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Book Review: “Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2)” by Jennifer Donnelly

*NO SPOILERS REVIEW*


Title: Rogue Wave (Waterfire Saga #2)

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Published: January 1st, 2015

Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books

Find the Author: Goodreads


I received this for review from Hodder Children’s Books for review. As always, my reviews are fair and un-bias.


Read my review of Book One: Deep Blue here.

Six mermaids battle to save their hidden world.

Serafina, Neela and four others have successfully escaped Captain Traho and his men after their hideout with the river witches was stormed.

They must stop an ancient evil from escaping its icy prison by finding six talismans hidden by Serafina’s ancestor hundreds of years before.
With all the Mer nations looking for them and no clue where to start, will the mermaids find the talismans before the monster is released?

The second book in the Waterfire Saga.

I adored the first book in the Waterfire series so it was inevitable I was going to delve into the next book as soon as I could. Back last May when I reviewed Deep Blue, I was ultimately pulled in by the appeal of my favourite Disney character; Ariel, who is also a mermaid. Even though the Waterfire series is different in a lot of ways, I still know why Mermaid books are on my favourites list. 
If you’re not familiar with the Waterfire saga, this should explain where we’re at:
Four thousand years ago, six wise rulers with mystical powers oversaw the golden realm of Atlantis. When an evil force overtook the mythical island, sinking it into the sea, Merrow, the leader of the ancients, beseeched the gods to grant her drowning people the power to breathe underwater. Those who survived, their legs magically fused into tail fins, formed an undersea civilization called The Mer.

From their Mediterranean realm, five others grew to form six undersea nations, led for generations by descendants of the ancient Circle of Six. Now, the evil forces that consumed Atlantis threaten destruction once again. The Mer nations’ only hope lies with six teenagers, descended from the ancient rulers, who’ve inherited their magical powers. Together, they form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood to save their worlds.
At the end of Deep Blue, we were left on a little bit of an oh-what-will-happen-next cliffhanger of sorts. Serafina, Neela, Ling, Becca, Ava, and Astrid had escaped Captain Traho and his men after their hideout was found and infiltrated. It picks up right from where Deep Blue ended and we’re catapulted into a new threat and enemy that the Mermaids need to band against and stop from escaping. This story mainly follows Serafina and her best friend; Neela, who were two of my favourite characters from the last book (Neela more so after this book). 
With a new adventure brought a lot of new journeys and obstacles for Sera especially. Still dealing with the betrayal of Mahdi, her character was swayed by not knowing the truth as we did. The romance between them was one of my favourite things about what made Rogue Wave that little bit more enchanting – something that already exists with the glistening and alluring underwater world of Mermaids. Neela’s character development definitely played a huge part in book two. In Deep Blue, I still liked Neela’s character but in Rogue Wave, she turned into this confident and spirited character that lit up the novel like an underwater cave. 
Overall, without giving too much away, you’ll want to read this if you’ve already read Deep Blue. Rogue Wave rolls in an incredible journey for our favourite characters (even though I really missed Ling, Becca, Ava and Astrid making more of an appearance!) and turns into an unforgettable story of friendship, love, bewitching origins and the power of the unbreakable sisterhood. Bring on Dark Tide: Book Three! After the roller-coaster of cliffhangers and twists that Rogue Wave brought, I’m going to be reading it quick smart. 
       
 Younger/Mid Young Adult lovers (and for some older YA readers) will be blown away with this series! Start with Deep Blue right away if you haven’t – you’ll definitely want to read them in order.


Jennifer Donnelly is the author of seven novels – Rogue Wave, Deep Blue, Revolution, A Northern Light, The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose and The Wild Rose – and Humble Pie, a picture book for children. She grew up in New York State, in Lewis and Westchester counties, and attended the University of Rochester where she majored in English Literature and European History. In 2014, Jennifer teamed up with Disney to launch the bestselling Waterfire Saga, an epic series about six mermaids on a quest to rid the world of an ancient evil. The first book in the series, Deep Blue, was released in May, 2014; the second book, Rogue Wave, launched in January 2015.

 Jennifer lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with her husband, daughter, and two rescue dogs.

 What did you think of Rogue Wave?

Do you like the series?

Let me know in the comments!

happy reading!
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Book Review: “Deep Blue” by Jennifer Donnelly


Title: Deep Blue

Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy
Release Date: May 6th, 2014 
Also by the Author: The Tea Rose, A Northern Light
Published by: Hodder (UK) 


Thanks to Hachette for the ARC of this book! As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. I received this from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.




 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.


 As soon as I heard that Deep Blue was a book about Mermaids, I was instantly catapulted back to my favourite Disney character; Ariel. I haven’t ever read a book about Mermaids, and seeing how the folklore has changed and adapted into more and more mythical creatures coming to life in YA fiction, I was happy to add Mermaid to the list!

 Deep Blue is all about recreating our image of Mermaids. There wasn’t a moment where I thought; oh, that’s been done before, because it was quite a unique reading experience. When I did a character profile list back in early May, we met the characters; Serafina, Neela, Ling, Becca (name-twin!), Ava and Astrid. In the book, they play very different roles from each other in the history of the book and for the majority of the beginning of Deep Blue, there’s a lot of back story and world-building that goes on to show us more into the world of the characters. Our main character, Serafina – who though very headstrong and tough, is frightful and scared for her home underneath it all, unveiling a whole new layer to her character that slowly shows itself over the course of the book. 
There were great uses of puns for the Mermaid’s, with witty, playful and clever takes on their world, like Currensea as money. But it also uses some girl-power type themes being very female-driven, which was one of my favourite things about the book. It’s going to set a great example for younger YA readers with that friendship aspect. I was constantly trying to remind myself that Deep Blue is set…under the sea. I kept forgetting that all this was underwater, so it was definitely a new and diverse way of envisioning the world in the eyes of the characters. 
Although it’s not my usual genre choice, I really enjoyed Deep Blue. It was a fresh idea that surprised me, made me laugh and learn tons about a deep, enchanting history and all that would come with the sequel. I felt that book one has set a good jump into book two, getting all the things we as readers needed to know in our minds and leaving us with the anticipation for more. If you’re looking for something exciting and a modern take on what lurks in the ocean, Deep Blue is going to be the book for you. Plus being a major franchise for Disney, I can easily see myself watching and loving Deep Blue as a film. 

 I usually say that there’s a “scene” that was my favourite, but I actually liked the parts where we learnt what things like what money was called (currensea) and that Dolphins speak Dolpheen. They were little parts that made it unique, but amusing nevertheless.

For younger-to-mid YA readers, this will be something you’ll enjoy the most. For older YA readers and Adults, I’m going to say it’s subject to if their open-minded and creative with the novels they read and have an understanding of Fantasy. Whereas I’m older YA, and I really liked Deep Blue. So it’s really down to individuals. 



Have you read Deep Blue?


Tell me what you think in the comments or on twitter!

happy reading!

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Book Blast: “Deep Blue” by Jennifer Donnelly

Title: Deep Blue (Waterfire Saga #1)

Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy
Release Date: May 6th, 2014 
Published by: Hodder (UK)

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.

Deep Blue Character Profiles
MEET THE CHARACTERS
Four thousand years ago, six wise rulers with mystical powers oversaw the golden realm of Atlantis. When an evil force overtook the mythical island, sinking it into the sea, Merrow, the leader of the ancients, beseeched the gods to grant her drowning people the power to breathe underwater. Those who survived, their legs magically fused into tail fins, formed an undersea civilization called The Mer.
From their Mediterranean realm, five others grew to form six undersea nations, led for generations by descendants of the ancient Circle of Six. Now, the evil forces that consumed Atlantis threaten destruction once again. The Mer nations’ only hope lies with six teenagers, descended from the ancient rulers, who’ve inherited their magical powers. Together, they form an unbreakable bond of sisterhood to save their worlds.
Serafina
Loyal, brave, just, and strong—with copper brown hair, bright green eyes, and a nascent gift more powerful than all the others—Serafina is descended from the ancient ruler Merrow. Heir to the original civilization of Merfolk, Sera has been raised with the expectation that one day, she’ll be their ruler. When the undersea nations come under threat and Sera’s mother, Queen Isabella, is poisoned, Sera’s destiny leaps to meet her. She must embark on a journey to find and vanquish the evil forces at work. Her powerful magic—the gift of a love so powerful she would sacrifice herself for those around her—will guide her as she leads the mermaids in their quest. By her side is her best friend Neela…
Neela
Sassy and daring, with a non-stop sweet-tooth, jet-black hair to her tail fin, and a bioluminescent body that emanates a bright blue light, Neela is descended from Navi, ancient ruler of the waters of India,
a kind and good-hearted leader who used her riches to build hospitals, orphanages, and homes for the poor. It was said Navi could hold light in her hands as well as her heart, pulling down beams from the sun and moon and stars and bending them to her will. She gave her people hope in their darkest hours. Neela, able to create and throw powerful formations of light, is the intrepid inheritor of these gifts.
Ling
With a gentle but powerful nature and a keen intellect she’s not afraid to show, Ling—with almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, and a sword in a scabbard slung over her back—is descended from Sycorax, who ruled from the shores of the Qin in China. An omnivorax, Sycorax spoke the languages of all creatures—people, animals, birds, flowers and trees. She was Atlantis’ supreme justice, a peace- keeper and negotiator of treaties between realms. Ling is the able and ready inheritor of these gifts.
Becca
Fierce and quick—with curly red hair, blue eyes, and a smattering of freckles—Becca is descended from Pyrrha, who ruled the shores of Atlantica, the ancient realm between South America and Africa. Pyrrha was a brilliant and strategic military commander, but she was also an artisan—a blacksmith who could bid fire. She had a forge on Atlantis where she transformed farm tools into weapons; when her people came under attack, Pyrrha saved her people with her quick thinking. Becca, her descendant, will do the same.
Ava
Wise, witty, frank and prescient—with glossy black braids, deep brown scales, sunglasses, and a guide-pet piranha she keeps on a leash—Ava is descended from Nyx who ruled the fresh waters that flowed from the Mississippi River. Nyx was blind, but he could feel things he could not see. He never flinched from what he felt, or from speaking his visions truthfully. The magic bestowed him by the gods strengthened his gift and transformed it into prophecy. Ava is the knowing inheritor of this gift of prescience and foresight.
Astrid
Headstrong, bold, and possessed of a deep well of magical power, Astrid—with cascades and braids of white-blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and the black and white markings of an orca—is descended from Orfeo, who ruled the arctic waters around Greenland. A musician who played the lyre to soothe the sick and suffering, he was a healer whose people loved him. Of the six who ruled Atlantis, his powers were unsurpassed. But it was Orfeo who mysteriously defected from the Circle of Six, unleashing a monster of his own creation whose wrath destroyed Atlantis. Like her father, Astrid turns away from the group. Unlike her father, she will rejoin them…but not until she tests them first.

This giveaway excludes US & Canada, sorry! I’ll be hosting many more for other countries in the coming weeks, but for now this one is just for the UK! 
I’m giving away all this…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

After you’ve entered that amazing giveaway, take a look at the Deep Blue trailer! It’s seriously incredible.



Don’t forget to enter the giveaway, spread the word and add Deep Blue to your Goodreads to-read!

happy reading!

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