Scan barcode
A review by megsbookishtwins
Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly
3.0
I received a copy free from the publishers via NetGalley
"Danger is everywhere in the sea, child. Death swims on a fast fin."
Serafina is a mermaid in the Mediterranean sea. She is a princess and is soon to be betrothed. However, during her betrothal her city is attacked, her people are hurt, and she has to run and fulfil her prophecy.
I was really in love with Jennifer Donnelly's other book Revolution, and I had requested this on NetGalley and I thought I just had to read it. I was a little disappointed. It is a very different book from her previous ones as it is about mermaids. Before Deep Blue I had not yet read a mermaid book. I imagine it would be quite difficult to write about mermaids, who live in the sea and still execute it well. It did sound promising in the beginning. The cities were very beautifully described. But I just think the whole mermaid thing was not done as best as it could have been. I did like the magic element, especially the mirror, I think that was done exceptionally well. There was a bit of an info dump at the beginning and I did not realise that there were a list of keywords and names at the end. Because I had a kindle copy, it probably would have been best for it to be at the front so I could have read it before I started the actual story.
I was not sure about the characters. They were not that great. Serafina got on my nerves a little bit. She was a little whiny, but I guess that is understandable considering she is a teenager, who is about to be betrothed to someone she no longer feels she knows. She did grow up a little bit and she took up her role quite seriously. Her best friend Neena, I found quite likeable. There was not really any of a love story or romance. There was a little at the beginning, but after that it was not mentioned. Which is good, because I would assume that the last thing that a girl, whose city has just been attacked and who thinks she has lost all her family, would care about is whether the boy she fancies, fancies her back. So that was definitely a positive.
Overall, it was an ok read, which did not take me very long. So if you are looking for a mermaid fantasy story about friendship rather than romance then I do suggest that you have a look at this one.
"Danger is everywhere in the sea, child. Death swims on a fast fin."
Serafina is a mermaid in the Mediterranean sea. She is a princess and is soon to be betrothed. However, during her betrothal her city is attacked, her people are hurt, and she has to run and fulfil her prophecy.
I was really in love with Jennifer Donnelly's other book Revolution, and I had requested this on NetGalley and I thought I just had to read it. I was a little disappointed. It is a very different book from her previous ones as it is about mermaids. Before Deep Blue I had not yet read a mermaid book. I imagine it would be quite difficult to write about mermaids, who live in the sea and still execute it well. It did sound promising in the beginning. The cities were very beautifully described. But I just think the whole mermaid thing was not done as best as it could have been. I did like the magic element, especially the mirror, I think that was done exceptionally well. There was a bit of an info dump at the beginning and I did not realise that there were a list of keywords and names at the end. Because I had a kindle copy, it probably would have been best for it to be at the front so I could have read it before I started the actual story.
I was not sure about the characters. They were not that great. Serafina got on my nerves a little bit. She was a little whiny, but I guess that is understandable considering she is a teenager, who is about to be betrothed to someone she no longer feels she knows. She did grow up a little bit and she took up her role quite seriously. Her best friend Neena, I found quite likeable. There was not really any of a love story or romance. There was a little at the beginning, but after that it was not mentioned. Which is good, because I would assume that the last thing that a girl, whose city has just been attacked and who thinks she has lost all her family, would care about is whether the boy she fancies, fancies her back. So that was definitely a positive.
Overall, it was an ok read, which did not take me very long. So if you are looking for a mermaid fantasy story about friendship rather than romance then I do suggest that you have a look at this one.