Deep Blue

On the morning of the day she is to perform her coming-of-age ceremony and become betrothed to Prince Mahdi, mermaid Serafina's life is shockingly disrupted. An assassin's arrow poisons her beloved mother, and she soon finds herself fleeing her home in a desperate attempt to protect her own life.

Everything is in turmoil, but soon Serafina finds herself setting out on a journey to find the assassin's master, and prevent a war between the Mer nations. With little but her strange prophetic dreams to guide her, and her old friend Neela at her side, Sera embarks on a search for the other mermaids, scattered across six seas, who can help her to protect the merpeople's world.

The first book in the Waterfire saga, this magical undersea adventure takes its inspiration from the myth of Atlantis. The courageous teen mermaid heroines will especially appeal to girl readers, and Jennifer Donnelly has created a vivid and atmospheric underwater world. Although readers looking for the sophistication of some of Donnelly's young adult books may be disappointed, this story has plenty to offer younger readers in search of excitement and entertainment, and clearly sets the scene for plenty more magic and adventure to come.