I received this ARC from Harper Collins AVON in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much to them for this!
I’ve never read anything by Tracy Buchanan before but I will definitely be checking out more by her in the future. The premise of the story is very interesting- we are introduced to three very different sisters, Faith, Hope and Charity, and we learn of their dreams. Faith, the eldest sister, wants to find and dive to all of the submerged forests of the world and it isn’t long before this dream becomes a shared one. We learn of a tragic accident before we’re fast-forwarded to the present day and introduced to Willow, who we quickly learn is Charity’s daughter. We then go on to discover that Willow lost both of her parents when she was a young girl and we follow her as she tries to discover the secrets that her Aunt Hope has been so keen on keeping from her her entire life.
I found it quite difficult to describe this book in a few words, mostly because there are so many twists and turns, so many secrets and lies, that it really was very hard to speak freely without spoiling the story. I loved the characters very much and connected well with all of them, but I felt particularly sympathetic towards Hope. I also found myself admiring her strong will.
I also loved the switch between years and didn’t find it too complicated to keep up with. The twists and turns along the way were excellent, and while I guessed one of them, the main twist was completely unexpected. This definitely made it all the more interesting for me, as I love guessing and speculating so when I don’t guess the twist I find it all the more impressive. I found myself questioning every character and doubting each and every one of their integrity. I enjoyed both of the time-frames equally, which for me is quite a big thing because I normally find myself more absorbed in one than the other (and ultimately skim through the one I find less interesting) but this definitely wasn’t the case here. I found myself completely and utterly absorbed and couldn’t put the book down once I’d really gotten into it. I loved the language and the beautiful descriptions of all the places visited and the whole concept almost made me want to take up diving and visit some submerged forests myself.
Beautiful, poignant and captivating. I recommend this to anyone who loves a good summer read. At the time of writing, this book is on offer on Amazon Kindle for 99p so if you love a good bargain as well as a good book, buy it now!
4/5.
