Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

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Title: Deep Blue (The Waterfire Saga #1)

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Length: 320 pages

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mermaids

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Source: ARC (Received from a Twitter Promotion from Seale Ballenger! Thank you so much!!!)

Read: June 2014

GoodReads

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. (From GoodReads)

***I won an ARC of this book from a promotion giveaway on Twitter. This does not change the way I view this book.***

My Rating:

I LOVE this cover. When I first saw the cover, I knew that I wanted to read this book. I haven't read many books about mermaids, but I have (since a child) been interested in movies that have mermaids (like The Little Mermaid and Splash). So I knew that this is one that I really wanted to read and enjoy. 

And I am so glad that I did. 

I read this book really quickly. I was so engrossed in everything that was going on. I had a hard time putting the book down. If I would have had the time, I probably would have read this book in one day.

I really liked this book and I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. 

The Story:

I really liked and enjoyed this book. I thought it was like a mash up of Mermaids and Witches. I liked that the mermaids can have powers. I found the songspells to be really interesting and unique. I don't think I have read anything quite like this book. 
I found it to be really fascinating. 

I liked the mystery that was set up at the beginning of the story. It really grabbed my attention and made me anxious to find out some of what was happening.

I also thought that the world-building was really interesting.

I liked that the book had a lot of information and history about the Mermaid (Underwater) World. At first it was a bit confusing, I felt like I had a whole lot of information being explained to me all at once. But I was pretty interested in the information that I was reading. (I like learning the back-story of the world that has been created.)

I found the story to be fun and full of adventure. There were parts that made me sad and parts that frustrated me a little. But there were also parts that made me happy and some that made me laugh. But above all, the story kept me entertained. I was curious about the characters and the situations that they were in. 

It does end leaving the reader with more questions than answers. I wasn’t upset with how it ended though. Yes, I am VERY curious about what else happens with this series. I need to know more, but I wasn’t left upset with how it did finish up. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

I felt that it was a good set-up for an interesting series that I can’t wait to continue to read.

The Characters:

I liked the characters. I was definitely interested in what would happen with their lives.
I did feel like there were a lot of characters being introduced, but that I still don't know much about them or their lives. I am interested to find out more about these characters in the following books. 

I was able to relate with Seraphina's character. I know what some of her fears feel like (in a sense). I really enjoyed her character development throughout the story and I am looking forward to watching her further develop in the next book. 

I really liked Seraphina and Neela’s friendship. And I loved all the interaction between the two of these characters. And I feel that they were the best developed out of all the characters in the book. I think that their friendship was one of my favorite things about this book. 

I found this book to be interesting and a quick read. I loved the world created and am looking forward to reading more about this world and the challenges that the characters will be facing in the future. 

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

(source)

Title: Of Poseidon (Syrena Legacy #1)
Author: Anna Banks
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mermaid, Paranormal
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Source: e-book

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom... (From GoodReads)

My Rating:

I really enjoyed this book. I haven't read many mermaid books, but I am really interested in reading more.
I first came across this book on Marissa Meyer's post here. She really liked Of Triton, so I added the series to my Want to Read list on GoodReads, so I would remember to read it eventually.

Then Fierce Reads had a read along on Twitter. So OF COURSE, I had to participate. I bought the e-book and read it.

And I am glad that I did.

Overall, I found the book to be fun story, full of humor. I really LOVED the humor. There were several instances that I laughed aloud.

Then as I was reading, I came across Baytowne. And I got so excited! The book was taking place in Destin, FL. Which is a place in North West Florida. A place that I have been to several times. (Well, I have only been to Baytowne once and I didn't stay there, it was just for the day).

So then I decided I had to look up the author...and yep, she also lives in North West Florida.

Which made me pretty excited.

I am hoping that my excitement about a "local" author doesn't change the way that I feel about the book, but in case it did, you now know.

I was only a little disappointed when I found out that only part of the book took place in Destin. The rest takes place in Jersey Shore. But it was still exciting to read about a place that you have been to before. (I think this is my second book that I have read that includes a place I have been to a lot.)

This story is told from two POV, Emma and Galen. I enjoy reading books that have the points of view of both the main characters. It makes me feel like I am not missing what is happening to the other character when they aren't together.

I liked Emma. I enjoyed reading about her journey to finding out more about herself. I liked that she would stand up for what she believed in.

I really enjoyed the characters. I like Rayna and her curiosity of the human world. I love Toraf and tend to find him pretty funny. Grom and his story line interested me a lot. And Rachel is so funny.

I did feel that I was able to easily predict a few things that happened in the story. But I also think that the author did a good job of making me doubt myself. Making me think that maybe I had it wrong.

Overall, I enjoyed the Syrena lore that the author developed. I found it interesting and loved reading about it. There were a few things that I think are easily predictable, and even the cliffhanger at the VERY end of the story didn't surprise me, but it did make me want to still know what was going to happen next. (In fact I pretty much immediately bought the next e-book!)

I also really liked that the author was able to confuse me (in a good way) about something that I guessed. She made me second guess myself and think that maybe my predictions were wrong the whole time.

I found this to be a fun, quick, easy read for me. And I do think it is one that I would read again.