Deep Blue (Waterfire Saga #1) by Jennifer Donnelly

Synopsis

Serefina, 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 heriones 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.

Reiview

Deep Blue is a  exciting underwater adventure.  The first book in the Waterfire series by Jennifer Donnelly hits the ground running or in this case should I say hits the water with a splash.

When  we first meet Serafina, she is waking up on the day of her betrothal  to  Prince Mahdi. Her biggest problem  is making sure that she sings her song correct. But Sera finds herself haunted by a strange dream that foretell the return of an ancient evil. But are these dreams or something  much worse?

When Serafina kingdom is attacked and her world shattered, she will embark on a quest to find the people who attacked her kingdom and prevent a war between the Mer nations.
Now hiding from those who seek to capture her she will follow her  dreams and  searches for five other mermaid who are scattered across the six seas.

The mermaids in Deep Blue are diverse and Jennifer  description  of not only them but there world are so vivid that it is very easy to imagine.

The thing I really liked about this book is that it focused more on friendship than romance. Friendship is key in this book. The bond between Sera and Neela is unshakable, and I love that this is an important aspect of the book. It is a different  point of focus for a YA story. As often  the focus is on the love story. It is nice to see that the foundation  for this story is friendship

Each of the girls  are from different  parts of the ocean and as such they have different characteristics and respective gifts.

Serafina is surprisingly likeable with a mix of natural talent and hard work.

Neela on the other hand has just a touch of the spoiled princess about her. She is the cousin of Prince Mahdi, and is not content with  life of privilege. She wants more, she wants to be a fashion designer.

We learn only the most basic information about the other four girls, which leads me to believe that we will learn more in the next book.

This is a fantastic  read and would be the perfect  read for sitting down at the beach this summer.