There are myriad reasons why the ocean and open water are often ranked highly among common fears, be it because of the potential for drowning, the vastness of the ocean, the unknown lurking beneath the surface, or even the simple fear of the dark below. Leslie Lutz’s debut novel, Fractured Tide, delves into all of these and more in an engaging, rapid-fire story about family and survival. The narrative is delivered in a series of diary entries written from the main character, Sia, to her incarcerated father as she attempts to chronicle the shipwreck and stranding of her family on a deserted island. As time passes it becomes clear that there’s a lot more to the island than the strange eldritch creature which stranded the ragtag group of survivors in the first place, and Sia becomes increasingly desperate to understand her own cryptic visions and how the two may be related.

The beginning of Fractured Tide, which is to say everything that happens before Sia wakes up on the island, is probably among my favorite pieces of young adult fiction. The very first dive goes from evocative and wonderous to harrowing and isolated in an instant, and the introduction of the bizarre nightmare creature couldn’t have piqued my curiosity more. The novel is immediately Lovecraftian and the use of a World War 2 era shipwreck as a backdrop is perfect– there’s no shortage of powerful imagery throughout the book, but Lutz’s writing definitely shines brightest whenever she’s describing the clammy, isolated depths.

From here the novel takes a step back from pure aquatic horror and becomes a sort of survival thriller with occasional horror elements. Given that this is a young adult title this feels like a necessary (if perhaps a bit disappointing) choice because to escalate further from the end of the first part of the book would require levels of gore which would not be suitable. The shift in focus around the twenty percent mark takes the book from Event Horizon territory into the realm of Lost, flaws and all. Be forewarned, not every mystery on the island is answered thoroughly or at all (looking at you, really interesting sea monster that just kind of…is), and if that bothers you this title is going to rate a lot lower. Personally, I found it refreshing that the author was willing to include a lot of scenes which border on the bizarre almost for the sake of it, and the use of impossible space is a quick way to score points with me.

Another big plus for the book is the way it interacts positively with young adult tropes. The things which make Sia special are primarily practical and woven into her backstory seamlessly. Where a lot of other YA protagonists feel as though they’ve been granted special powers for no reason at all, Sia’s general competence comes from hard work which has been pushed on her because of unfortunate life circumstances. Furthermore, there was very nearly a teenage love triangle here and the fact that Lutz skirts past it without spending any real time on the possibility is very much appreciated. If you’re looking for great aquatic imagery and aren’t put off by the extremely strange and unexplainable, look no further than Fractured Tide.

Rating – 8 out of 10 bioluminescent abominations