What Lurks Below

By: Jordan Thompson

Narrated by: Delaney Hagy

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

At Colony, no one knows where the children came from. No one talks about how they were babies when they were ripped from their parents to be raised in the Tin Can.

No one knows, that is, except Amelia. At 13, Amelia remembers a mother who loved her. She remembers fresh peaches and ice cream - not the calorically rationed food that tastes like stagnant swamp water and chemicals.

Desperate to hold on to her memories, Amelia shares her past with her younger brother, Alex. She teaches him about the reality of The Garden and its power to provide safety and love.

Soon, Alex learns that life at Colony is more dangerous than he thought. He spies an enormous, black...something...lurking in the water, while no one seems to notice it at all.

Fear of the creature has Alex thrashing his sheets in bed. His marks drop, and Council insists on Amelia telling them what is wrong. Amelia tries to keep up appearances, but Council refuses to believe her and locks her up.

If Amelia isn't willing to forgo the love she felt and the life she had back then, Council will throw her in the water to meet whatever it is that lurks below the Tin Can.

For fans of The Giver, this dystopian-charged fantasy will show listeners the valiance of holding on to one's beliefs and the value of true sibling love.

©2020 Jordan Thompson (P)2021 Jordan Thompson

What lurks below shows the power of persistence, intelligence, and storytelling.

Amelia lives in a world where storytelling is illegal. No one knows where they came from, no one talks about how they were babies when they were ripped from their parents to be raised in the Tin Can. Except Amelia, and now she tells her younger brother Alex in a safe haven under the bed.

💜Review:💜

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 stars, a beautiful masterpiece.

I love the relationship between Alex and Amelia, I love that the relationship that keeps you reading isn’t a romantic one for once! It was an amazing change of pace. It’s so pure, It really captures the true and beautiful relationship of siblings, even if they aren’t siblings by birth.

The Writing was absolutely beautiful (it did use the ‘I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding,’ line, but I’ll give it a pass.) It’s interesting how we learn about Amelia through her explaining life to Alex instead of explaining it all to us in the beginning.

The audiobook itself has an amazing narrator that gives you the feel of the characters that kept the story interesting. I highly recommend it!

We want more!

An amazing story that we hope will someday become a series. My teen daughter and I listened to this together and really enjoyed it. You can close your eyes & just picture what is happening. Very well written it pulls you in with suspense and compassion for the characters.

Coucil Approved✅ (Praise be to the Council🙌)

"Because, the human soul-no matter how one tries-cannot be destroyed...it's the very lacing of our being."

"What Lurks Below" is a delightfully written story, reminiscent of "The Giver" with similar worldbuilding and apocalyptic themes, but for every similarity, there is just as much to set it apart. 

The characters were beautifully constructed (Alex is adorable ok? And I should know. With like...five younger brothers, I'm basically an authority on them.)

Although the story is written in first person, the narrator doesn't give up her secrets all at once, often leaving you guessing as she slowly unfolds her council approved world, inside a council approved 'tin can' with a council approved family, and council approved conversations.

The tried and proven (or has it?) recipe towards becoming effective members in their council approved society. (Praise be to The Council🙌)

There were some scenes that didn’t quite speak to me (not sure why) and the ‘not like other girls’ vibes were strong in the beginning, but slowly, you start to understand why Amelia doesn’t fit in with the rest, why she's the only one who seems to see through The Council’s thin facade, and why she has a longing for another world when this (council approved) world should be all she’s ever known or wants.

(By now you might be picking up on the Christian themes entangled through the worldbuilding and storyline.) 

Thankyou @monsterivypublishing for sending me the audiobook❤ it was a lovely opportunity to dabble in a genre I rarely dip my toes into!

One of the best audiobooks I have listened to.

I previously read What Lurks Below by Jordan Thompson but it was a whole new experience hearing it narrated by Delaney Hagy. With her articulate and haunting prose, Hagy brought this story to life. I was lost in Thompson's story all over again.

The shadows and the Bewilder in the forest were beautifully written and one of my favorite parts of the story. I loved Amelia's rebellious nature. She was a hauntingly broken character with a fierce loyalty to Alex.

Well written, deeply developed characters brought this middle grade dystopian leaping out from its pages (and speakers).