Eighteen-year-old Cassandra Leung struggles with her morality and her romantic relationship with fellow pirate Swift Kent as she and the Minnow pirate crew work to take down wild sea monsters, dubbed Hellbeasts, who are attacking ships and destroying theocean ecosystem. - (Baker & Taylor)
Three weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to ruthless pirate-queen Santa Elena and set free Bao, the sea monster Reckoner she'd been forced to train. The days as a pirate trainee are long and grueling, but it's not the physical pain that Cas dreads most. It's being forced to work with Swift, the pirate girl who broke her heart. But Cas has even bigger problems when she discovers Boa is not the only a monster swimming free. Other Reckoners illegally sold to pirates have escaped their captors and are taking the NeoPacific by storm, attacking ships at random and ruining the ocean ecosystem. As a Reckoner trainer, Cas might be the only one who can stop them. But how can she take up arms against the creatures she used to care for and protect? Will Cas embrace the murky morals that life as a pirate brings or perish in the dark waters of the NeoPacific? The exciting sequel to The Abyss Surrounds Us - (North Star Editions Inc)
Eighteen-year-old Cas Leung struggles with her morality and her romantic relationship with fellow pirate Swift as she and the Minnow crew work to take down wild sea monsters, dubbed Hellbeasts, who are attacking ships and destroying the ocean ecosystem. - (North Star Editions Inc)
https://flexpub.com/shelfpreview/the-edge-of-the-abyss
Booklist Reviews
Three weeks have passed since Cassandra lost her Reckoner monster Durga, her life as a trainer, and her heart to a pirate girl. In this sequel to The Abyss Surrounds Us (2016), Santa Elena, pirate queen and captain of the Minnow, has retreated to the freezing waters of the NeoAntarctic, fleeing another Reckoner beast gone wild. Cas is stuck when she realizes that the illegal monsters stolen by a greedy agent are all loose in the ocean, attacking ships and people with no trainers to guide them: she grew up as a trainer and is attached to the beasts. On the other hand, she's now a pirate on the receiving end of their wrath, and she wants the threat neutralized. This is a new kind of adventure book—sci-fi piracy at its finest—and Skrutskie has penned another winner. There is definite closure in this second book of a planned duology, but enough open ends mean that Skrutskie could certainly return to this world, and readers will surely hope she does. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 8 Up—Cassandra Leung has become an official member of Santa Selena's crew. She abandoned her sea monster (a Reckoner), lost her family, and was deceived by Swift, the one person she trusted. Now she must find her place in this world of pirates. Cas learns that there are many Reckoners that were stolen and are now demolishing the ecosystem of the ocean, and all the pirates look to her for a solution. They must destroy the illegal Reckoners to save the sea. To do so, Cas must learn to rely on all those she has lost throughout this journey. She must accept that she will have to kill those she was raised to protect. And she must decide whose side she is on once and for all. Skrutskie's sequel to The Abyss Surrounds Us is just as engaging as its predecessor. It introduces pirates as a group who work together to protect their life force, the ocean, after being turned away from society. Just like Cas, the audience will struggle as they wonder whom they should support. Readers will love this sci-fi adventure story. VERDICT Purchase where the first novel and sci-fi are popular.—Jessica Strefling, US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Library
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal.