Deep Blue

"Serafina, daughter of Isabella, Queen of Miromara, has been raised with the expectation - and burden - that she will someday become ruler of the oldest civilization of the merfolk. On the eve of the Dokimí ceremony, which will determine if she is worthy of the crown, Sera is haunted by a strange dream that foretells the return of an ancient evil. But her nightmare is forgotten the next day as she diligently practices her songspell; eagerly anticipates a reunion with her best friend, Neela; and anxiously worries about Mahdi, the crown prince of Matali, and whether his feelings toward her and their future betrothal have changed. Most of all, she worries about not living up to her mother's hopes. The Dokimí proceeds, a dazzling display of majesty and might, until a shocking turn of events interrupts it: an assassin's arrow wounds Isabella. The realm falls into chaos, and Serafina's darkest premonitions are confirmed. Now she and Neela must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the mer nations. Their search will lead them to other mermaid heroines scattered across the six seas. Together they will form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood as they uncover a conspiracy that threatens their world's very existence."

Did someone say mermaid?! As an avid lover of all things mermaid related Deep Blue instantly captured my attention. The writing was simple yet painted a vivid picture. On top of the mermaids, rival kingdoms, assassins, you add some puns? I'm all in!! (I mean come on... badwrasse... currenSEA.... CRAZY CATFISH LADY! I'm a sucker for a bad pun.)

The adventure aspect in this book was entertaining, while semi-predictable still good. The is great cultural diversity, all the mer-kingdoms are heavy influenced by the land closest to the sea each kingdom occupies. We see Spanish mermaids, Chinese, Indian, Brazilian, Italian, you name it the ocean has it all. We see strong female development, and a fantastic close knit sisterhood.

Whereas this book was amped towards a younger audience i still found it immensely enjoyable. Occasionally there was an unneeded phrase that seemed to be trying too hard to be "in. Seriously though who says "FOMO" (supposedly it stands for fear of missing out) in their dialogue. If I had been able to give the author some advice it would be to take a step back from the tacky teen lingo.

Did I forget to mention that the cover of this book is absolutely GORGEOUS!! It would be the perfect addition to any bookshelf.

The biggest problem I had with this book was the unexplained situations. Exactly how are we drinking tea underwater? Okay fine.... BUT EXACTLY HOW IS A PREGNANT MERMAID GIVING BIRTH?!? The scientific, logical part of my brain would've liked for these things to be explained. Even if it was a magical explanation!

Through and through it was a very interesting, cute, adventure/fantasy book! (And once again, mermaids!!!)

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