Review: The Secret Sea by Barry Lyga

Title: The Secret Sea

Author: Barry Lyga

Published by: Feiwel And Friends

Released: 2016

Source: Library

Summary: Zak thinks he has a guardian angel. He hears a voice in his head that sometimes warns him when he's in danger. He's also started having dreams of being on a ship. Unfortunately, after a slip-up that gets him into some trouble, his parents worry that he's crazy. They send him to see a therapist, where he learns of some dark family secrets.

The voice is getting more insistent. Compelling him to go somewhere. Soon begins a strange journey to another world, filled with danger and mystery. Zak must decided what to do, and what is right.

My Thoughts: This book, I didn't really like it. I didn't really enjoy the process of reading it. I thought this book was very messy, I didn't like how it was put together, and how events played out. I wasn't a fan. I really only liked one character. I just didn't enjoy this.

It took me quite a while to get into this story. The beginning was just kind of weird and frustrating for me. I found Zak very hard to sympathize with, he mostly annoyed me. I didn't like how he treated and viewed his parents. He kind of acted like a drama king.

I was also very suspicious of the people Zak was supposed to help, pretty much the thing that set the whole plot into motion. I just feel like if things had been thought through and not taken at face value, this whole mess could have been avoided. It was just very messy.

I'm also not really a fan of this alternate world. There was a whole smack-you-over-the-head feminism vibe going on, which I found annoying. Not a fan. I really got annoyed with Moira during certain points because she became such a man-hater so quickly. I feel like she took pleasure in beating up as many men as possible. I know that feminism is a popular thing now, but I don't enjoy being hit over the head with it. In all honesty, if this had been marketed as a feminist book in the synopsis, I wouldn't have even picked it up.

I think I also got annoyed with Moira because she was a know-it-all. I don't tend to like people or characters like that.

The only character I really enjoyed was Khalid. He was a good friend, he didn't jump to dumb conclusions, and he wasn't super judgey.

Apart from Khalid, the only other thing I liked was the author's note in the back. I found it very interesting to get an insight into how he came up with the idea for this book, and what real life events inspired him.

This book was disappointing, and I didn't really like it. Most of the characters annoyed me, the over-the-top Feminism aspect annoyed me, and the reason for the adventure felt suspicious from page one. Not a fan of this book.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3/5

What a Mess.