Cas has fought pirates her entire life. But can she survive living among them?

For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the genetically-engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water. 

Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup and teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.

Praise for The Abyss Surrounds Us

A Junior Library Guild Selection

★  ”[A] fresh and fascinating look at a lawless future.“ —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“This is a solid, well-crafted, new adventure story with an interesting, unusual hook.”
—Booklist

“Skrutskie creates an intriguing fantasy world full of floating cities, ruthless monsters, betrayals, and unlikely friendships.” —Publishers Weekly

“The Abyss Surrounds Us is highly original and addictive.” —SLJTeen

Three weeks have passed since Cassandra Leung pledged her allegiance to the 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 that Bao is not the only 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 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?

Praise for The Edge of the Abyss

A Junior Library Guild Selection

“Sci-fi piracy at its finest–Skrutskie has penned another winner.” —Booklist 

★ "Skrutskie deftly balances introspection and action, making for a page-turning, thoughtful read.“ —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Linking pirate myth and strong queer female characters with a dystopian vision of the future, The Edge of the Abyss is nothing short of stunning.” —teenvogue.com

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