Thursday, July 31, 2014

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Series: Waterfire Saga #1
Publication Date: May 6th 2013
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Mermaids
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: The first in a series of four epic tales set in the depths of the ocean, where six mermaids seek to protect and save their hidden world.

Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five other mermaid heroines who are scattered across the six seas. Together, they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood and uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review: Deep Blue is the first book in a brand new series about 6 young mermaids, who must overcome their differences and work together in order to save the underwater world.

I definitely had mixed emotions about this book. I could not get into it at all in the beginning. I would read a few pages and then give up until I got about a third into the book. The first third of the book is not only confusing, but I also found it to be quite pointless. There is lots of different language and strange words that the author uses, which makes it hard to understand and follow. 
Not only that, but the first part of the book follows Sera's life as a princess and what her ceremony is about and her engagement. Then after the first third of the book is over, that part becomes unimportant. I feel like it was a waste of time for the author to write it and for the reader to read it, if it didn't make a difference in the story.

After you pass the first part of the book, then it starts to get a little interesting. You travel along with Sera and Neela as they try to escape the people who destroyed her town. On their journey they discover more about their prophecy and what they must do. 

I found this plot to be a little cliché and predictable. It was still better than the first half of the book by a landslide, but it definitely could have been improved.

Serafina's character was okay. I definitely liked the princess, but I wouldn't say I loved her. I do like that she's considered the 'leader' of the group, but I still found her to be a little too childish and naive. 

What I did like about the book is that it was more focused on friendship rather than romance, you don't see that very often and it was a nice change.

Overall, this book could have had some major improvements, but it was still an okay book to read. I will be continuing on the series when the other books come out.

Thanks for reading,
-Aneta

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