Queen of the Deep

by Kay Kenyon

On the streets of New York, Jane Gray meets an intriguing man who claims to be the impossible: an imaginary playmate from her childhood: Prince Starling. Determined to know the truth, Jane tracks him into another realm.

This is the world of the Palazzo, a magical ship which is both a colossal steam vessel and a Renaissance kingdom. Ruling over its denizens--both human and otherwise--is an exotic and dangerous queen. Jane must find her way home, but the path is hopelessly lost.

Promising romance, the enigmatic Prince Starling and big-hearted crime lord Niccolo vie for Jane's heart. But she has her eye on the pilot house. Who--or what--guides the Palazzo, and what is the urgent secret of its endless voyage? As a shocking destination looms into view, Jane must choose both a lover and a ship's course, one that may avoid the end of all things.

Genres: Fantasy

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2015

About the author

Kay Kenyon is a fantasy and science fiction author. She is now working on her 21st novel, a fantasy. She has been a finalist for the Philip K. Dick Award and several others and recently had a trilogy optioned for film, The Dark Talents: At the Table of Wolves.

Her newest fantasy series is The Arisen Worlds quartet. Book 1, The Girl Who Fell Into Myth, Book 2, Stranger in the Twisted Realm, Book 3, Servant of the Lost Power and Book 4, Keeper of the Mythos Gate. "A story of powers and magic on a grand scale.” —Louisa Morgan, author of The Secret History of Witches.

Her acclaimed 4-book series, The Entire and The Rose, has been reissued with new covers: Bright of the Sky. Called "a splendid fantasy quest" by The Washington Post.

She loves to hear from readers, and you can contact her at http://www.kaykenyon.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter.

Reviews

[Lynsey is Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a thoroughly imaginative concept!

I'd never read anything by this author before Queen of the Deep , but a quick read of some of her other book's reviews informs me that worldbuilding is certainly not an area she struggles with. The brain that came up with this particular idea must have a few extra corners, nooks and crannies that normal brains don't have, that's for damn sure.

Not only does main character Jane travel to another realm, a realm not fully understood by even its own denizens, but the fantastic use of elements from our own world (though a few centuries out of date) mixed in with some wholly original elements, make for a truly unforgettable stage.

I tend to find that authors whose books show me something new and different, and those with the most expansive worldbuilding, stick in my mind the longest. But what's equally essential is good characterisation, and Queen of the Deep  definitely has that. I was particularly pleased by the story arc of two of the secondary male characters, and that they both took me nicely by surprise!

Even though I mostly loved this book and certainly applaud the originality of it, some of it I just found plain odd, hence the 4 stars over 5. But I imagine people who like their fantasy books a bit "out there" à la Terry Pratchett, would absolutely lap it up. 

Also, it's worth noting that although the YA vibe is strong on the cover, it's not a YA or even NA book, but adult contemporary fantasy (with a teensy splash of romance).

All in all, a memorable stand alone fantasy read I would definitely recommend.

4 Stars ★★★★  A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Clarissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m truly struggling with the rating of this book. On the one hand, I found the plot, characters, worldbuilding, and quality of writing to be exceptional. It did feel at times that the authoress wrote herself into a corner and merely created another dead-end hole to fit the plot through, but all in all, she worked it out into a pretty brilliant resolution. For these reasons, and for the engaging world that wouldn’t let me put it down, I would ordinarily have given this novel a five-star rating.

But, it’s the way the rape scene in the middle was handled that was most decidedly off-putting. Let me just give you a little peek into why it bothers me so...

The victim is Jane Grey. She is written as a strong-willed, independent, caring individual who would stop at almost nothing to save her friends and her world from destruction. She’s also quite thoroughly straight, and while she has no problem with those of the opposite sway, she just...doesn’t swing that way herself.

Opposing her is the queen referenced in the title. Diamonde is focused entirely on herself and her own pleasures. She murders and tortures her own people, feeds on their adoration and fear like a drug, and is bent on destroying both her own world and Earth to suit her own desires. She’s also got a reputation for being rather forceful and insatiable with her “playthings”...and she’s got a crush on Jane.

The authoress mentions multiple times how much Jane despises Diamonde, how much she fears the prospect of being used and violated sexually by her, and how very much not willing she would be to go to bed with her or become her permanent consort. Jane is afraid of Diamonde. Period. It’s made quite clear multiple times that this is not a situation Jane ever wishes to find herself in, and she tries desperately to avoid it.

So when Diamonde gets Jane alone, strips her naked, and has her maid servant hold her down while she forces uncomfortable and very-much-unwanted sex on her, I expected a heavy fallout. I at least expected Jane’s eventual victory over this twisted queen to be fueled by the disgust and helplessness she was forced to endure. If at any point Jane had even seemed willing or interested in becoming sexually involved with the queen, or ever had any reaction to her besides fear and mistrust, it would be a different story. But no, that wasn’t what happened.

Instead of acting as the strength of her character at the beginning of the book might have suggested by being angry, disgusted, terrified, and bent on seeking revenge or justice for the violation of her body and her choice—especially that of orientation—Jane wakes up the next day thinking “Wow, what great sex. We should totally do that again.” She spends the whole of the next chapter fawning over the majestic and goddess-like Diamonde, somehow managing to forget everything else in the process—most especially all the other horrible things the queen has done to earn Jane’s ire. She completely forgets her mission to save the parallel worlds, forgets the once-beloved and imperiled friends that she would have done anything to save in the previous chapter, forgets how evil and twisted she already knew the queen was, and instead becomes her infatuated shadow....taking the first opportunity she can to “repay the exquisite favor” the queen granted in bedding her. Because damn, that was great sex. And that’s apparently all that matters.

The thing that disturbs me most is how unlike the Jane-of-two-chapters-ago this whole reaction was. It seems her beautifully built character was abruptly sacrificed—dumbed down, reverted, and turned into an OOC, too-stupid-to-live airhead for two entire chapters—all in the name of being edgy and “more adult”. How absolutely infuriating.

Now, granted, Jane soon becomes aware yet again of what a bitch Diamonde is and her fawning stops, but her rape and border-line enslavement is never again mentioned. Jane never gets mad about that particular wrong that was forced upon her. She never even seems to think about it again. There’s not even the suggestion that there was an evil, magical spell of willingness or airheadedness put over Jane to make her so compliant and wishy-washy for a couple of days. There is no fallout, no reaction, no result— it’s like it never happened, and the message sent is that if the sex is really good (or if the sex is specifically lesbian sex, willing or not) rape is absolutely fine. Whatever the justification, Diamonde is defined as definitely an evil, manipulative bitch, but only for all the other sick and twisted things she’s done, not for forcing Jane into her bed.

So this book only gets one star--awarded with shame--all because of the poor, neglectful way this particular scene was dealt with.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - 3 / 5 Fangs

I thought this book started off on a good note. The POV of young Jane Gray got me hooked in the beginning, however, I did loose interest quickly. The book jumped to Jane being an adult and I started to get bored.I just had a very hard time getting into this story once Jane was an adult. I didn't like how inconsistent the pacing of this book was. This book could maybe just not be the book for me. I can see where it has potential, but it just wasn't working for me.

The fantasy element of this was book was quite interesting. I did like learning about the world of Palazzo. I thought the social systems were fun to learn about and I really liked that this book took place on a ship.

I wish the characters would have been developed more in this book. I think I would have connected to them more if they would have been fleshed out more. I also found the romance to be a little lackluster.



I do not think this book book was horrible by any means. This book just didn't click with me, but it was still a very interesting read.

2.5 - 3 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for a honest review.*

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
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[Susan Kornfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a Kay Kenyon fan, coming from the science fiction side. I read all her books. While A Thousand Perfect Things" tiptoed gently into the fantasy realm with its alternate history and esoteric magics, Queen of the Deep dives in headfirst with a goddess, large and petty magics, and a world in the form of a giant cruise ship out of which no one can truly see. It's a Renaissance Faire packed full of colorful figures, oracular messages, and pageantry but underpinned by dark, fairy/Industrial exploitation.
I enjoyed the book: fast-moving plot, engaging characters, and worlds-at-stake. But, frankly, a lot of it was far-fetched (yes, it's Fantasy, I know). The fantasy 'rules' aren't clearly laid out so it is never clear if a submerged sun, gill growing, or shifting decks and stairwells are part of a world magic or some blend of various worlds, or what. One of the key character revelations has to be delivered via maid, bypassing the enjoyment of having the protagonist (who is intelligent) begin to figure things out on her own.
Kenyon did a fabulous job of integrating fantasy-seeming elements into her science fiction series The Entire and the Rose. It has a similar inter-world exploitation element, but it is handled more skillfully. Admittedly Kenyon took four books to develop it. Perhaps that's the problem with Queen of the Deep. Elements and events seem too crammed together as if we are dashing from peak to peak without pausing to survey the horizon and explore the valleys.
Read the book if you are a Kay Kenyon fan, enjoy the Renaissance, or are a fantasy fan. Expect a good, quick read.

[Rachael]

Funny story: my Kindle copy of this book actually contained a different title and story by the same author (A Thousand Perfect Things). I contacted Amazon to sort it out and by Talos it happened again! I got a refund anyway but it seems I may be destined to not read this book.

[Hyzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting plot and a very interesting setting, but didn't quite "wow" me the way I was hoping it would.

Things started with a bit of a bang and I was definitely hooked, but once we moved on to grown-up Jane, I was significantly less interested. The pacing in general seemed off in this book--there were bits I devoured and bits I slogged through, and it might have been a bit better with a bit more tightening up. I did see that the author was trying to have us get a feel for grown-up Jane and her problems before whisking her away to fantasy-land, a reason for her to not believe, although she had believed as a child, but things went on a little too long and had a few too many details for me. Other bits later on seemed to fly by too quickly, to the point where I felt like certain aspects were not handled as well as they could have been had there been more time to develop. A more even pacing would have benefitted this book greatly.

Jane herself was a decent main character. I generally felt for her, and she wasn't stupid. Even her concerns regarding the fantasy that crashes into her "real world" seem rational and rationally handled. She's neither too naïve nor too rational--she's willing to accept the unexpected but clearly real, and I appreciated that.

The romance was a bit odd for me. I didn't really like it, and I didn't really feel much about it. I generally prefer a touch of light romance in my fantasy (read "expect" as "get confused when it is not there"), but this didn't feel...I hate to use the word realistic when talking about a book like this, but I can't come up with another one that captures it properly. The characters felt real, but the connection we were supposed to be seeing between them felt less like human beings developing feelings and more like mashing Barbie and Ken dolls together to go on a date--it was oddly plastic and didn't work.

The plotline was interesting and kind of fun to unwind and unweave, though I made a few more correct guesses than I wanted to and the main character made a few less than it seemed like she ought to have been able to.

I don't regret reading it and I'll probably pick up another book by the same author, but I was hoping for more than I got with this.

This book was provided to me for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tawallah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for a honest opinion.

I wanted to like this book. The synposis sounded great, a supposedly make-believe character, aka Prince Charming, from your youth turns up when Jane is an adult and saves her. Naturally she follows him into an alternate world. Who wouldn't. But what follows is anything but a happy ever after. I had a hard time getting into this one, had to re-read the beginning twice. It was easier the second time but required some effort. Not what I wanted at the time, hence the long time to actually complete the novel. (I did put it done for a few days and did a splurge over the weekend just to finish). I was confused for most of the book, not that it was hard to understand. At points it seemed rushed and then slowed down. I had a hard time with visualising the time period, 16-th century-esque Italy due to my personal ignorance of that time. But once the mystery cleared up in part 3 - it was easier sailing. And finally , it was hard to figure out who to believe as the characters were unreliable and two-dimensional. I figured out in vague terms about Starling, the Doge but not the other important secondary characters.

Even though the writing style took a while for me, I enjoyed the themes, well most of them, that were addressed. These included social status based on looks, self identity and love and friendship. Not sure I am a fan of the MC, Jane, who makes some strange decisions during the course of the novel. There is a kind of a love square which made little sense to me. And I didn't care for any of the interests which seemed underdeveloped and/or random.

Overall, not my cup of tea. And I'm undecided if I want to give this author another try, maybe not the urban fantasy novels.

Added: I had a peek at some other reviews and it seems Kay Kenyon is more known for science fiction and this is her foray into fantasy. So I will try another of her books.

[Mary Hartshorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen of The Deep by Kay Kenyon is an excellent read. At the onset of the story your interest is captured by a little girl who seems to have invisible friends in the basement to entertain her with dress up parties, while her mother is always drinking. One of her friends, Prince Starling, tells her to never tell her mother about him, and to never EVER enter the furnace room.

As an adult Jane is an actress pursuing a career in pretending to be someone else. After she lands a coveted role, her life drastically changes. During a train accident a mysterious man appears and saves her from dying, only to disappear. Confused about recent events, she believes she saw the mysterious man entering the apartment right next to her and decides to follow him. Only she finds herself in a dark place with mysterious people in windows telling her to leave immediately. Just as she is about to be attacked by strange creatures she is able to make it into another place, but not where she came from, and not where she meant to go. In fact this place is even stranger, and even more dangerous than she could have ever dreamed.

Nothing is as it seems. Not the people around her, the food she eats, the things she thought she knew, or the new world she finds herself on. This story reminds me very strongly of Alice in Wonderland, but with Ms. Kenyon’s own unique twists. I highly recommend this book!!!!!

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn to Queen of the Deep because the synopsis reminded me faintly of Labyrinth, the movie: a young girl whose imagination leads her to befriend creatures from another world, one more dazzling and dangerous than our own. Yet, a few chapters in, that comparison faded away as the world of the Palazzo, a Renaissance Italy-like magical world, held me in its thrall.

I came in with preconceived ideas of how the plot would unfold but time and again Kenyon subverted my expectations and wowed me with her inventiveness, her world building and unpredictable twists. Most fascinating of all is the Palazzo, a floating ship of immense size, traveling through the ether to get to the golden sea where it can replenish its magical fuel. Or so it seems.

But as Jane quickly figures out, nothing and no one is at seems. Used to nimbly thinking on her feet and quickly inhabiting roles as a theater actress, Jane completely immerses herself into this new world. Her allegiances and intentions change with each new revelation, until she finds out the shocking and deadly truth about the Palazzo and her role in it.

“...But that was only the beginning of the contradictions that, in the morning’s light, she was starting to list rather than avoid: A man from the Renaissance had rescued her from a train collision. He had come for her in the heart of New York City just at the time she needed him the most. Following him, she had traversed a physically impossible dark room, learning through visions in iced-over doorways that the world was going to end. Then, evading monsters of her childhood imagination, she entered a world with a drowned sun and botched an interview with a queen, learning that she could never go home.

“This wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare.”

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for a review.

This book started off pretty good. There were likable characters, drama, mystery, etc...and I really enjoyed the idea of Jane following her childhood imaginary friend to a different world full of magic. I even thought the idea of the Palazzo being a planet but is currently a ship on the ocean that no one could see because of the magical spell on the place was a unique and interesting setting for a story. I liked all the twists and turns to the plot and how most of the storyline as far as characters go was not readily predictable. Really the only reason this book is getting 3 stars from me is because of the scene with Jane and the Doge. I didn't need to read about 2 females having sex. I have nothing against a person's sexual orientation but I'm about as straight as they come and to all of a sudden have that scene just randomly in there was like opening up a whole other novel. It's like, Jane fought against the idea of being on the Doge's list and then all of a sudden out of nowhere she finds herself naked and doesn't even remotely protest. Really? It just didn't fit with Jane's character to be so helpless as to let the Doge get her into that compromising situation. In other words that one section of the book just seemed forced like the author was trying to spice it up but not fully executing it correctly.

Other than that it was a fairly decent read with a good ending. Not necessarily in my top ten for recommending to a friend but not a waste of time either.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Queen of the Deep is the kind of book that sucks you in and holds on, tight. Jane’s childhood imaginary friend shows up to rescue her from a train accident! Huh?!?! He isn’t imaginary at all, but a real being living in another realm! What follows is a suspenseful tale that is full of “what the heck” moments (in a good way)!

This author does an amazing job at building the world within her books. There are so many different types of characters within the other realm – some believable and some very imaginative. The fantasy side of this story is not lacking at all. In my opinion, it is the best part of the entire book! It reminded me of Alice in Wonderland with all the different characters that Alice (and Jane) came upon. Love that!

While the fantasy part of the story was amazing, I felt that the romance part was lacking. I’m not sure what it was, but something just didn’t work for me and I found myself not caring about that part of the story.

If you are a fan of a good fantasy story with a great cast of characters, though, definitely pick up this one to read!

*copy provided for review.

[Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just couldn't seem to get into this story. The pacing was off (too fast or too slow) with details being sacrificed in the process. There were several times I wanted to just abandon ship because I was so bored. Maybe this is just not my type of book. I wouldn't deter others from reading this just because it didn't work for me. I couldn't even finish this (I pushed myself to read to chapter 9 and couldn't take any more). I will approach this again in a few weeks and see if my opinion changes with a cleared head. 2 stars

edited to add:
I actually enjoyed the remainder of the book. The tale has better momentum once you get to chapter 10. It seemed easier to follow and there were things happening that held my attention. There were lots of ah-ha moments for me as everything began to unravel. The story was well thought out. I originally gave this story 2 stars. I think it warrants at least 3. This was just not my type of book.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

[Keana · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a strange foray into a fantastical world! I've never read any other books by Kay Kenyon, however, I can certainly say I'm willing to look into her other works after reading this one. It has a bit of an Alice in Wonderland meets the Wizard of Oz appeal to it. I think it could go through the lint roller of an editor-there were a few oddities that I came across, but I'm not sure if that had to do with the format that I read it in (I downloaded it through NetGalley).
Aside from that, I do feel that there were aspects of the story that would have benefited from a tad bit more of development. I was somewhat underwhelmed by the romance; I certainly don't mind the lack of overt sugary sap, however, I didn't feel the connection between Jane and Niccolo de Citta warranted the ending. Could just be me though!
Overall I enjoyed the read and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick solid fantasy read.

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Received this book for free from NetGalley)

Kay Kenyon's Queen of the Deep follows aspiring actress Jane Gray through a doorway to a fantastical realm.

This story starts off nice and easy, but quickly starts to feel like we've been invited to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party. Jane is thrown into a entirely new world full of intrigue and back-stabbing. It's not confusing as in 'hard to grasp'; it's more like 'who can she trust?'. Who's lying? Who's on her side? Can she trust anyone? She's not sure and neither are you, from start to almost the bitter end.

Kenyon's Palazzo world is extremely well-thought out. She has wonderful world and character-building and keeps you engrossed from the first page. The ending nicely wraps up the whole book, but also leaves it open for Kenyon to devise more adventures for Jane if she so chooses.

Overall, a fun, marvelous read and I will definitely check out more novels from Kenyon!

[Bea Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s my honor to review and read this book for free. Thanks to Winterset Books!

I really really enjoyed this book so much! It’s fast paced and I love that it’s intense. It’s really interesting. I love the ideas and concept used. It’s a bit creepy slash strange but I love it that way, it’s unique! The characters were well developed specially Jane. I love her attitude, makes me think of a friend.

I read this book knowing nothing and I didn’t regret it. It was worth the time. Over all, I enjoyed the book. I’m so sorry for having this general review up. I’m really having a hard time specially when it comes to NO SPOILERS REVIEW. I don’t want to spoil y’all guys ‘cause this is such a great book to just be spoiled.

As for the book cover, man it’s gorgeous! I love books with beautiful covers. It makes the readers buy it! Come on, be honest, who doesn’t love gorgeous book covers? Plus it’s a benefit when you put it in your bookshelf. Haha!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that will stick with you after finishing it. It's incredibly inventive, maybe even the most unique fantasy I've ever come across. I've never heard of another book using such different elements as this one does--other worlds, Renaissance Italy, a Queen Mary-type ocean liner... the book is just bursting with beautiful images and characters who truly inhabit their wondrous (in the most literal sense of the word) space. Everything from the dialog to the mannerisms is perfect in creating this familiar / unfamiliar world.

The pacing may seem a bit too slow in some places and a bit too fast in others, and I personally found some of the romantic cues to be a bit off, but I do think that what I found confusing others might love.

Give this really unique book a try--you won't regret it.

[Kate Parkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read and enjoyed several of Kay Kenyon's books before, so I was excited to read her new novel. The style is rather different from her previous works-the book begins with the protagonist Jane as a young girl, which gives the first chapter a very young-adult feeling-but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The tone matures quickly, and the prose is simple but effective. The book's world building really shone for me-the Palazzo is fantastic. Come for the crazy alt-renaissance politics, stay for the pastry-eating Dobermanns and the handsome prince who isn't all as he seems. Four stars, because it wasn't quite as awesome as the Entire and the Rose.

[Drae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Entire and the Rose and Queen of the Deep reminded me of that series in many ways. Kay has given us another fast-paced adventure here, where nothing is quite what it seems. To me, the pacing of the book felt a little rushed as protagonist Jane Gray hurtles from one clue to another, trying to unravel the mystery of the massive ship, The Pelazzo. I think maybe the reason I read the book so quickly is that Kenyon was able to make me FEEL Jane's sense of urgency.

All in all, a very good read, though not quite on a level with "Entire..."

[Ju Transcendancing · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eARC of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book, particularly the beginning although I don't think it reached the promise of the beginning. Still, it was an enjoyable read in a fascinating world. See 3
my full review on my blog The Conversationalist.

[Saruuh Kelsey]

Ehhh, if the whole book was as good as the prologue I would have ADORED this book. As it was, I was bored. Despite it being on a huge ship that was really a world. Not enough romance or magic or politics or SOMETHING to keep my interest. Plus, a really disturbing comment from the love interest that he started loving the MC, when she was seven or eight years old, in a wrong way, as "something more" than a daughter. Alright buddy, that's pedophilia.

DNF @ 32%

[Salla · Rating 1 out of 5]

The start of this book was really promising. When the story skipped to Jane being some twenty years old, the story went south and fast.

*********************************************************

Read full review here:

http://bookstoldmeso.blogspot.fi/2015/11/review-queen-of-deep.html

[Eric]

New work from a favorite author

Kay Kenyon is a master at imagining new worlds, and how people from our world might fit into them. Queen of the Deep is another inventive story from one of my favorite writers.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit strange, but readable.

[Tanaz Masaba · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give up.

[Laureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fairytale for adults. Whimsical, lyrical, and beautiful. I cannot recommend it enough!

[Macha]

3 and a half stars.