(Light the Abyss #1 — Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019) We’re decades into the end of the world as we know it, and Leyla McQueen feels fine. At the end of the 21st century, the planet was drowned in rising ocean levels so now what was once London is now the seabed. Humans live in underwater pods while they wait for the surface weather to clear. Leyla wants nothing more than to be a submersible racer, but the corrupt, tyrannical leaders of this new United Kingdom pull her into a vast conspiracy. When the government disappears her father, Leyla and new ally (and potential love interest) Ari journey across the deep blue sea searching for answers. Like all good speculative YA novels, Ari has some big secrets of his own that will have devastating effects for Leyla’s quest when they’re revealed. If that isn’t enough for you, this is the first YA science fiction series with a British Muslim protagonist; Leyla is of Afghan and Pashtun heritage. Yes, the first. And as far as I can tell, only. *sigh*