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.

Sarah J Maas Interview

Ahead of her Australian tour i have been  luck enough to have the opportunity to interview  with  Sarah J Maas.

Welcome Sarah J Maas to Paranormal Angel Blog.

Thank you so much for having me! :)

When you are writing your stories to you base your characters on people you know in real life or are they completely fictional?

Nope! The characters in my books just randomly stroll into my head (I seriously have no idea where they even come from)! I like to keep the people in my life separate from the ones in my books. J
 

What does a typical writing day look like for you?

Well, I write full-time from home (I can’t write in public—I get too emotional while writing, and would probably be kicked out of any coffee shop/library!), so my days are pretty much dictated by my dog and when she wants a walk. ;) Seriously though, my typical day looks like this: I spend the mornings doing non-writing stuff—answering emails, social media, interviews (like this one!)… And because I am so not a morning person, it takes about until lunchtime for the creative parts of my brain to wake up. So, after lunch, I focus on all the writing things: drafting a book, doing edits, etc., and will do that until dinner (and sometimes until late at night). Rinse & repeat. J

Is there anything that surprised you about the process or path to publication?

Honestly? Just how long everything takes! I never knew that there was such a huge time gap between selling a book to a publisher and actually seeing that book on a shelf. In YA (in the US at least), it can take anywhere from 18 months to over two years. For me, I sold TOG in March of 2010…and it didn’t release until August 2012 (nearly 2.5 years)! But all that time is spent revising and refining the novel—which I’ve really come to cherish!

What is next for you?
Right now, I’m working on my first round of edits for the fifth Throne of Glass book, and just finishing up my copyedits for A Court of Mist and Fury (the sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses).
 

 With your upcoming tour of Australia is there anything particular you are looking forward to seeing or doing?

Just seeing Australia is a dream come true! But I’m really, really looking forward to meeting my Australian readers! Some of them have championed my books since the very beginning—it’ll be wonderful to finally meet them in person!

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?

You guys are AMAZING! Thank you so much for all that you do for me and my books!

Thank you so much for your time.

Darkness Unchained by McKenzie Hunter

Synopsis

Just try to survive. That had been Skylar’s goal since she discovered that she had died at birth and become a host to a very powerful spirit shade. She was a werewolf with the ability to manipulate magic, and that made Skylar an enigma that most viewed as either an asset or a danger. Being an anomaly in the otherworld was a hazard, and last year she had barely survived. After declining membership in the Midwest Pack, Skylar naively thought she could return to a normal life and fade into obscurity. She was wrong.  

After saving the life of a pack member who was brutally attacked, Skylar finds herself pulled back into the otherworld to help the Northern Seethe and Midwest Pack find the person responsible for the recent attacks on their people. The situation is further complicated when the Seethe hires Chris, a hunter and the pack’s Beta’s ex. With her connections and extensive knowledge of the otherworld she should have been a welcomed asset; but her turbulent history with the pack, complicated relationship with the Master of the Northern Seethe, and the lingering feelings between her and the Beta create conflict between the enemies-turned-allies. 

Once again, Skylar must negotiate the lies, secrets and strange politics that govern the otherworld while struggling not to draw attention to her abilities. It falls apart when she inadvertently changes a peculiar vampire and Chris discovers the link between Skylar and the culprit responsible for the attacks on the vampires and were-animals. 

Now Skylar wonders if she will be able to survive the otherworld this time. 

Review

I was lucky enough to receive a copy from McKenzie Hunter in exchange for a honest review.

If you haven’t  read “Moon Tortured,” stop now.  “Darkness Unchained” is the SECOND in the Sky Brooks Series.  Trust me you will want to read “Moon Tortured”.

Welcome  back to the world of  Skylar Brooks.  We join sky not long after the events of "Moon Tortured ” she is slowly  settling into life on her own.Though she may have not choose to join the pack, she has tried to keep in contact. But some members  of the pack have a issue  with that.

When something  threatens  to kill off the pack they are left with no choose to form a unlikely  truce and work together before they are all killed.

Now like most sequels there is always  that worry  that the book will fall flat and not live up to your expectations. “Darkness Unchained” lived up to my expectations  and more.

Sky is no longer the naive victim of the paranormal world, that  we meet in “Moon Tortured”.  She is now developing  into a strong confident  character who is learning to expect who she really is.
 
This book brings a whole new level of intrigue to this series. I enjoyed the new elements that were brought into this story. From the introduction  of new characters  to gaining a greater understanding and knowlage of the characters we meet in "Moon Tortured ”.

I loved this book and can not wait to read the next book in the series.

Rating ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Website http:// www.mckenziehunter.com