Synopsis:
Sergeant Nix Marr is a damn good soldier, but she’s desperate to leave her haunted past in the bioluminescent ocean, buried alongside old friends…and old flames. Unfortunately, even the icy ocean can’t extinguish some fires. When Kessandra, everyone’s favorite princess―and Nix’s loathed ex―requests Nix’s help investigating a massacre in the abyssal city of Fall, Nix refuses. Vehemently.
But Kessandra always gets what she wants.
Consigned as Kessandra’s bodyguard, Nix grudgingly boards a luxurious submersible that offers the only transportation to Fall. It’s frustrating, irritating, how quickly Nix and Kess fall back in sync―much as she tries to fight, Nix can’t deny their spark. But Kessandra wasn’t truthful―surprise, surprise―and Nix quickly realizes their “investigation” isn’t about the massacre, but rather what caused it: an illness that incites its victims into a violent craze.
When another royal is brutally murdered, it becomes apparent the disease has spread―and no one on the submersible is safe. Suddenly, survival hinges on trusting each other, which would be a hell of a lot easier if Kessandra didn’t keep lying. Injured, fighting for their lives, Nix has to decide if she can trust Kessandra again…and what she’ll lose this time.
Review:
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I initially picked up this book because of the undersea settings mentioned in the synopsis. But This Gilded Abyss is so much more than a deadly pathogen spreading between people trapped in their underwater environs; it’s a very human story of forgiveness, betrayal, love, grief, and survival. And I loved every minute of it.
As the main character, we glimpse the world of Valkeshia and its military through her eyes. She’s still coping with grief four years after the loss of her best friend during their tour of the mines, and she blames her powerful ex, Kessandra, for that death. Between her grief and blocks to her career advancement—which she also believes Kessandra is responsible for—there’s a lot of animosity on Nix’s end. So it’s understandable that she does not want anything to do with Kessandra or her secret mission to Fall when it’s presented to her.
Unfortunately, Kessandra, being a subarch (royalty), gets her way. Nix becomes Kessandra’s unwilling bodyguard for the mission, but Nix is also a professional soldier, and she’ll follow orders. She just doesn’t have to like them. And things only get worse for Nix when signs of the pathogen begin to appear on their transport ship to the underwater city.
It was at that point in the book that the tone shifted from a cover murder investigation to an action-packed survival story reminiscent of a zombie apocalypse. As the synopsis mentions, victims of the illness become violent—mindlessly so. Nix, Kessandra, and a couple allies are forced to fight fellow passengers simply to survive the descent to Fall, and the ship’s captain only makes matters worse with her post-lockdown announcements. Things get bad. Very bad.
But there’s even more to the illness than anyone realizes, and the survivors are faced with some world-shaking revelations before the end. (I won’t go into further details here due to spoilers.)
I really enjoyed the world and the story presented, and the characters were fantastic. My only complaint is that it ends on a pretty major cliffhanger, and I have no idea when the second book will be available. But if you can tolerate a cliffhanger, this is a seriously good read. Go check it out.
This Gilded Abyss is currently available for preorder and will release November 11, 2025.
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