Review: Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan (ARC)

Title: Daughter of Deep Silence
Author: Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House)
Release Date: May 26, 2015
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
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.

My Review

I'm glad that I thought Daughter of Deep Silence was a historical mystery, otherwise I probably would have never picked it up.

Daughter of Deep Silence was set in present day and was surprisingly good. Frances/"Libby" has been biding her time, waiting for the opportunity to get revenge upon those she holds responsible for the Persephone massacre - namely Senator Wells and his son, Grey. On the yacht, she watched her family get shot to death, and then she watched her friend, Libby, slowly die on the life raft while waiting to be rescued. The years she spent healing were also used to research the Persephone and every aspect of the Wells family in extreme detail.

I thought Frances had gone a little off the deep end (*crickets*) by the time she started exacting her master plan. I understood her need for revenge, but she was seriously over the top. I guess that makes for good reading because I was unable to put the book down. I was flipping through the pages like a madwoman just to see what Frances had up her sleeve. As for the mystery and the thrills in Daughter of Deep Silence, I was a little disappointed because there was a very unsatisfactory climax and ending. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

It's important to note the relationships in Daughter of Deep Silence. Frances met Libby and Grey on the Persephone, but they were supposedly her best friend and the love of her life by the time of the disaster. I can understand the deal with Frances and Libby because they were put in a stressful situation, but Frances and Grey mooning over each other four years down the road was weird. I'm guessing the justification of that was they were both emotionally stunted following the disaster and unable to form relationships with anyone else? And don't even get me started on poor Shepherd.

If you're looking for a very readable thriller that lacks in guts, gore, and sex (I was), I recommend Daughter of Deep Silence to you. I plan on going back and reading some of Ryan's other work, as she impressed me so much with this book.

- 3.5/5 Stars -

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To satisfy FTC guidelines, I am disclosing that I received an advance copy of the book briefly for reviewing purposes through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for an honest review. The book was likely provided to the tour by the publisher or author, which has in no way affected the outcome of my review. All opinions expressed are rambling, honest, and completely my own.