Rip Tide

Falls, Kat. (2011). Rip Tide. New York: Scholastic. In this action-filled follow-up to the earlier Dark Life, Ty and his friend Gemma find a colony in which all members have died, drown or frozen. Just as they return home to inform the authorities, Ty's parents are kidnapped, and no one seems to be doing anything to rescue them. Ty decides to take matters in his own hand, and the two friends head to Rip Tide, a place where only the hardiest of souls dares to go. Men fight against one another on a sliding platform that tips them into the sea where lamprey eels hook onto their skin and can't be easily removed. This crazy, edgy place seems to hold the only possible clues to the whereabouts of Ty's parents and to the desertion of the township. But Ty is hard-pressed to find allies in his quest, and is stymied by politics, greed, and even Gemma's outlaw brother.

This series continues to impress me with its originality and the author's take on a future that means some of us will have to adjust to living in the deep. She has created all sorts of vicious creatures, both human and nonhuman, to rachet up the suspense and gruesomeness while also laying the groundwork for a budding romance.