Daughter of Deep Silence - Carrie Ryan

Daughter of Deep Silence – Carrie Ryan

When I first saw this book, it immediately made me think of the TV series Revenge, obviously a slightly different concept of revenge, but none the less it drew me in, as being a mystery/thriller, revenge story that was just calling for me to read it. To which I went on to thoroughly enjoy.

‘In the wake of the devastating destruction of the luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace knows the terrifying truth, and she’ll stop at nothing to avenge the murders of everyone she held dear. Even if it means taking down the boy she loves and possibly losing herself in the process.’

This story starts with a short prologue from the Persephone disaster, with Frances and Libby being found. Just this short section of the aftermath of the Persephone I found incredibly hard hitting and sad, the loss that was felt, the fear, and the betrayal. All written so beautifully by Carrie Ryan, that even though you have only just met these characters, you really felt for them and the horror that they went through.

Frances/Libby is our main protagonist within this story, a story to which follows the extent of how far some people are willing to go for revenge.  It was incredibly sad seeing how this character was formed, almost a shell of a person, previous life and family gone, and thrust into a new one, leaving her unsettled, unable to trust or be cared for, haunted by nightmares of what happened on the Persephone. You wanted nothing more than to just take her in, look after her and open her eyes to the world and life she was lucky to still have. To which others so tragically are no longer able to have.

One negative I did have towards this character is that as much as the author tried to make out she was all about revenge, and this was her main motivation to avenge the death of her parents, her friend, and the hundreds of people aboard that ship, as much as it was to uncover the lie of two people who completely betrayed everyone. To finally seek the justice she felt was deserved. Really…it almost didn’t feel like that at times, it felt like all she wanted was to have Grey back again. Whenever she was with him, this anger and coldness that was written about her, observed by Shepherd (Libby’s adoptive brother), just somehow vanishes, so she is clearly not as bitter and vengeful as we are being made to believe. Maybe this is what the author intended, highlighting that Grey was  her weakness, and the love of her life, I’m not sure, it just became harder to believe the extent she would really go for revenge, when it was clear that she really didn’t hate him as much as we thought.

Grey of course was the love interest and fellow survivor of the Persephone, even though he was perceived as one of the bad guys, I really felt for him. It was incredibly obvious how his father was acting towards him, the truth behind why he went along with his father’s lie. The pain he too was going through, the fear and the suffering. I felt he was a very forward character, caught up with his love and loss for what he believed was from Frances passing away on the ship, to the conflicting emotions towards Libby, on top of his father’s controlling ways and demand for him to stay away from her. It was all incredibly confusing for him, and you kept willing him to just snap and break free from his father.

I have to say the reveal of what really happened on the Persephone, is what has lowered my rating on this book, I think I was expecting more, something bigger. I mean I wouldn’t have put it all together or come up with that being the reason at all, that was one puzzle I couldn’t piece. But it felt like a bit of a let-down. That could just be my high expectations though, as I was so caught up in the story that I felt like it was building and building to this big reveal. But the reveal was just that, a reveal…nothing big about it. I don’t want this to take anything away from the book, as I did thoroughly enjoy it, I loved the characters, the story, the revenge plan, all of it was so cleverly written and put into place, that you do end up hooked and eager to learn exactly what happened. Where things will go from here, what will happen next, will things come out, what will happen once the truth is exposed. I was just a bit saddened that there wasn’t something more explosive and shocking to the reason behind what happened on the ship.

Daughter of Deep Silence is a great thriller, smart and brilliantly written; it was an easy read that I read within two sittings. It did keep me up late to finish it off as I did want to know what would happen, which is always a sign of a good book.  I will definitely be looking out for novels by Carrie Ryan again, as she has such an easy writing style, that it can be devoured and enjoyed so quickly. The romance was undeniably good, in its weird way, which added that extra element into the mixing pot, making it an incredibly enjoyable read. I would recommend this book if you enjoy a good thriller, revenge plot, with a hint of romance and drama. As you cannot deny there was always something happening in this book to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I have given this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars.