One of the series I’ve been super excited about is the Waterfire Saga series. Today, I’m honored to work with Disney Hyperion to offer a Waterfire Saga prize pack as part of a giveaway celebrating the release of Dark Tide, the latest book in the series by the amazing and lovely Jennifer Donnelly.
Mini Review: Deep Blue
My favorite thing about this book is that it doesn’t take the traditional line of stories about mermaids. There’s no handsome human prince out there waiting for this Mer princess to rescue him. She’s got much bigger problems right here under the sea. I love that Donnelly creates this whole culture with lore and customs but keeps it feeling fresh and accessible. Sera and her friends feel like hip teen girls even though they’re in a completely different world than ours. This is a great intro series for younger teen or preteen readers looking to get into fantasy or fairy tale retelling-type stories. (Read my full review of Deep Blue here.)
Mini Review: Rogue Wave
While Deep Blue spends a lot of time following Sera’s story, Rogue Wave branches out into her friend Neela’s story quite a bit. The Mer world has kingdoms of wildly different races and Sera’s journey to save her kingdom involves six girls with diverse backgrounds. I liked that the series brings some variations in race and ethnicity even at the ocean floor. Sera and Mahdi’s romance progresses but stays very PG and sweet. There are a couple of things that got a little bit repetitive for me – over and over we’re reminded that a ritual shared by five of the Mer girls transferred some of their special abilities to each other. It wasn’t a big deal, but it did seem to come up a lot. (Full review coming soon.)
Mini Review: Dark Tide
Read an excerpt of Dark Tide here.
In Dark Tide we get a view into Ling’s and Astrid’s roles in the plot to destroy the monster Abbadon. The stakes get higher as the bad guys close in on the mermaids and Mahdi’s cover could be blown at any minute. Sera and Neela have grown a lot since we first met them. Sera is now a seasoned warrior and leader. Neela has so much more confidence in herself. We get a little taste of romance with some of the other characters, which I really liked, too. Again, the love stories stay very clean. This might have been my favorite book of the series so far. The suspenseful ending definitely left me eager to read the final novel Sea Spell, which won’t be out until June 2016. (I received a copy of Dark Tide from Disney-Hyperion as part of my participation in the giveaway, but my opinions on the book and series are my own. Look for my full review on Dark Tide in November.)
About Jennifer Donnelly
Jennifer Donnelly is an award-winning author of both adult and young adult books, including Deep Blue, Rogue Wave, and Dark Tide, the first three books in the Waterfire Saga. For adults she has written a trilogy of best-selling books that includes The Tea Rose, The Winter Rose, and The Wild Rose. Her first young adult novel, A Northern Light, received many accolades, among them the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, a Carnegie Medal in the UK, and a Michael L. Printz Honor. Her second young adult novel, Revolution, was named a Best Book of 2010 by Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal, and the audiobook received a 2011 American Library Association Odyssey Honor. She lives in New York’s Hudson Valley. For more information, visit www.jenniferdonnelly.com.
(She is also one of my favorite authors! If you haven’t read A Northern Light you definitely want to check it out.)
Waterfire Saga Books and Nail Polish Set Giveaway
One lucky winner will receive these awesome goodies provided by Disney Hyperion. (US addresses only, please.) Winner will be chosen when the contest ends on 11/3/15.
Leave a blog post comment about your favorite mermaid myth or story to enter the giveaway.
The Little Mermaid by Anderson of course
Absolutely. Such a classic. Thanks, Ken!
I love mermaid mythology. Depending on who;s telling the story, they can be evil, or curious, or innocent, or violent. I love all versions. I’ve been meaning to read Ingo for a while. I bought a cheap copy off of BookOutlet, but I haven’t picked it up yet.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for stopping by, Rosie! Have you read the Syrena Legacy by Anna Banks? I haven’t read the third one, but I enjoyed the first two. Ingo is on my list, too. 🙂
These look great! Lorna and I looooooved The Ingo Chronicles. We will have to check these out.
Thanks, Allison! They are fun reads. 🙂 I haven’t read the Ingo Chronicles. Will have to add them to my list, too!
These look great! Lorna and I have LOOOOOVED the Ingo Chronicles. I always wanted to be a mermaid. 😀 So cool to have an excuse to read this stuff! ^_^ We will have to check these out if we don’t win but untill then . .. . fingers crossed!
Yay!
Love the reviews! They made me really interested in the series. My favorite is still the classic The Little Mermaid. My favorite part is that I always thought the Disney version was the original ending from the fairy tale- found out I was super wrong about that!
Thanks, Kristin! I think I read the Hans Christian Andersen version before ever seeing the Disney movie, but I do remember being relieved that the movie had a happy ending. I love the HCA version, but the Disney story has a special place in my heart, too! 🙂
I am just starting to read about mermaids. The best book I have read so far is Undertow by Michael Buckley. It is the only book about mermaids I have read but I loved it. These books have been on tbr and thank you for giving me the opportunity to won them.
Thanks for stopping by, Kimberly. I haven’t read Undertow, but I’ll have to check it out. Good luck in the giveaway!
The little mermiad in Hans Christian Anderson’s collection.
Hi, Dari! That’s a classic. I love his stories. 🙂
LOVE THIS SERIES
Yay! Me too. 🙂 Thanks, Daniel.