Sunday, April 13, 2014

"Deep Blue" by Jennifer Donnelly

(photo borrowed from goodreads.com)

3/5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this book.  I loved Jennifer Donnelly’s A Northern Light and Revolution.  But there was just something about this book that wasn’t at the same level of Donnelly’s other works. 

The idea behind the story is actually really good and solid.  Serafina is a mermaid princess who is about to complete an important ceremony, when her kingdom is attacked.  She escapes with her friend to find the Iele, a group of river witches thought to be a myth.  Only with their help, and the help of five other mermaids, will Serafina be able to save her world.

Sounds great, right?  The problem with this book is the little things.  It’s very juvenile.  Some of the characters were a bit superficial at times, and the lingo they used often got annoying.  The character of Neela was particularly irritating and often whiny.  I also felt a bit confused by the ending.  I received an eARC from the publisher and I’m wondering if my ending may have gotten cut off.  I know that there are three more books planned for this series, but this just did not end in a good place.


There are plenty of good moments though and I have definitely been hooked by the story line.  Seraphina is a strong character and I could see young adults sympathizing with her insecurities and cheering for her as she discovers her role in this entire problem.  I do plan on following this series as the books are released.  I’m hoping that some of the little annoying bits will eventually go away and this will turn into a truly unique and epic story.

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