Pages & Pinnacles: Review: Deep Blue

Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Edition: Hodder Children's Books Hardback
Released: 1st May 2014
Series: Waterfire Saga #1
Pages: 336 approx.
Links: Author's Website | Goodreads | Buy the book!

On the morning of her betrothal, Seraphina's biggest worry should be about her reunion with Prince Mahdi, her childhood crush. Instead she is haunted by strange dreams foretelling the return of an ancient evil, and the city is stormed by assassins.

Led only by her shadowy dreams and pursued by the invading army, Serafina and her best friend Neela embark on a quest to find the army's leader and prevent a war between the mer nations. They must search for four 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.

Mermaids have always held a special place in my imagination. As a child, I loved swimming underwater and pretending I was one. I would basically only ever resurface every few seconds to catch my breath and then I'd be back under. I wished more than anything to be a mermaid and even convinced myself at one point in my teenage years someone would tell me I was (still waiting, human/mermaid hybrid decide-y people, still waiting). So when I read the back of this book, my nostalgia and inner kid kicked in and I was basically sold. To this day, underwater swimming is still my favourite (probably because that was all I ever did).

I can't even put into words how childishly excited I was to start this book. I'd basically fallen in love with the world before even reading the first page. So, though I was pretty much entranced with the world the entire way through, I can see how it could take someone else maybe a little longer to get to that stage. After all, not everybody gets completely obsessed with a book before going into it. *chokes out nervous laughter*

As for the plot, I do admit I didn't feel it was the most solidified. The 'ancient evil' felt a little random and unrealistic - almost as if it didn't fit in with the story and the tone of it, and this is taking into account that this book is a fantasy novel. So I really have no idea why I thought it felt so out of place, considering mostly anything goes in these types of books. But, again, I feel like my obsession with the world pretty much cancelled out this issue. I can't even explain to you (in a coherent manner, anyway) how mesmerised I was with this world. This gif pretty much sums it up well enough though:

I also love how the author has decided friendship will play an important part in the series. Since this is the first book, we don't really see many bonds develop but there's just so much potential and it's looking promising. So much could be done in relation to the 'sisterhood' and I'm sure there will be a few heart warming moments up ahead! The only relationship we ever really see play out in Deep Blue is Sera and Neela's. I really liked Seraphina's character and, though I felt Neela could be a bit superficial at times, I liked seeing the effect she had on Sera.

In conclusion, I ended up really enjoying Deep Blue. The world was fantastic, the characters added different dimensions and the plotline was enjoyable enough, even if it felt a tad weak for my liking. However, there's so much potential for this series so I'm eagerly anticipating the next instalment coming out next year!