Review: Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

Summary from Goodreads:
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 was an interesting take on mermaids. The story begins as Serafina, daughter of the ruler of the mermaid realm of Miromara, prepares to undergo a ceremony in which she is declared a true heir and betrothed to a prince. Her peaceful world is turned on its side when her city is thrown into chaos on her big day. She is forced to leave and seek answers to her dreams that warn of dark times ahead.

At the beginning, I felt quite overwhelmed with the info-dumping and terms used by the characters to build the Waterfire Saga world. I could tell explanations/translations were added within a character's speech for the reader's benefit but the dialogue between the characters felt stilted and awkward. This however eased as the book went on.

Creative and imaginative concepts about the way of life, food, cosmetics and fashion made me chuckle throughout the book. Common sayings were twisted to incorporate the mermaid's point of view, such as 'from all swims of life' and 'you stick out like sore fins'. Some of the ideas were a bit cartoonish and silly which made me confused whether the overall tone of the book was meant to be more serious/epic or light-hearted. The scale was frequently tipped from one side to the other.

In terms of characters, only the surface of each were tapped into since there were so many introduced within the 300 odd pages. The destinies of the main characters shaped them rather than their traits or back-story, hence I was sitting on the sidelines observing rather than being invested in them.

The incorporation of Atlantis city provided a cool foundation for the world's history. The politics in the story was rich, though sometimes boring and hard to follow with all the exotic names and titles. Overall, Deep Blue did a good job of setting up the series.

Note: I received an advanced reader's copy from Hachette Children's Books via NetGalley to review. This review is my honest opinion.

Review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Summary from Goodreads:
BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want — and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages — until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present.

I had no knowledge of the French Revolution going into the novel and I only recognised the names Napoleon and Marie from spin-off media (Yes, shame on me..). I don't know how much real history was incorporated into the novel but I learnt a lot (google searches to discover whether certain events actually transpired XD) and Alex's story really piqued my interest in French History! I often didn't know the music terminology and people Andi referred to, so I felt a bit out of the loop and didn't connect with her there. Her grief and the way in which she coped by twisting everything to become negative was understandable and relatable though.

I have to say I enjoyed Alex's story slightly more. I get so engrossed in her story, I forget what Andi is doing (usually lining up somewhere reading Alex's diary and Andi too forgets where she is because she is so entranced by Alex's writing!). I really loved the direction the novel took toward the end with it's surrealism. Revolution was a gripping and beautifully written story!