Daughter of Deep Silence

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Author(s)

Carrie Ryan

Publisher

Dutton Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

May 26, 2015

ISBN

978-0525426509

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I’m the daughter of murdered parents. I’m the friend of a dead girl. I’m the lover of my enemy. And I will have my revenge. 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. Sharp and incisive, Daughter of Deep Silence by bestselling author Carrie Ryan is a deliciously smart revenge thriller that examines perceptions of identity, love, and the lengths to which one girl is willing to go when she thinks she has nothing to lose.

Editor reviews

4 reviews

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

5.0(2)

Characters

4.0(2)

Writing Style

4.5(2)

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Daughter of Deep Silence

June 05, 2015 (Updated: June 05, 2015)

Overall rating

4.7

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Think REVENGE meets YA. I was a huge fan of the first season of the TV series REVENGE. The Count of Monte Cristo influence of where a wronged person later comes back to seek revenge against those who wronged him has always intrigued me.

In Carrie Ryan's latest, DAUGHTER OF DEEP SILENCE introduces readers to fourteen-old-year Frances and the horrific act that killed not only her parents but a cruise ship filled with passengers. Her and her friend Libby escape at sea but only one survives.

This is where the story takes a COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO turn. Frances ends up taking Libby's identity and on her eighteenth birthday, she seeks out the only other two survivors of Persephone, the Senator and his son Grey, who lied on what happened that fateful night.

What worked: Let's just say I COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN! Yes, it's that good! Frances thirst for revenge is all consuming but then again who can blame her? She plots out her plans to find the truth even if this means destroying Grey, who just happened to be her first love. At first Frances-Libby-comes across as hard, cold, and calculating. I'm not a huge fan of flashbacks but in this case they work as they peel back that tough girl mask and show the vulnerabilities and hurt. When Frances became Libby, she lost not only her identity but her soul. Her quest to get revenge is her way to get redemption no matter the cost.

The relationship between her and Grey is intense right at the start. He also throws a mega kink in her plans. But to be honest I wanted to see more chemistry between her and Shepherd, the boy that fell in love with the real 'Libby'. There was hints of a possible connection but nothing more.

I do admit there is one scene that had me wondering over the logistics of how she was able to accomplish the deed though I put that aside and just let myself continue on the amazing ride. This is one of those books you don't want to end!

Filled with unexpected twists and turns, this tale of revenge will have you gasping for more! But mostly this is a story of a survivor who owns up to her inner strength and refuses to be the victim. A total must read!

Good Points

1. Nail biting pacing that has readers wondering what will happen next
2. Page turning suspense that is guaranteed to keep you up late reading
3. Strong heroine who owns up to her inner strength

Kim Baccellia, Staff Reviewer Top 10 Reviewer 889 reviews

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A Dark & Twisted Tale of Revenge

May 23, 2015 (Updated: May 23, 2015)

Overall rating

4.3

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“There’s no better feeling than the deliciousness of a well-crafted plan executed perfectly.”

Actually, it's more like: 'There’s no better feeling than reading a well-crafted story that is so good, it takes your breath away'. This is the feeling one might get whilst reading the brilliance that was Daughter of Deep Silence.

What I Loved:
This book is an absolute page-turner. The writing grips you from the first line, to the last page, and keeps you on the edge of your seat steadily throughout.

Daughter of Deep Silence is comprised of all the nitty gritty that you’d come to expect with a dark and twisted tale of vengeance. There are plot twists that will leave your head spinning, and your heart racing.

“And in that moment, staring at myself, despising myself, wishing myself dead, one word began glowing in the back of my mind. The only brightness in the black I’d plunge myself into.
Truth.
Another, darker word followed quickly after.
Revenge. “

This story was driven by the intensity of Frances’ (the female protagonist) relentless search for justice. She has a score to settle, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to exact revenge. She’s strong, she’s captivating, she’s fearless and daring—she is the lifeblood of this book.

“I am nothing except this: a girl reborn of the deep ocean silence, meant for nothing but vengeance.”

Frances is the type of character that leaps right off the page to haunt your dreams at night.

“It’s funny, most people think that revenge is a passionate affair, driven by rage and pain. But it can’t be. Feelings such as these make you weak. They overwrite thought and cause reckless impulses that lead to poor decisions.
If anything, revenge is the absence of emotion. It’s pure, calculated thought stripped bare of entangling emotions. It’s cold, deliberate action.”

What Left Me Wanting More:
The last page. Though this story was jam-packed with danger, drama, and intrigue, the ending left me frantically searching for more words. That’s not to say the ending is not satisfying; you’ll find that you’re not ready for it to end.

Final Verdict:
Daughter of Deep Silence will thrill you, enthrall you, and leave you with some serious trust issues. The plot packs a serious punch, and this is story-telling at it’s finest.

(This would be a perfect read for fans of Sara Shepherd’s Pretty Little Liars.)

Good Points

A fast-paced, well-written plot with an awesome female protagonist to boot.

Stephanie Brown, Staff Reviewer Top 500 Reviewer 3 reviews

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User reviews

2 reviews

Overall rating

3.8

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3.5(2)

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4.0(2)

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A Revenge feel to it

July 26, 2015

Overall rating

3.3

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Frances May was aboard the Persephone, a luxury yacht, when it was attacked. She was one of only three people to survive, one of the only people who know the truth about what really happened that night. She’s determined to expose the lies surrounding the Persephone – even if that means taking down the boy she’d fallen in love with and losing who she is in the process.

I wasn’t too sure what to expect going into this book. It sounded like it could be a twisty, surprising, book of revenge that could be addicting to read or it could be more of a bad soap opera. I thought it ended up about in the middle of the two. It wasn’t as twisty as I expected, or the twists were predictable, but it wasn’t soap opera-like as it could have been. There were a lot of times it reminded me of the show Revenge.

Frances was a complicated character, which I liked. I got her reasoning for wanting revenge and for wanting someone to pay for what happened that night, for wanting the truth out there. She lost almost everything in the attack and she was so laser-focused on bringing down the people she was convinced were responsible for the death of her friend. She wasn’t concerned in who she hurt to achieve her goal and there were times when she crossed many lines. There were times when she was pretty unlikeable but everything she did and the way she acted was done with revenge in mind.

I had a hard time with the romance in the book. Frances was fourteen and they knew each other for a week before the attack. The boy, Grey and his father were lying about the attack and she wanted to expose them, but I was supposed to buy into an epic romance between them. I just couldn’t. Even if Grey could somehow, miraculously, redeem himself for lying, they still knew almost nothing about each other.

I liked the flashbacks to Frances’ time on the ship. They showed a little of the beginnings of a romance between her and Grey, something that could have developed into more, they showed parts of the horrific attack, they showed a survival aspect of Frances and her friend Libby. What they went through was terrifying and it showed how strong Frances was to survive. I thought these scenes added a lot of depth to Frances as a character.

The whole book did require a little suspension of disbelief but it was also entertaining in the same vein as watching the show Revenge.

Trista Roddick Top 50 Reviewer 182 reviews

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A Complex Book of Mystery and Revenge!

June 02, 2015

Overall rating

4.3

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MY THOUGHTS
I honestly had no idea what this book was about. I just really wanted to read another book by Carrie Ryan! I'm glad to say that this was a very interesting read and completely different from Carrie Ryan's other books!

This book starts with Frances being rescued after being stranded at sea for a week. She was on the cruise ship Persephone when it was attacked, everyone on the ship was murdered. Frances escaped with her friend Libby, but Libby sadly didn't survive the days lost at sea. Turns out that The Senator and his son--Frances' first love--also survived, but tell the media that the ship was taken by a rogue wave. Frances ends up taking up Libby's identity , to help Libby's father and to also have a home. For four years she lives overseas to hide from the media and those who know Libby, the real Libby, until, at 18, she comes back with a plan. She wants to find out the truth of what happened, and unleash the truth. And she will do anything to make it happen.

The entire idea behind this book is fascinating. First of all, the idea of taking someone else's identity was done so well here. Frances has been Libby for four years and has long since buried Frances. What's really interesting is that she is neither Frances or Libby. She has completely taken over Libby's identity, doing what she believe Libby would do, but she could never truly be Libby and all of her ideals have been morphed by revenge. The mystery aspect of this book, as well as the revenge, but I really think Frances/Libby as a character is also very important. This entire book focuses on her getting over her past and realizing who she really is.

Still, I loved the mystery aspect. The book is slowly-paced, but there is so much suspense that I couldn't help turning the pages to find out what happened to the ship and what Frances would do to get her revenge. I was a bit disappointed when I found out what actually happened, it wasn't as big as I thought it would be (not big enough to have so many people killed) and it just felt odd, but I still loved how everything came together in the end.

Lastly, there was romance, but there wasn't. The romance is a complete mess in this book because it starts out as revenge and then there's the whole Frances/Libby thing. Really, it's hard to explain. There are feelings in the romance, but there is more focus on Frances and the entire ship mystery.

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I'm so glad that I picked up this new book by Carrie Ryan! It is completely different from her zombie horror, but this is not a big to be missed by fans of mystery and revenge! I hope to be able to read more from her in the future!