Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Rainy futuristic tale excites with pirates, perilous dives.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In UNDER THE SUNKEN CITY, Jin is desperate for money to keep her out of the Navy and with her younger sister, Thara, at the cliff-side coastal inn they run together. Since their father died diving years before, money has been tight, and since it never stops raining, hasn't for hundreds of years, the best way to make money is looting cities that have succumbed to the ocean's depths. Jin has two of the best diving suits that can take them hundreds of feet down, but she refuses to touch them. It's not worth the risk. That is, until Bhili, a former pirate, visits the inn and offers up a bargain: the biggest treasure is waiting in Vegas-Drowned, more than they could ever dream of, and with those suits it could be theirs. That is, unless the nasty pirates tailing Bhili catch up to them first.
Is It Any Good?
This rain-soaked futuristic world is more than worth exploring with pirates and undersea treasure-hunting, but it could have taken a deeper dive into its characters. Jin is the main character here, but Thara, her little sister may have been a better choice. Thara's the one with the most drive to experience life and the least ability to censor her desires. Jin is very afraid -- of diving, of losing her sister and her boyfriend Taim to a wider world, and of moving on from her father's death. She also trusts no one. It takes time to root for a closed-off character like Jin, and readers will be as hard on her as Thara and Taim are.
Jin has thick skin, though, proven by the harrowing dives she takes. Not only are there collapsing ancient underwater skyscrapers to worry about, and really nasty sea creatures, but on the final dive she's down there with shady folks full of bloodlust and greed. The writing is at its best in these sequences, slowing down at just the right times to acclimate the reader to the murky depths Jin braves in a suit that's barely keeping her alive, then speeding up and piling on the action. Luckily the end of Under the Sunken City leaves an opening for more undersea adventures.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Jin and Thara's relationship in Under the Sunken City. Why is Thara so hard on Jin? What is harder about this sister relationship than others? When Jin lets Thara make some of her own life decisions, how is that a form of courage?
Are the burdens of this futuristic society shared equally between the haves and have-nots?
What do you think is next for Jin and Thara? Which city in this world would you like to dive for treasure in? Different people in this story have different ideas of what treasure is. What would you dive for?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals ( Ocean Creatures ) , Pirates , STEM
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HarperTeen
- Publication date : January 23, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 13 - 17
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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