In her riveting debut novel, Rachel Reiss plunges readers into the treacherous underwater world of Out of Air—a story that masterfully blends horror, YA fantasy, and mystery thriller elements into a haunting exploration of belonging, transformation, and the sacrifices we make for those we love. As an experienced scuba diver herself, Reiss brings an authenticity to the diving scenes that anchors the supernatural elements in a tangible reality, creating a reading experience as immersive as the oceanic setting itself.
The novel follows Phoebe “Phibs” Ray and her tight-knit group of friends, collectively known as the Salt Squad, as they embark on their final adventure before college separates them. What begins as a celebratory graduation trip to a remote Australian island transforms into a nightmare when Phibs discovers a mysterious underwater cave that forever alters her and her best friend Gabe. The aftermath of their discovery unfolds in a gripping narrative that explores the boundaries between humanity and something far more primal lurking beneath the waves.
The Currents of Character Development
Reiss excels at crafting complex, multidimensional characters who evolve throughout the narrative:
- Phoebe “Phibs” Ray: Our protagonist carries the emotional weight of abandonment (her mother left when she was young) and impending loss (her grandmother’s deteriorating memory). Her journey from insecurity to acceptance of her transformation is both disturbing and compelling. Phibs’ evolution from someone who feels she doesn’t belong anywhere to someone embracing a new identity—albeit a terrifying one—forms the emotional core of the story.
- Gabe: His quiet strength and unwavering support of Phibs create a beautiful foundation for their relationship. His revelation about keeping the gold coin to help Phibs adds layers of complexity to his character, challenging readers to question where good intentions cross ethical lines.
- The Supporting Cast: Will (Gabe’s competitive twin), Lani (the group’s fearless leader), and Isabel (marine life expert and Lani’s girlfriend) each have distinct personalities that contribute meaningfully to the narrative. Their varying responses to the crisis facing Phibs and Gabe highlight the different ways people react when confronted with the inexplicable.
The relationship dynamics within the Salt Squad feel authentic and lived-in. Reiss captures the intensity of adolescent friendships—the unspoken hierarchies, the fear of growing apart, and the lengths people will go to preserve what matters to them. The romantic tension between Phibs and Gabe simmers perfectly throughout the novel before culminating in moments of genuine tenderness amid horror.
Atmosphere that Suffocates (in the Best Way)
Reiss demonstrates remarkable skill in creating atmosphere. The underwater sequences are particularly outstanding, conveying both the beauty and terror of the ocean’s depths. The descriptions of diving—the pressure changes, the disorientation, the weightlessness—are rendered with such precision that readers will feel the water closing in around them.
The atmospheric highlights include:
- The claustrophobic tunnel sequences that induce genuine anxiety
- The ethereal beauty of the underwater cave with its stalactites and cathedral-like chambers
- The visceral horror of the transformations Phibs and Gabe undergo
- The haunting ambiguity of the whispers that plague the protagonists
The Australian island setting provides the perfect isolated backdrop for the story, creating a sense that help is impossibly distant when things go wrong. Reiss skillfully uses this isolation to ratchet up tension as the narrative progresses.
Submerged Themes
Beneath the surface-level horror story, Reiss explores several compelling themes:
- Identity and Transformation: The physical changes happening to Phibs and Gabe mirror the emotional transformations all teenagers experience as they transition to adulthood. The gashes in their skin literally open them to new ways of being, functioning as a powerful metaphor for growth.
- Belonging: Phibs’ desperate desire to belong somewhere drives many of her decisions. Her fear of being left behind when her friends go to college creates a vulnerability that the cave seems to exploit. There’s a devastating irony in how she eventually finds belonging in a state of perpetual liminality—not fully human anymore but not yet whatever she’s becoming.
- Control vs. Surrender: Throughout the novel, characters struggle with what they can and cannot control. Whether it’s Lani’s loss of fingers, Gram’s deteriorating memory, or Phibs’ transformation, the narrative consistently questions how we respond when forces beyond our control reshape our lives.
- The Price of Discovery: The novel cleverly examines how discoveries (whether treasure or knowledge) often come with unforeseen consequences. The gold coins that bring the Salt Squad fame ultimately contribute to tragedy, while the cave’s secrets fundamentally alter Phibs’ humanity.
Structural Currents and Narrative Flow
The narrative structure enhances the story’s impact, with Reiss alternating between present-day chapters and flashbacks that gradually reveal the traumatic incident that occurred five months earlier. This creates two parallel tensions: what happened in the past, and what will happen to Phibs and Gabe in their transformed state.
The pacing is nearly perfect, with quieter character moments balanced against intense action sequences. The last third of the novel is particularly propulsive, with revelations and dangers arriving in quick succession as the story races toward its haunting conclusion.
Critical Undertow: Where the Novel Struggles
Despite its many strengths, Out of Air by Rachel Reiss isn’t without flaws:
- Supernatural Mechanics: While the horror elements are effective, the rules governing Phibs’ and Gabe’s transformations sometimes feel inconsistent. Their abilities with marine life seem to expand and contract based on narrative convenience rather than following a clear progression.
- Villain Development: The treasure hunters who arrive midway through the novel serve their plot function but lack the depth of the main characters. They represent a familiar threat in a story otherwise filled with original elements.
- Uneven Resolution: The final twist revealing Phibs as the one who posted the cave photo feels somewhat underexplored. This potentially fascinating moral complexity—that Phibs unconsciously orchestrated events to keep her friends tied to her—deserved more examination.
- Loose Threads: Several intriguing elements (particularly regarding Phibs’ mother potentially undergoing the same transformation years earlier) are introduced but not fully developed. While this creates an effective ambiguity, some readers might find these threads frustratingly unresolved.
The Final Breath
Out of Air announces Rachel Reiss as a powerful new voice in YA horror/fantasy. Her debut demonstrates remarkable confidence in blending genres and creating visceral imagery that lingers long after the final page. The novel’s greatest achievement is making readers feel deeply for characters undergoing changes that should render them monstrous but somehow maintain their humanity.
The ending strikes a perfect balance between resolution and lingering mystery. Phibs and Gabe find a way to manage their condition, but the transformation continues—leaving readers with the unsettling sense that what we’ve witnessed is merely the beginning of something far more profound.
For readers who enjoy books like Madeleine Roux’s Asylum series, Tiffany D. Jackson’s White Smoke, or the aquatic horror elements of Katsu’s The Deep, Reiss’s novel will satisfy while offering something distinctly its own. Out of Air by Rachel Reiss isn’t just about the terror of what lives beneath the waves—it’s about the terror of what might live within ourselves, waiting for the right conditions to emerge.
Strengths:
- Immersive underwater sequences written with expert knowledge
- Complex, believable characters with authentic relationships
- Skillful blending of body horror with coming-of-age themes
- Evocative setting that enhances the narrative tension
- Strong romantic subplot that doesn’t overshadow the horror elements
Areas for Improvement:
- Some inconsistency in the supernatural elements
- Underdeveloped antagonists
- A few unresolved narrative threads
- Occasional pacing issues in the middle section
Final Thoughts: A Dive Worth Taking
Rachel Reiss’s Out of Air pulls you under from the first page and doesn’t release you until the final haunting revelation. Though you may occasionally need to come up for air during some of the more intense sequences, this debut novel ultimately rewards readers with a unique horror experience that transforms familiar coming-of-age anxieties into something far more visceral and unnerving. The novel succeeds not just as horror but as an exploration of how far we’ll go to preserve connections with those we love—even if it means becoming something other than human.
Like the mysterious cave at its center, Out of Air offers both beauty and terror in equal measure, leaving readers changed by the experience of having ventured into its depths.
