Waiting on Wednesday (131): DEEP BLUE

WOW is hosted by Breaking the Spine

DEEP BLUE

Jennifer Donnelly

May 6th 2014

Disney Press

The first in a series of four epic tales set in the depths of the ocean, where six mermaids seek to protect and save their hidden world.

Deep in the ocean, in a world not so different from our own, live the merpeople. Their communities are spread throughout the oceans, seas, and freshwaters all over the globe.

When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be winning the love of handsome Prince Mahdi. And yet Sera finds herself haunted by strange dreams that foretell the return of an ancient evil. Her dark premonitions are confirmed when an assassin's arrow poisons Sera's mother. Now, Serafina must embark on a quest to find the assassin's master and prevent a war between the Mer nations. Led only by her shadowy dreams, Sera searches for five 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.

I cannot remember if I've said this before, but I'm a huge fan of mermaid stories. Really. I was obsessed with this ridiculous (but awesome) mermaid story as a little kid, loved Disney's The Little Mermaid, and my biggest childhood ambition was to become a mermaid (which, obviously and unfortunately, did not happen).

So, I'm incredibly excited for DEEP BLUE. It sounds like an outstanding story, and I'm curious to see what these merpeople and their world are like. I just wish I had a time machine so I could fast-forward to May! *waits impatiently for the release date*

What are you waiting on this week?

The Girl From Atlantis by Richard Schenkman Review

Book: The Girl From Atlantis

Author: Richard Schenkman

Age: Middle Grade/MG

Release date: February 8th, 2010

Source: Author

My Summary: 

Ever since Athena Crowley was young, she's always loved the water and had the natural ability to stay afloat. Yet, as she grows older, Athena can't remember life with her mother, who was lost in a terrible accident at sea. Luckily, she's always had her supportive and caring father, Robert, around. 

But now, when Athena's father goes off on a business trip, eleven-year-old Athena finally discovers a reason for why she always hear an annoying buzzing sound whenever she plunges below the ocean water's surface: she can hear and talk with sea creatures. With a helpful sea turtle and an adventerous spirit, Athena embarks on a journey to Atlantis, and what she finds there may change her life completely.

Review: Sweet and fun, The Girl From Atlantis is perfect for a light, summer read for those of you who enjoy middle grade novels.

Athena is spunky and fearless, I'm definitely envious of the girl! She's adventurous, and she's always had a talent of working with sea animals, as well as an unusual natural ability in water. Her character was fun to follow (third person narrative), and I enjoyed reading about life in Atlantis. The reasonings for certain things (like how they cook underwater) were interesting, and actually made a lot of sense.

The novel starts from Athena as a toddler, so it isn't until around chapter nine that the book finally catches up to the main plot of the story. The Girl From Atlantis is fun, fresh, and a great story if you're feeling a different take on Atlantis and it's residents. 

Highlights: I thought I had the ending guessed completely before I got there, and was a bit surprised to find that it didn't quite end the way I thought it would. But what I loved the most was how artwork was included with the story. The art brings the story to life, and added that extra spark. 

Lowlights: The first however many chapters seemed a bit too much for building background with Athena and her father (as well as explanations about her mother). I was surprised by just how much of the story dealt with the story before going to Atlantis. I've also read better written MG novels, but I still really enjoyed the story. 

Rating:   

Release Day: Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Today is the day that Tera Lynn Childs book Forgive My Fins comes out!! If I wasn't stuck at home sick, I'd totally be running off to the bookstore and snagging a copy because Tera is wonderful (and her Oh. My. Gods. series rocks)!


Summary: Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.


Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life.


When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.


And be sure to drop by Tera's blog and leave a comment on her posts for this week, because for every comment this week Tera will donate a quarter to Oceana.