that mental resilience is needed. I was shocked at the hypervigilance Azinab needed to survive this work environment and how commanding this rig needed mental acumen, especially when the men decided to put profits over safety and the environment.
Something really strange was definitely going on with Clyde.
I appreciated the way Y.M. Abdel-Magied showed me that working on an oil rig is not only a job, but an adventure. She placed me in the setting with her vivid descriptions, alerted me to the living conditions in this isolated and unique place, and shared the weight of sexism in the workplace. The suspense was fantastic and the insight was amazing. I was in awe of the power imbalance and the challenges some had with reframing and adapting to take instruction from a woman. We’ve come a long way - there are still more entrenched beliefs from which we need to break free.
🚩Swearing
I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I never knew I wanted to read a novel about life on an oil rig.
But At Sea (thank you #gifted @pegasusbooks ) is definitely one I’d recommend.
Zainab, a Muslim woman among a crew of men, is tasked with the job of overseeing a high-stakes oil rig operation. Her first time in this role, at the behest of her boss who worries something’s wrong.
She’s ignored, condescended to, even threatened. Her worries about the risks taken are routinely pushed aside, and it made me so mad on her behalf.
The language is crude, perhaps as one would expect in an atmosphere like this. I still can’t claim to know much about how an oil well is drilled, and truth be told, I didn’t worry too much about understanding the technical aspects, assuming I could still enjoy the story (I did).
But it’s also poetic at times, the vast skies, the riches beneath the ocean. And unbelievably tense. I raced through the last third.
But At Sea (thank you #gifted @pegasusbooks ) is definitely one I’d recommend.
Zainab, a Muslim woman among a crew of men, is tasked with the job of overseeing a high-stakes oil rig operation. Her first time in this role, at the behest of her boss who worries something’s wrong.
She’s ignored, condescended to, even threatened. Her worries about the risks taken are routinely pushed aside, and it made me so mad on her behalf.
The language is crude, perhaps as one would expect in an atmosphere like this. I still can’t claim to know much about how an oil well is drilled, and truth be told, I didn’t worry too much about understanding the technical aspects, assuming I could still enjoy the story (I did).
But it’s also poetic at times, the vast skies, the riches beneath the ocean. And unbelievably tense. I raced through the last third.
May 18, 2026
This book had all the right ingredients for an epic thriller.
-Kickbutt woman in a male dominated field
-Killer setting with an off-shore rig
-Huge tensions between the men and Zainab, the rig and the company, the newbs and the old hats
-tragic semi-relevant backstory
-ticking time clock
-atmosphere in spades
-likeable characters and villains
I enjoyed reading this book. The oil rig was its own character, and thoroughly unique at that. The tension was strung taut from the beginning through the end, and Zainab was knowledgable and smart and I wanted to see her win.
I wish the book had come together a little more for me. Zainab's arc was muddled and under developed. The climax was too short and lacked detail in a way that severed emotional impact, and the pacing was awkward at times.
Despite the above critique, I would recommend this book, especially for book clubs because I think there is a lot of fodder for discussion and it was an enjoyable quick read.
-Kickbutt woman in a male dominated field
-Killer setting with an off-shore rig
-Huge tensions between the men and Zainab, the rig and the company, the newbs and the old hats
-tragic semi-relevant backstory
-ticking time clock
-atmosphere in spades
-likeable characters and villains
I enjoyed reading this book. The oil rig was its own character, and thoroughly unique at that. The tension was strung taut from the beginning through the end, and Zainab was knowledgable and smart and I wanted to see her win.
I wish the book had come together a little more for me. Zainab's arc was muddled and under developed. The climax was too short and lacked detail in a way that severed emotional impact, and the pacing was awkward at times.
Despite the above critique, I would recommend this book, especially for book clubs because I think there is a lot of fodder for discussion and it was an enjoyable quick read.
May 20, 2026
⚠️ Inspired by the real-life Macondo Well blowout of 2010, this story drops readers straight into the high-pressure, dangerous world of offshore drilling.
We follow Zainab, the only woman on an oil rig where every decision she makes is questioned and every order is met with skepticism. Watching her fight to be heard in a male-dominated environment was both frustrating and compelling.
While the heavy oil-rig jargon occasionally slowed the pacing, Zainab herself carried the story a strong, layered protagonist I couldn’t stop rooting for.
Thank you Random House Canada for the complimentary copy.
We follow Zainab, the only woman on an oil rig where every decision she makes is questioned and every order is met with skepticism. Watching her fight to be heard in a male-dominated environment was both frustrating and compelling.
While the heavy oil-rig jargon occasionally slowed the pacing, Zainab herself carried the story a strong, layered protagonist I couldn’t stop rooting for.
Thank you Random House Canada for the complimentary copy.
April 15, 2026
A deeply human book, with beautiful writing and heart hammering disaster. This book was speeding towards a tragic ending, but that didn’t stop me from connecting and rooting for the crew, especially Zainab. Everyone was written with such care and complexity which is commendable, especially considering the length of this novel. A real firecracker of character driven storytelling, with a heartbreaking ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #AtSea #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #AtSea #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Fascinating look at the struggle of being a woman tasked to lead men in a male-dominated field (and felt way too familiar). I wish we had gone deeper with our main character because I enjoyed learning about her. There is a lot drilling details that probably distracted me from connecting more with this book. Thank you Pegasus books for the review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Edge-of-your-seat thriller with a character you've never seen before. A political drama wrapped up in a natural disaster, set on the highly-specific world of an oil rig... the pacing is tight, the writing is taut, the ending is explosive. Must read!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I loved the pace and cinematic style, but it left a lot of holes in the story that weren't satisfied in the end.
May 16, 2026
The Zainab is a foul-mouthed woman trying to get some respect on an oil rig. Throughout the book, she doesn't seem to do much, I'm not even sure why she was hired.
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