Cristina & Lauren Read:
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers on May 26th 2015
Pages: 375 •Goodreads 
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.
Book Buddies is a fun, collaborative review feature that I participate in once a season with my friend Lauren who runs the blog Bookmarklit. We choose a themed book for the season, read it, and then answer fun questions that pertain to the book’s themes and each feature the book in our own way! Check out the second part of our feature on Lauren’s blog!
Cover Contest!
A new trend in YA book recently seems to be the changing of a book’s cover when it is released in paperback. While this has been something that’s happened every once in a while when book covers haven’t been well-received, it seems that perfectly good covers are being replaced with equally pretty covers (my conspiracy theory is that publishers want us to by both 😉 which I’m sure many of us won’t be able to resist!) Daughter of Deep Silence has gone through a cover change from hardcover to paperback, and both are stunning in their own right:
I’m personally a fan of the hardcover cover…the deep, rich colors and shadows makes it look like it’s been put through the perfect instagram filter. The paperback cover definiteily has more of a mystery vibe, as the “waves” look to be made of human hair, perhaps long hair that’s been chopped off in pursuit of a new identity perhaps?
Loading ...Book Buddies Ask!
A huge theme in Daughter of Deep Silence is revenge. What are some of your favorite “revenge” plots or acts have happened in books, movies or shows?
I’m a huge fan of revenge plots, especially when they’re orchestrated or carried out by someone who you just really want to see win! The first thing that comes to mind is when (spoiler alert if you are one of the few who hasn’t read HP) Molly Weasley kills Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. If anyone was going to take out Bellatrix, I love that it was the most maternal and matriarchal character to the series. I also love when Blair takes down Georgina at the end of Gossip Girl Season 1: “Haven’t you heard? I’m the crazy bitch around here.”
Have you ever tried to change a certain trademark mannerism you have, or have you ever tried to adopt a new one?
When I was younger I was always trying to adopt elements to my handwriting. I’d go through phases where I wrote in very small, neat print, in big, loopy print, in bouncy, bubbly print, etc. I’ve sort of settled into handwriting that is uniquely me, but I have noticed a few quirks (such as there are certain letters that I almost always capitalize no matter what!)
Frances spent 7 days stranded at sea before she was rescued. Do you like survival story narratives? If so, what are your favorites?
I’m actually not a huge fan of survival stories because I really don’t like to dwell on people’s misery with being stranded in a hopeless situation. It just really gets under my skin. I found that the flashback scenes in Daughter of Deep Silence were compelling, and the intricate details Frances gives of how what happens to bodies stranded at sea was horrifying, but I couldn’t stop reading. Again, this is all talked about in hindsight so it was easier for me to process. I actually think the best novel with a “survival story” element that i’ve read lately is One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. One of the main characters comes back from being stranded for a super long time and I enjoyed seeing the transitioning back into society for him.
Have you ever been on a cruise? If not, would you ever want to go on one?
I actually have never been on a cruise! Partially because I am terrrified I will spend the whole time sick to my stomach (I’m really sensitive to motion sickness) and partially because I get really freaked out by sinking ship narratives (to this day I still haven’t seen Titanic. I KNOW.) Max really wants to go on a Disney cruise someday (and I admit it would be super cool!) so maybe one day I’ll brave the seas!
Overall Thoughts
Daughter of Deep Silence was a bit of an impulse buy for me, as I was struck by the cover one day wandering around Barnes and Noble and decided I had to have it (I usually only buy hardcovers if I know for sure that I’ll love a book, such as when I’m continuing a series or from an auto-buy author). I’m a huge fan of mysteries and thrillers, so I was expecting a lot from a book that had a premise built upon such an intense premise. However, I’m a bit disappointed as I found this story to be pretty unoriginal. My family and I loved the show Revenge and I saw so many echoes and parallels to that show in this narrative that I felt I couldn’t stop comparing it to the show (which IMO is better). This novel also profoundly lacks a subtlety, as it breaks the rules of “show not tell” and constantly tells and explains Frances’ motives, thoughts, and desires to the reader. Overall, a compelling plot idea and gorgeous cover, but not a book that stands out among others in its genres.
Read the rest of our Daughter of Deep Silence review feature on Lauren’s blog!
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Goodreads Challenge 2016
Omg I ALWAYS used to change my handwriting! I don’t know how I didn’t think of that for mine too haha. I’d try to copy a friend’s handwriting, or change the way my A was written, or capitalize some things, or write smaller. So weird! haha.
Right?! I went through so many handwriting phases! I’ve finally found my distinct “style” but I definitely have quirks that are distinctly me, such as always capitalizing certain letters (such as “R”).