(Waterfire Saga #1)
by Jennifer Donnelly
Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publication Date: 9781423133162
Publisher: Disney Press
Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781423133162
Genre: Young Adult | Mermaids
Source: Arc from Publisher
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
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. (Goodreads)
The story is about a young mermaid named Serafina, whose life changes in an instant on the day of her betrothal. On the run, with her city now in ruins, Sera and her best friend Neela must try their best to escape the evil that threatens them, and find a way to save the sea from the one who wants to destroy everything.
The story is told from our two main characters points of view. Serafina and Neela were both interesting characters, and each in their own particular way. They had a really great friendship, and both were determined to keep each other safe from the people that wanted to harm them. They both had qualities that helped them out when they really needed them. I really liked not only their determination, but their friendship as well. The story mainly revolves around friendship between the two girls, so there’s not really much romance in the book, just a bit at the beginning.
The world building for the book was quite fascinating, as Donnelly literally built this world from the ground up. It has its own language and objects, character names, etc. The story could get a bit confusing at times because there are SO many words that we don’t know, that belong specifically to this world Donnelly created, that I have to stop and try to remember what the word meant. It got a little better the more that I read, but it definitely slowed my reading processing in the first part of the book. There was quite a bit of action in the book, mainly the girls running from the bad guys. Every time I turned the page it seemed like they were fixing to get caught. That definitely kept me turning the pages.
Overall; I thought this book was a really interesting read. I’ve not read too many mermaid books, so it’s kind of hard for me to compare them. I definitely think younger girls will enjoy reading this book.
Great review! I completely agree with you. There's a lot of action, and a whole lot of world-building. I got caught up on some the new words and jargon. I agree with you...I think younger MG girls would like this series. It was cute!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I still can't get past the mermaid thing. Lol. But I'm glad you enjoyed it. It definitely sounds like something that a younger generation would like - I'm going to recommend it to my best friend for her daughter, who's always looking for age appropriate books.
ReplyDeleteLiked this review! It sounds like a creative book! I'll have to recommend it to my nieces :)
ReplyDelete