INDIGO, THE DEEP

In Abernathy’s YA fantasy sequel, teens tackle personal and environmental issues in a tale that brings the mysterious, magical nature of the ocean to life.

In the beach town of Craggy Point, 15-year-old Condi Bloom is getting ready to participate in a major surfing competition. Meanwhile, her foster brother, Firth Cristo, is attempting to deal with past secrets on his own, and a biomedical ship just offshore is plundering the ocean. Condi and Firth must learn to trust each other again and work together to save Trippy, the leader of the Beachlings, a group of women who teach others about the healing properties and other mysteries of the sea. Other characters who play prominent roles include 18-year-old Kait Dooley and artist Cara Finch, who are dealing with grief and learning to navigate romantic relationships, respectively; and Cara’s siblings Lorelei and Tad Finch, New York transplant Isaac Huddleston, and Lorelei’s boyfriend Casey Arondale, who end up working together to get rid of a biomedical ship searching for melanin pools and destroying ocean ground without regard for the sea creatures living in the area. Characters face disappointments and setbacks but grow stronger together. Abernathy’s worldbuilding is remarkable: Sea creatures communicate with humans, special white shells help divers breathe underwater, and the book has a touch of time travel to top it all off. The characters are realistic and skillfully crafted, and the descriptions throughout are often enticing (“dolphins glide through the indigo depths, moving upward into the restful hues of a soft blue-violet tide”). The very real emotional difficulties these characters face, paired with the lush imagery, make for a well-rounded book, especially for teen readers looking for a book with a touch of fantasy.

A bewitching story with a charming cast and an enchanting sea setting.