Book Review: Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnely

Title: Deep Blue
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Series/Standalone: Waterfire Saga (Book 1)
Pages: 340
Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Year Published: 2014
First Line: "Deep in the black mountains, deep in the Romanian night, deep beneath the cold, dark waters of the ancient olt, the river witches sang."

"Serafina, daughter of Isabella, Queen of Miromara, has been raised with the expectation- and the burden- that she will someday become ruler of the oldest civilization of merfolk. On the eve of the Dokimi ceremony, which will determine if she is worthy of the crown, Sera is haunted by a strange dream that retells the return of an ancient evil. But her nightmare is forgotten the next day as she diligently practices her songspell; eagerly anticipates a reunion with her best friend, Neela; and anxiously worries about Mahdi, the crown prince of Matali, and whether his feelings toward her and their future betrothal have changed. Most of all, she worries about not living up to her mother's hopes.
The Dokomi proceeds. a dazzling display of majesty and might, until a shocking turn of events interrupts it: an assassin's arrow wounds Isabella. The realm falls into chaos, and Serafina's darkest premonitions are confirmed. Now she and Neela must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the mer nations. Their search will lead them to other mermaid heroines scattered across the six seas. Together they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence."

My Rating: 1.5/5

I don't think that I've ever given a rating that is this low so I'm going to explain before people get ticked off. I went into this book expecting a world of magic and girl power and I was left with juvenile characters and thoughts that seemed incomplete. I understand that this is the first in a series, but it seemed as though the author would come up with an idea and just throw it into the story without thinking through many ways to work it in so it flowed. I found that the flow of this book was off for me. I didn't care for the characters or for the world. I also found that the whole story just lacked a certain amount of magic. I will say that Jennifer Donnely's puns are on point. If you're in it only for the puns, you'll enjoy yourself. I will also mention that the characters felt extremely young to me. I understand that they are 16 for the most part but they seemed closer to 12 or 13 to me. So a younger audience may appreciate this book more.
Needless to say, I don't plan on continuing the series at this moment. 
I would recommend thsi to a middle grade audience for sure.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

So it's only the beginning of the year and I've already found a book that just wasn't for me. Off to a good start, aren't we? Anywho this story is the story of a princess mermaid who is one of 6 chosen ones. It speaks about girl power and attempts to create a magical underwater world. I did find that the history was in depth and interesting. I thought that that would carry throughout but it seemed to lack in the middle. I also found that the time line didn't seem to line up, it didn't flow as nicely as I had hoped. And here's what really got me down in this book, the characters were whiny and juvenile. 

Characters:
Seraphina: Whiny and under developed. I found that this character did not act her age and wasn't ready to take over much of anything. I did empathize that she lost so much, but she didn't seem to care the Neela had also lost so much with her.. Just agravating.

Neela: Her obsession with candy was cute at first but after time it was more frustrating than anything not to mention her slang. I don't have much else to say based on how little I really know about her from the writing style.

Ling: I'm sure they would really just stumble on this girl in the middle of nowhere that's fine.

Mahdi: She's going to end up with the bad party boy, in the end, won't she? I don't' even care to read to find out.


Moments to Remember:
Final Line: "In the time to see Vraja pick up a rock and smash the mirror."


Just a quick note that these are only my opinions and I encourage everyone to make up their own minds about books. Even though this book was not for me, it doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't enjoy it.
Thanks for reading,
Sidny