Global warming has caused the land above to flood, lessening land to live on and grow food to the point where there is not enough for everybody. The Commonwealth's (government) resolution was to allow a select group of people to form a society in the ocean.
There, this select group of people are allowed as much land as they wish, unlike the Topsiders. Only one condition: the "Dark Life" (which they hate being referred as) must share any resources they reaped living on the ocean floor.
Ty happens to be a teenager that is one of the Dark Life. Not only is he a teenager, but he's the sole one out of the twenty-two children living on the ocean floor, which can get pretty lonely. Luckily, he meets Gemma, a topsider his age, on a venture above. Gemma tends to make Ty feel uncomfortable with all her questions about Dark Gifts and why his sparkles in the sunlight.
Dark Gifts are a silly myth, or so Ty insists, believed only by Topsiders. People who don't know what it's like living on the ocean floor believe living under high pressure has given them otherworldly 'powers' specific to ocean life.
Befriending Gemma has a consequence of course, and he is dragged into her goal of finding her long-lost brother. On this quest, they discover many things ... including secrets kept by the government.
________________________________________________________________
This book involved a lot of world building and I found the characters very real and endearing (especially Ty!). I really like the unique setting (have you ever read a book about humans living underwater?) and all the the complicated (in a good way) twists. A very interesting read! ^^
five stars
