Fractured Tide

I’m a sucker for a good sea monster tale, and Fractured Tide did not disappoint. It pulled me in like an undertow and didn’t let go. Written in first person, the story is told by a young woman named Sia through a series of letters to her father who is in prison, a poignant, intriguing and psychologically edgy backdrop that beautifully develops her character and the surrounding events. Raised scuba diving, Sia works for her family’s charter business exploring shipwrecks. When a routine expedition goes horribly bad, things spiral down in a swift, fluid, almost dreamlike series of incidents woven with breathtaking descriptions of the sea, the darkness of the depths, a terrifying creature and a weird little island that is not what it seems. This is unraveled so well, and described with such creepy little details, that when I finally discovered what was happening, it blew my mind and made me laugh out loud with geeky delight. Oh, and the book description\’s comparison to Stranger Things? That’s no joke. If you’re into that, you’ll love this.

I grew up in south Florida, diving in the Keys. Then the book makes an expected turn. Good. Suddenly about a full third into it She steps on the gas and we are off for an incredible ride. Hang on. This is one book I was sad to finish, and one of those books that makes the next book you read seem flat.

First of all, Fractured Tide is horrifying! It should have been called Thalassophobia, fear of vastness of the ocean and what may lurk deep within it. (I’m never going to get in the water again without thinking about that green luminescent glow.) But, at its core, this is a book with heart, a teenage protagonist who is fighting her own demons while also trying to survive on a mysterious island. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it highly.

A tense, edge-of-your-seat supernatural tale of a scuba dive gone terribly wrong. On a dive ship aptly named \’Last Chance\’ “Fractured Tide” cranks up a sinister sense of foreboding in the first few pages. The author, an avid scuba diver enriches her world building with personal experience. Her dive scenes are palm-sweating terrifying. The story unfolds in a series of letters written by seventeen-year-old Sia, to an absent father. The author divulges bits and pieces of information with a masterful sense of pacing, knowing just when to crank up the anxiety and tension to a feverish pitch. Sia is a brave, yet vulnerable character, who not only deals with the escalating horror of the dive, but emotional issues with the other characters. Interactions between Sia and her parents, the divers, and especially her little brother are interwoven in a nail-biting tale that packs a wallop. Well written and fast moving, this story is enhanced by realistic dialogue and vividly described scene descriptions. I highly recommend this book.

There are so many things to love about this book. First, it\’s beautifully written – lyrical and literary in parts. Secondly, the main character is a strong, thoughtful young woman. She\’s the kind of heroine I am happy to have my teenage daughter read. Finally, the story is a held-breath page turner until the very end. It\’s a thriller wrapped up into an otherwordly mystery. There are fantastic themes about consequences and about acceptance. Leslie Lutz has layered atmospheric prose, teenage angst, and a terrifying underwater monster to perfection. Highly recommend.

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