Review: Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Deep Blue

Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Series: Waterfire Saga #1
Publisher: Disney Press
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: ARC
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Source: Received ARC from Emma @ Awkwordly Emma
Rating: 4 Stars
Add to Goodreads
Buy the Book

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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 Review:

This is the first mermaid book I have ever read and I must say that I really enjoyed it! The world that Jennifer Donnelly has created is lush, vibrant and full of life. You can tell she put a lot of thought into this world. I could clearly picture the cities under the water, you could feel the mermaid culture in the way the characters spoke, what they ate, etc. I loved learning about their song spells and the way the different mermaids used their magic. All of it was just so interesting. So many different sea creatures, awesome pets. Just truly amazing.

The story itself was also very interesting. There is a lot of mystery and confusion surrounding who is attacking who. Pair that with the strange nightmare the main character, Serafina, keeps having and you've got yourself a complex interesting plot that will keep you glued to the pages. I really liked the main character. She was strong, but also tentative. She was constantly worried about letting her mother down and not living up to her expectations, but behind that uncertainty there was a young girl determined to do her best.

Serafina's best friend, Neela was probably my favorite. She was so funny, spunky and bubbly. I loved that she was in constant need of sweets and how excited she got over all the latest fashion trends. She reminded me a lot of myself which is why I liked her so much.

The one thing that kind of bugged me was the POV. It's written in third person and at times it felt like third person limited and at other times it felt like third person omniscient. I couldn't really get a grasp on what the author was trying to do. For most of the book we see through Serafina's eyes with small glimpses through Neela's. But there are times when we hear the thoughts of other characters and it always threw me off when it happened.

But aside from that one small, complaint this book was fantastic. Some people might find it a bit slow in places (there is a lot of world-building), but I was so mesmerized by the world the author was creating that it didn't bother me one bit. It did end on kind of a cliffhanger, not horrible, but I am anxiously awaiting the next book to find out what's going to happen. If you like mermaids or anything with really strong, imaginative world-building you won't want to miss this one. Happy reading all!

Have you read this one yet? What did you think? Were you as mesmerized by the world as I was? What did you think of all the mermaids? Thanks again, Emma for sharing this ARC with me!