School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--6--The City is the only land in existence--or really only part of it, since the majority of it sank underground in the tragic Great Drowning. Ellie, a bedraggled, pale-skinned girl rescues a boy from the belly of whale. Unfortunately, as soon as the light brown--skinned, muscular Seth emerges from the whale, the City guards believe he is the new Vessel who contains the Enemy, the evil god that destroyed The City, and decide the only way to save them all is to kill him. Ellie makes it her mission to save Seth and along with redheaded orphan Anna and her mysterious blond, pale friend Finn, she attempts to figure out who Seth is and where he's from. Ellie, however, has her own dangerous secret. The pace never slacks in this page-turning adventure, with well-crafted twists and secrets. Pages of a journal written by a former Vessel are interspersed throughout in a different format, making readers feel even more intertwined in the story. Murray's prose is descriptive and vivid; kids will think they are in Ellie's workshop, piled high with crab catchers, broken machines, books, notes, and unidentified items. The only bump in the plot is the attempted description of the gods of the world, their roles, and not-quite demise. Because this mythology is underdeveloped, it detracts from the story instead of adding to the worldbuilding. VERDICT An action-packed tale in a unique fantasy world that features a girl finding great power with the help of friends.--Clare A. Dombrowski
Publisher's Weekly Review
After the death of her brother and inventor mother, orphaned gadgeteer Ellie Lancaster, 12 and cued as white, is left responsible for maintaining many of the intricate mechanisms that help "catch whales, gather oysters, filter seawater, and more" for the inhabitants of the City, a last bastion of humankind that juts out of the flooded world's sea. When a dead whale washes up onto one of the island's rooftops, Ellie frees an amnesiac boy, blue-eyed and light brown--skinned, from its stomach, calling him Seth. The City's Holy Inquisition swiftly declares the newcomer a Vessel of the Enemy--a rogue god who periodically manifests and terrorizes society--and sentences the boy to death. To prove Seth's innocence, Ellie sets out to find the true Vessel with assistance from charming but capricious Finn and adventurous best friend Anna. Alternating an intriguing third-person narrative with first-person accounts from the previous Vessel, Murray weaves an ambitious tale of paranoia, religious zealotry, and adventure. A strong sense of unexplored history combined with the dynamic characters and atmosphere offers potential for further exploration, and readers will enjoy Ellie's struggle to protect her friends and home. Ages 8--12. Agent: Stephanie Thwaites, Curtis Brown. (Dec.)
