I loved this book! It is unique among YA books today (I mean for once there is no PNR, no vampires, or werewolves. I loved that!!!)

Deep Green by [a:Trisha Haddad|2781949|Trisha Haddad|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1386117232p2/2781949.jpg] centers around Leah Taylor, who on her Spring Break goes on a cruise with her parents and aunt. Unfortunately for her, the ship is taken over by terrorists. Musir, a young man who Leah met earlier in the day saves her life by throwing her overboard onto a life boat. Stranded with Musir, Blue McCree (a college student she met just minutes before the terrorists took over), Kent Carson (a middle aged "creepster"), and an injured unconscious woman, Leah must learn to survive and hope for rescue.

Then again, I never was a victim of a terrorist attack. I never was a shipwreck survivor either. Times had changed. In the matter of a few days, my life was completely different. The history of my existence changed. These last few days would live with me forever when we were rescued. -Leah

I believe that by the end of this book Leah became one of my all-time favorite female protagonist in a YA book. She's just sixteen (turns seventeen while stranded) and despite all that she encounters, all that she has to do to survive, she isn't whiny. She only had one true breakdown in the entire book and it is well deserved!

The other characters I loved as well. I felt that Haddad did a wonderful job creating them. With just a few sentences she is able to paint a picture of what these characters look like and how they act. For instance, Kent Carson, the "creepster" middle-aged survivor. He is constantly making off-hand sexual jokes towards Leah, he is lazy, and just in general creates dissent in the group. In my mind I pictured some greasy-looking white-trash version of Hugh Hefner. Then there's Blue McCree, the intellectual college student. He is a fanatic about the ecosystem and "going green" as Leah puts it.

Spoiler

And it's this fanaticism that set warning bells off in my head! Just some of the comments he makes throughout the story, led me to predict the ending of this book (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.)

And Musir! I loved him. He is a recent immigrant to America with his parents and speaks little English though he understands it well. And boy was Leah (and I) taken with him!

I could have sworn it was silent all over the ship in that moment. The ocean stood still, the wind slowed, and the other passengers walked silently. It must have been so. I certainly couldn't register a sound. It was as though the world awaited his voice and words.
-Leah

I think every teen girl has felt that way about a boy at some point in their life. I know I did!

The other thing I believe Haddad did very well is to create and center the plot around these characters and their survival. The things they endure are believable (at least to me!). And it truly is like a coming of age story for Leah as we see her character develop over the course of the book. One of the funniest scenes in the book that shows this is when Leah kills a snake. And not just any snake from the description. The snake is the size of a boa. It tries to attack her and she beats it with a spear, then just to be sure it is dead she hacks its head off!

For me, I loved this book! Have I said that too much already?! But no really, I loved this book! It was an easy read. I easily read it in one sitting, and I have every intention to read it again, it's that good! If you like suspense, coming-of-age stories, and a little romance, you'll enjoy this book. (Not to mention props to the author for keeping this a very clean read!) Can't wait for the sequel!

I received a copy of this ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.