Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

2022 Middle Grade Winner

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan



Best-selling author Rick Riordan pays homage to Jules Verne in his exciting modern take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Ana Dakkar is a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world. Ana's parents died while on a scientific expedition two years ago, and the only family's she's got left is her older brother, Dev, also a student at HP. Ana's freshman year culminates with the class's weekend trial at sea, the details of which have been kept secret. She only hopes she has what it'll take to succeed. All her worries are blown out of the water when, on the bus ride to the ship, Ana and her schoolmates witness a terrible tragedy that will change the trajectory of their lives.

But wait, there's more. The professor accompanying them informs Ana that their rival school, Land Institute, and Harding-Pencroft have been fighting a cold war for a hundred and fifty years. Now that cold war has been turned up to a full broil, and the freshman are in danger of becoming fish food. In a race against deadly enemies, Ana will make amazing friends and astounding discoveries about her heritage as she puts her leadership skills to the test for the first time.

This one wasn't my favorite by Riordan. I hadn't read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea before reading this book but now I have, and I don't think it would have mattered. He explains it well enough. Mainly, I thought the author has gotten to used to moving forward plot through the use of magic, and without that, he had to have some clunky ways to move the plot forward. This one was all right, but he's written better books, in my opinion.

I found this one just okay. It won’t be on my favorite list by Riordan.

It might just be me but I find that Rick Riordan's books are a bit repetitive. He seems to follow a recipe which makes the books entertaining but very similar. Once you've read a series by him, it seems like you've read them all. I can't discern characters from one series to the other, they all look alike. They are fun and entertaining but the characters and the storylines seem to blend.